Stories from 23 February 2006
Singapore: No More Senior Minister
Singapore Election Watch has a post from Yawning Bread arguing that Singapore should not have a “Senior Minister.” The post was created for retired long-time PM Lee Kuan Yew and then occupied by another former PM, Goh Chok Tong, when he retired (Lee became “Minister Mentor”). Yawning Bread points out...
Thailand: Ways to Wai
Tales from Isan explains the how and whys of the wai, the traditional Thai greeting of cupping one's palms together in front of one's chest. “Get it right, and you earn the approval and pleasure of the person you seek to honor. Get it wrong, and you risk embarrassing, or...
Jamaica: PNP leadership race
Leon posts brief “pros and cons” profiles of the candidates in the People's National Party (PNP) leadership race.
Bermuda: Plantation questions
A politician's refusal to answer what he considers “plantation questions” disappoints both the Limey and Christian Dunleavy.
Puerto Rico: Ice skating
Vivir Latino reports that the first US Olympics medal in ice dancing since 1976 was won by a Puerto Rican duo.
Cuba: Cinema since 1900
regalado.blogia.com publishes an overview of Cuban cinema since 1900.
Guyana: Artist Donald Locke
Guyana Diaspora profiles painter and sculptor Donald Locke.
Ghana: Voting rights to Diasporans
The Trials and Tribulations of a Freshly Arrived Denizen comments on demonstrations in Accra, Ghana over the “ Representation of the People's Amendment Bill” which he says would “in effect, give voting rights to those Ghanaian residents overseas”
Nigeria: Islam & Violence
Chippla writes on Islam and Violence in Northern Nigeria which has once again escalated this time over the Danish cartoons. He wonders if the violence does not hide divisions in Nigerian society…”Why has the lot of Islam in Northern Nigeria become one of violence and intolerance? Does it actually conceal...
Kenya: sycophancy & corruption
Kenyan blogger, The Girl in the Meadow publishes a poem to express her distaste of sycophancy and corruption in high places.
Kenya: Ted 2006
Kenyan Pundit and Ethan are both at the TED 2006 conference in California. Both have a number of posts covering the conference. Kenyan Pundit and My Heart's in Accra.
Somaliland: Self Determination
The Voice of Somaliland Diaspora-Ottawa points to a paper on “Self-Determination and the case for Somaliland.
Catastrophe in Samarra
I am devoting my Thursday post on Iraqi blogs to the bombing of the Shia Shrine in Samarra and I hope to cover the rest of the Iraqi Blogs in a later report. The subject is serious enough to dominate the Iraqi weblogs. The Shia shrine in Samarra is one...
Africa: water & energy solutions
Timbuktu Chronicles reports on an amazing invention that may provide the water and power to may people in poor rural areas of the developing world. “To solve the problem, he’s invented two devices, each about the size of a washing machine that can provide much-needed power and clean water in...
Malawi: Indigenous language and education
Tuesday 21st of February was National Mother Language Day. Malawi blog Afrika-Aphukira discusses his country's policy on education and language in primary school and concludes that bi-lingualism is the best option.
Darfur: NATO deployment
Sudan-Reeves believes the presence of a NATO force in Darfur alongside the AU forces would immediately challenge the genocidal actions of the Janjaweed militia and bring security to the region.
Cameroons: prisons
Adventures of an Armchair Travellers reports on the state of prisons in Cameroons where TB and AIDS are rampant.
Latvia: Hockey Team's Defeat Coverage
All About Latvia sums up coverage by the Russian- and Latvian-language papers of Latvia's hockey team's defeat at the Olympics.
Tirana: A Messy House
Spring's on the way in Tirana, and Anna shows how surreally messy the building they live in looks.
Kazakhstan: Heads Roll
Registan.net and neweurasia report on the arrest of five secret service officers in Kazakhstan for the murder of an opposition leader.
Armenia: Traffickers & Ports
Ara Manoogian is angry with the Bush Administration's support for turning over US ports to a UAE company because of the country's major ties to human trafficking.
