Stories from 19 January 2007
Madagascar: Forest = Pharmacy
Says Harinjaka (Fr): “Malagasy forests are like medicine cabinets. You can find 75% of medicinal plants used in Madagascar. A vital ressource for those who, by and large, live tens...
Jamaica: Saved by The Cure
In the summer of 1987, Jamaican writer Marlon James is saved by The Cure: “I don’t remember 1987 by any sequence of days and dates; I remember it by breaths...
Puerto Rico: Learning English
Studies show that although English is a compulsory subject in Puerto Rican schools from elementary level upwards, only 20% of the country's population has a mastery of the language. Eugenio...
Trinidad & Tobago: School porn ring and cell phone cameras
Keith Francis on the recent discovery of a school porn ring in Trinidad involving videos recorded on cell phone cameras: “The fact is that despite our wilful efforts to ignore...
Brazilian Blogs on Chávez, Lula and the Mercosur Summit
Presidents from most South American countries are gathered in Rio de Janeiro for a meeting of the Mercosur trading group, and Hugo Chavez is again the attention drawer. Local bloggers...
Turkey/Armenia: Hrant Dink Murdered
Onnik Krikorian has multiple posts on the murder of Hrant Dink, a journalist who was an ethnic Armenian Turkish citizen who had been given a six month suspended sentence in...
Tajikistan: Closer to China
Alexander of neweurasia Tajikistan reports that Tajikistan is set to step up economic cooperation with China.
Kazakhstan: Doctors on Trial
Mira Bakhytova reports that the trial of health care professionals said to be responsible for a wave of HIV infections in southern Kazakhstan has gotten underway.
Tajikistan: Blogosphere Roundup
Vadim takes a look at some of the latest topics being discussed in the Tajik blogosphere.
Armenia: Love, Sex, and Relationships
Zarchka writes a spirited post on love, relationships, premarital sex, safe sex, double standards, and more in Armenia.
Nigeria: Nigerian pidgin 101
Mama Junkyard's blogs about how people greet each other in Nigeria: How you body de? Pidgin English; often used when addressing someone who has been unwell. The first time I...
Latvia: Monuments
Marginalia posts a very interesting entry on Latvia's monuments – and its “almost antiseptically politics-free” currency.
Latvia: “Eastern or Western?”
Some Latvians are “tired of being lumped in with, and referred to, as Eastern European,” writes All About Latvia.
Hungary: Political Joke
A Hungarian political joke from Pestcentric: “Q: If communism had not fallen in 1990, who would be prime minister today? A: [Socialist Ferenc Gyurcsany, who's the prime minister anyway].” More...
Hungary: Punishment for War Criminal
Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar suggests a better way to punish an elderly war criminal about to stand trial in Hungary: “Much better, that the media, schools and various...
Croatia, Serbia: Vets vs Bora Dordevic
Croatian war veterans group protests an upcoming talk show appearance by a Serbian rock singer Bora Dordevic, reports Illyrian Gazette.
Russia: What Was Litvinenko?
Russia in the Media argues that “referring to Litvinenko as an “ex-spy” basically misrepresents the work that he did in the Russian special services.”
Russia, Estonia: The Monument
Estonia‘s parliament voted last week to relocate from the center of the capital Tallinn the Soviet-era monument to the Red Army soldiers who died in World War II. The bronze...
Trinidad & Tobago: Blog love
The IZATRINI.com blog reviews shortdrop.com, a web site for Trinidadian car enthusiasts, and TrinidGourmet.com interviews fellow food blogger Chenette.
Cuba: Sexual diversity
Zenia presents a portrait (ES) of two same-sex couples living lives of relative tranquility in Cuba, and concludes that the climate in the country has become more tolerant of homosexuals...
Kenya: blogging the World Social Forum
The PANOS Institute West Africa and Fahamu, the publishers of the award-winning online forum for social justice in Africa – Pambazuka News, have jointly established a blog to bring daily...
