Stories from 27 April 2007
Lebanon: Two Kidnapped Found Dead
The Lebanese police found the bodies of the missing youths yesterday evening. Security measures were stepped up in Beirut. The victims were buried today. Political leaders called for restraint and letting the investigations to take its course. Riemer Brouwer and Jounoune have updates on this hideous crime.
The Balkans: Turbofolk
Bosnia Vault lists useful resources on turbofolk music.
Russia: Blondes Who Disagree
Robert Amsterdam comments on the rally of The Blondes Who Disagree, calling it “an obvious attempt to ridicule and discredit the recent Marches of Those Who Disagree, which were so brutally suppressed by the authorities.”
Bulgaria: Escalators Fixed
In the early 1990s, the escalators of Sofia's Main Train Station did not work, writes Sofia's Hidden Beauty: “The escalators’ colour became darker and darker, dust and rubbish irreversably damaged the mechanisms and they turned just into dangerous alternative of the stairs.” Now some of them do, again.
Colombia: Leading Cause of Death for Children in Bogota
Balada Del Elefante Azul [ES] is frustrated at the fact that the leading cause of death for children aged 12-17 in Bogota is by bullet or knife. He is also bothered by a culture that seems to applaud those that “appear on television and proudly saying that they were a...
Ukraine: Politics Roundup
Dan McMinn's roundup of recent Ukrainian political developments gets a life of its own, as usual, as the comments start coming in (31, so far).
Moldova: Coverage of Transdniestria
A comprehensive overview of coverage of the situation in Transdniestria, over at Scraps of Moscow.
Serbia: Ganja March
Belgrade 2.0 writes about the upcoming “Global Ganja March” in Belgrade.
Albania: Ruminations on Elections
Our Man in Tirana attempts to place the French and British elections into Albanian context.
Estonia: “A Russian Rebellion”
As Tallinn seems to have entered the second night of rioting over the removal of a Soviet war memorial, here's a blogger's recap (with photos, RUS, by LJ user mrprophet) of what happened the previous night: A Russian rebellion Today I've been to a true Russian rebellion, senseless and relentless....
Cameroonian Videogame
At Le Blog de L'Afrique, Nino writes about Play Detective, a video game developed by a Cameroonian programmer (Fr) named Sila Kayo. A reader comments, “I have always wondered if there were video game developers in Cameroon…It's great to know that there are people interested in this kind of development,...
Seismic Activity and Tidal Waves in Chile
Chile is a land of the earthquakes. In recent months, the Aysén region has been affected by small seismic activity every day. Last weekend, an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, caused a fjord landslide into the sea. Big waves crashed into the small city of Puerto Tortuga, devastating everything in its way. Some bloggers have criticized the response of the authorities and worries what else might happen if proper measures are not taken.
Martinique: Happy Anniversary Le Blog de [Moi]
Le Blog de [Moi], written by a (self-described) petite, black lesbian from Martinique, celebrates its first anniversary. “I blog therefore I am? No? I blog because it makes me more comfortable with who I am…and so paradoxically, the biggest difficulty becomes being myself and not who or what you want...
“What Kind of Lebanon Do We Want?”
As Lebanon's political leaders offer up their usual litany of what he says is useless rhetoric, French-Lebanese blogger Frencheagle asks his readers to remember one question: “What kind of Lebanon do we want?” (Fr). The problem of coexistence, he says, is one that an international tribunal on the civil war...
Puerto Rico: Health Care System
Gil the Jenius shares his thoughts on capitation payments in the Puerto Rican health care system: “If you think money isn't the issue just make the rounds (pun intended) of several medical offices in any part of Puerto Rico. It won't take you long to see signs stating that ‘Cash...
Republic of the Congo: Biometric Identity Cards
Demain Le Congo Brazzaville thinks President Sassou won't stand a chance winning the upcoming election unless he manages to rig it. Sassou plans to create biometric identity cards, but DCB warns against putting too much faith in an electronic voting system (Fr), which may simply encourage a different kind of...
France: What You May Not Have Read About Voltaire
Racisme et Histoire: Le Tabou posts a collection of quotes from some of France's most famous philosophers, writers, and politicians (e.g., Voltaire, Ferry, De Gaulle) you might not read in history books. “I repeat, the super races have a right, because they have only one duty. They have the duty...
France: Rapper Imagines Life as a White Man
Regardailleurs blogs screenshots from an hilarious music video (Fr) called “J'suis blanc” (“I'm White”), the latest from French-Congolese hip hop artist Kamini. God comes to Kamini and makes him white for nine and a half weeks and suddenly dealing with “argent, logement, les flics, les gens” (money, housing, cops, people)...
Sri Lanka: LTTE and the Government
Indi.ca explains LTTE's strategy. “The LTTE is the most efficient terrorist organization ever. They don’t even hit anything, they just take off or hit something nearby, the government panics, and it gets reported as an attack on the airport. More important, it gets perceived as an attack at the airport.”
Nepal: The Diplomatic Act
Nepali Netbook attempts deciphering diplomatic due processes. “The fact that Chinese Ambassador Zheng Xianglin became the first foreign envoy to present his credentials to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala contained much symbolism. The normally reticent official Chinese media, too, highlighted how this development broke the tradition of ambassadors presenting credentials...
Sri Lanka: Art and Children
cerno attends an art competition awards ceremony and is struck by the children present. “The majority of these kids were from rural schools. A string of Mahavidyalayas, Madya Maha Vidyalayas, and simple Vidyalayas. Words not heard among us Colombo types used to abbreviations of Visaka, Ananda, Royal etc. There were...
