Stories from Quick Reads from February, 2014
Bahamas: The Cerasee Cold Cure
Forget the cold relief, time for the cure. Blogworld's Nicolette Bethel turns to “bush medicine” for healing.
Pakistan, Stay Out of Syria's Civil War
A day after a tiny news items titled, “Saudi Arabia ‘seeking Pakistani arms for Syrian rebels” appeared in Pakistani newspapers, political blogger Ahsan Butt posts a provocative piece warning Pakistan's foreign policymakers against tiptoeing into Syria's affairs. In “This is not our war (Syria Edition)” on the Five Rupees Blog, Ahsan...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Truth of J'ouvert
In anticipation of her J'ouvert experience at this year's Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Tillah Willah explores why the opening of the festival holds so many truths for her.
10 Reasons Why I Do Not Want Shariah In Pakistan
One of the Taliban negotiators pulled out during a recent talk with the Pakistan government demanding that the agenda includes the strict imposition of Sharia law. Pakistani Blogger and Journalist Beena Sarwar highlights a protest note posted in Facebook titled '10 reasons why I do not want Shariah in Pakistan’...
Brief Summary of the Situation in Venezuela for the Curious or Poorly Informed
The protests are being carried out in many parts of the country and are lacking in center and direction, having being called through social media networks. Among the protesters themselves, there are many diverse opinions about the opposition political parties, so it’s possible to find many expressions of support and...
UNICEF Calls for “Child-Free” Protests in Thailand
After a grenade explosion killed three children in an anti-government protest site in Bangkok, the United Nations Children’s Fund urged government and protest leaders to protect children by keeping them away from protests. Bijaya Rajbhandari, the UNICEF Representative in Thailand, made this appeal: (The UNICEF) condemns the violence that resulted...
Myanmar's Last Remaining Synagogue
Built 120 years ago, the Musmeah Yeshua synagogue in Yangon is the last remaining Jewish synagogue in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar. Aside from being a tourist attraction, it is also listed as an archaeological heritage building in the city.
Traditional Media Conspires Against Facebook
Tech blogger Amitha Amarasinghe alleges that Facebook is being portrayed negatively in mainstream media in Sri Lanka accompanied with saucy headlines like “Student commits Suicide over a Facebook photo”, “Facebook love ends in Death” etc: All of a sudden, there is a huge increase in number of mass media content...
Venezuelans in Mexico to Protesters: “You Are Not Alone”
The situation in Venezuela continues to be extremely tense, with enormous marches and gatherings around the whole country that have left ten people killed and hundreds wounded. Venezuelans around the world who oppose their government have organized peaceful gatherings to make their voices heard and ensure local governments understand what...
Not All Bad, Talking Korean Plastic Surgery from Biz Perspective
There have been mounting criticisms on both local and international media's coverage of rampant plastic surgeries in South Korea; many reports are highly sensational, describing how reckless and ignorant plastic surgery patients are (focused on females ones rather than male) and have successfully generated numerous crass jokes and harsh comments...
First Open Heart Surgery in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
The health international network La Chaîne de l’Espoir (The Link of Hope) reports that 7 Congolese children in critical conditions benefited from open heart surgeries [fr] on February 14 in Brazzaville, Congo. With the help of the Congo Assistance Fundation as well, Prince Béni and Maya, both suffering from cardiomyopathy were...
Thoughts On India's Biggest Blogging Conference
#WIN14, India's biggest blogging conference and awards, hosted by BlogAdda, took place on February 9, 2014. Blogger Dr. Roshan Radhakrishnan, who won the best creative writing blog in India, shares his thoughts and pictures.
Malagasy React to SI Swimming Suit Issue and Model's Take on Madagascar
The 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimming Suit Issue was shot on Nosy Iranja (Iranja Island), Madagascar: Nosy Iranja is known as the Turtle island for the Hawksbill Turtles came to shore to lay their eggs. It is also known for the spectacular sandbank that bridges the two nearby islands. Russian Top...
Congratulating The New Prime Minister of Nepal
Nepal’s Parliament has elected Mr. Sushil Koirala (75), the president of the party Nepali Congress, as the new Nepali Prime Minister. Nepali diaspora blogger Indra congratulates the new Prime Minister and thinks that “the gift Mr. Koirala has for empowering others with his humility and sincerity will go a long...
Photos from The Fashion Pakistan Week
Fashion blogger Amara Javed posts photos from the ongoing Fashion Pakistan Week in Karachi showcasing the Summer 2014 collections by many Lahore designers.
Tajikistan's Tastiest Blogs
There are three blogs in Tajikistan that are a must read for anyone interested in Tajik cuisine. Tajik Restaurant [Tarabkhonai Tojiki] [tj] shares cook-it-yourself videos and recipes of popular Tajik dishes. Suhailo's Cooking Diary [Daftari pukhtu-pazhoi Suhailo] [tj] teaches its readers to bake pastries popular in the country. Finally, Osh...
Kyrgyz MPs Explain Themselves Over a Prayer Room in Parliament
The recent opening of an Islamic prayer room in the Kyrgyz parliament has triggered a heated online debate about the boundaries between the state and religion in the Central Asian country. Responding to criticisms, MPs designed and circulated among journalists and bloggers a six-page document suggesting that prayer houses in...
Venezuela Protests: ‘Dear International Media: Step it Up!’
Dear International Editor: Listen and understand. The game changed in Venezuela last night. What had been a slow-motion unravelling that had stretched out over many years went kinetic all of a sudden. What we have this morning is no longer the Venezuela story you thought you understood. In the blog Caracas...
Citizen Journalists, Apply for Free Live Video Streaming
The live video streaming platform Ustream is offering citizen journalists the opportunity to apply for free pro accounts and publicity for any innovative use of video for breaking news, activism, and social good. Ustream has recently supported three live channels broadcasting from Ukraine's #EuroMaidan protests, including the popular channel Spilno.tv....
Ethnic North Korean Schools in Japan Face Ever-Hostile Situation
‘Koreans living in Japan‘ is a vague word glueing very different groups together under the same umbrella term. Based on their affiliation to North/South Korea and the timing of diaspora (whether it happened before/after the Japanese imperial rule during the World War 2 ear), each sub-group goes by a different name,...
Jamaica: Breakespeare & Bob Marley
Inspired by Cindy Breakspeare's recent lecture on Bob Marley, Annie Paul republishes a 2007 interview she did with her, in which Breakspeare discusses her youth, her Jamaican-ness and of course, meeting Bob.
