Stories from 30 July 2008
Guyana: Blogger covers journalist ban
On 12 July, news broke in Guyana that a senior journalist had been banned from entering the office of the country's president, allegedly in response to a critical news report. As media representatives and others denounced the move as an instance of press censorship, the Living Guyana blog continued its trend of media rights scrutiny with hard-hitting online coverage of the story.
Azerbaijan: Shop Baku
Visiting Azerbaijan? A new blog, Shop Baku, offers helpful tips for foreigners in the country including a helpful list of food names in Azerbaijani and English as well as a cheat sheet for buying produce from markets and shops.
China: Sneak peak at Beijing Games opening ceremony
Danwei.org has been on a very long roll with its Olympics coverage, and now founder Jeremy Goldkorn has found clips of an opening ceremony rehearsal taken covertly by a Korean television crew. (Update: yes, it took a few minutes for the clip to be harmonized. This might work, however.)
Caucasus: Cuil Search Engine
Social Science in the Caucasus puts new search engine Cuil through a series of tests to evaluate its worth as a research tool in the region. The blog concludes that Google has nothing to worry about.
Armenia: Driving in the Caucasus
Having arrived in Armenia for an internship, It's Very European to Stand… comments on driving in the capital, Yerevan, and concludes that crossing the road can be hazardous and sometimes life-threatening.
Cambodia: Unofficial election results
Monivong Boulevard posts the unofficial election results in Cambodia.
Thailand: Transvestite toilets
A school in Northeastern Thailand has introduced “transvestite toilets” for male students who choose to dress as females. Connecting the dots criticizes the new toilets.
Brunei: Extreme skateboard competition
In celebration of His Majesty the Sultan’s 62nd Birthday, a skateboard competition was held in Brunei. Shimworld posts some pictures of the event.
China: Beijing Olympics
DANWEI translates two blog posts about how the Olympics affects Beijing people's everyday life.
Peru: Movie Places Machu Picchu Incorrectly
Luis Ramos of Cinencuentro [es] complains about another movie that mistakenly places Machu Picchu in another country. This time it is placed in Mexico.
China: Demonstration Area
Hu yong hopes that the three demonstration areas set up during the Olympics would continue to exist after the international event.
China: Earthquake Survivors
One man bandwidth posts some Sichuan earthquake survivors’ stories collected by volunteer teachers.
China: Naked Beach Proposal
Li Yinhe comments on the naked beach proposal in Zhuhai. Oppositional views said that naked beach is immoral and at odd with Chinese culture. The blogger also feels that the cultural leap is too big to be accepted by the public.
Iran: Cleric's Protest Walk Ends in Jail
An Iranian cleric named Ali Reza Jahanshahi was arrested about two weeks ago, shortly after beginning a 960 kilometer (590 miles) protest walk from the southern Iranian city, Sirjan to Tehran. The cleric was protesting corrupt land appropriation in Sirjan, and complained the government was not doing enough to stop...
