19 March 2008

Stories from 19 March 2008

China: Black Days for the Dalai Lama

  19 March 2008

China matters gave more background to the Lhasa uprising and showed that the Dalai Lama, a moderate spiritual leader, has been marginalized both by the Chinese government conspiracy and hard hand approach.

China: Patriotism triggered, though under censorship

  19 March 2008

A brief record of the Chinese public opinion on Tibet unrest. Attention: they are all found inside the Great Firewall. But I believe they stand for a considerable part of us Chinese. Their information sources on which they judge and think might be filtered, but don’t laugh at that---- before the time tells what’s true, you might also be manipulated!

Burkina Faso: Meningitis, mask dances and a special horse festival

  19 March 2008

Burkina Faso is the diamond stud near the middle of Africa’s meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia, containing a population of roughly 300 people. The region’s dusty winds and relatively cool nights from December to June decreases peoples’ immunity to respiratory problems. This, along with the area’s high population density adds up to make bacterial meningitis “hyperendemic” to this area.

Azerbaijan: The Nicer Side of Baku

  19 March 2008

Lindsay Fincher says that contrary to popular opinion of the Azerbaijani capital as one of the dirtiest cities in the world, it isn't just oil workers interested in visiting. The blogger says that she actually found her own stay somewhat interesting.

Armenia: Volunteerism

  19 March 2008

My Stay in Armenia recounts a recent visit to a school where the International Red Cross educated children on humanitarian work and volunteerism. The blog says that the latter in particular remains something “foreign” for most people in the country.

Armenia: The Epic Land

  19 March 2008

Deep Roasted Blend posts a guide for tourists interested in visiting Armenia. The guide, accompanied by many photographs, was written by Rhyne from The Armenia Blog.

Armenia: Shameful Diaspora

  19 March 2008

Unzipped expresses its concern with statements issued by ethnic Armenian groups and organizations in the United States calling for political forces to find a peaceful solution to the post-election standoff in Armenia and to refrain from violence. Noticeable by its absence, the blog explains, are calls for an independent inquiry...

Armenia: Right to Know

  19 March 2008

Armenia Now reports on the current state of emergency which restricts the media in covering the post-election situation in the country following the 1 March clashes between opposition supporters and the authorities. The blog says that while the print media has become more independent under the outgoing president, the tendency...

Kyrgyzstan: Fed up with protests?

  19 March 2008

Kyrgyz bloggers have been actively elaborating on the Kyrgyz government's initiative to make March 24 – the day of popular uprising in 2005 – a national holiday. The amendment was made to the Kyrgyz Labor Code, according to which from now on March 24 will be officially celebrated as a...

Environment: Beijing's Green Olympics

  19 March 2008

From the blog Its Getting Hot in here, we get an answer by a Chinese Professor to the following question on Bejing’s Green Olympics: “What will it take to keep Beijing on the right track once they have finished preparing for the Olympics and the international community is no longer...

Environment: 14 elephants speared in Amboseli, Kenya

  19 March 2008

Richard Leakey of Wildlife Direct alerts readers to a disturbing occurrence at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya. 14 elephants speared in Amboseli: “…The range of causes of elephant spearing are complex enough — revenge, political protest, self- or crop-protection, delinquency, and, to a lesser extent in Amboseli at least,...

Kyrgyzstan: Youth Is Flashmobbing in Protest

  19 March 2008

Azamat offers a photo-report on the flash-mob organized by youth activists against the Kyrgyz government. They put on masks of sheep and one of them put a mask of a bull and wore boxing gloves, representing the ruling party and the president of Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan: Turkish Saga Continued

  19 March 2008

Zhanna Zhukova reports on unexpected continuation of the story around the attack on Turkish construction company’s workers in Almaty, as Turkish side accuses the Kazakh president’s relatives of raider attack and illegal pressure.

Environment: China's Challenges from pollution to severe storms

  19 March 2008

Dale Wen, writing on China Dialogue looks at the myth that high income lifestyles in the west come with a clean environment; noting that China needs to rethink its development model The (impossible) American dream: “Exporting pollution” In the past few decades the environmental movement has achieved a number of...