· April, 2007

Stories about Governance from April, 2007

Iran:Hidden thoughts of Ahmadinejad

Ahmad Shirzad,former reformist deputy in Iranian parliament, writes [Fa]that we can find out about Ahmadinejad's real thoughts if we listen to his speeches during his trips to country's provinces.According to the blogger, he rejects all achievements of human being.Shirzad says in a speech he said educated people from USA and...

Bahamas: Elections Thoughts

  30 April 2007

On the virtual eve of the Bahamian elections, Nicolette Bethel shares her thoughts about politics and governance: “No matter who we think we support, or what party we will elect on May 2, we should be ashamed for allowing our so-called leaders to engage in such a widespread denigration of...

Serbia: Blogosphere Reacts to Protect Press Freedom

  30 April 2007

Two hand grenades were placed on a window sill of Serbian journalist Dejan Anastasijevic's apartment on Saturday, April 15. The explosions caused material damage but no injuries. There were numerous comments about who might have stood behind the attack. Bloggers started a petition requesting prompt reaction of the police for the sake of press freedom.

Iran: Crackdown on Women Again

Iranian police have begun to crackdown on women’s dress. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, women have been obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures and protect their modesty. Thousands of Iranian women were warned about their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred were arrested in the capital Tehran in the fiercest crackdown in more than a decade for what’s known as “bad hijab”.

China: Slogans with Chinese characteristics

  30 April 2007

Banyue from DANWEI blogged some outrageous Chinese slogans, such as: Popularize the first child, control the second child, exterminate the third child, Whoever does not follow family planning will have his household ruined and his family perish, and many others.

Iran:Disrespect to the Society

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, reformist politician, reminds us that these days ladies are inspected in many streets of Tehran. The ladies who are not wearing proper veil (hejab) are arrested… the ladies who are traced in the streets these days are mostly born after revolution and they have all been grown...

Bulgaria: Escalators Fixed

  27 April 2007

In the early 1990s, the escalators of Sofia's Main Train Station did not work, writes Sofia's Hidden Beauty: “The escalators’ colour became darker and darker, dust and rubbish irreversably damaged the mechanisms and they turned just into dangerous alternative of the stairs.” Now some of them do, again.

Estonia: “A Russian Rebellion”

  27 April 2007

As Tallinn seems to have entered the second night of rioting over the removal of a Soviet war memorial, here's a blogger's recap (with photos, RUS, by LJ user mrprophet) of what happened the previous night: A Russian rebellion Today I've been to a true Russian rebellion, senseless and relentless....

Puerto Rico: Health Care System

  27 April 2007

Gil the Jenius shares his thoughts on capitation payments in the Puerto Rican health care system: “If you think money isn't the issue just make the rounds (pun intended) of several medical offices in any part of Puerto Rico. It won't take you long to see signs stating that ‘Cash...

China: culture certification system

  27 April 2007

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI has translated an interview with Liu Changquan of the Ministry of Culture's Cultural and Artistic Talent Center from Southern Weekly about the newly proposed certification system for entry to cultural sectors.

Japan: Reactions to Tokyo Governor Ishihara's re-election

  27 April 2007

On April 8 and April 22 nationwide local elections were held throughout Japan, gubernatorial elections on the 8th and local assembly and municipal elections on the 22nd. Among 13 gubernatorial elections, the Tokyo elections attracted the most attention, with incumbent Ishihara Shintarou running for a third term. Over the previous...