21 August 2008

Stories from 21 August 2008

Japan: Ikeda on Everything is Miscellaneous

  21 August 2008

Well-known Japanese blogger Nobuo Ikeda (池田信夫) reviews [ja] the recently released translation of David Weinberger's book “Everything is Miscellaneous” (インターネットはいかに知の秩序を変えるか?), translated to Japanese by Rei Kasiwano (柏野零).

Mexico: Videos raise awareness of kidnapping crisis

  21 August 2008

Mexico has seen a steep rise in kidnapping for ransom cases this year, and a group of videobloggers have decided to take a stand and make videos proposing solutions for this problem. According to the Analisis a Fondo blog, according to the Dutch NGO Pax Christi and local authorities, Mexico has surpassed Colombia in the number of kidnappings, which take place mostly in the capital and neighboring areas.

Georgia, Russia: The Names of the Dead

  21 August 2008

An ongoing initiative (RUS) to compile a list of “those who died in the war of 2008, whose names are found on the web” – by LJ user hunu: “The list is incomplete, of course. […] I've placed the names of the dead on the same page – of civilians...

Colombia: Narcotours in Medellín

  21 August 2008

In Medellín, Colombia, “narco”-tours are being offered for foreigners to visit sites associated with the drug trafficker Pablo Escobar, writes Jorge Gobbi of Blog de Viajes [es].

Chile: Campaign Propaganda Out of Season

  21 August 2008

Elections are fast approaching in Chile, and Marcelo Aliaga of Bloggeando La Vida [es] is noticing the ways that candidates are getting around the regulations for the dates in which campaign propaganda is allowed.

Bangladesh: Shab-E-Barat festivities

  21 August 2008

Dhaka Dweller Shahnaz describes how the Muslim ritual Shab-E-Barat (night of forgiveness) is celebrated in Bangladesh and posts pictures and narratives of the traditional food culture it entails.

Russia: Three Anniversaries

  21 August 2008

Window on Eurasia writes about “the lessons of three anniversaries”: “Today is the 10th anniversary of Russia’s default on its international financial obligations and the 17th anniversary of the launch of the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev that precipitated the end of the Soviet Union, and tomorrow is the 40th...

Jordan: Uranium Anybody?

“I just stumbled upon this on Amazon! Believe it or not, you can actually buy some good old radioactive Uranium Ore from Amazon.com. yes, its true,” writes an excited Bakkooz from Jordan.