Stories from 6 July 2006
China: Taste in reading
jxhill disusses the difference in the taste in reading among mainland Chinese, Honghongese and Taiwanese. Taiwan is most diversified among the three; Hong Kong is too commercialized; while mainland China has a great potential in further development (zh).
Hong Kong: Choosing leader
Miss Lee in Summer discusses why one is forced to choose a leader from among Donald Tsang, Anson Chan and Regina Ip, all of them were key official in the government before the handover of Hong Kong to China (zh). ESWN has a partial translation of what she wrote.
South Korea: Sexual slavery
James J. Na in Korea Liberator discusses about trafficking of women for sexual service from South Korea to D.C. “South Korea is a source, transit, and destination country for women who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation…“
Hong Kong: What will make a newspaper special?
“So what will make a newspaper special? The content, the specific content, and the breaking content. That will make people curious to know the “new” thing from the newspaper, not the thing already given in the press release, not the repeating of the stock market annoucement.” Amy in Amy in...
China: The death of Gao Yingying
ESWN translates an article concerning the mystery of the death of a young girl: “An old cadre in Xiangfan city angrily told the reporter: the many suspicious points about this case have caused strong reactions among the people and the impact on society and the image of the Party was...
Reunion: Potential Volcanic Eruption
According to (Fr) Dijoux.re, Reunion's “volcano has been grumbling lately and local government has decided to put in place a plan of vigilence. An eruption is possible in the days and weeks to come. The last activity dates from December 2005.”
French DOMs: Petition to Nominate Cesaire for Nobel Prize
Reunion's Max Belvisee announces (Fr) that a petition is circulating to nominate Martinique's Aime Cesaire for a Nobel Peace Prize. (Aime Cesaire is one of the founders of Negritude, a francophone literary movement and the current mayor of Fort-de-France, Martinique's capital.)
Release the divine antichrist!
Photo from Iván Alvarado. José Pizarro, usually dresses as a woman, is a self-made poet, homeless, and calls himself “the divine antichrist.” He has lived in a very intellectual area since 1985, in the centre of the capital. With time , he has become very popular. Everything was as normal...
DRC: June 30 UDPS March in Belgium
UDPS Liege offers (Fr) pictures of a June 30 Congolese March in Brussels. Pictured slogans include: ” Louis Michel, the Congo is not for sale” and “All with Etienne Tshisekedi for free, democratic and transparent elections.”
DRC: Professor Crem's Revelations
Le Blog du Congolais posts (Fr) an interview of Belgian Professor Robert Crem and adds: “this university professor does not stop denouncing the systematic looting of Congolese mines in general and of Gecamines in particular. Looting orchestrated by the alliance between Congolese leaders, mafia-like business circles, international bureaucrats and western...
Barbados: Celebrating Rihanna
Titlayo celebrates the success of young Barbadian hip-hop star, Rihanna.
Caribbean: Reimbursing US travellers
Simone Champagnie reports that, in light of the implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative on January 1, 2007, the Caribbean is “looking at implementing a program by which the destinations will offer to reimburse Americans visiting them for the cost of the passports required to reenter the US.”
Guyana: With new eyes
A new pair of glasses highlights the interesting domestic dynamic of an Amerindian couple, as witnessed by Guyana-Gyal.
Jamaica: At the US Embassy
Scratchie is displeased with the way the US Embassy in Kingston treats those awaiting appointments, but acknowledges “the roaring business opportunities that have been created surrounding the rules that one must abide with when visiting the Embassy. There are cellphone holders and baggage handlers and. . .”
Jamaica: A reggae novel
“I would write a reggae novel, and I would call it, Benjamin, My Son,” writes Geoffrey Philp in his two-part account of the genesis of his first novel.
El Salvador: Top 10 Romero Quotes
Tim Muth has reposted an interesting list of quotes from slain Salvadoran archbishop, Oscar Romero.
Costa Rica: How Many US Citizens?
How Many US Citizen Expats are Living in Costa Rica? If you follow the Costa Rican blogosphere, you might assume millions. But the real statistic and its implications are surprising.
Brazil: Google News Drops Conservative News Site
Luís Afonso Assumpção calls Google News’ exclusion of the conservative, Brazilian news site Mídia Sem Máscara “a political measure of censorship.”
Mexico: Calderon Win, Obrador Sues
Are there penalty kicks in presidential elections? Perhaps there should be. With 100% of the ballots counted Felipe Calderon was declared victor by half of a percentage point. Randy Paul, in a comment, observes that Mexico is one of the few Latin American countries which does not require a 50%...
Nepal: Federalism
Democracy for Nepal explores federalism as a model of governance. At one end we have people who are opposed to the very concept of federalism, or suggest turning Birendra's arbitrary five development regions into states that are at best crude concepts in administrative decentralization.”
Bangladesh: Dhrishtipat in London
Drishtipat points to the “Launch of Drishtipat London with the theme of highlighing the Garments workers of Bangladesh “.
