Stories from Quick Reads from June, 2010
Russia: Moscow's Female Poplars
Belatedly, a link to Vilhelm Konnander's post about Moscow's female poplars and the trouble they've been causing for half a century.
Russia: Ramzan Kadyrov's Blog and Plagiarism Controversy
Sean's Russia Blog notes that “just when [Ramzan] Kadyrov thought he had a clear path to becoming a star of the blogosphere, his second post, “My city, Grozny” was accused of plagiarism […].”
Czech Republic: Dr. Milada Horáková's Death 60 Years Ago
The Reference Frame writes about the execution of Dr. Milada Horáková 60 years ago: “Many people were killed by the communists but she has clearly been the brightest woman ever murdered by them.”
Ukraine: Hanna Herman's $60K Wrist Watch
Foreign Notes writes about a $60K wrist watch of the deputy head of Ukraine's Presidential Administration: “$60K is equivalent to 10 to15 years average salary in Ukraine…”
Russia, U.S.: The “Spy Ring” Story
A selection of posts on the “Russian spy ring” story: Julia Ioffe at The Daily Beast; A Good Treaty; Yelena Osipova at Global Chaos; Mark Adomanis at True/Slant; Vadim Nikitin at FPA's Russia blog; Dina Fainberg at The Dustbin of History; Catherine Fitzpatrick at Minding Russia; Windows to Russia; Eugene...
Haiti: MSM Coverage
The Haitian Blogger says that “mainstream media pieces about Haiti are like Swiss cheese, full of holes.”
Haiti: Five Months Later
Haiti, land of Freedom takes a look at the country just about five months after the devastating earthquake.
Belize: Mayans Win Right to Land
Repeating Islands reports on a landmark court ruling “in favor of 38 Mayan Communities in the Toledo District”, which confirms their rights to the land surrounding their communities.
Barbados: White Elephant
B.C. Pires fears “there is a white elephant in the West Indian drawing-room.”
Chile: Organizations and Citizens Against Mining Project in Magallanes
Manuel Luis Rodriguez writes in the blog Coyuntura Política [es] about a mining project in Isla Riesco (Riesco Island) in the Magallanes region. He says that about 50 NGOs and 12 international entities signed a statement against the project because it endangers the flora and fauna of the island and...
Cape Verde: Bau Talks On Being a Musician in a Small Country
In an interview for blog Café Margoso [pt], musician Bau shares his dream of creating a music school for the children of Cape Verde. The artist says that because he is based in “such a small country”, he finds many restrictions to the possibilities of growing as an artist.
Laos: Vientiane's second radio station
Sabydee Lao blogs about the opening of a radio station in Vientiane, Laos. It’s newsworthy because it is only the second radio station in the nation's capital.
Malaysia: Migrant worker fired for lodging complaint with government
jelas.info from Malaysia uploads a letter from labor groups highlighting the case of a migrant worker who was fired by an employer after lodging a complaint with the labor department.
Club of Cambodian Journalists
The website of the Club of Cambodian Journalists seeks to provide information to promote press freedom and media rights in Cambodia.
2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance
The 2010 Asia Declaration on Internet Governance tackled issues on internet governance, security, and access of information. The manifesto was signed by delegates from many Southeast Asian nations.
Lebanon: No to The Rule of Dinosaurs
A new Facebook group named No to Dinosaur Rule: So that Lebanon Doesn't Turn into a New Arab Prison (Ar) has been formed. The group advocates freedom of speech.
Japan: Thanks, Blue Samurai!
Japan lost to Paraguay 3-5 in a penalty shootout yesterday but the Blue Samurai's performance touched their fans’ heart, Kazumie says.
Taiwan: Fly, Wen Gui Hospital, Fly!
Have you ever seen the Pixar/Disney animation “UP”? See the real version in Tainan County, Taiwan(zht) when students from Tainan National University of the Arts tried to save the old Wen Gui(文貴) Hospital(photos) , a historic building which is scheduled to be demolished on June 30.
Venezuela: Making a Presence in the 2010 World Cup
Venezuela did not make it to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but the blog Venezuela News and Views posted pictures taken by their correspondent in South Africa, Armando Tirado, showing Venezuelan flags in the match between Brazil and Chile. The flags include messages, like one against Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez...
China: The end of Google.cn redirect
Kai Pan from China/divide comments on the end of Google.cn's redirecting of search engine to Google Hong Kong.
China: Shanghai World Expo
Maple Xu blogs about her experience in the Shanghai World Expo. The post is translated from Chinese into English by Xujun Eberlein.
