March, 2007

Stories from March, 2007

Cuba: Fidel's Blog?

  30 March 2007

“The blogosphere is certainly growing!” (ES) declares mi isla al mediodia (tongue firmly in cheek) as he notes that Fidel Castro has written an “entry” in his “blog” (ie, Granma, the Communist party paper) about the impact on the agricultural sector of using ethanol as a substitute for fossil fuels.

Mexico: Harvard University and Oaxaca

  30 March 2007

George Salzman on the good and bad of the involvement of Manuel Stefanakis, Director of the Master of Public Administration Programs in the John F. Kennedy School of Government, in Oaxaca's long-standing conflict with the local and federal government.

Mexico: Biofuels, corn prices and food security

  30 March 2007

Sitna Quiroz on “Biofuels, corn prices and food security in Mexico:” “Media reports attributed the rise in tortilla prices to dwindling imports of corn due to its increasing demand for ethanol production. Others argued that the problem was not lack of corn, but rather the monopolizing practices and speculation carried...

Chile, Costa Rica: “Un Computador por Niño”

  30 March 2007

Ricardo Carreón, General Manager of Intel for Latin America, describes a pilot test of Classmate PC (“laptop for kids in emerging markets”) that he attended in Costa Rica with Intel CEO Craig R. Barret. On a related note, Carreón points us to a collection of YouTube videos about Chile's “Un...

Nicaragua: Eric Volz

  30 March 2007

Bloggings by Boz links to a Miami Herald article about Eric Volz, a 27-year-old California native imprisoned in Nicaragua for rape and homicide. Writes Boz, “it doesn't sound like the Nicaraguan authorities have any evidence other than one convicted drug trafficker's statement to back up their arrest.” Citizen 192 has...

Jamaica: African/Brazilian Connection

  30 March 2007

Geoffrey Philp's Blogspot covers Joel Gondim's presentation “Color, Identity, and Candomblé in Brazil,” in which he explores how the African connection to Brazil manifests itself in food, music, and religion.

Peru: Reviews of El Comercio's New Design

  30 March 2007

El Comercio, one of Peru's leading newspapers, redesigned their website. Bloggers, no doubt, were quick to pen their opinion. Letra Suelta is glad to see the use of blogs [ES], video, tags, and RSS feeds. Waldo Dominguez points out some early coding hiccups [ES] and claims the redesign is a...

Guyana: UK should support Reparation

  30 March 2007

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade, Propaganda Press highlights Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo's call to British Prime Minister Tony Blair to “go one step further and support reparation.”

Japan: Body Suits

  30 March 2007

You can choose between sexy body suit or powerful body suit in the beach this summer, Lee from Tokyo Times.

Morocco: Death of a Frenchman

Writing in a View From Fez, Moroccan blogger Samir reports that a “Frenchman participating in the 22nd edition of the Sand Marathon died of heart attack in his tent Thursday at a campsite west of Jebl Kfiroune, about 40 kilometres from Rissani, in south-eastern Morocco.” “This is the second death...

Jordan: Car Trouble

Jordanian blogger Tololy discovers the advantages of living in a patriarchal society after having car trouble and a total stranger came to her rescue without her having to ask for it.

China: Private Banking

  30 March 2007

Imagethief comments on China Bank's announcement of private banking service for local millionaires. He anticipates that fat money will still go to global banks.

China: Education system

  30 March 2007

Onemanbandwidth wrote a piece on China education system, in particular the “industrialization of education”: Investors, smart businessmen with no business being in the education business, are reaping huge profits by short-changing Chinese youth.

Jordan: Balancing Eggs?

With too much time on his hands, Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawneh decided to balance an egg on the day of the vernal equinox to prove the relevance of a Chinese legend. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Trinidad & Tobago: Second Life for Caribbean Teens?

  30 March 2007

Caribbean Public Relations reports on Coca-Cola‘s latest marketing concept for Caribbean teenagers – “a virtual city…called Caribbean Connection. The idea borrows from the Second Life concept, where you can go into the virtual world, interact with others, participate in activities, and create ‘a life'”.