Stories from 21 December 2006
Philippines: US Soldier Convicted of Rape
Early this month, US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was found guilty by a local court of raping a Filipina woman while three other co-accused soldiers were acquitted. This was the first time a US soldier was tried by a local court ever since the government allowed the entry of...
China: cultural critique on consuming Christmas
Zhao mu re-posts an open letter written by10 PhD students in China (all from top univeristy) which criticized the celebration of Christmas in China. The students suggest government to ban and discourage advocation and promotion of Christmas consumption by education department and commercial sectors in order to preserve “Chinese cultural...
China: Xinjiang 2021
Michael from the opposite end of China blogs about his wild speculation of Xinjiang in 2021. The post was written in response to a call by neweurasia.net.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Nine Mornings Festival
“The choir was far from melodious but I couldn't believe I was hearing right.” Being serenaded with Christmas carols encourages Abeni “to shake off the gloomy feeling” and be part of the Nine Mornings Festival – a unique Vincentian tradition.
China: Who are the enemies of a harmonious society?
China law prof posts a translation of Liang Jing's commentary on Chen Guancheng's case: Who are the enemies of a harmonious society?
Guyana: Letter to Santa
“Santa, ask not what Guyana can do for you, ask what you can do for Guyana”: GuyanaGyal writes a letter to St. Nick.
China: population quality
Kaie blogs about a recent population policy in Guangzhou city. The policy is to prevent low quality population to reside in the city. Kaie comments that the urban residents have no rights to bar off rural population to enjoy city life (zh).
Venezuela: Preserving Indigenous Languages
As many as thirty-four indigenous languages are spoken in Venezuela and a special committee of the country's National Assembly is drafting a law designed at preserving them. The Latin Americanist also reports that there are plans to have indigenous representation on the Assembly.
Jamaica: Manley and the new global politics
The Latin America News Review posts an article by Claude Robinson about Jamaica's former Prime Minister, Michael Manley: “Professor Marable, one of America's most published and controversial academics, believes that Manley's central ideas about social justice in both the domestic and global contexts can have a new resonance in the...
Bermuda: Ritz Carlton to be approved?
A “nine-storey monstrosity, in the shape of the proposed new Ritz-Carlton hotel” may soon be erected in the City of Hamilton. A Limey in Bermuda shares his thoughts on the subject in the context of Bermuda's current planning laws.
China: model answer blogpost
Zengying explains why 2006 is an significant year for him because one of his blog post became a model answer for university entrance examination: a student copied his post in the examination and got a full score. The blog post was then reproduced in many exam preparation guide books without...
Barbados: Greenland Dump Ill-Advised
Hans G. Machel guest authors at Barbados Free Press, criticizing the government's plans to continue to spend millions of dollars on an “ill-fated site” for mass garbage disposal.
Hong Kong: experienced journalists become PR
Mo's notebook blogs about the resignation of three senior reporters in a major TV station in Hong Kong (TVB). He notices that many good reporters have left the media industry and tranfered the public relation field instead because of the poor media environment (zh).
Japan and South Korea: citizen reporters meeting
Oh Mun-su from Ohmynews reports on the recent meeting between Korean and Japanese Citizen Reporters. “It was held in the OhmyNews Japan office in Tokyo to reconcile differences in thinking between the two citizen groups and extend each other's understanding.”
South Korea: migrant news roundup
Jamie from Two Koreas reprints some news from Migrant Worker TV to sum up some of the current issues going on in the migrant movement in South Korea these days.
The Shadowy World of 419, Posing With a Crocodile And Santa Claus in Ouagadougou
What happens when scammers go digital? The result is the shadowy world of 419. Scribbles from the Den, a Cameroonian blog, has a post about these scammers “I Go Chop Your Dollar”: 20/20 Goes into the Shadowy World of Nigerian Internet Scammers: The email usually pops unannounced in your mailbox...
Laos: Touristy Vang Vieng
Popagandhi leaves Laos in a hurry after discovering how touristy Laotian city of Vang Vieng has become. Laos was one of the last South East Asian country to be opened to tourists. “Everybody sold the same mediocre and expensive food tailored for the Western palate. Everybody played the same music....
Malaysia: Cheating Penang Cab Drivers
Blueheeler has a post on the cheating taxi drivers in Malaysian city of Penang. “I still enjoyed Penang, but when it was time to get a taxi, it pissed me off slightly, knowing that all the bloody drivers are out to make more money from me than they should. Today,...
Malaysia: Maglev link between Singapore and Malaysia
Rajan Rishyakaran analayses the various forms of rapid transport links being considered between Malaysian city of Johor Bahru and Singapore and feels that planners should make better use of the existing infrastructure rather than coming up with exotic ideas like maglev trains.
Nigeria: political recycling
“Recycling may be good for the environment but political recycling is definitely not good for the nigerian environment,” writes Ijebuman's Diary.
Africa: China-Africa trade
Africa-China relationship is increasingly becoming an important subject to bloggers in the African blogosphere as seen in the latest post on the subject by Grandiose Parlor:“More on China-Africa trade.”
