Stories from Quick Reads from August, 2007
Saudi: Support for Jailed Activists
Saudi Jeans updates us on the demands being made by the supporters of Saudi reformists detained since February.
Russia: Politkovskaya Updates
Sean's Russia Blog is posting updates on Anna Politkovskaya's murder investigation – here, here, here (46 comments), and here.
Russia: Sakhalin Travel
White Sun of the Desert writes about his recent Sakhalin travel: “The journey back entailed me having to do one of those things I’d always hoped I’d never have to do: enter a 4-berth Russian railway carriage which has 3 people sleeping in it already, and the spare bed is...
Russia: “Anti-Akhmatova”
Languor Management writes about Tamara Katayeva's “600-page assault on the literary legacy Anna Akhmatova”: “This reminds me of Emma Gerstein's Moscow Memoirs, which was supposed to have debunked Nadehzda and Osip Mandelshtam's literary legacy, and really just portrayed them as particularly difficult people going through particularly hard times.”
Russia: “Word of Badmouth”
Copydude writes about various ways of mistreating foreigners in Russia – and about “word of badmouth,” which certain Russian restaurant owners don't seem to know anything about: “According to customer service research, a dissatisfied customer complains to an average of eight other people about a bad experience. In the blogging...
Palestine: Gul for Turkey
Fayyad from Palestinian blog Kabobfest writes about Abdulla Gul‘s election as Turkey's president. “Ironically, some secular extremists in Turkey, too (have) issue with the fact the Gul’s wife, Hayrunisa, wears a hijab, which is banned from all Turkish public institutions, and (for) some reason terrifies some, especially when Mrs. Gul...
Iraqi Insurgency
Abu Aardvark (Marc Lynch) updates us on the latest news about the insurgency in Iraq.
Czech Rebublic: Syphilitic Pornstars
“Dozens of Czech pornstars caught syphilis during the last three months,” Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word reports.
Czech Rebublic: Mushrooming
My Czech Republic Blog writes about “a Czech national leisure activity”: mushroom picking.
Iran:US policy and a web site
Azarmehr says that during his visit to US last Novemeber :”we had a meeting at the US State Department. We were told that the US does not have a policy of regime change in Iran, instead the US policy is changing the behaviour of the Islamic regime! So I asked,...
Myanmar: Fuel Price Protests
New Mandala reports on the continuing protests against the fuel price rise in Myanmar.
Thailand: Online Video Sites Down, YouTube Works
Bangkok Pundit says Thai people can now access the previously banned YouTube site but couple of other video sites are not working.
Trinidad & Tobago: Infinite Island
Antilles highlights Infinite Island, a contemporary Caribbean art show which opens tomorrow at the Brooklyn Museum.
Singapore: Unlikely Allies
Little Bridge finds African students taking the side of Chinese students in a campus fight with Mongolian students.
Guyana: Dark Side of the Moon
Guyana-Gyal might have missed an eclipse…
Trinidad & Tobago: Poor Salesmanship
Caribbean Public Relations blogs about “a perfect example of poor customer service and salesmanship.”
Cuba: Changes?
Is change imminent in Cuba? Child of the Revolution offers two opposing views.
Japan: Executed Death-Row Inmate was Mentally-Ill
Asia Death Penalty outlines the results in a report by Amnesty International indicating that one of the death-row inmates killed last week in Japan, Hifumi Takezawa, was mentally ill.
Madagascar : Andriamanankoavy Jonny r'afa on why he writes
Malagasy Author-Musician-Sculptor Andriamanankoavy Jonny r'afa explains his art : “D'abord, à travers l'Art, entretenir et enrichir la ” Mémoire Collective ” des Malgaches. Celà reste un devoir par respect des origines. Trouver alors ce qu'il faut préserver, et les transmettre, les traduire.” “Through art, one can maintain and enrich the...
Tunisia: The Rich and Poor
According to official statistics, there are twice as many rich people than poor ones in Tunisia. Subzero Blue tells us why that really isn't the case.
Israel: Arab and Jewish Refugees
Aussie Dave from Israel discusses the difference between Jewish and Arab refugees in this post.
