Stories about English from August, 2009
Jamaica: Bereft of Leadership?
Trevor Dawes, blogging at Abeng News Magazine, says that “Jamaica is bankrupt” and suggests that “it is as a result of the poor to non-existent leadership from either of the two major political parties.”
Bolivia: MAS Strategy in Next General Elections
Miguel Buitrago of MABB [es] runs down the strategy of Evo Morales’ MAS party in the upcoming general elections.
Pakistan: Ex President's Trial – Treason Or Revenge?
A year after the resignation the former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, leading political party Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) insists on putting him on trial for treason. Bloggers opine that the trial appears to be a political revenge rather than a call for justice.
Japan: Voting for Change
Diary of A Singaporean Mind comments on the Japanese election result that ended the LDP 54 years of continuous rule. The blogger pointed out that Japanese people had voted for change even though the future remains uncertain.
China and Taiwan: Dalai Lama's visit, inevitably political
Yesterday Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan on a visit that has been denounced by China. The trip, requested by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to President Ma Ying-jeou, aimed at comforting victims of Typhoon Morakot. Dalai Lama explained in the airport that “I'm a monk. I was asked to say prayers...
India: Mobile Value Added Services For Rural People
Dina Mehta writes about an innovative value added service from mobile operator(s) which can empower people in rural areas in India with minimum cost.
Sri Lanka: Let The IDPs Go
Indrajit Samarajiva at Indi.ca visits a Sri Lankan IDP camp and shares his observations: “Everyone just wants to go home, or at least to stay with relatives. They don’t need charity anymore, they need the freedom to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Bangladesh: Justice Denied
The Online Citizen, a citizen media outlet of Singapore reports on a Bangladeshi labor, who was physically abused repeatedly by his Singaporean employer and denied 5 months salary. He held on to Singapore’s justice system, but the justice he got was deportation from the country and the employer got away...
Myanmar: Tension in the Sino-Burmese border
ESWN collects news reports on the military conflict between the Burmese government and the Kokang Ceasefire Group near the Sino-Burmese border. The situation has been getting worse in the past few days and thousands of Burmese refugees fled to China. Last Friday, a bomb fired across the border killed one...
Vietnam: Blogger fired by newspaper
Blogger Huy Duc, who writes under the pen name “Osin,” was fired from his job in a Saigon newspaper after Communist authorities in Vietnam complained about his writings
Myanmar: Cooking oil ban removed
According to The Irrawaddy News, seven brands of cooking oil that had been banned for health reasons in Myanmar are now on sale again in Yangon after government authorities recommended their sale in the market.
Malaysia: Muslims can’t watch “immoral” concerts
The political party which banned the concerts of Beyonce, Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani in Malaysia is now proposing to ban the "sinful" Michael Learns to Rock concert. Malaysian Muslims can't also watch a Black Eyed Peas concert because the show is sponsored by an alcohol company.
Israel: Social Media Advances Jewish Identity
How can social media enhance identity? eJewishPhilanthropy reports: “For a people who have fretted over a loss of identity for generation after generation… innovations like Twitter and Facebook are nothing less than, dare we say, a godsend.”
Israel: When Translations Go Wrong
Literal translations aren't always your best bet when moving between Hebrew and English, explains How to Be Israeli. She writes that the movie title “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” which is Biblical in tone in the native English, is translated in Hebrew as “Achi, Efo Atah?” which sounds a lot...
Israel: Hollywood in the Holy Land
September is a major month for Hollywood in the Holy Land. Israel will welcome Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Faith No More, Julio Iglesias, MGMT, and Dinosaur Jr. Both Madonna and Cohen's shows have sold out their 45,000+ seats. Israelity has the scoop.
Hungary: St. Stephen
Hungarian Spectrum writes: “Because there are so many references to St. Stephen nowadays in Hungary I thought I ought to write a post on what ‘Hungary’ looked liked in his days.”
Colombia: Another Massacre of the Awá Indigenous Community
Plan Colombia and Beyond writes about the report from the National Organization of Indigenous People about another massacre of members of the Awá indigenous community by an unidentified armed group in the department of Nariño.
Japan: We will not forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki
64 years ago, on the 6th and the 9th of August, atomic bombs were dropped by the U.S. forces on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Over 200,000 people died and every year, ceremonies are held to commemorate those victims and to remind humanity of the horrors of war and of the use...
India: Blogging Tips From An Award Winning Blogger
Amit Varma, one of the most popular Indian bloggers who won many awards in blogging, posts some tips on how to write a successful blog.
Bangladesh: The Traditional Iftar Market At Chawkbazar
Desher Chobi posts some ravishing pictures of the traditional Iftar market at Chawkbazar in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Microsoft Bing has highlighted a photo of this market on their main page a few days ago.
Albania: Honey
Stepping Stones describes an accidental stopover at a honey-processing place located on a beautiful lake in southern Albania.