Stories from 11 March 2008
Iraq: “It's good it wasn't a car bomb!”
What better, after a short break, than to give my audience what they really want to read - words from the street in Baghdad and Mosul. And there is no better time as Chikitita is back blogging from Baghdad giving her impression of a city that she has been away from for many months and Neurotic Wife, takes a tour through the 'red zone'. While Baghdad Dentist returns to Mosul after a break in Baghdad and tells us about the difference.
Arabeyes: Rising Cost of Living
Prices of commodities ranging from grocery to building material and rent are going up, up, up and being the true mirrors of their societies, bloggers from Yemen, Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar are speaking up.
Brasil: The most beautiful street in the world
The Porto Alegre Vive [“Porto Alegre Lives”, PT] blog tells us[PT] about the Portuguese blog A Sombra Verde [“The Green Shadow”, PT] that elected one of Porto Alegre‘s streets as “the most beautiful street in the world”, by the beauty of it's trees and the hard fight it's inhabitants are...
Poland: Inside Warsaw: L-P
“Inside Warsaw: L-P” – at Polandian.
Iran: “No to election”
Iranemast says[Fa] what more should be happened that we learn voting in Iran is useless. The blogger reminds us about repression and political prisoners.
Lithuania: Independence, 18 Years On
Lituanica writes about an anniversary of “restoration of independence of Lithuania.”
Latvia: March 16 and the Media
Baltic writes about the date that tends to draw plenty of media attention to Latvia: March 16, “one among many days remembering war dead in Latvia.”
Latvia: Riga for Monopoly
All About Latvia writes about an ongoing advertising campaign in Riga to get the city onto Monopoly's map: “Riga’s placement on the monopoly board could bring some tourists in, but it won’t create a name for this small country struggling with its self-esteem.”
Hungary: Referendum Results
Pestcentric writes about the results of the referendum this past Sunday and the implications for Hungarian politicians.
Israel: Bedouin Youth Use IM to Bypass Cultural Prohibitions
Instant Messaging is opening new windows for a Bedouin community in South Israel, writes Gilad Lotan, who tunes into a fascinating research and brings us its findings in this post.
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, Dominican Republic: Book Awards
Antilles reports that two of the National Book Critics’ Circle awards have been won by Caribbean writers.
Estonia, Finland: Police
Itching for Eestimaa reports that “Estonia is considering hiring 300 unemployed Finnish police officers to handle its internal shortage of police.”
Slovakia: CIA Planes in Bratislava?
The Czech Daily Word writes about the sighting of secret CIA flights that allegedly transport prisoners in Bratislava.
Barbados: Blogging Blues
Barbados’ new government seems to have neglected its previously-active blog, which, according to Barbados Free Press, has left citizens feeling “as if we are waking up in the morning to find the DLP asking us, ‘What’s your name again, sweetheart?'”
Iran: 250 artists support reformists
According to Futurama[Fa], 250 artists have called people to vote for reformist candidates in Iranian parliamentary election on Friday.
Bermuda: Homophobia
“If I call someone out as a homophobe I mean it with all the venom as if I were to call someone a racist or a sexist”: A Radical in Bermuda calls it like he sees it.
Sri Lanka: Guns and Money
Bricks of Love on the nature of international pressure on Sri Lanka to clean up its act – guns and money.
Bulgaria: Michael Palin's “New Europe”
The Balkan Yankee writes about the “screening which featured segments of Michael Palin’s (of Monty Python fame) new documentary series on Eastern Europe” – and the questions that the Bulgarian audience asked the film's director.
Pakistan: Politics and Alliances
The Pakistani Spectator on political parties and alliances – and “a recipe for civil war”.
Ecuador: Natural Forces Threatening the Country
The recent diplomatic crisis in Ecuador did not stop other natural forces from producing a crisis of their own in the country. Heavy rainfalls and a threatening volcano have continued to be a focus of local bloggers, who hope that the government and media can be better equipped to handle these ongoing issues. One even poked fun at a governmental campaign that asks Ecuadorans to stay positive in spite of these hardships.
Guyana: On the Alert
As the sister of the man suspected in the two Guyana massacres is murdered, Living Guyana says: “This spells some serious trouble for the ordinary citizens of the nation.”
