Stories from 14 February 2006
Hong Kong Refuses to Be Sales-taxed
Hemlock regards the attempt to implement a goods and services tax in Hong Kong as utopian as IMF asking Nepal to restore peace. For “our visionary leaders can’t do anything that’s in the interests of the community, because we’re not a community. We are ‘various sectors’”.
In Defense of Piracy
Beijing Loafer defends the role of piracy in media-controlled China. Without piracy, Chinese audiences “would only get the likes of Titanic, Backstreet Boys and Batman with no shoulder exposed, products as mind numbing as the communist propaganda”. The drawbacks? Misleading subtitles.
Mexico, Cuba: Mexican Media on the Sheraton Cuban Kickout
Jefferson Morley takes a survey of of what the Mexican media is saying about the scandal, “el hotelazo” in which the U.S. Treasury Department told the management of the Sheraton hotel in downtown Mexico City to expel 16 Cuban officials who were meeting with U.S. oil executives. A U.S. spokeswoman...
Costa Rica vibrates with the Central American Music Festival
Feet are fiddling and fingers are drumming as many Costa Ricans wait for the PapayaFest, Papaya Music's tribute to San José as the 2006 Latin American Culture Capital, to begin on February 16th. Papaya Music is a Central American effort to unite musicians, researchers and producers who wish to bring traditional and popular composers into greater visibility and younger generation's attention.
Cambodia: The Shadow of the Past
In 1970 a boy of ten Nhem En joined Khmer Rouge. He was sent to study photography in China, and six years later became a photographer of death at Tuol-Sleng genocide museum, the site of S-21. He told journalists in 2001 about his past work that “they [the prisoners] always...
Voices from Central Asia and the Caucasus
Buzkashi in Tajikistan – by Dushanbe Pictures, Erik Petersson, 2006. Welcome to the latest scan of the Central Asian and Caucasian blogosphere, brought to you bi-weekly by neweurasia. While many parts of the region still suffer from severe winter conditions (as mentioned in the last roundup), the first signs of...
Caucasus: YC Week Three
The Young Caucasus Women project is in its third week, and a roundup of the initial posts for the week can be found here.
Central Asia: Message to the Music
Alan Cordova wonders if there is a message behind the music played when various Central Asian teams made their entrances during the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.
Armenia: Deconstructing Yerevan
Christian Garbis has a further report on the continuing destruction of downtown Yerevan.
Armenia: Diaruntarach
Oneworld Multimedia has a report on and photos of Diaruntarach/Terendez, an annual holiday with pagan roots centered on fire.
Uzbekistan: Valentine Ban
Registan.net reports on Uzbekistan's ban on press mentions of Valentine's Day.
India: Valentine's Day
India: Valentine's Day
Sri Lanka: Knowing Peace
Sri Lanka: Knowing Peace
Pakistan: Clashes in Lahore
Pakistan: Clashes in Lahore
Nepal: Dissolving the government
Nepal: Dissolving the government
India: Numbers and HIV
India: Numbers and HIV
Band Cancels Polish Tour
The Beatroot writes that a Swedish “death metal” band has decided to cancel its Polish tour, fearing legal action. A precedent was set two years ago, when a Norwegian “black metal” band was charged with causing “religious offense” after a concert in Krakow.
Security a Bit Too Tight in Turin
All About Latvia reports how the Latvian Olympic hockey team couldn't leave the arena for 40 minutes this past Saturday – because Laura Bush was somewhere nearby, watching the U.S.-Switzerland women’s hockey game.
Czech Red Tape
Author of the bilingual (English and Belarusian) br23 blog encounters red tape in the Czech Republic and is forced to cancel his trip to Ukraine, where he was to teach a group of Belarusian NGO activists about the Internet and blogging.
Escape into Albanian Countryside
Anna of annasblog shares pictures from a Saturday escape from the capital Tirana to Albanian countryside: sheep, brides, ancient ruins – and modern bunkers, some 700,000 of them scattered all over the country that's slightly smaller than the state of Maryland…
Guatemala: US General on Drug Airstrips
Dave Pentecost links to a transcript of a speech by US General Bantz J. Craddock after flying over Guatemala to inspect what are believed to be drug airstrips.
