Stories from 30 August 2006
Argentina: History of Utility (Companies)
Robert Wright has a fascinating reflection on the history of utility companies in Buenos Aires: “Wouldn’t it be great to see 3-D city maps (á la Google Earth) based on each particular utility? Eliminate everything but electric lines & take a look. Or just see gas lines. Or only water...
Argentina: Drag Shows
Dan Perlman on drag shows in Buenos Aires: “Unfortunately, Buenos Aires’ gay scene, entertainment-wise, seems trapped in the late ’70s/early ’80s, at least from a New York perspective. Drag shows are the thing, and often, the exact same drag show, week in and week out.” Read on to discover the...
Serbia: Criticism of the Flag and Anthem
Dictionary of the Serbian Mess explains the coat of arms that appears on the Serbian flag and compares Serbian anthem to that of Slovenia.
Serbia: Nightlife Under Threat
Belgrade Blog writes about the threat to the capital's nightlife.
Serbia: Beer Festival
Belgrade Blog reports on the 4th Belgrade Beer Festival, which featured 30 types of beer, a treasure hunt and a Miss Wet T-Shirt competition.
Russia, Ukraine: “Managed Oligarchy,” Lazarenko Case
Moscow has more billionaires than NYC, but in Putin's era, they are no longer “oligarchs” but “mere tycoons,” writes Vilhelm Konnander. In another post, he discusses the trial and the verdict of Ukraine's Pavlo Lazarenko.
Poland: A Competition in Populism
Poland is having local elections soon, and the populists are becoming more audible, reports Warsaw Station.
Poland: On Migrant Labor, Again
The beatroot writes about “free movement of labour” and responds to a “deranged” commenter who, among other things, is “favorably comparing the Nazi invasion and the Holocaust to the influx of a few hundred thousand Poles and others to the UK.”
Poland: Suing the Homophobes
The beatroot writes that Polish gay rights activists are taking the wrong cases to court: “But going to courts over the two pieces of infantile nonsense […] is not the right way to go about challenging officially sponsored homophobia in Poland.”
Russia: Madonna's Concert Promotion
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog writes about the needless promotion of Madonna's upcoming Moscow concert.
Moldova, Romania: Music
Peter Myers of Adventures in Moldova writes about themes in Moldovan folk music. WorkingDefinition writes about the “inescapable” music in Romania.
Kenya: Man Gives Deadly Gift To Lover
For two hearts in love no price is too much to pay and no gift is too expensive to give. Perhaps, this could be taken to the extreme, where roses are swapped for crawling creatures, all in the name of love. You Missed This EXTRA captures a Romeo’s mood as...
South Africa: Is the microwave mega dangerous?
How often do you use microwave? Is it very often, sometimes or hardly? If you hardly do and think it’s harmful, then you need to read Sotho’s piece. His family members avoid it because they feel it’s capable of contaminating food. But he is unconvinced and he writes, “Since the...
South Africa: Cape Town's Somali Genocide
Mike Golby, a South African blogger, struggles to understand the situation in Cape Town, where, as cosmopolitan as it seems, refugees find it difficult if not entirely impossible to integrate fully. For the Somali refugees, as he particularly notes, it’s hell on earth. “That they might be, but it seems...
Nigeria: Catch a fire….naija style
Looking for something unique to wear this mid week up to the weekend? Bella Naija offers something to make you stand out in any crowd. She’s always wanted to be different and her high sense of imagination brings this to your blogstep. She has this to say as she proudly...
Burkina Faso: Gorom-Gorom Food Distribution
Recently, floods unleashed havoc in northern Burkina Faso, rendering thousands of people homeless in Gorom-Gorom. A missionary blogger, Keith Smith who’s been working for over a decade among Fulanis in the arid region, quickly mobilised support for the victims. He now gives an update of the effort that was to...
Iran: Broken Promises & Satellite Dishes
Aknoun says that one year ago, the cultural advisor to the Iranian President said everybody is free to have a satellite dish and government will reduce pressure on people [Fa]. The blogger says that now we shall see how government cracks down on satellite dishes.
Iran: Rising housing prices & confused authorities
Lahzeh says rising housing prices is a hot topic in Iran and everybody has an opinion about it. The blogger says that according to the Iranian President, the price rose between 20 and 30 percent, while the Head of Social Commission in Parliament talks about 25 percent and the head...
Iran: Student activist arrested
According to Kuy, another student activist, Jamal ZaherPour was arrested a couple of days ago [Fa]. ZaherPour had been a leading student in Islamic Association of Khajeh Nasir University where he graduated as an engineer. The blogger adds that recently, several student activists have been arrested.
Brunei: Stray Dogs
The blogger at Our Local Style looks at the problem of stray dogs in Brunei and suggest a solution. “It’s also unfair to punish the animals for what I perceive to be our own crimes. These strays didn’t just pop out of thin air. Where did they come from? Abandoned...
Dog attack opens up a can of worms
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy, mauled by a pack of stray dogs, told of the attack in an exclusive interview yesterday and demanded that strays be cleared off the streets. - Brunei Times, 30th August, 2006 Will the Government policy makers succumb to the wishes of this little boy? It...
