Stories from 27 October 2006
Senegal Elections: Everything but Wade
Reflecting on the upcoming presidential election, Blog Politique du Senegal writes (Fr): “In 2000 it was everything but Diouf, in 2007 it's everything except Wade.”
Guadeloupe/Martinique, France: Zouk Nostalgia
Reminiscing Martiniquan/Guadeloupean group Kassav's song “Zouk la se sel medikaman nou ni” [” Zouk is our only medicine”], France-based Oliviermr2 posts a graphic depicting a couple dancing zouk and writes (Fr): “With how cold it is right now, that would be very welcome.”
Mexico: The Streets of Tijuana
Following the murder of five businessmen within two days, Ana Maria Salazar asks why the world has seem to have forgotten about Tijuana. Meanwhile, on YouTube, a disturbing video of young prostitutes in Tijuana's Coahuila district has already attracted over 32,000 views. The comments following the video, predictably, are even...
Cambodia: New Lecturer
samphors sambo in Cambodia just landed a job as a lecturer. She posts a self-portrait and asks “My sis said: You look cool.My teacher said: You look like gangster lecturer.My Friend asked : Is that how you dress to teach?Another say: Doesn't look like a teacher.And what do you say?”
Guyana: A tale of Eid and ice
Guyana-Gyal tells a story involving and Eid-Ul-Fitr dinner, a lost cell phone and a bag of party ice.
Jamaica: Five Questions with Marlon James
The latest installment in Geoffrey Philp's “Five Questions” series is an interview with Jamaican novelist Marlon James.
Dominica, UK: Jean Rhys
Jeremy Taylor's dislike of the new BBC dramatisation of Dominican novelist Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea leads him to consider, among other things, Rhys's struggle to reconcile “her creole and European selves” and the British reception of her work.
Dispatch from Uganda
The tenuous peace talks in Juba, Sudan, between the Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continue for a third month, with each side accusing the other of non-compliance with the cessation of hostilities agreement. However, complete breakdown of the talks was averted when the Government of Southern...
Uzbekistan: Thaw With Europe
Registan.net notes an apparent coming thaw in relations between the EU and Uzbekistan.
Tajikistan: Eyes on the Election
Members of the United States Congress held a hearing yesterday on Tajikistan's upcoming presidential election. James of neweurasia was on hand and reports on the proceedings.
Guatemala: Marimba
Chapinadas gives a Guatemalan-centric history of the marimba.
Mexico: Teachers Return to Classrooms, APPO Wants Proof
Mark in Mexico says that all hell broke loose once the striking Oaxacan teachers voted to return to their classrooms: : APPO has begun to lock down the city. There were the usual charges of vote manipulation to which a union spokesman replied, ‘If someone's going to level such charges,...
Central Asia: Music & Film in Prague
Leila Tanayeva reports on the screening of three documentaries on Central Asian music that recently took place in Prague.
Armenia: Yerevan Traffic Jam
The Armenian Odar shows how bad an Armenian traffic jam is.
Brazil: E-Democracy of E-Fraud?
Could this weekend's runoff election in Brazil be marred by corruption and e-fraud? Colin Brayton digs deep and offers his analysis.
Argentina: NGO Photo Blog
El Agora, an NGO based in Córdoba, Argentina has organized a friendly photo competition that hopes to highlight the best practices of fellow NGO's, Social Movements, and the private and public sector throughout Argentina. The winning group will be awarded a video production demonstrating the organization's good work.
Argentina: Gender Equality Survey
The official Buenos Aires city government blog summarizes the results of a recent survey on inequality between men and women in Argentina's capital city [ES]: “8 out of 10 Buenos Aires residents call their society very or somewhat ‘machista.’ Furthermore, 70% think that women must do more to compete with...
Poland: Yet Another Party
The beatroot writes about yet another political party about to appear on Poland's political scene.
Ukraine: Another Wedding Video
Dykun posts a 2005 video from a wedding in the town of Pidhajtsi, Ternopil region of Ukraine.
Belarus: A Wedding Dancer
A rather amusing video from a Belarusian wedding party causes a rather serious discussion about the country's present and future, reports TOL's Belarus Blog.
Russia: TsUM, Golden Telecom, VTB
Snowsquare writes about shopping at Moscow's TsUM and the rebranding of Golden Telecom and VneshTorgBank.
