Stories from 14 March 2007
Georgia: Seven Year Itch
Social Science in the Caucasus examines divorce rates in Georgia, noting that at least there, the popular belief that marriages break up after seven years is simply not true.
Kazakhstan: Women's Day in Sayram
Michael Hancock writes about the Women's Day celebrations at the school he teaches at in Sayram, Kazakhstan.
Georgia: Gelati and Motsameta
Onnik Krikorian posts photos of Gelati and Motsameta, two religious sites in Georgia's Imereti region. The former is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Armenia: Construction & Growth
The Armenian Economist examines growth in Armenia's construction market. Growth in construction accounts for much of Armenia's recent economic growth, and the blogger argues that the new construction will spur other growth.
Senegal: A Report Card for Reporters Without Borders
Le Pangolin posts [Fr] a press release by the Syndicate of Information and Communication Professionals of Senegal stating that a recent Reporters Without Borders report on the Senegalese elections was “selective” in its interest and “approximative”. The report goes on to say that the RSF report used “nebulous methodology” and...
Liberia: floating hospital
Liberia Ledger blogs about a giant floating hospital in Monrovia: “giant floating hospital has arrived in the Port of Monrovia, carrying 400 staff for the purpose of repairing cleft upper lip & palate, crossed eyes, flesh-eating diseases, and other important surgeries that most Liberian hospitals can't do. Of course, this...
Russia: Regional Elections
This past Sunday Russians voted in regional elections for legislative assemblies in 14 of Russia’s 86 regions. Although their choices failed to surprise anyone, bloggers did find much to write about. Andy of Siberian Light: It probably won’t surprise you to hear that pro-Putin party United Russia came first in...
Lebanon: Hummus Day
According to Lebanese blogger As'ad AbuKhalil, today is Hummus Day in Lebanon. “On this auspicious occasion, I am providing Hummus to my readers–for free. To enjoy, please pour olive oil generously over your keyboards, and you shall have Hummus oozing from the monitor,” he suggests.
Russia: Moscow Power Plants
Russian Kafe links to a Flickr set of photos of Moscow power plants by Flickr user elephantr.
Russia: Who Lost It?
Russia in the Media disagrees with the Washington Post's Op-Ed Columnist Fred Hiatt on his assessment of Russia's current problems: “[…] who's to blame for losing Russia and what's to be done about it? While he did not manage to come up with any coherent answer to the first question,...
Russia: “The Duality of Free Speech in Russia”
Darkness at Noon guest-blogs at La Russophobe about the distinction that has to be made between powerful and powerless critics of Putin's regime: “If you are a critic of the state and possess enough power (whether measured as money, influence, actual political power, readership, or sensitive information) to make the...
Russia: House on the Embankment
Darkness at Noon visits the “House on the Embankment” Museum in Moscow and shares his thoughts and observations on the history of Stalin's Soviet Union: “The Great Terror of 1937-38 took an enormous toll on the upper echelons of the Soviet hierarchy, and nowhere was that toll more apparent than...
Russia: Sokolniki
maaskva: nashimi glazami links to YouTune videos of Moscow's Sokolniki Park.
Bolivia: Constitutent Assembly in Cobija
Bolivia's Constituent Assembly is traveling around the country to collect the opinions of everyday citizens on how the constitution should be re-written. As Miguel Buitrago explains, they were in for a surprise on their first stop at the small border city of Cobija.
El Salvador: Vatican's notification to Fr. Jon Sobrino, S.J. made public
“You can now read for yourself the notification from the Vatican to Father Sobrino declaring that certain propositions in his writings ‘are not in conformity with the doctrine of the Church.'” Tim Muth links to the full text.
Bolivia Cochabamba Post-Rainfall
Every cloud has a silver lining. Or, in this case, a rainbow. Following Bolivia's devastating floods, Eduardo Avila posts a photo of a rainbow arching over Cochabamba's attractive skyline.
Pakistan: block on Blogger has been lifted! Until…?
According to Dr Awab Alvi, co-founder of the Pakistani “Don’t Block The Blog” campaign, the block imposed on blogs hosted on Blogger has been lifted for about a week. The Don't Block The Blog campaign was launched in response to the blanket ban on the Blogspot.com blogging platform instituted by...
Argentina: Passenger List of Italian Immigrants in 1961
Upon discovering the passenger list of the ship Federico that sailed from Genova, Italy to Buenos Aires in March 1961, Jeff Barry asks his readers for personal accounts of anyone who immigrated by ship from Italy to Buenos Aires. Luis Cella, the Argentine grandson of Italian immigrants who now lives...
Mexico: Domestic Education for Men
Now here's a pro-active way to celebrate International Women's Day. Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard wants men to change their attitudes about domestic work.
Egypt: On the Falafel-Hummus War Front
Egyptian blogger Whispers of Madness is still laughing at the Falafel and Hummus war going on between his Palestinian and Jewish friends.
Venezuela: Bush and Chavez Tour for Regional Support
Opposition bloggers Miguel Octavio and Daniel Duquenal on the competing hemispheric tours of US President George Bush and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
