Stories from 11 June 2008
China: Underlying Statements Behind the Tears
Liu Xiaoyuan interpreted the underlying statements of Yu Qiuyu's “Tearful Plea To Disaster Victims” [zh]. The blogger believes that Yu is spinning for the government and shedding crocodile's tears.
Saudi Arabia: The Hijab and France
France banned students in its schools from wearing any religious symbols and dress denoting religious affiliations - including the Islamic headscarf or the Hijab for women - in 2004. Saudi woman are now protesting against the ruling, say bloggers.
China: Earthquake Animal Victim
In order to prevent plague, most of the animals and pets from the earthquake zone were killed. Zhengying remembered many stories about dogs saving or standing by earthquake victims until the last minute and felt very sad about the killing of animals [zh].
Iran: A man who accused top cleircs of corruption arrested
Several Iranian bloggers including Akhbare-Jahan reported [fa] Abbas Palizdar who accused top Iranian clerics of corruption was arrested. Palidzar claimed that he was a member of Iran's Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission.
China: Self-Victimization Ideology
The former Singapore president Lee Kuan Yew recently suggested that when China's middle class grows in size, the educated people would stop perceiving themselves as victims of the West. Xueyong pointed out that in the recent Olympic torch relay protest, the overseas Chinese students continued the East vs. West dichotomy...
Trinidad & Tobago: Chicken Run
Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Grounding encounters a challenge with a few feathered friends, causing her to exclaim: “Thank God that I am vegetarian and that the global food crisis has not yet arrived.”
Bahamas: Scales of Justice
Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit reports on a former police prosecutor's statements that the Bahamian criminal justice system is “on the brink of collapse”.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Assassination Plot?
Blogging from St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Abeni thinks that her Prime Minister “needs a bush bath.”
Cuba: Hemingway History
The Cuban Triangle and Child of the Revolution weigh on on an article in the London Times which exposes the goings-on at Finca Vigia, the Hemingway house in Cuba: “I have…seen a docent offer to cut a page out of a book in Hemingway’s library – a page with his...
Jamaica: Steering into the Future
“Where is the leadership, where is the firm hand on the rudder, where are the good government promises?”: Jamaica and the World is not happy with the course the country seems to be taking.
China: Olympic outhouses catch on fire, explode
The 24 Hours Online blogger Laohu ‘Tiger Temple’ Miao, who spent months earlier this year blogging the stories of destitute Beijing residents whose makeshift homes were harmonized to make way for the Olympics brings us a post today about a fire yesterday not far from the Olympic Bird Nest which...
Colombia: The struggles of Barrancabermeja documentary
This nine part documentary created by Taline Haytayan of her experience as part of the Peace Brigades International organization in the strife ridden Barrancabermeja region of Colombia captured my attention throughout. It follows the Feminine Popular Organization (OFP) group which works together to prevent violence against women and violent conflict...
China: Olympic torch in Shangri-La
A thread on popular bbs site Tianya.cn is providing photos and live updates of today's Olympic torch relay, as it passes through the part of Yunnan province often referred to as Shangri-La, along with photos of local scenic and cultural sights.
Kyrgyzstan: First Summer Events
There was a recent Miss Tourism Kyrgyzstan pageant, held on the eve of summer. Some bloggers have visited this contest and published photos of the event. The chosen Miss Tourism and other participants of the contest didn’t impress Kyrgyz bloggers. Blogger baisalov wrote [ru]: Miss Tourism looks like Filipino and...
Tajikistan: Food Crisis
Vadim thinks that Tajikistan is currently facing food crisis because of corruption.
Kyrgyzstan: Famous Kyrgyz Writer Died
Elena grieves about the death of the famous Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov.
Kazakhstan: Kazak-Russian Relations
Patrick Frost reviews the relations between Kazakhstan and Russia after the change of president in Kremlin and Medvedev's first official visit to Astana.
Afghanistan: The Politics of Democracy
Sanjar opines on the political situation in Afghanistan, saying that institutional building is failing while the society also remains weak.
Afghanistan: Building an Effective State?
SunLeaf provides a critical view on the World Bank's new report on Afghanistan entitled “Building an Effective State: Priorities for Public Administration Reform”.
Cluster bombs in Laos fields
Rambling spoon links to an article which tackles the risks of farming in Laos where many fields are still littered with bombs.
Cambodia: Save fuel on cars
Borin's Blog gives tips to Phnom Penh drivers on how to save fuel on their cars