Stories from 5 June 2006
World Cup Fever
As we enter the World Cup week, ripples are turning into waves and everyone is being caught by the peculiar pulse that cannot be denied. Flags are already waving, and those who were until now unaware about the gathering starts to feel a strong urge to join, or else leave the planet.
Thailand: Insensitive Television Companies
Andrew Biggs in Thailand is reporting that BBC and HBO has upset people in Southern Thailand after they put out posters calling for extras to play corpses.
Cambodia: Introducing Cambodian bloggers
Cambodian blogger Wanna introduces more Cambodian blogs written in English. The post is in French but the links to the blogs are easy to spot.
Aruba: An allegory
At The Pan Collective, ArubaGirl writes a story about dwarves and elephants — or could she be talking about something else?
African Vibrations
The football fever is on with the World Cup finals round the corner. As is the tradition different countries have come up with their football anthems to cheer on their...
Czech Republic: Election Ends in Stalemate
On June 2 and 3, the fourth election to the Chamber of Deputies since the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia took place in the Czech Republic – and ended in stalemate....
Sri Lanka: Net Neutrality and Peacebuilding
ICT for Peacebuilding reflects on net neutrality and what it means for peacebuilding processes.
Peru, Venezuela: Poll Off by 28 Points
Both Francisco and Daniel Duquenal write with glee that the North American Opinion Research poll – often seen as pro-Chavez – was off by around 28 points in their prediction...
Chile: Complete List of Student Protest Blogs
The Chilean newspaper El Mercurio has a complete list of Chilean blogs and photoblogs maintained by protesting students throughout the country.
Mexico: Obrador and Populism
Both Michelle Dion and Greg Weeks examine the word “populism” in a recent New York Times article about Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Chilanga Banda says that the...
Nepal: Maoist Talk
More reactions after attending the mass meeting organized by the Maoists at United We Blog! . “I have been to all of them held after the 19-day movement (April). And...
Peru: Commentary on Garcia's Victory
A.M. Mora y Leon has a nearly exhaustive summary of what anglophone bloggers are saying about Alan Garcia's victory in Sunday's Peruvian presidential elections. Enrique Mendizaba, an international observer during...
Nepal: Silence and the Maoists
Blogdai goes to a 650,000 rally and is struck by something odd. “Something was not right. It finally occured to blogdai that the entire gathering was under an eerie pall...
Bangladesh: Conspiracy Theory
The 3rd World View on one more conspiracy theory. “The textile workers are protesting, bombs went off in a cinema hall:- must be international conspiracies. It seems all that can...
South Asia: The Immigrant Dad in the US
Sepia Mutiny announces an online collaborative project, where readers are encouraged to send photographs of their dads who were South Asian immigrants after the 1965 Immigration Act to the US....
Venezuela: Getting Rid of the National Entrance Exam?
As Chilean students protest against the fees for their national entrance exam, Oil Wars says that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is considering doing away with the entrance exam entirely. But...
Argentina: Chauvinistic World Cup Advertising
Argentine media professor, Julian Gallo says he is tired of all the chauvinistic and overly patriotic advertisements (ES) amid World Cup hysteria and posts a video of a Quilmes advertisement...
Belarus: Opposition's Use of Internet
Although the Belarusian opposition “is way ahead of their colleagues in pre-revolutionary Serbia, Georgia, or Ukraine” in using internet for outreach, it's neglecting more traditional ways of drawing publicity and...
Belarus: White-Red-White Flag at Roland Garros
TOL's Belarus Blog reports about the white-red-white flag of Belarus being used in Roland Garros tennis tournament broadcasts instead of the official flag.
Poland: “Dinner in Warsaw” Challenge Cancelled
A Polish reader of the Economist claimed it was impossible to find “a Briton who speaks fluent Polish.” Edward Lucas, the magazine's Central and East European correspondent, decided to prove...
Belarus: 2 Banned Films at Film Festival in NYC
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog recommends two films on Belarus now playing in New York City; both are banned in Belarus: “I am jealous that a New York audience can...
