18 April 2008

Stories from 18 April 2008

China: One world, one dream, and one multi-front protest

  18 April 2008

The Chinese global anti-Carrefour boycott was supposed to begin on May 1, but with tempers flaring over CNN commentator Jack Cafferty's on-air remarks this past week, and a number of other recent incidents, people in a few cities across China decided to get a head start. So too did the Chinese hackers who had been planning a coordinated denial-of-service attack on CNN.com set for April 19.

Haiti, Congo, and the politics of hunger

  18 April 2008

Two francophone bloggers respond to the crisis over rising food prices, but rather than blame their proximate cause–subsidies for biofuels in rich countries–they criticize the politics and the politicians who left their countries this vulnerable to begin with. They write that the riots of these last few weeks and the riots to come, like the crisis itself, are symptomatic of deeper problems that cannot be solved by the simple magic of foreign aid.

Angola: A glossary of Angolan terms

  18 April 2008

Casa de Luanda [Luanda House, pt] has been compiling a glossary of Angolan expressions. “Check out the A to D, E to L and M to Z. sections. As soon as new suggestions from our readers come up, the list will be updated”.

South Africa: Mbeki, No Crisis in Zimbabwe?

  18 April 2008

South African Bloggers are up in arms regarding the recent events in Zimbabwe as well as President Thabo Mbeki's statement recently that “There is no crisis in Zimbabwe”. This is a round-up of a few rants on the Zimbabwe situation and its affect on South Africans.

Philippines: Medical scandal

  18 April 2008

This Woman's Views is horrified that doctors in a Philippine hospital were caught laughing hysterically in an operating room while removing a can of cologne spray inside a patient’s bottom

Thailand: Olympic torch in Bangkok

  18 April 2008

As the Olympic Torch is coming to Bangkok, Camille's Samui Weather warns that any foreigner “caught protesting or rather disrupting the relay will be punished in a complete over the top way.”

Vietnam: Early rainy season

  18 April 2008

antidote to burnout explains why there will be an early start on the rainy season this year in Vietnam, and possibly in the Southeast Asian region as well

Vietnam: Morning activities

  18 April 2008

Virtual Doug observes that the Vietnamese get up early in the morning and that they like to spend their morning hours in different ways.

Ukraine, Russia: The Presidents’ Dads

  18 April 2008

Some sources claim that Victor Yushchenko's father – “a POW in Auschwitz during WW2″ – was actually “a ‘polizei’ of Nazi concentration camps and an informer to the Nazis.” Other sources claim that Vladimir Putin's father “served in the Nazi-collaborating army led by Russian general Vlasov.” Kyiv Scoop writes about...

Puerto Rico: Shutting Down?

  18 April 2008

“Shutdown Day is a Global Internet Experiment whose purpose is to get people to think about how their lives have changed with the increasing use of the home computer, and whether or not any good things are being lost because of this.” Dondequiera from Puerto Rico asks: “What about if...

Cuba: Exit Permits On The Way Out

  18 April 2008

The Cuban Triangle links to a report that says “the requirement that Cubans obtain an exit permit (tarjeta blanca) from their own government before traveling abroad, will soon disappear for nearly all Cubans.”