· May, 2008

Stories about North America from May, 2008

Japan: Grumpy Jiisan on Nico Nico Douga

  30 May 2008

The latest hit at Nico Nico Douga, Japan's popular video sharing service, is a retired man from Arizona calling himself “Grumpy Jiisan” [Grumpy Old Man], who shoots videos in which he comments on his favorite Japanese anime. Subtitled versions of Grumpy Jiisan's videos at Nico Nico Douga are so popular that they have drawn thousands of comments.

Puerto Rico, U.S.A.: Imagine That Conversation

  30 May 2008

Puerto Rican blogger Liza asks: “Can you imagine having to talk to your kids about the potential assassination of their father?”, adding: “What people don't get is how deep the wounds of political and social violence run in this country. To have people like Hillary Clinton dismiss political assassination as...

Jamaica, U.S.A.: Everglades Litany

  30 May 2008

“In anticipation of Caribbean American Heritage Month“, Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp is running video series, which begins with one of his own, entitled Everglades Litany.

China: After the quake, hoping for aid

  30 May 2008

From inside and outside China, concerned citizens are helping, and putting their hands out to help the victims of the devastating 7.9 in the Richter scale earthquake that leveled out industrial cities, transforming them into refugee camps where people are living under plastic bags, trying to find out their relatives and remake their lives. Four different videos bring us perspectives on how people are dealing with their losses all around the world, and how reaching out to help others could help help ease the pain.

Armenia: Bigoted Journalism

Blogian comments on the misrepresentation of the words of a journalist partly of Turkish descent speaking in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, by the local pro-opposition A1 Plus news agency. The blog says that a combination of factors such as anti-Turkish sentiment and sexism might have something to do with what...

Japan and U.S: Jurisdiction Agreement

  29 May 2008

Niphonese wrote a post on the recent exposure of a secret agreement between Japan and U.S government in 1953 that Japan should abandon jurisdiction over crimes of Japan-based US soldiers, except serious cases.

Cuba: Incipient Crackdown?

  27 May 2008

Both Uncommon Sense and Ninety miles away…in another country blog about an incident in which “police and thugs from a ‘rapid response brigade’ swarmed about two dozen people as they marched toward a local cemetery to present a floral wreath honoring the memory of the iconic political prisoner Pedro Luis...

Barbados, U.S.A.: Taking It Back

  27 May 2008

On the heels of Hillary Clinton's comment about Bobby Kennedy, Barbadian blogger Jdid comments: “You're just playing the spoiler now. It almost looks like you are trying to muddy the waters for your fellow democrat. All I can say is both you and Bill showed a wicked and dirty side...

Israel: Shekels Friendly to the Blind

“Israeli currency has been accessible to the blind since 1975,” reflects Josh of Blogs of Zion, responding to a US federal court cases arguing that American money discriminates against the blind. Unlike US dollars, Israeli paper money has raised vertical and horizontal lines that help blind people differentiate between bills.

Israel: Going Green with Gore

Former Vice President Al Gore added his name to the list of political luminaries visiting Israel in recent months. Gore joined the Board of Governors celebrations at Tel Aviv University this week to accept the $1 million Dan David Prize for environmental activism.

Iran:No Urinals

Rick Steves,an American tourist,is blogging from Iran. He says that there is no urinals in Iran.He writes “There are no urinals anywhere. I did an extensive search: at the airport, fancy hotels, the university, the fanciest coffee shops. No urinals in Iran.”

Bahamas, U.S.A.: Agriculture & Politics

  21 May 2008

Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit weighs in on this and that, saying that “Food self-sufficiency for the Bahamas is an illusion” and that “The American presidential election is…the most interesting presidential race in memory.”

Paraguay: First Actions for Lugo

  20 May 2008

Edgar Ruiz Diaz of Las Preguntas de Venerando [es] provides his thoughts on the first steps that Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo should take upon taking office, such as lowering his own salary, as well as of senators and deputies.

Egypt: A Taxi Driver's Words of Wisdom

Israeli-American blogger Daniel Lubetsky, traveling in Egypt, interviews his taxi driver on leading figures in the Middle East. “I asked him to rank people or countries, thumbs up or thumbs down. Here were his rankings on 24 questions from Bush to Ahmadinejad, from Olmert to Nasrallah, from Bin Laden to...

Diaspora: Armenian-American Homophobia

Writing on its blog, The Armenian Gay & Lesbian Association of New York reports on a recent anti-homophobic event at a Glendale school and the ensuing battle of words that materialized in the local press between ethnic Armenians living in the United States.