Stories from Quick Reads from June, 2009
Serbia: History and architecture
Nothing against Serbia discusses Belgrade architecture and its influence by both Byzantine and nationalist heritage, illustrating his point with pictures and plans of the city's former main telephone exchange building.
Russia: Lingering high mortality rates
Streetwise Professor writes about the prevalent high mortality rates among the Russian population, based on figures from the Lancet published by Reuters, with interesting comments by Sublime Oblivion.
Russia: Paradoxes of population growth
LJ user about:blank comments on [RUS] recent research comparing Russian population growth with average income in various regions and cities 1990-2009, coming up with the interesting result that the country's second and third cities, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novogorod, are making moderate progress in comparison to many other less developed...
Latvia: IMF, ECB and the EU Commission at odds
A Fistful Of Euros describes how the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank may be taking another line on the currency peg of the Lat to the Euro and the country's future inclusion into the Euro zone.
Serbia-Belarus: Mobile phones in civil resistance
Information Policy summarises a recent survey on the use of mobile devices as a tool of civil resistance in Serbia and Belarus, concluding that state surveillance of communication is making them increasingly difficult to use.
Turkey: Pride March In Istanbul
Elizabeth is currently in Istanbul, and took part in its sixth LGBTT Pride March: “I took a lot of photos and copied down slogans: Susma, haykır, esçinseller vardir! (Don’t be silent, speak up: Queers exist!)”
The Balkans: Agim Ceku
A Fistful of Euros writes about Agim Ceku and his arrest and release in Bulgaria last week.
India, Pakistan: Diplomacy Lesson From A Tennis Duo
Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan highlights the bond between the India-Pakistan Tennis duo Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi and Prakash Armitraj who are playing together in the Wimbledon. They are one of the finest examples of citizen diplomacy in promoting goodwill and improving perceptions between the two nations.
Bangladesh: Sacking Of Army Officers
Unheard Voice blog discusses the sacking of seven army officers in Bangladesh and comments: “If army is not kept above political partisanship or at the least not perceived to be above partisanship, we will have a high price to pay in future — just like we have a paid a...
Russia: Stalin visits Voronezh
LJ user Vaziani tells about [RUS] how the local Voronezh communists have wallpapered the city with huge pictures of Joseph Stalin in commemoration of the 22 June 1941 attack on the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany.
Taiwan: Meet Taiwan's “Twitter Queen”
Andrew from Feast Meets West interviewed Rose Huang, the most-followed twitterer in Taiwan, in his radio show on RTI.
Russia: Crackdown on casinos and gambling
Eternal Remont discusses the Russian government's current crackdown on the country's casinos and gambling industry.
Czech Republic: End of EU-presidency
Czechmatediary recounts the end of the Czech presidency of the European Union, finalising it with a big street party.
Albania: Electoral improvements and lingering problems
Albanian Blogger comments on the 2009 general elections in Albania.
China's Stimulus Package and its Effect
China elections and governance has a series of article on the China's economic stimulus package and its effect. Part one is An introduction to China's stimulus package. Part two is The green dragon soars on the wind: Chinese stimulus and the environment. Part three is Migrant workers and social unrest....
India: Celebrating Rain
Gargi at POV celebrates the rains which have come late this monsoon season. She reminds us that: “the link that India has to rains, is much like the colder nations of the North have towards Spring. A lot of our mental and physical well being is linked to it raining...
Trinidad & Tobago: Taking Issue
Trinidadian diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch takes issue with a government anti-crime advertisement.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Connecting the Dots
Call it coincidence, but diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense thinks that in light of news that Cuban human rights activists Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” and his wife were once again arrested, “it might be best to connect the dots”, particularly “in the wake of the NED ceremony, at which Antúnez...
Cuba: Fear of Change?
“Like the seemingly never ending US blockade that attacks Cuba’s economy from without, from the inside a corrosion process is gradually eating away at the relatively young 50-year revolution”: From Havana, Circles Robinson says that “there is a conservative political class of managers at most workplaces and government offices who...
Jamaica: Bloggers on Jackson
Michael Jackson's death has Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp ruminating on the meaning of life, while Annie Paul says: “the mainstream media has limited credibility for me now [post Jackson's death] particularly in the wake of the Iraq War which they triumphantly and confidently led us into.”
French Caribbean: Farewell Mickael
The news of the death of the King of Pop was like an earthquake felt around the world. The shock wave reached the French Caribbean, where bloggers from Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, all pay homage to the late artist.