Stories from 4 January 2007
Brazil: Women at the 8th International Free Software Forum
Liz Henry writes that G2G, a women-only group, will be going en masse to the 8th International Free Software Forum, April 12-14, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Kenya: dis-arming vigilantes
The Head Heeb on police and vigilantes in Kenya, “The police in much of Africa have a bad reputation. In many countries, police forces are still living down the image they acquired as enforcers for repressive governments, and even in democracies, they are commonly perceived as compromised by corruption.”
Mali: clean energy
The African Uptimist writes about universal access to clean energy in Mali.
Poland: A Real-Life Classic Remake
Traveling Life writes about an appointment that resembles “another remake of a Polish classic.”
Hungary: “Payback Time” Approaching
Hungary is a country to be watched this year, and here's why, according to Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar: “Yes, [BBC's John] Simpson is right to put Hungary on his watchlist for this year,alongside the usual suspects of Iraq, Iran, Israel etc. But the reason is quite straightforward and...
Czech Rebublic: Skiing Season
My Czech Republic Blog reports on the very belated beginning of the skiing season.
Russia: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Accidents
Wu Wei reads the Crimes/Accidents section of the Sakhalin Times: “All the usual stuff: bribery, corruption, prostitution, drugs, alcoholism, bombs on planes plus a few local issues: ‘Heavy Winds blow buses off highway’ […], ‘4-year-old falls into manhole, escapes unharmed’ […], ‘Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk resident found guilty of selling worm-infested candy.’ Et...
Croatia: Luxury Watches
Neretva River writes about those really expensive watches that Croatian politicians choose to wear.
Russia, Serbia: Kosovo and Other Issues
Neretva River writes about Russia and the issue of Kosovo's independence.
Lithuania: Vilnius Taxis
Music and Life – Everywhere! writes about unreliability of the Vilnius taxis.
Myanmar: Independence Day Questions
Mayvelous has some questions on Myanmar's independence day. “Are we celebrating?, Are we happy?, Are we independent?”
Trinidad & Tobago: Return of the Silver Fox
Former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Basdeo Panday has assumed leadership of the UNC, the country's main opposition party, once more. Keith Francis has this to say: “And so, according to the UNC's National Executive, there is absolutely no-one else to lead the UNC but a lawyer who seems to...
Indonesia: Adam Air Crash
Unspun complains about the lack of crisis management training in Indonesia after observing the way the authorities handled the crash of an private airline plane. Relatives were given conflicting messages on the status of the plane by different parties. “The first rule of anyone handling a crisis-like situation is to...
Uganda: Ugandan Blogger Happy Hour
In An African Minute announces the 1st Ugandan Blogger Happy Hour, “The development of blogging communities has a tradition in East Africa, with the Kenyan Blog Webring and the Tanzanian Blogger's Virtual Conference. I think the Ugandan blogosphere has huge potential for 2007, so this informal gathering is the start...
Myanmar: Prisoners Freed
The swanker comments on the news that Myanmar government released over 3000 prisoners (but not Aung San Suu Kyi) to mark the country's 59 independance day. “Why are a bunch of tough military men, with an army behind them, scared of a frail, little old lady?”
China: execution of murderer
Kanchai comments on the quick execution of a criminal Qiu Xing Hua who had found guilty of murdering 11 people. The blogger is convinced that Qiu is guilty, however, the fact that the court had refused a mental evaluation reflected the lack of confidence for the judiciary system (zh).
South Korea: father of modern architecture
Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole introduces Kim Swoo-geun (1931-86), one of the fathers of Korean modern architecture, to the readers.
South Korea: revisionism
Owen from Korean history group blog introduces the debate on revisionism concerning the president Roh's comment on Korea War as civil war.
South Korea: business and politics
A blog post from Asiapages about the relation between business and politics: How much do politcal country relationships matter?
Peru: YachayBlogs
Juan Arellano announces that the Peruvian Scientific Network [ES] is now offering its own WordPress-based free blogging platform called YachayBlogs [ES].
Armenia: Expatriates
Armenian LJ user bekaisa writes about the segregated world that expatriates live in, inspiring some interesting comments. Onnik Krikorian responds, adding that Armenia's expatriate community is different from neighboring ones in that it includes Diasporan Armenians who have moved to Armenia whom, Onnik notes, many native Armenians do not see...
