Stories from Quick Reads from April, 2011
Bhutan: Bonded Teachers
Tshering Tobgay criticizes a recent rule in Bhutan that teachers will never be able to apply for other government posts.
Guyana: Unsolved Murder
Last week marked five years since Government Minister Satyadeow Sawh was was murdered in Guyana; The Caribbean Camera interviews his family, who are still searching for answers.
Cuba: Ferrer Held
According to Uncommon Sense and Babalu, Dr. Darsi Ferrer and other activists were arrested today “during a protest in which they were calling for the Castro dictatorship to allow Cubans to travel freely, among other demands.”
Bahamas: Shark Tales
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith shares some good and bad news about sharks.
Cuba: Bosch Dies
Cuban bloggers note the passing of Orlando Bosch, with Machetera saying: “There are good terrorists and bad ones, and clearly the mainstream media have settled on the fiction that Bosch is the former, so he gets to be a ‘militant’.”
Jamaica: Honesty in Poetry
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp notices “a brutal honesty” in his featured poem by Kei Miller.
Syria: A hero father
A Gay Girl in Damascus writes about how her father stood up for her, when officers came knocking on her door one night.
Egypt: RIP Ali – A tribute to an African Grey parrot
From Egypt, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani mourns the death of her African Grey parrot Ali, also known as Ali Capone.
Honduras to Implement ‘One Laptop Per Child’ Program
RNS in Honduras Politics and Culture says that the plan to give one XO laptop to every child in Honduras “would be ideal for deployment in Honduras.” However, the blogger shows some skepticism: “At the actual cost [$199], the original $3 million investment would buy 15075 XO laptops, not the...
Mexico: Senate Approves Political Reform
The Mexican Senate approved “La reforma política,” a political reform that Aguachile describes as “immensely significant.” Aguachile lists the sections included in the reform and adds: “Of course, this does not mean the reform has passed; it will now move on to the Chamber of Deputies, and then for ratification...
Ecuador: Poll Results Show President Correa Leading in Referendum
Bloggings by Boz reports: “Polls from Santiago Perez and Cedatos-Gallup suggest Correa will win on all ten questions of the referendum taking place on May 7,” adding that, “For Correa, the specifics about the reforms are secondary to the larger issue of winning.”
Russia: Photoblogger Defends His Constitutional Rights
Popular photoblogger Ilya Varlamov continues to fight the common and unconstitutional ban on taking pictures in supermarkets. He posted a photo essay on his misadventures in Evropeysky, a large supermarket in Moscow, where he was prevented from taking photos.
Russia: Drug Agency to Monitor Blogosphere
Russian Federal Service for Drug Control plans to monitor the blogosphere to analyze the situation with drugs in the country, Lenta.ru reported.
Uganda: Opposition Leader Arrested Again
Rosebell Kagumire reports from Uganda: “After spending Easter in a jail, Uganda’s opposition leader Dr.Kizza Besigye was granted bail with ridiculous conditions that he would not participate in walking to work [protest] for seven months. As it would turn out Besigye’s freedom was short-lived as the military and police blocked...
Azerbaijan: Royal Wedding Frenzy
Scary Azeri offers her own acerbic take on tomorrow's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Despite a reported close friendship with the groom's Uncle, Prince Andrew, the blog says that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev doesn't appear to be among those invited and also comments on media coverage of...
Poland: Decrease of corruption
Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki notes that corruption in Poland continues to decrease in contrast to many other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a recent article in The Economist.
Latvia: National news agency website hacked
Juris Kaža of Telecoms in Latvia draws attention to a recent hacker attach on the Latvian news agency LETA, closing down the website for several hours.
Taiwan: Lying Girls
After Japan's flying girl, here come Taiwan's lying girls. The Lying Girls will show you a really, totally, different way of viewing Taiwan…Come lie together!
Russia: New round in the TNK-BP row
Streetwise Professor points to the parallel buyout of a partner in TNK-BP oil company by the Russian state oil company Rosneft and British Petroleum, with the abolition of a tax release, possibly resulting in decreased company value for the upcoming sale.
Serbia-EU: Belgrade at a crossroads
Ari Rusila's BalkanBlog argues that Serbia may find too many obstacles to continue its accession to the European Union, and instead might find other alternatives more appetizing.
Armenia: Pseudo-patriotism and flag burning
Unzipped comments on the creation of a Facebook page by some students in Armenia calling for the “virtual burning” of the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey. The blog says it considers the move one that can only lead to more hatred between Armenia and its two estranged neighbors and is...
