Stories from 6 March 2006
Colombia: Happy Birthday Gabo
John Guzman wishes Gabriel José García Márquez a happy birthday as the Colombian author turns 78 today. Both Morgan Burton and Zarela Morales list Gabriel Garcia Marquez as one of their favorite authors.
Brazil: Finding an Opposition Candidate
Randy Paul takes a look at the opposition's struggle in Brazil to find a formidable opponent to President Lula da Silva.
Costa Rica: Solís Recognizes Defeat
Bob Glass posts that Otton Solís has thrown in the towel, guaranteeing Oscar Arias victory in the close presidential election. The majority of commenters on elecciones2006.com agree (ES) that it was time for Solís to admit defeat.
Bolivia: Consensus on Constituent Assembly Reached
Boli-Nica emphasizes the push for autonomy by the region of Santa Cruz as Evo Morales pushes through a Constituent Assembly. A consensus on the Assembly was indeed reached and Eduardo Ávila says departmental percentages will favor larger cities (such as Santa Cruz). Miguel Buitrago has his own analysis of the...
Brazil: Carnival Of Shame Update
Made in Brazil continues his coverage of a gay couple that was attacked by five men on Ipanema beach during Carnival.
Venezuela: The Bolivarian Revolution Abroad
Guest blogger, Jorge Arena details a visit to Washington D.C. by a pro-Chavez delegation from Venezuela. The National Solidarity Conference, which took place at George Washington University, inspired a critical opinion piece by Stephen Johnson in the Washington Times, but Jorge Martin of Hands Off Venezuela says that Johnson is...
Argentina: Rivadavia Museum/Museo Rivadavia
Roberto Bobrow adds his support to a campaign started by Paterna of Aguas Fuertes to save the Argentinian Museum of Natural Sciences. The museum has been under criticism since eight tons of fossiles – originating from the museum – were found by authorities in the United States. Museoforo (ES), a...
Afghan Whispers: Citizens, Herat & Economy
Sohrab Kabuli talks about social class differences in Kabul. He says that the Afghan President says citizens are secure in Kabul. Kabuli says if citizens are people who are running NGOs or national or international institutes with high salaries, holidays in Dubai or Tajikistan and with real comfort at home...
Caribbean: Proverbs, anyone?
Fun and games over at the blog of Caribbean-born sci-fi writer Nalo Hopkinson, as she asks readers for suggestions of Caribbean proverbs.
Guyana, UK: Crime fiction writer
Guyana Diaspora profiles UK-based crime fiction writer Mike Phillips.
Slovakia: “Brokeleg Skislope”
Lemuel Kolkava of Deleted By Tomorrow comments on Slovak prime minister's skiing accident. The post is titled ” Brokeleg Skislope.”
Croatia: Severina's Song Croatian Folklore or Turbofolk?
Catherine of Illyrian Gazette covers the ongoing argument on whether the song “Moja štikla” by Severina (who will represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Athens this year) is ‘Croatian folklore’ or ‘turbofolk.’
Belarus: Videos From Opposition Rally
br23 blog has received eight tiny videos recorded with a cell phone camera from the March 2 rally in Minsk in support of the opposition candidate Aleksandr Milinkevich.
Russia: Short Story For The First Carnival of Blog Translation
Tatyana Epstein has translated a Russian-language short story by Leah Lubomirsky into English – for the first Carnival of Blog Translation hosted by ALTAlk Blog. The second Carnival of Blog Translation will take place on March 28 at Em duas línguas.
Belarus: Aleksandr Kozulin Background and Possible Motives
Tobias Ljungvall writes that Aleksandr Kozulin, one of the opposition presidential candidates, may be a Moscow proxy, and last week's attack on him could have been a PR trick aimed at sapping votes from Aleksandr Milinkevich, another, more credible, opposition candidate.
Serbia & Montenegro: A Trip Through Kosovo
Mat Savelli of Roma Roma describes his trip through Kosovo by car – a trip of “about thirteen hours in the random cars of strangers.”
Russia: “Unrealized Moscow”
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile explores the Moscow State Museum of Architecture website and writes about what Moscow might have become.
Ukraine: Rinat Akhmetov and Freedom of the Press
Rinat Akhmetov, one of Ukraine's richest men, is running for parliament now; an online publication attempts to dig into his past; Akhmetov's U.S. lawyers accuse the publication of “spreading slanderous statements and blackening their client's name.” LEvko at Foreign Notes watches how the story develops.
Indonesia: Football Sponsorship
Yosef Ardi has been following the efforts of Putera Sampoerna, a local tycoon who made his money off cigarettes, to place the logo of his new online gambling venture Mansion on the backs of English team Manchester United.
Malaysia: Oil Man
KTemoc Konsiders combines an old tale of a 1950s rapist who smeared his body with grease to elude capture (soon to be made into a major motion picture) with contemporary concerns about the rising price of fuel.
Philippines: Cappucino Revolutionaries
An oppositionist group's “Black Friday” protest against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – which involved wearing black, buying a drink, and hanging out at a local Starbucks – has earned ridicule from Filipino bloggers. Walk this Way asks: “You're spending HOW MUCH for a stupid drink in order to show...
