Stories from 19 December 2007
China: Sobbing without tears
A land thirsty for water is calling for help. How many more villages would die out due to the drought? How much more land would be eroded, even buried by sand?
Trinidad & Tobago: Christmas Cheer
“The wonderful part of Trinidad and Tobago is that its people of all religious backgrounds celebrate the Christian holiday”: Theboookman explains.
Haiti: Haiti Now! Film Festival
kiskeácity links to a review of the Haiti Now! Seminar, held earlier this year: “There have been some misunderstandings between anglophone West Indians and Haitians over Caricom and its role...
Guyana: Stop Quarreling!
A great tip on how to get your wife to stop quarreling, courtesy Guyana-Gyal.
Cuba: No Cricket
Child of the Revolution finds something “not quite right” about the Cuban cricket team not making its international debut at the Stanford 20/20 tournament “because of the US commercial and...
Bermuda: Election Results
The Bermuda election results are in – Politics.bm says: “Accountability and government reform in Bermuda politics is officially dead”, while The Devil Island congratulates the winning party and hopes “that...
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica: Death of Traditional Media
“I think blogs…and other online mediums can and should take the place of traditional media, if only because it saves trees…but also because…I do not think that traditional journalism is...
Dubai Real Estate Company Invests in Rwanda
Dubai World, Dubai's real estate investment holding company, announced plans to invest $230 million in the Rwandan tourism industry [Fr], writes Addax.
The Politics of Cleaning Up Dakar
Senablog writes about the Senegalese government's latest attempts to rid the streets of Dakar of informal traders [Fr], which last month prompted large protests. Senablog describes how previous efforts have...
Korea: Election Day
I am writing this post in the middle of election day (2 hours left) in Korea. Not surprisingly, until now, the turnout of voters is recorded as the lowest in...
Georgia: Election Cartoons
One refreshing addition to the Georgian blogosphere as the January election approaches is Georgia Ink, the blog of cartoonist Vladimir Shioshvili. With elections in the South Caucasus generally tense, Shioshvili...
Japan: Depopulating Second Life
Adamu translates a local news report on the depopulation of the Japanese version of Second Life.
Georgia: Media Ownership
As the 5 January presidential election in Georgia approaches, the pro-opposition Resistance Georgia blog raises some important questions about ownership of the media in the former Soviet republic.
Hong Kong: Delay No Mall
ESWN picks up a local news on a shopping mall called: Delay No Mall.
China: Top “Jokes”
ESWN translated a post in Tianya which composed some top “jokes” in China in 2007: These ‘jokes’ are not funny at all; in fact, they are solemn and dismal.
China: Youth Died in Police Station
A eleven years old boy was found dead in a police station in Kaifeng City. He was detained by the police for 8 days for stealing 13 bicycles. His parent...
Kazakhstan: 2007 – Filthy Politics and Grapes of Wrath
The passing year was rich in shaking news and political scandals in Kazakhstan, all of which have been finding reflection in the blogosphere’s reactions and online debates. Many of those...
Mexico: The Story of a Deported Teen
Nathan Gibbs and reporter Amy Isackson produced a video piece about a 17-year-old boy, who was deported to Mexico, and who subsequently returned. He links to the video and accompanying...
Kazakhstan: The country's strike-back
Ben reviews the developments in Kazakhstan in 2007, focusing on the energy issues and Kazakh government's rising resource nationalism.
Kazakhstan: What is Ak-Orda?
Arseny posts a funny story that vividly indicates how many people living in Astana’s Old Town – a Soviet provincial cityscape – sometimes do not have any idea of what...
Kyrgyzstan: Manas Petroleum
Ben reports that a Kyrgyz company is getting involved in the oil business in Kyrgyzstan and Albania.