Stories from Quick Reads from June, 2008
Russia: Media on the eXile
Sean's Russia Blog reviews media coverage of the “eXile Affair.”
Russia: Euro 2008
Ger Clancy, aka The Irishman, is guestblogging at Sean's Russia Blog about the Russian football team's performance at Euro 2008 – here and here.
Russia: Dostoevsky Museums
Josefina of Russian Blog visits Dostoevsky Museum in Moscow – and writes briefly about the other six, in St. Petersburg, Staraya Russa, Darovoye, Novokuznetsk, Omsk, and Semipalatinsk.
U.S., Russia: Satender Singh Murder Trial Update
Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts an update on the Satender Singh murder trial in northern California: “a deadlock on the major hate-crime charge and two convictions on misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace and simple assault.”
Russia: Yavlinsky Steps Down
Grigory Yavlinsky steps down as Yabloko Party's leader – “a bigger deal in the international press than in Russian papers,” FP's Passport reports.
Belarus: Food
Darkness at Noon writes about Belarusian cuisine.
Russia, Ukraine: Energy Issues
Kremlin.Inc posts his presentation on Ukraine's energy policy; Robert Amsterdam writes on Gazprom and Anatoly Chubais.
Angola: Photo reportage by a reader
JotaCê Carranca [pt] blogs some interesting pictures sent by a reader of the blog, first a creative wooden vehicle which looks like a bike found in the streets of Bocoio, Angola; then a school in Libangue “in which there is nothing else apart from what you can see [in the...
Palestine: Visiting Arafat's Tomb
Fugitive Peace blogger Gideon Lichfield recently visited Arafat's tomb. He reports: “I paid my first visit to Yasser Arafat’s new mausoleum… It’s an austere, brilliant pearl incongruously plopped in the middle of the ramshackle Muqata complex, the presidential headquarters: a cube-shaped mausoleum at the end of a long plaza, with...
Israel: No Nuts for You!
Israel is the world's largest consumer of pistachio nuts, but recent reports reveal that illegal imports from Iran may be its primary source. Jewschool's Shalom Rav jokes: “Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Israeli snacking habits will attest that Israel will be hard pressed to give up their pistachio...
Omani Blogger Passes Away
The Omani Blogging Community grieves over the sudden death of Omani Blogger Sleepless in Muscat.
Omani E-Transactions Law Issued
The first Oman law dealing with electronic transactions was passed recently. Blue Chi writes about why bloggers and webmasters should know what it says.
Israel: Drinking Tap Water Good For Your Health
“Drink tap water, trust me,” Amir Mizroch of Forecast Highs urges. “The desalination plant in Ashkelon… is one of the most technologically advanced facility of its kind in the world… But there seems to be a vast disconnect between the contention by experts that desalinated tap water is clean and...
No More Highschool For Omani Blogger
Omani Blogger Abdullah has completed his high school exams and is back on the blogging scene. He has also posted a vlog to tell us how his exams went.
Poland: More on Lech Wałęsa
A debate on Lech Wałęsa continues at Polandian: “a hero / a lesser hero / a traitor. Choose your title.” Raf Uzar posts on the controversy as well.
Poland: Warsaw Ghetto, Then and Now, Part II
Polandian continues the virtual “tour of what’s left to see of the Warsaw ghetto.”
Serbia: Belgrade River Pollution
LimbicNutrition Weblog writes about the sorry state of Belgrade's rivers.
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Conflict
Say: Macedonia discusses a Spiegel article on the Greek-Macedonian conflict and writes about a case brought by the Aegean Macedonian refugees before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Lithuania: Missile Defence Alternative?
Lituanica writes about rumors that Lithuania has offered to deploy elements of the U.S. anti-missile shield, “as an alternative to Poland.”
Hungary: Open Letter to Austria
Pestiside.hu writes an angry letter to Austria, “on behalf of Hungary.”
Hungary: “National Pride”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the “puzzling” issue of “national pride.”