Stories about North America from August, 2008
Jamaica: Woman Power!
Jamaica has done it again! If there was any doubt after Usain Bolt's 100m Gold Medal that this Caribbean nation is a powerhouse of Track and Field, the female Jamaican sprinters made sure to underscore the point by placing first (Shelly-Ann Fraser) second (Kerron Stewart) and...second (Sherone Simpson) in the final of the Women's 100m in Beijing.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Fay Warning
“Kerosene lamps? Check. Gallons of water? Check. Transistor radio? Batteries? Check. Candles? Check. I'm not gonna kid you, folks, it's still scary”: Cuban diaspora blogger Ninety miles away…in another country readies himself for the possible impact of Tropical Storm Fay.
Egypt: A Letter to Obama
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia, writes about the letter jailed Egyptian politician Ayman Nour wrote from his prison to US presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
Egypt: Alone in New York?
Egyptian blogger Eman is leaving to New York, where she will pursue her higher studies. “Right now I’m in the middle of a whirl of emotions, however that is not something I’m bothered with… What bothers me is people’s reaction to the fact that I am traveling on my own,”...
China: Tracking Olympics stats by wiki
Twitter user @davesgonechina points us to the Olympics 2008 Dashboard over at wiki site Zoho, and of the stats there notes: “Zoho medal count wiki shows China leading in golds because of womens events.”
AIDS 2008: Lifting the Travel Ban on HIV-Positive People
The XVII International AIDS Conference ended in Mexico City last week, leaving participants with much to focus on until the next conference, which takes place in Vienna in 2010. One of these areas of focus are the travel restrictions imposed on HIV-positive people entering a country for the short or...
Russia, Georgia: A tale of two wars
Vadim Nikitin of the Foreign Policy Association Russia blog, analyzes the parallel coverage of the South Ossetia conflict by US and Russian media, saying “The US media covered the Russian invasion of Georgia and its airstrikes on Gori, while the Russian media covered the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia and...
Jamaica, Canada: Caribana
Jamaica's Abeng News Magazine posts images from “the biggest street fête in North America”, Toronto's Caribana.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Trading Partners
Child of the Revolution reports that “newly-released figures confirm what many of us have known for some time” – that the US trade restrictions on Cuba are really “not much of an embargo”.
NATO-enlargement and Missile Shield in Poland
The 8th Circle discusses the pros and cons of NATO enlargement in view of the Russo-Georgian war, and notes that Washington and Warzaw have now agreed on the deployment of the US anti-missile shield to Polish soil.
Georgia War: NATO as Deterrent or Reassurance?
A Fistful of Euros discusses the Russo-Georgian war from the perspective of NATOs role as deterrent or factor of reassurance for its members and would-be members.
Palestine: Countdown for the War on Iran
Palestinian Haitham Sabbah predicts the countdown for the war on Iran has started – following news of a massive build up of naval forces in the Gulf. Sabbah urges his readers to sign an anti-war petition.
Japan: Gaijin Stereotype Debate
Eric from Japan Probe opened a debate with another blogger Debito over the issue of Gaijin stereotype.
Japan: Debate over Google Street View continues
Less than two weeks after Google rolled out Street View in Japan, debate continues in the blogs over whether the new service is an appropriate match for Japanese culture and urban residential life. A letter addressed to Google written by IT professional Osamu Higuchi drew a huge reaction last week, the translation of which was picked up abroad in both the U.S. and the U.K., in Japan both in English and in Japanese, and eventually even made its way onto Chinese bulletin boards. While many bloggers in Japan supported sentiments expressed in the letter, others responded with criticism.
USA: Blogging for Anglican Inclusion of LGTB Priests and Bishops
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual priests and bishops made efficient use of citizen media to support their campaign for inclusion in the Anglican Church at the recent Lambeth Conference, a global gathering of 650 bishops and archbishops held at the Canterbury Cathedral in the United Kingdom.
South Asia: For Obama
Sepia Mutiny on a popular actor of South Asian origin – Kal Penn rooting for Obama.
Georgia: U.S. Impotent
Blogger Interrupted comments on the latest developments in Georgia and says that the U.S. can now be seen to be impotent in the face of a Russian invasion. The blog also argues the case for an Obama presidency in light of the apparent failure of U.S. foreign policy.
Georgia War: Western Escalation – A Bad Recipe
At-Largely comments on the ongoing war between Russia and Georgia, departing from increasingly critical US statements, and concludes that this is not the right time for the West to further escalate the conflict.
Georgia-Russia: Western Tradeoff of Georgia Against Iran?
Osteuropablog quotes (GER) some of the frequent – although somewhat wild – speculations among Russian bloggers that the West has exchanged a Russian war with Georgia against permission to a Western attack on Iran.
South Ossetia: US Presidential Candidats on Conflict
The 8th Circle publishes relevant excerpts of statements by US presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, finding their positions basically the same.
Abu Dhabi's Baywatch
“What's more absurd? 1. Playboy-model-come-home-porn-star Pamela Anderson wants to build a hotel in a conservative Islamic emirate. 2. She plans to build a zero-fossil-fuel eco-friendly hotel in one of the biggest carbon-chugging nations in the world,” writes Secret Dubai Diary, from the UAE.
