Stories from Quick Reads from March, 2007
Mauritius: players don't use intelligence
Ishtiba on Mauritian soccer following their recent loss agains Sudan, “So much frustration among Mauritian supporters today …but 1 thing that many persons dont understand is that : how can we get good /quality football, how can “we deliver the goods” when there is no effective structure put in place...
Ethiopia: blog blocked
Andrew Heavens blog has been blocked in Ethiopia: Surprise, surprise…meskelsquare.com is now out of sight here. Why would they block a blog which publishes stories about Miscalls and Kenyan web watchdogs? Ahunis enezih sewotch cherkavhewin tilew abedu Of course, blogs on blogspot.com have disappeared once again.
East Timor: Electioneering in East Timor
Dili-gence describes the campaigning for the upcoming presidential elections in East Timor.
Cambodia: Sex in South East Asia Video Podcast
Details are Sketchy has a post on a reporter from Sexerati.com visiting Cambodia as a part of her coverage for a video podcast on sex in South East Asia.
Cambodia: SMS blocked During Elections
Mungkol in Cambodia says blocking of mobile SMS during the elections is funny and unreasonable.
Thailand: Pro-Democracy Protests
Publiuspundit has a post on pro-democracy protest in Thailand and the military appointed prime minister's reluctance to declare a state of emergency in Thailand.
India: Flower-Lane
A flower market in photographs at Trivial Matters. “A kaleidoscope for your senses. Dadar Phulgalli [flower-lane] takes your traditional Bombay smells of sweat, toil, paint, iron and turns them into the smell of marigolds.. Wipe your brow and you find petals in addition to sweat.”
India: On the shariah
Indian Muslims on the shariah, law, state and culture. “I firmly believe that in this present day world shariah laws cannot be enforced on people because Muslim society in general has diverted away from religion. Concepts which invite death punishment in Islam are now acceptable in many cultures, like live...
Pakistan: On Rawalpindi
Light Within on the history of Rawalpindi. “The bustling city of Rawalpindi has a lot more to offer than a traffic mess, broken roads and haze-filled atmosphere. The city’s history spreads over several millennia. Archaeologists believe that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau even 3,000 years ago.”
Bangladesh: On Hizbut Tahrir
Rezwan on the Hizbut Tahrir. “Hizbut Tahrir, a global student organization which is very active among UK (including Bangladeshi community there) established their base in Bangladesh a few years ago. They could so far infiltrate in many high profile public and private Universities of the country and could motivate many...
Bangladesh: The death of a Grandfather
Sajeeb Wazed (also the grandson of one of Bangladesh's founding fathers – Sheikh Mujibur Rehman) writes an account of the killing of his grandfather and other family members due to political reasons. “Mohiuddin and his cohorts killed the security guards and made their way into the house. They confronted my...
Kazakhstan: Russian Chill
neweurasia discusses chilliness in relations between Kazakhstan and Russia, but says that the relationship is far from on the rocks.
Georgia: The Taboo Web
Levan finds some Georgian websites that deal with subjects that are taboo in Georgia.
Kyrgyzstan: Trouble Brewing
At Registan.net, Teo Kay shares some the political cartoons about Central Asia he co-created for an English-language newspaper distributed in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Afghanistan: 800 Years of Rumi
Bonnie Boyd notes that Rumi, the famous poet often associated with Sufism who was born in what is now Afghanistan, was born 800 years ago and she reports on a celebration of his work that took place in Washington, DC.
Armenia: Entertainment Buzz
At Blogrel, Harmick has the latest Armenian entertainment and celebrity news.
Afghanistan: Navruz Video
Sohrab Kabuli has a video report of Navruz celebrations in Afghanistan.
Cuba: Fidel's Blog?
“The blogosphere is certainly growing!” (ES) declares mi isla al mediodia (tongue firmly in cheek) as he notes that Fidel Castro has written an “entry” in his “blog” (ie, Granma, the Communist party paper) about the impact on the agricultural sector of using ethanol as a substitute for fossil fuels.
Grenada: Price of the Cricket World Cup
Six & Out refers to the comments of cricket fans who were actually there in order to dissect what many see as the failings of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
Mexico: Harvard University and Oaxaca
George Salzman on the good and bad of the involvement of Manuel Stefanakis, Director of the Master of Public Administration Programs in the John F. Kennedy School of Government, in Oaxaca's long-standing conflict with the local and federal government.
Mexico: Biofuels, corn prices and food security
Sitna Quiroz on “Biofuels, corn prices and food security in Mexico:” “Media reports attributed the rise in tortilla prices to dwindling imports of corn due to its increasing demand for ethanol production. Others argued that the problem was not lack of corn, but rather the monopolizing practices and speculation carried...
