BBC News incorporates citizen journalists

It's hard to tell if this is really a blog, but BBC News is running what it calls the Harare election blog, written by a 22-year-old receptionist in Zimbabwe.

The contents are refreshingly honest and clearly written (I wonder if they're edited). Here's an excerpt:

I've heard there are political meetings for both Zanu-PF and MDC going on and the state-run Herald newspaper says there have been plenty of Zanu-PF rallies outside Harare - some taking place in schools - where large donations are given.

A friend of mine phoned to say she'd tracked down a cleaning product similar to the one I usually use - which I had been fruitlessly searching for - in a shopping centre near where she works.

So instead of going to church this Sunday, I spent the day washing, ironing... and cleaning the stove.

I think there are two significant things about this snippet:

1. People all across the world are ready, willing, and able to express themselves when given the opportunity.

2. Most people's political lives are tangled up with their daily lives -- in other words, politics are important, but so are cleaning products.