Stories from February, 2008
Japan: Tokyo’s Mobile Food Bars
Ryoko from pingmag has a feature story on Tokyo's mobile food bars.
Japan: Poisoned Dumpling Blame Game
James from Japan Probe has a poll about the poisoned dumpling scandal between Japan and China. Most believe that they were contaminated in China.
East Asia: Intangible Cultural Heritage
Ampontan has a very elaborated post on debate and discussion about the registration of intangible cultural heritage at UNESCO among China, Japan and South Korea.
Kenya: Thank you Annan and team
After the power-sharing deal was announced, a caller to a local radio station was ecstatic and invited Kofi Annan and team to "nyama choma" (barbeque), another caller offered him two beers and another pronounced that Annan was the best angel God had sent to the people of Kenya. The level of excitement in the streets of Nairobi and Kisumu demonstrated that the worst is over, and that Kenya will possibly not tilt over the edge like it did in the last two months. The Kenyan blogosphere also paints a similiar picture.
Israel: Ashkelon is ‘on the map’
Following the recent missile attacks on Ashkelon, many worried bloggers react, describing their experiences with terror and fear, within this deteriorating situation that seems ever more hopeless. Gilad Lotan brings us the story from the Hebrew blogosphere.
China: Chongqing's Pride
Zhang Xiaozhou's soccer game report has hurt Chongqing citizens’ pride. Students, representatives of people congress, and newspapers editors protested against the report and demanded the authority to punish the reporter....
Fiji: Heart-Shaped Island
The gang at Paradise Failed discovers Tavarua, a heart-shaped island among Fiji group; “…this freak of nature is called Tavarua, otherwise well-known amongst surfers as “Cloudbreak” for its perfect wave...
China: Is ‘inadequate national virtue’ an excuse?
In a new published book entitled Lu Xun & Hu Shi: Two Chinese Intellectuals in the 20th Century the author made a thorough analysis about the mutual relation between the...
China: Country with the world's biggest income gap
According to the latest Outlook Weekly, the Gini coefficient of China is growing up to 0.47, which is above the international warning line and much higher than that of most...
Barbados, Jamaica: Political Accountability
Living in Barbados thinks that the arrest of a former Jamaican Minister implicated in the Cuban lightbulb scandal “should shed light on what kind of government Bruce Golding is leading...
Trinidad & Tobago: Chinese “Pow”
“The Chinese community in the Caribbean is small, but…the region’s culture would be poorer without them”: Trinidadian blogger Can Cook, Must Cook examines the influence the Chinese have had on...
Barbados: Joe's River
Keltruth Corp. blogs about the level of pollution at Joe's River, which runs through Barbados’ last remaining rain forest.
Jamaica: Service Culture?
“Jamaica is just not ready to do business the way business is done on an international level. Our people still believe that to give service is to be servile”: Jamaican...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Panorama
“It is music that must be heard live to be appreciated, as much of it is literally felt in the body…”: Jamaican Francis Wade blogs about Panorama, Trinidad and Tobago's...
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's Illness
Foreign Notes writes about Yulia Tymoshenko's illness and other problems.
Serbia: “Ray of Light in Tough Times”
Belgrade 2.0 posts a selection of photoshopped Kosovo-related parodies and writes: “If there’s one thing I always appreciated about Serbia and it’s turbulent times, it’s the people’s strenght to find...
Russia: Unaffordable Health Care
Window on Eurasia writes about the Russians who can't afford medical care.
Russia: Middle Class
Sean's Russia Blog writes about the Russian middle class.
Czech Republic: Health Minister Rescues a Pedestrian
The Czech Daily Word writes about how the Czech health minister's saved a pedestrian's life.
Cameroon: Will the widespread unrest bring political change?
Cameroon was besieged this week by the worst violence in fifteen years, as a transportation strike formally ended by unions on Wednesday expanded into a more general protest against rising food and oil prices and President Biya's attempts to alter the constitution and extend his 25-year rule. Bloggers and netizens describe the situation on the ground and what it means for Cameroon's future.
D.R. of Congo: Plane wreckage has become part of the urban landscape
In October, Du Cabiau Kinshasa wrote about an Antonov plane which went down in Kinshasa, killing three dozen people. This week, he posts a photograph of part of the wreckage,...
