Stories about Politics from August, 2009
Maldives: Defense Arrangement With India
Mohamed Nasheed, a Member of Parliament, writes in his blog how and why he initiated a motion in the Maldives parliament pointing out the need to make sure that the recently proposed Defense arrangement with India conforms to the Maldivian constitution and has the prior approval of the parliament.
Iraq: Death Of Shi'ite Leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakim
Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (the largest political party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives), died of lung cancer on August 26 in Tehran, Iran. His death is expected to have repercussions for politics in Iraq. Bloggers around the region have responded to the news.
Bahamas, Jamaica: Thoughts on the IMF
Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas takes issue with an article in a Jamaican newspaper which laments the fact that the country “now has to pay the piper (IMF)”, saying: “Of course I am no fan of the IMF, but to suggest that a country ignore its debt is simply irresponsible…it...
Trinidad & Tobago: Productivity
“So we need to produce more corn curls, Crix and painted stones (aka GDP) per man per hour”: This Beach Called Life takes a tongue-in-cheek look at productivity in Trinidad and Tobago.
Japan: What to do with “Media Arts”
For a nation working to capitalize its “soft power”, what is the role of anime and manga culture in governmental policies? The official answer is that anime, manga and digital art is both an important heritage and high-growth industry, requiring an official hub for preservation and presentation. Throw in a...
Jamaica: Making It Last
“What good is it to glean several medals, to ride the wave of national camaraderie and unity for a few days, only to be bogged down once again by the crushing weight of national issues, such as crime, corruption, and economic chaos?”: Jamaican blogger Life, Unscripted, on the Rock wonders...
Ted Kennedy And The South Asian Immigrants in the USA
Sepia Mutiny, a South Asian diaspora blog from USA remembers how Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy affected the lives of South Asian immigrants by playing an active role in passing the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Bangladesh: Mourning Senator Edward Kennedy
Senator Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009), the second most senior member of the US Senate, died of cancer last Tuesday. Bloggers recall him as a true friend of Bangladesh and explain why Bangladeshis will remember him forever.
China: Mobile phone and Dissent 2.0
Uln from Chinayouren blogs about his experience in getting dissent messages asking people to quit CCP via mobile phone.
Iran: “Forced Blogging from Prison”
Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a leading reformist blogger and former vice president, started [fa] to update his blog in prison. He says that the interrogation continues but he has very friendly relation with interrogator and protesters in prison know that there was no significant fraud in Iran's presidential election.
Russia: Stalin at Renovated Kurskaya
LJ user russos posts photos (RUS) of the newly renovated Kurskaya-Koltsevaya metro station in Moscow, which now sports this line from the 1944 version of the Soviet anthem: “Stalin brought us up – on loyalty to the people, he inspired us to labor and to heroism!” The post has so...
Russia: August 1991 – 18 Years On
Scraps of Moscow writes about the August 1991 coup and how it is remembered 18 years later.
Taiwan: Post-typhoon reconstruction attracts criticism
After Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan earlier this month claiming hundreds of lives and making thousands homeless, the government is pushing forward a recovery plan. Michael Turton writes that the Ma government's post-typhoon reconstruction plan is a shock doctrine.
Japan: I won`t vote
The general elections will be held on the 30th of August but many Japanese won`t vote. One of these, at takuyaonline, gives vent to his frustration [ja] against the rotten political class and the decadence of the Japanese society in a post titled I won`t go to vote (選挙には行かない) .
Bahamas: A Woman's World
“When women of the Caribbean and the Americas are truly equal, stay at home mothering will be a paying job”: From the Bahamas, Womanish Words is celebrating Women's Equality Day “by imagining a better world for women, and for mothers and their children especially.”
Caribbean: Climate Change Concerns
The threat of rising sea levels is of concern to CARICOM [the 15-nation Caribbean community]. Repeating Islands explains.
Barbados, U.S.A.: R.I.P. Senator Kennedy
Barbadian bloggers are saddened at the passing of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy.
Suriname: Photo-Op
Paramaribo SPAN features the photography of Reshma Kirpalani who, upon her return to Suriname, intends “to explore this country just as it exists, at this point in time: on the eve of an election year, on the brink of progress, in the ebb and flow of inevitability.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Gender Policy
From Trinidad and Tobago, gspott asks: “Where's the Gender Policy?”, noting that while they can't say what exactly the new version of the Policy contains, they can can “offer…a special preview of all the really scary stuff on homosexuality that’s caused the Policy to turn into such a national mess...
Barbados: Boycotting
As Barbados Underground joins the call for the boycott of a local newspaper, citing “another case of a weak media exposed”, Living in Barbados examines the power of boycotting, saying: “To boycott effectively you have to have self-sacrifice.”
Brazil: Students arrested for demonstrating in the Senate
Students were held for demonstrating against the Senate's President José Sarney and suffered many threats. We hear the blogosphere's thoughts on Brazilian democracy being slowly done away with.
