Stories from 12 January 2006
South Africa: Cult of celebrity
The Imperfect Poet writes on the cult of celebrity which has become the “new religion”.…I love film and music as much as the next person- if not more – but shouldn't we be celebrating the people who are in the trenches changing lives positively. How does 50 Cent's house party...
Nigeria: Nollywood on demand
Naijablog points to Africast, a site where US subscribers can watch Nollywood films on demand!
DRC: Constitution accepted
Congo Watch reports that the people of the DRC have voted in favour of the new constitution which will lead to elections in March
Nigeria: China oil deal
Jewels in the Jungle comments on the The CNOOC Nigerian Oil Deal between China and Nigeria
Zimbabwe: SA Citizenship
African Blogs comments on a report that Zimbabwean women are going to South Africa to give birth so their children will have SA citizenship.
Ethiopia: letter to Ms Rice
Weichegud! ET Politics writes an open letter to Condoleezza Rice asking her “What she can do about it” referring to the situation in Ethiopia today.
Darfur: Podcasts
The Committee on Conscience has two new podcasts on Sudan/Darfur “Sudan: Saving Peace in the East and “No Power to Protect: The African Union Mission in Sudan” via Coalition for Darfur.
Caribbean: Art, film & the Seven Caribbean Wonders
The Caribbean Beat Blog links to to a conversation between the director of Jamaica's National Gallery and the guest curator of a current exhibition; an article about a Hollywood film made on location in Grand Cayman by a young Caymanian director; and solicits input for a list of the “Seven...
Caribbean: Best to quote Best
Nicholas Laughlin finds he could have saved himself the work of writing his long post about “Caribbeanness” simply by quoting renowned Caribbean thinker Lloyd Best.
Bermuda: Space race & population issues
Valentine Michael Smith reports on Bermuda's first space project, code named BOTTOM (Bermuda On The Top Of Mars). Meanwhile, The Limey fears him wife will learn of the concerns being expressed by the head of the Bermuda Public Services Union about Bermuda's ageing population. “He's wondering,” says The Limey, “whether...
Jamaica: Rocksteady
Jamaica View links to a Daily Telegraph article on rocksteady pioneer Alton Ellis.
Haiti: Like a Dan Brown novel
“My return to Cap Haitien began like a Dan Brown novel,” says Baturrico (ES), relating the news of the death of General Urano Teixeira Da Matta Bacellar, military commander of the UN security force MINUSTAH and the increasing mystery surrounding its cause.
Guyana: Reveal their names!
In a post entitled “Hideous Bloodsucking Crooks”, MediaCritic demands that the Guyana Press Association reveal the names of the senior media personnel who refused to take part in a training exercise for junior members of the media unless they were remunerated.
Belize: First export of oil
Melody reports that, following the discovery of oil in commercial quantities late last year, Belize will make its first export of crude oil to the USA later this week.
South Asia: Blogosphere Buzz
South Asia: Blogosphere Buzz
Armenia: Language Map
Blogrel has a surprising map showing the distribution of Armenian speakers. In Los Angeles…
Kazakhstan: The Inauguration
KZ Blog reports on the pomp and pageantry of Kazakhstan's presidential inauguration ceremony.
Armenia: Bird Flu Update
Oneworld Multimedai has an update on bird flu in Armenia. Armenians are following developments closely and the government is preparing measures to deal with the possible threat.
Mongolia: Government Collapse
Mongolia Matters reports that the Mongolian government has collapsed and that demonstrations are planned for this weekend.
Russia: Rodina's Calendar
Russia Blog reports on the Rodina (Motherland) party's proposal to return to the Julian calendar..