22 December 2005

Stories from 22 December 2005

Japan: Hard Gay Toy

  22 December 2005

Controversial but popular Japanese TV character Razor Ramon HG, a.k.a. Hard Gay now has a toy inspired by him. A “sexual minority” teacher's network has complained that the toy, which encourages children to stick plastic swords into a barrel until the TV character jumps out, discriminates against homosexuals.

Philippines: Constitutional Reform

  22 December 2005

Ricky Carandang reveals his disappointment that the commission tasked with reforming the Philippines’ constitution and consider a change from a presidential to parliamentary government has taken the best reforms off the table.

Singapore: Symbols

  22 December 2005

Yawning Bread tells the stories behind Singapore's national symbols, including the much-maligned merlion and the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.

China: Anti-Virus Efforts

  22 December 2005

Revere at Effect Measure praises China's cooperative transparency in sharing with the world its bird flu virus samples. “The Chinese also report they have begun their own clinical trials of an experimental H5N1 vaccine.”

Africa: Music

  22 December 2005

This is my last roundup until next week and I would like to end with a blog I think we all love Benn loxo du taccu……….Africa's music for the masses – North and South of the Sahara.

AIDS in Africa

  22 December 2005

Lest some of us forget a few of life's realities at this time of much merrymaking etc Grandiose Parlour reminds us via Medecins Sans Frontieres of the impact and cost of AIDS in Africa…..”I was awestrickened after viewing” And I too!

Nigeria: Christmas

  22 December 2005

Kid's Doc in Jos posts on Christimas in Nigeria……….Weather: dry and dusty. Travel: Like Thanksgiving in the US, this is the time for traveling home.Decorations: modest by American standards, but then Americans may be just a tad on the excessive side. Christmas parties: I’m sure that there are all varieties...

Nigeria: African leaders

  22 December 2005

On a lighter mode – a great tune but hey you need to change the song sometime! He has some questions about African leaders….”Is it true that Presidents are usually possessed by evil spirits/forces after they assume position” more to come…. Does Uncle Sege belong to the KGB? “Legend/myth/fiction has...

Nigeria: party time

  22 December 2005

Molara Wood has some cool photos “owambe belles” and “Lagos lass“. And if you write love poetry you can submit to the African Love Poems to be published next year.

South Africa: Australia, racism – not cricket

  22 December 2005

South African reports that Australia's racist hooligans are still on the rampage this time hurling abuse at the SA cricket team….”The latest news coming out of Australia is that South Africa's cricketers were racially abused and called “kaffirs” and “kaffir boeties” during the first Test in Perth. This kind of...

Kenya: US, foreigners and privacy

  22 December 2005

Gukira writing from the US complains that foreigners are not getting the same protection as US citizens in Bush's latest move to invade people's privacy……..”Repeatedly, leaders have condemned this “invasion of privacy.”Daddy senator and Mommy representative must protect Baby citizen from the hostile government wolfs.Not a single word, at least...

Kenya: getting lost in Nairobi

  22 December 2005

Moving back home is busy getting lost in Nairobi….”.i am unsure how people who have never lived in this city, get around. honestly. there are no map-books. and even if there were, people tend to substitute whatever road names there are for hand gestures. for example james gichuru is that...

Ethiopia: Overhearing conversations

  22 December 2005

Aqumada links to a site called “Overheardinnewyork” where people post conversations they have overheard in the city. He gives some examples ….”Puerto Rico chick: He likes that—what do you call it? That the black people make…that “tooka tooka tooka”…? Nuyorican chick: Rap music.” – Sounds like fun – lets all...

Sierra Leone: UN withdraws

  22 December 2005

Black Star Journal reports on the withdrawal of UN forces from Sierra Leone…….. “Once the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, UNAMSIL has disarmed and demobilised over 72,000 combatants and collected and destroyed over 30,000 arms, explained head of mission, [Daudi Ngelautwa] Mwakawago.”

Africa: Blogosphere

  22 December 2005

Jewels in the Jungle has his own comments on the growth of the African blogosphere and uses a quote from Zimbabwean Pundit to describe it …”“The African blogosphere is a heterogeneous amalgam of blogs not only by Africans and people on the continent as much as it is comprised of...

Africa|: Granta, “A View from Africa”

  22 December 2005

My Heart is in Accra points to literary journal Granta whose lates issue is “The View from Africa“…Ory pointed me towards a piece by Binyavanga Wainaina, a Nairobi-based author who offered the satirical and very challenging “How to write about Africa”. (Pieces like this are great when, like me, you...