Stories from 25 August 2006
Russia: Pyatigorsk Mayor and Reckless Driving
“Pyatigorsk Mayor Charged with Reckless Driving; Five People Dead,” reports Russia Blog.
Russia, Lithuania: Oil Refinery Quarrel
Copydude writes about no druzhba between Russia and Lithuania – all because of an oil refinery that used to belong to Yukos.
Ukraine: Frustrating Ways of Doing Business
Petro of Petro's Jotter has formulated Ukrainian Business Law Axioms #1 and #2.
Ukraine: Chornovil Monument
Stefan of Dykun strolls around Kyiv and walks into the opening ceremony of the monument to Vyacheslav Chornovil.
Russian-Language Blogs: Miscellanea (2)
Victoria Shcherbina (LJ user saint-autere) reacts to the news of the August 22 TU-154 crash in eastern Ukraine, which killed all 170 people on board, by writing (RUS) about the death of her father – IL-86 navigator Valeriy Shcherbina – in a crash at Moscow's Sheremetyevo four years earlier, on...
Google in Brazil: Who Guards Orkut's Playground?
The Brazilian blogosphere is talking about Google or more specifically about Orkut, its social network which has attracted a huge number of players. In order to understand Google's significance in South America's biggest country it must be realized that today of the 20 million Brazilians with access to the Internet...
Mexico: Oaxaca Protest Updates
Mark in Mexico has another update of life in protest-engulfed Oaxaca as does Rochelle as does Atenco Somos Todos (ES). Molechocolate posts a video which suggests that the violence in Oaxaca could soon spread throughout all of Mexico. Finally, the one silver lining, Olganza says the Popular Assembly of the...
Boliiva: Film: Lo Más Bonito y Mis Mejores Años
Eduardo Ávila heads to the Latin American film festival in Cochabamba to watchLo Más Bonito y Mis Mejores Años: “By far, this is the best Bolivian movie that I have seen, as it really captures life in Cochabamba and I recognize so much of what takes place within the film....
Argentina: “Throw in the Towel”
Robert Wright on what a paper towel can teach you in Argentina.
Guatemala: Heavy Handed Army Activities
Patrick of the Guatemala Solidarity Network gathers local reaction to “heavy handed Guatemalan army activity in Ixcan.
Mexico: Contested Chiapas Elections
Both Octavio Islas and “Enigma” (ES) are worried that Aguilar's refusal to accept defeat will encourage state-level political discord much like presidential candidate Lopez Obrador's refusal to accept defeat has split the entire country. Al Giordano says that the elections were submersed in a whirlpool of fraud, instigated by both...
Argentina: Borges’ Bday
Yesterday was Jorge Luis Borges’ 107th birthday. With the help of YouTube, Julián Gallo pays homage. Don't forget about Jeff Barry's excellent “30 Days with Borges” series.
Latin America: Friday Poll Numbers
It's Friday ladies and gentlemen … time for Boz's poll numbers from across Latin America.
Bolivia: Windows and Google in Quechua
According to Choloblog (ES) the Windows operating system will be known as “T’uqu”, pressing “Kichana” will open a window and “Wuiskana” will close it. “KAH-lyah-ree”, meanwhile, is the phonetic pronunciation of the word which replaces “Start” in Windows’ familiar taskbar, says Prairie Weather. According to Global by Design and Eduardo...
Trinidad & Tobago: Parliament TV
“I'm wholly in favour of wasting a TV channel on this, because it will show just how absurdly tedious parliamentary affairs have become,” writes Jeremy Taylor, reporting on Trinidad & Tobago's newly launched Parliament Television.
Jamaica: Better policing
Gela relates an incident which paints the Jamaican police in a less than glowing light: “The police is one of the public sector groups who are currently agitating for more pay. I have no quarrel with that, but can we the taxpayers who are funding the salaries see some good...
Haiti: Travelling heavy
Nightshift makes fun of Caribbean travellers’ legendary inability to travel light: “If successful, Mr. Lafargue will complete the feat first attempted by Jean-Jean Jean-Michel in 1976 when he tried traveling from New York to Haiti with a single bag only to be guilted by a ti-gran into adding one of...
Guyana: Wild garden
Guyana-Gyal's mother likes a wild garden.
Trinidad & Tobago: Eco-friendly
Is the eco-resort you plan on visiting really that eco-friendly? Karen Walrond shows you how to make sure.
Caribbean: Exporting Carnival
“. . . it's interesting how these festivals have echoed, in a small way, the evolution of their original model in Trinidad, as a vehicle of solidarity, an assertion of identity, a gesture of defiance in a hostile environment,” says Jeremy Taylor, writing about the Carnivals “exported” by the Caribbean...
Jamaica, UK: Linton Kwesi Johnson
Geoffrey Philp extends birthday greetings to Britain-based Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson: “He became only the second living poet to be published in the Penguin Classics series. His poetry involves the recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Creole over dub-reggae, usually written in collaboration with renowned British reggae...
