Stories from 17 October 2007
Serbia: BlogOpen
Belgrade 2.0 writes about BlogOpen, “a historical, traditional, second bloggers’ and readers’ meeting in Serbia in Serbia’s short history”: “Help create a buzz in the English speaking world, because the Serbo-Croato-Bosniako-Montenegro-Macedono-Sloveno speaking world is already buzzing!“
Slovenia: Gorazd Čamernik's Death
Sleeping With Pengovsky reports on the recent killing of young man by a bouncer at one of Ljubljana's clubs and the government's response to the tragedy.
Slovenia: “Polhanje!”
Piran Café tries some polh, or the fat dormouse, “a species fairly common from Spain to western Russia. They look like small gray squirrels, but with big dark sexy eyes and long brooding tails.”
Slovenia: “S'LOVELY”
Slovenia is “S'LOVELY” – or is it? A discussion on “rebranding” the country took place at The Glory of Carniola.
Ukraine: UPA's 65th Anniversary
Ukrainiana posts a comprehensive entry on the history and the 65th anniversary of “Ukraine’s underrecognized Insurgent Army” (UPA): “Attempts at re-educating and reconciling elderly people contrary to their beliefs should be abandoned. But revisiting Ukrainian history and recognizing, for future generations, the people and events misrepresented in Soviet textbooks makes...
Trinidad & Tobago: Indigenous Celebration
Now is Wow attends a celebration of indigenous people in Trinidad.
Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname: A Different Perspective
“Give me a quiet place to sit over a bustling metropolis any day,” says KnowProSE.com, as he recounts a visit to Suriname's Cola Kreek.
Jamaica: Giving Up
Jamaican Marlon James lists a few things he thinks we can confidently give up on.
Haiti: Quelling the Floods
Haiti Innovation thinks that some of the severe flooding that is plaguing the island can be reduced in the long-term through reforestation efforts.
Cuba: Press Freedom Index Ranking
Referring to the Reporters Without Borders annual index rating of the level of press freedom around the world, Uncommon Sense says: “Cuba's specific rating almost is irrelevant. What counts is the company it keeps at the bottom of RSF's rankings each year.”
Barbados: Arresting the Spread of HIV-AIDS
Barbados Underground thinks that the powers-that-be have failed the country with regard to stemming the spread of HIV-AIDS.
Bahamas: Engaging the Americans
“Engaging the Americans, our most important trading partner and neighbour is a good thing,” writes Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com, on learning that the island's Prime Minister will address The Caribbean-Central American Action organisation at their Miami Conference on the Caribbean Basin in December.
China: Why Focus on Clapping?
Liu Xiao-yuan wondered while mainstream media in China was interested in how many times people clapped during Hu Jintao's speech in 17th Party Congress (zh). The blogger criticized such kind of formalism in China politics. His original post was deleted in sina (zh) while there is no problem in posting...
Singapore: Chinese Shrine for a German Girl
Belyl writes about a Chinese shrine dedicated to a German girl in an island off Singapore. (Via Tomorow.sg)
China: Reporting 17 Party Congress
Rose Liu compared reporters’ concern on the 17th Party Congress (zh): western media's concern is more substantial than Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau's media. The former pay attention to economic and political reform, while the latter concerned about Hong Kong and Macau policy… as for me, I felt that the...
China: Depoliticalization
Rensj669 from Tianya (via 1510) commented that depoliticalization is the governing politics of the present day China: When people have given up politics, they don't concern about social environment and humanitarian issue anymore. We work for the present, without dreaming for a more ideal future (zh).
Colombia: My Neighborhood
Muestra Artistica [ES] describes his own neighborhood of Santo Domingo in Medellin, Colombia.
Bolivia: Modes of Transport in El Alto
Cristina Quisbert of Bolivia Indigena [ES] writes about different modes of transportation in the city of El Alto.
Saudi: Back Entrance for Women
Saudi blogger Rasha draws our attention to the huge gap between the treatment of men and women in her society – where women have separate entrances to their homes, crumbling segregated university campuses and even a smaller praying area in Mecca.
Iraq: Teens Work to Help Families
Alive in Baghdad brings us the latest from a war torn Iraq, where at least 50 per cent of the population are under the age of 18. “Despite the ongoing impact of violence and terrorism that affects all Iraqis, children must even risk their lives to get to school, and...
Former Soviet Union: Pyotr Grigorenko's Centenary
Window on Eurasia writes about the “neglected centenary” of General Pyotr Grigorenko: “People like the late general are a rarity. Anyone who met him – and I was fortunate enough to do so – counts himself privileged. But even more, all those living in the post-Soviet states now are his...