Stories from 20 March 2007
Poland: Fire Hazard
The Poland Diaries writes about fire safety – or, to be more precise, fire hazard – in Poland.
Poland: Demography
The beatroot writes: “Poland’s population is shrinking faster than any other country in the EU. Strange that, in a country that claims to be 95 percent Catholic, don’t you think?”
Panama, Honduras: Fried Fish with Plaintains
This looks like a tasty combination: crispy fried whole fish from Panamanian chef Melissa de León with twice fried plantains from Honduras-based “La Gringa”.
Mexico: Braceros’ Social Security
Mark in Mexico writes that the Mexican government is having trouble counting “braceros”, the migrant workers given special work visas between 1942 and 1964.
India: Rapes in tele-serials
DesiDabba on the almost flippant use of rape as a plot twister in Indian tele-serials. “While the producers and others involved justify inclusion of such social offences as the ‘demand of the script’ and ‘story-telling’ there are many who simply label it as a cheap TRP tactic. Audiences across the...
South Asia: On culture and belonging
Sepia Mutiny has a moving post on belonging to various cultures – by birth, accident, choice and necessity. “No one has the right to be the arbiter of who does and does not get to participate in their culture. Such judgmental “guardians” had the genetic fortune or fate to be...
Sri Lanka: On Web Censorship
ICT for Peacebuilding on the increasing instances of web censorship and the cause for concern. “..my firm belief that technology, though it may not be neutral, will secure and strengthen the work of pro-democracy and pro-rights activists far more than it will aid governments clamp down on them. All it...
Nepal: On blogging and bloggers
Deepak's Diary on the third blogmeet in Nepal. “We are young, modern generation of urbanites who have left our backwater heritage behind. But, there are so many obstacles. One crucial among them is our own tendency: we don't want to take initiatives. Yet, when someone takes the risk and the...
Pakistan: The Black Madonna
Light Within on the authenticity of the Black Madonna in various cultures. “Believe it or not — she is black! Her features, in most instances, are non-European! And ironically, most of these images are located in Catholic churches in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Now I am...
Mexico: News Roundup
Coming back from maternity leave, the prolific Ana Maria Salazar summarizes some of the latest stories coming out of Mexico.
Russia: Subway
Russian Beauty tours Moscow subway stations: Mayakovskaya and Park Pobedy.
Filipino Bloggers Discuss Homeschooling
An interesting discussion on whether one should homeschool their children or send them to a school appeared on some blogs from the Philippines. A Passerby's Trail writes I am an educator and I had a lot of teaching experiences in different school levels; yet as a mom, I prefer to...
Singapore: Crowdsourcing the Media Panel
Kevin Lim is inviting his readers to a panel titled “Crowdsourcing the Media” that he is moderating as a part of a technology conference. “Initially entitled “Citizen Journalism”, the panel I’m moderating didn’t quite capture the feel of what the discussion was going to be about, so I renamed it...
Kuwait: Internet Censorship
Kuwaiti blogger Ayya touches on internet censorship in this post . “We Kuwaitis usually pride ourselves that regardless of what, we still have the freedom to express our thoughts. Well; surprise guys, this is not true anymore. Internet providers like Fastelco, Quality Net and KEMS, are blocking sites, forums, as...
Kuwait: Motorcycle Crashes
Kuwait-based blogger Mark is obsessed with videos of motorcycle crashes and links to some of them here. (Warning: Not for the faint of heart)
Hong Kong: Panda's right
Hegelchong criticizes the mainstream media's insensitivity towards animal rights in the news concerning central government giving two Pandas to Hong Kong for 10 years anniversary of reunification of Hong Kong with China (zh).
Israel: Football Fans
Israeli blogger Stephanie says that more than 7,000 British football fans are expected to be in Israel for a much anticipated match…and some more. “The English side of the stadium has already sold out but the British fans are interested in matters beyond the game – they’re looking forward to...
Israel: Is the Mount Temple a Muslim Holy Site?
Israeli blogger AgentAzure is questioning the attachment of Muslims to the Temple Mount based on photographs he has posted. “However, my impression, formed under the influence of the pictures posted below, is that it was practically lying in ruins, forgotten and neglected, for a long time. Only when Jews arrived...
Israel: Where is My Gas Mask?
Israeli blogger Yael K is looking for her gas mask. “This is actually a good question and I don’t have the answer –in some cabinet or drawer or under something or another, perhaps the bed, hmmm. Not that I’m expecting to need it for anything any time soon but as...
Israel: Obama Sympathatic Towards Palestine.
Israeli blogger Batya is warning against the election of Obama , whom he accuses of being sympathetic towards the Palestinians. “Yes, he, like Jimmy Carter and Condi Rice, is pro- (sic) “palestininian.” That's dangerous for Israel. It doesn't bother them at all that Arab terrorists are murdering and injuring Jews....
Israel: Mother's Milk Needed
Israeli blogger Yisrael Medad pleads for ‘mother's milk’ here for a four-month-old infant whose parents died in a car crash.
