23 February 2007

Stories from 23 February 2007

Uzbekistan: Mathematical Expression

  23 February 2007

Claire Wilkinson discusses a report showing that medieval Islamic art shows an understanding of complex geometry that did not find mathematical expression until fairly recently. The researcher first became interested in the subject while visiting Islamic structures in Uzbekistan.

Turkmenistan: Flurry of Activity

  23 February 2007

neweurasia reports on the flurry of personnel shuffling, diplomatic calls, and presidential edicts since Turkmenistan elected its new president, who, the post says, must shake things up in order to survive.

Kazakhstan: Environmental Buyout

  23 February 2007

Ben Paarmann says that ChevronTexaco has long had problems with accumulating sulfur deposits at its Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan. So why is the government suddenly threatening to punish the company for environmental damage? Ben suggests that Kazakhstan's government may be trying to get more control over the project.

East Timor:

  23 February 2007

Teresa writes about the latest controversy in East Timor where a Timorese person was shot by an Australian peacekeeper. Both the Australian and the East Timorese recount different versions of what actually happened. Teresa hopes “Of course, this event will now be used by some to foster instability, leading to...

Jamaica: “Satan is Real”

  23 February 2007

Unreconstructed racists the Louvin Brothers, composers of the country classic “Satan is Real”, “would have been horrified to know that just near the equator hundreds of negroes were loving their music,” writes Marlon James, in a post touching upon reggae's roots in country-and-western music.

Hungary: Paedophilia Controversy

  23 February 2007

According to Pestcentric, “Hungary has one of the lowest age-of-consents in the EU at 14 years old” – and this is causing foreign media to announce that the country is about to make paedophilia legal.

Jamaica: Homophobia and violence

  23 February 2007

Leon Robinson prefaces a post about a series of brutal attacks on gay men in Jamaica by saying: “Homosexuality is frowned upon in Jamaica. Not because were “homophobic” (surely we can't be afraid of them), but because it is unlawful, as our law is based upon the Bible.“

Puerto Rico: Pondering corruption and passports

  23 February 2007

Gil the Jenius offers some points to ponder relating to government corruption and the new regulations requiring US citizens to have passports in order to travel: “Although Puerto Rico is exempted for U.S. citizens (meaning they can visit without a passport), many people won't grok that.“

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dayton Accords Discrimination Case

  23 February 2007

Neretva River discusses a case brought before the European Court for Human Rights: “Sarajevo's Jewish community, led by Jakob Finci, is arguing that the Dayton Accords are discriminatory as they de facto bar from high public office members of minority communities that happen not to fit nicely into ‘Croat,’ ‘Muslim’...