Stories from 4 May 2007
Pakistan: The Economy and Politics
The Pakistani Spectator on the relationship between politics and the economy. “Most of time in political history of Pakistan, military dictators have been in power. Being not answerable to people and being dependent on American's blessings, they never thought of well being of the masses. The temporary boom in economy...
Ukraine: Chernobyl Employee
Michael Forster Rothbart photographs a man who spent 24 years working at Chernobyl nuclear power plant (nine of them, after 1986).
Nepal: Sexual Minority Rights
Nepal Monitor in conversation with Sunil Panta. “Nepal’s sexual minority rights activist says there are some 40,000 recorded LGBTs in the country, and that legal reform will be his main focus for the next five years. International attention on Nepal is not always hardcore political these days. Marginal issues such...
Nigeria: blogger's post appears in Nigeria's newspaper
The Guardian publishes “Open letter to our Commander(s)-in-Chief” from the Nigerian blogger, Laspapi: “The Guardian published my “Open letter to our Commander(s)-in-Chief” last Sunday. This should satisfy the bloggers who feel my tirade should have been given more coverage.”
Africa: Open Africa Project
Timbuktu Chronicles writes about Open Africa Project: The achievement of this vision for Africa has been enabled by the integration of leading edge GIS (Geographic Information Systems) technology with the Internet.
Korea: Bloggers and Donuts
A blogger who worked at the fast food chain Dunkin’ Donuts in Korea exposed what he said were unsanitary conditions at the factory in his blog on a portal site. The company quickly asked the portal site to delete the post, saying it constituted libel. This response by the company,...
Japan: May Day march in Tokyo
On April 30th in Tokyo, a May Day march (“MayDay for Freedom and Lives”) with over 400 participants wound its way through central Tokyo. A report on the event has been posted at gyaku.
Colombia: More Analysis on Uribe's Visit to Washington
Adam Isaacson's Plan Colombia and Beyond blog has plenty of analysis and follow-up on President Alvaro Uribe's visit to Washington, DC. He also links to quotes provided by members of Congress and a YouTube video of the protest.
Peru: Culture and Gender in Advertising
Luna Antagonica [ES] writes about her anthropological study that looks at gender and cultural identity issues in advertising in Peru. A related protest will also take place in front a department store to “show that in Peru that one cannot only associate images of beauty, success or prestige only with...
Colombia: Uribe Met by Protestors During Visit to Washington
The Colombia Herald writes about President Alvaro Uribe's recent visit to Washington, where approximately 100 protestors greeted him with cries of “assassin!” in reference to the alleged ties to paramilitary forces. Protestors also were opposed to any free trade agreement with the U.S. Flickr users b.wu and A Look Askance...
Thailand: Thailand vs. Google
The New Mandala blog discusses Thailand's attempts to charge Google with lèse majesté. Thailand's government tried unsuccessfully to get Google owned YouTube to drop clips mocking the Thai king.
Philippines: Social Networking Site
The eOk network introduces a new social networking site in Philippines. “It doesn't appear to be a replacement for Friendster's popularity in the region, but the potential to corner the local market is definitely up for grabs.”
Indonesia: Deforestation Record
Indonesia Matters talks about Indonesia's entry into Guinness Book of World Records. “Indonesia is the world champion in deforestation.”
Nigeria: Blogging the historic election (Part 2)
Recently, Nigerians participated in historic national and state elections. This is the concluding part of “Blogging the historic election,” which highlights the blog posts by Nigerians on Presidential elections. We will see what Nigerian bloggers were saying on the election day and afterwards. We will start with election day post...
Singapore: Singapore's Blogosphere
Elia Diodati says Singapore's blogosphere is loosing its steam. The blogger rounds up the current status of once very active bloggers.
Caribbean: A Deep, Almost Visceral Love
“If one recurring theme seems to run through the works, it is probably a deep, almost visceral love for the landscapes of the Caribbean, a fierce and nostalgic longing for the place which many regard as home.” Antilles weblog quotes James Ferguson on The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse.
Jamaica: Budget Time
It's budget presentation time in Jamaica and City Girl is “simultaneously annoyed and amused that after a budget presentation, there’s a round of cocktail parties to celebrate the occasion…But what are they celebrating though? Our mounting debts?”
Jamaica: Sharing Ideas
“I am rapidly becoming a proponent of people stealing my ideas.” Jamaican Francis Wade believes that sharing inspiration will bring increased opportunity.
Guyana: Indigenous Communities Claims Against Swiss Bank
The CAC Review reports that indigenous Guyanese communities are among those being represented in an international claim against a Swiss bank for “compensation for its links with a Malaysian timber company…that has poisoned waters and polluted communities.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Shopping Blog
“Now it's not as if this is the most mindblowing thing that someone has done in e-commerce. But I just can't help but love the idea of a shop blog.” Caribbean Public Relations makes a happy online discovery.
Bahamas, Bermuda: Election Parallels
Bahama Pundit examines the results of the recently-concluded Bahamian elections. And Politics.bm sees parallels between the Bahamas and Bermuda's own upcoming elections.
