Stories about LANGUAGES from June, 2007
Haiti: Laid-off Teleco Haiti workers compensated
Collectif-Haiti-de-Provence writes about Haitian president Rene Preval's decision to compensate workers (Fr) who were illegally laid off from the state-owned telecom, Teleco Haiti. The government plans on privatizing Teleco, a move that will undoubtedly bring violent demonstrations from those who stand to lose out, Collectif writes, but that those who...
Japan should work with China to tackle photochemical smog problem
Some scientists have been arguing that air pollution in China is responsible for increased incidents of photochemical smog in Japan. Kaz points out Japan's responsibility as a nation which suffered its own pollution in the past and says that Japan should build a good working relation with China in order...
Japan: Distance between NHK and Government
The recent appointment of Komori Shigetaka, who is a close acquaintance of PM Abe Shinzo, as an NHK's management committee member has raised a controversy over the possibility of the government's intervention in public broadcast. Blogger Miepong draws on and analyzes discussions in the Japanese blogosphere as well as mainstream...
Japanese Enlist for Billy's Boot Camp
Billy's Boot Camp has hit Japan, and Japanese bloggers are talking all about the show's star, Billy Blanks. Athlete of the year in the USA Karete Hall of Fame and actor in a number of American action-adventure feature films, Blanks has now brought his show to Japan, where it is making the rounds of local TV stations, drawing reactions from bloggers.
Martiniquian blogger on “Fleurs du Mal”
Le blog de [moi] celebrates the 150th anniversary of Fleurs du Mal (Fr) by posting “Le Vampire” and explaining her attraction to Baudelaire's poetry: “Baudelaire speaks of death and women like no other. I really understand his fascination with the two…I open [the book] rarely because it always brings out...
Manu Dibango's “Soul Makossa,” the original “Thriller”
Alain Mabanckou writes about famed Cameroonian musician (Fr) Manu Dibango, whose Soul Makossa has “all the rhythm, all the atmosphere” of Michael Jackson's album Thriller, although it debuted 11 years before.
CAR: Amnesty International calls for UN troops
Amnesty International is calling for the immediate deployment of UN troops (Fr) to the Central African Republic to address the worsening security situation in the north of the country highlighted in a new UN report (Fr), Alliance Pour La Democratie et Le Progres writes.
NGO worker on Darfur
Alliance pour la democratie et le progres interviews an NGO worker (Fr) on the situation in Darfur. “Things won't get better quickly.”
Japan: Anti-freeze Toothpaste and Toxic Thomas
Last week, reports emerged that two Japanese companies were recalling thousands of Chinese toothpaste products sold to hotels across the country after the health ministry reported finding that they contained chemicals used in anti-freeze. At the same time, Sony announced that it was recalling 43,000 “Thomas the Tank Engine” wooden toys, which were found to be covered in paint with excessive levels of lead. Bloggers in Japan reacted with anger and disbelief.
Japan: parents’ involvement in after-school daycare centers
After-school daycare centers play an important role in providing children of working parents with a safe environment to spend their after school hours. A blogger shares her experience with one of those services and her frustration. [Ja]
Brazilian and Indian Doha Round Solidarity: Is it a reason for blame or a call for leadership?
A blame game seemed to start as soon as Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath walked out of the G4 talks with their counterparts from the US and the EU Thursday in Postdam, Germany. The meeting between these four key players in the World Trade...
Japan: Reactions to the Nova Suspension
Nova, the largest English language school operator in Japan and well-known for its fuzzy pink mascot, is in dire straights, having been ordered last week to suspend part of its operations for six months after it was found to have deceived its students and violated consumer protection laws. Bloggers in Japan offer their reactions.
Students protest for public universities in Brazil
Students from the most important university in Brazil, the University of São Paulo, occupied the office of the head of the institution on May 3rd to protest against new policies announced by the governor of São Paulo's state, that threatened the autonomy of the state's public universities. São Paulo State...
Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine: “Mashreq is imploding”
Watching events in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine (Fr), Stroobia writes, “Mashreq is imploding” (Fr).
D.R. Congo: Who profits from underdevelopment?
“A half-century of mistakes and political instability has pulled the rug out from under one of the potentially richest countries on the planet,” Du Cabiau à Kinshasa writes of D.R. Congo. Du Cabiau à Kinshasa blames 30 years of Mobutu and those who benefit from underdevelopment (Fr), namely state monopolies...
Tahitians can dance!
See photographs of over seventy Tahitian dancers performing in costumes fashioned from pandanus leaves.
Tahitian dance
Fenua blog has photographs of a traditional Tahitian dance performance (Fr).
HIV-positive women abandoned by their husbands
Reaseau sida Afrique writes about HIV-positive women who have been abandoned [Fr] by their husbands or families, and are left to raise their children on their own.
French Guiana: Noni and turtles in season
In French Guiana, it's the season for noni and for turtles. Cafe Creole has pictures (Fr).
First Night Against Françafrique
Vous reprendrez bien un peu d'humanisme? announces “‘First Night Against Françafrique” (Fr) on Zalea TV.
Haiti: Reflections on the beauty of life
Note d'Or writes about a new-found appreciation for the beauty of life after a nine day hospital stay. “As I greet each tree, each bird, each blade of grass and my square of flowers, I thank the rusty beds for being there to make me aware of these beauties that...
