Stories from Quick Reads from November, 2006
Azerbaijan: Baku Photosession
Abkhazian LiveJournal user sukhuti has photos and impressions of Baku.
Armenia: ArmenTel
Onnik Krikorian registers his hatred of ArmenTel over their high prices for substandard service.
Malaysia: Violent Demolition
Ktemoc writes about the callousness shown by authorities in demolishing a village and a place of worship within it. “But what was typical was the brutal suppression of the villagers by the MPAJ enforcers. It seems that in Vision 20/20 Malaysia, the mentality of authority enforcers are still of Vision...
Uzbekistan: Boysun
Novoye Uzbekskoye Slovo has photos from Boysun, a place he says is a must to visit in the spring.
Mongolia: Fake Hijacking
Tom Terry has more on Tuesday's hijacking of a plane in Mongolia by government agencies saying they were conducting a drill. One post includes comments from passengers and the government while the other comments on how the media and the government handled the story.
Kyrgyzstan: Death Penalty
Yulia writes about the anti-death penalty rally in Bishkek and says that she has very mixed feelings about the issue.
Armenia: Deti Picasso
At Life in the Armenian Diaspora, Raffi Meneshian reviews “Ethnic Experiments” from Deti Picasso, a band based in Russia with two Armenian members. Onnik Krikorian has more on the band and thoughts on the Armenian music scene.
Philippines: Typhoon Misses Manila
Torn and Frayed in Manila reports that the thyphoon Renming has spared Manila and veered south.
Malaysia: Teaching Arabic in Schools
The EducationMalaysia blogs writes why students are leaving national schools for already overcrowded vernacular schools. “Now, even as mother tongue programmes have yet to be fully implemented in the schools, you will find bungling headmasters and education department officials implementing the most clumsy of policies like forcing Indian students in...
Guyana: Citrus ephiphany
A taste of shaddock, a citrus fruit, re-opens Guyana-Gyal's senses to the newness of things.
Jamaica: The man who was buried twice
Ria Bacon recounts the story of the twice- — indeed thrice- — buried man and other bits of history pertaining to Port Royal, Jamaica, which, before its destruction by earthquake in the 17th century, earned itself the title of “wickedest city on earth.”
Jamaica: RIP, Perry Henzell
Geoffrey Philp pays tribute to Perry Henzell, director of the Jamaican cult classic The Harder They Come, who passed away today.
Trinidad & Tobago: New Carnival music selections
Caisoqueen reviews some of the new musical selections of the 2007 Carnival season.
Haiti: Artists to Fight Insecurity?
Karlito writes (Fr): “[We] hold the police and government responsible for not doing enough to fight insecurity. But we forget the role that artists can play in helping that fight. One organization that has caught my attention is ONE. An organization filled with international artists whose goal is to help...
India: Why he won't fly that airline anymore
Dateline Bombay on rude airline staff and why the one of the best airlines in India will lose its grip. “So you can have the best technical staff, the best equipment and the best food (in the airline business). But when your number one position gets to you and arrogance...
Bangladesh: Islam and Iraq
Or how I learned to stop worrying on a Muslim reaction to the situation in Iraq. “Who says that Muslims, just like everyone of good conscience, are not horrified by the violence and killings in Iraq? Who says that Muslims are not opposed to this chaos? I feel no inclination...
Bangladesh: Take Back Bangladesh
drishtipat on a concert called Take Back Bangladesh. “The idea behind Take Back Bangladesh is to reconnect the people, especially the younger generation, who are turned off by politics as usual and feel that their voices are never heard by the political parties. … The first step in this direction...
Mexico: Oaxaca Update
Mark in Mexico fills his latest report from embattled Oaxaca with accustomed satire. Colin Brayton, meanwhile, shows a video from La Jornada reporting that paramilitary members fired shots into the Medical Department of the Autonomous University of Benito Juarez.
Mexico: Wrestling Match in Congress
Ricardo Carreón, Rodrigo Javier [ES] (with video!), A.M. Mora y Leon, Ana Maria Salazar, and Michelle Dion all on the wrestling match that broke out in Congress.
Egypt: English-language news
Commenting on the new attempt at local English-language news reporting in Palestine (Palestine Times), Matthew Carrington says: “If, as the editor claims, the Palestine Times isn't going to be beholden to any particular political or commercial interest, then this could a good thing. Palestine, as much as Egypt, needs a...
Morocco: Tourist stabbings
The famous Nejjarine Square visited by thousands of visitors every year today was the scene of a brutal stabbing attack at against three tourists. Samir and El Glaoui post some updates.