Stories from 13 March 2006
Colombia: High Abstention in Congressional Elections
Colombian bloggers have so far said very little about Sunday's congressional elections, but Boz did update his readers on El Salvador and Colombia throughout the day. Sergio Méndez of Bogotá is amazed by the 60% abstention rate (ES) and describes President Uribe as, “despite all his rhetoric, more and more...
El Salvador: Closely Contested Mayoral Race
Early this morning, Tim Muth posted the initial results of yesterday's election in El Salvador: “Across the country, ARENA appears to have won 33 seats in the National Assembly versus 32 seats for the FMLN.” He then posts that in the San Salvador mayoral race Violeta Menjivar trails Rodrigo Samayoa...
Bolivia: “Will Bolivia Kiss the IMF Goodbye?”
Jim Shultz speculates on the probability that Bolivia will not renew its often-criticized lending agreement with the International Monetary Fund. A commenter on Miguel Buitrago's weblog links to the full report by Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director at the Center for Economic Policy Research, on the issue.
Argentina: Turpentine
Fernando Casale can't stop listening to the new EP of Argentine indie group, Turpentine. You can listen to it yourself as all seven tracks are available for download.
Mexico: Son Jarocho
Oaxaca Dockters describe Son Jarocho, a type of folk music with roots in Veracruz. Two other posts document the music with photography.
Best Latin American Weblog: The Cooking Diva
It seems, at times, that the only phenomenon growing faster than the explosion of weblogs themselves are the self-proclaimed award ceremonies that recognize their propagation and increasing cultural influence. Amid the orgie of link-seeking and back-patting however, one awards ceremony has long stood out as the sort of Nobel Prize...
Poland: “Solidarni z Bialorusia” Concert
LJ user macsim_by links to photos from a rock concert “Solidarni z Bialorusia” (“Solidarity With Belarus”) that was held in Warsaw Sunday.
Afghan Whispers: Justice, Discrimination & Poor Animals
Afghan Warrior is upset that a former intelligence chief during communist period was condemned but others who have done worse holding responsibilities in government. The blogger says “It's so sad when the many criminals in high government posts are not being prosecuted – people who destroyed 70% of the capital...
Belarus: Pictures From An Opposition Meeting
LJ users aliaksei and belnetmon share their impressions (RUS) and photos of the opposition candidate Milinkevich's meeting with the voters in Minsk on Sunday: two to three thousand people of all ages showed up, including some agents provocateurs and undercover KGB men; the music was blaring so that no one...
Armenia: Notes from the Blogosphere
Oneworld Multimedia carries roundups of the English-language and Armenian-language Armenian blogospheres.
Armenia: Korfball
Zarchka of Life Around Me writes about korfball in Armenia and says she is excited that a team from her country will be playing in the first youth world championship in Holland, where the game originated.
Central Asia: Navruz
The Golden Road to Samarqand notes that Navruz is on its way and looks at the different ways that the holiday is celebrated in Central Asia.
Mongolia: Corruption and Censorship
Shards of Mongolia says that corruption in the Mongolian government causes it to not do enough to stop censorship, and that if it truly wants to claim itself as a free and democratic state, it must do more to combat this problem.
Armenia: Eurovision Protest
Onnik Krikorian notes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia is now touching Armenia's entry in to the Eurovision Song Contest. The entrant's listing of the “Republic of Nagorno Karabakh” as his birthplace is being taken as an offense by Azerbaijan.
Belarus: More Arrests
br23 blog reports on the arrest of Siarhiej Antonchyk, a retired politician, and his son this past Friday. LJ user baleslau (RUS) posts a photo of the judge who has sentenced the two men to 15 days in prison. The same judge – Ms. Reutskaya – ruled on other opposition...
Polish Blogosphere Update
Don't ever lose your wallet in Poland, especially if it contains your bank card – that's the lesson gleaned from expat Wendy Lady of The Poland Diaries. After reading about her ordeal to a open a bank account, I have concluded that Eurocrats can learn a thing or two from...
Russia: “Preved, omerekancheg!”
A Chicago-based LJ user angstzeit encounters a Russian-speaking bear and through a flashmob of Russian commenters learns about the Preved!-mania. John Lurie's original drawing; hundreds of followups at ru_preved LJ community; Preved! CafePress.com stuff; lots of Russian slang and obsceneties; a Cold War between the Preved Bear and the O...
Czech Republic: What Yugoslavia Meant For Czechs
The death of Slobodan Milosevic inspires Gazing into the Abyss to write about the Czechs’ feelings toward (what used to be) Yugoslavia: “‘Yugoslavia’ is likeable word for Czech ears. Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, BiH, Slovenia, Macedonia… they are not. Most Czechs never took an effort to grasp what happened in...
Czech Republic: Museum of Romani Culture in Brno
Back in February, Jen and Derrick Teal of A Year in the Czech Republic visited the Museum of Romani Culture in Brno, located in the city's Roma neighborhood: “Suddenly, almost everyone we passed had the darker skin tone of many Roma Czechs and the fairer-skinned Czechs seemed to have disappeared,...
Jordan: Is the Arab World ready for Corporate Blogs?
Khalidah asks: “Should a blogger be appointed to maintain the corporate blog; he/she must be brave and credible enough to provide the audience with trusted content that will promote the credibility of the corporation as a whole. But are Arab corporations ready to give such power to one of their...
