Stories from 23 June 2006
Guyana: Life lessons
Visiting a woman dying of cancer, Guyana-Gyal learns a few lessons about life and love.
Caribbean Heritage Month
“I have to admit that I find myself wondering what took them so long,” says Karen Walrond, discussing the US government's designation of June 2006 as Caribbean Heritage Month.
“Pirates of the Caribbean” protest
Amerindian issues blog The CAC Review publishes a press release announcing that the Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United will be holding a protest against the World Premiere of Disney film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” on Saturday 24 June in Anaheim, California.
Guyana: New Guyana film festival
Kyk-Over-Al announces the inaugural International Guyanese Film & Video Festival, which aims “to celebrate cinematic achievement in films and video in short format, feature-length dramatic or documentary projects with at least one Guyanese or a person of Guyanese heritage in a key creative role.”
Cuba: Foreign students deprived of internet access
Medicina Cubana reproduces a news agency article stating that foreign medical students at the Morón School of Medical Science have had no internet access for the past several weeks. The article also notes that “in general, Cubans are not allowed access to the Internet.”
Guyana: Scenic music video
Living Guyana links to a music video showing scenes of the Guyanese landscape, both rural and urban.
Barbados: The election will be wired
Citing a Wired article about Rupert Murdoch and Barbados’ status as one of the Caribbean territories with the highest internet penetration, Barbados Free Press predicts that “the internet, citizen journalism, online networking and the Barbados Free Press” will play a key role in the country's upcoming general election.
Serbia: War Criminal's Concert and the Country's Image
Viktor of Belgrade Blog writes about Serbia's image abroad. He also links to the text on a concert by a “Serbian war-criminal,” written by the Serbian writer Jasmina Tesanovic for BoingBoing: “There is no excuse for going to Ceca's concert (“Ideally Bad”) but I found one: I took a foreigner...
Belarus: Marking Three Years Without Vasil Bykau
Andrei Khrapavitski writes about the third anniversary of writer Vasil Bykau's death: “The famous writer was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature, was one of the founders of the Belarusian Popular Front, and is one of the most respected Belarusian authors, a moral authority revered by both seniors and...
Ukraine: Football and Politics
Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine writes about Ukraine's World Cup victory over Saudi Arabia – and a no less important event: the “re-formation” of the “orange coalition.”
Moldova: Monthly Salary Vs. Daily Spending in London
Peter Myers of Adventures in Moldova notes how much money he spent in one day in London and compares it to the average monthly salary in Moldova.
Romania: Sibiu and Currency Exchange Scam
Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about Sibiu, his “least favourite place in Transylvania,” and a common currency exchange scam he got into while there.
Azerbaijan: The State of Play
New blog Memo from Breed reports on the state of play in Azerbaijani politics, focusing on the efforts of the opposition to find a raison d'etre.
Afghanistan: Restricting the Press
Afghan Warrior protests a document from the Afghan intelligence service that restricts media freedom.
Azerbaijan: Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
Onnik Krikorian writes about Azeri jazz musician Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, an album of whose he picked up for a friend. He remarks that it is “good to see that music can actually cross geopolitical borders, especially when the two countries in question are Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
Azerbaijan: Statue Protest
In light of a protest in Moscow against a statue of Heydar Aliev, the first Turkic Politburo member and the former President of Azerbaijan, Denise of neweurasia argues that Russia must take steps to treat its Azeri residents better to ensure a good image in Azerbaijan, if for no other...
Latin America: “A false and damaging dichotomy”
Maxwell Cameron, who usually blogs at Peru Election 2006 explains why he believes that “talk of a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ left in Latin America hinders understanding of continent's reaction against economic orthodoxy.”
Ecuador: Apple Inspired Marketing
Mexican marketing site BriefBlog has noted the influence of Apple's marketing in other advertisements before, but this ad by Ecuadorean TV channel Teleamazonas stands out as beyond obvious.
Russia: Butovo Land Dispute
The recent land dispute between Moscow city authorities and residents of Butovo, a suburb just outside the capital's beltway (MKAD), included such dramatic elements as a tent camp, bulldozers and riot police. Ilya Yashin (LJ user yashin), leader of the youth wing of the Russian social-liberal party Yabloko, writes about...
Ecuador: Minutes of YouTube Fame
In a post titled “Minutes of Fame on YouTube” Eduardo Ochoa says he didn't have to film himself dancing ridiculously or falling into a creak to reach YouTube fame. Instead, he and his brother edited a summary of goals from the France – Korea match which ended up being the...
Costa Rica: New Fast Food Chains Set Up Shop
Responding to the news that fast food chains, Wendy's and Cinnabon will soon be opening in Costa Rica, Tim says that “Costa Rica is not a good place to diet.”
