Stories from 21 October 2008
Poland: Notes on the Countryside, Politics, Etc.
Sylwia Presley writes about her parents’ village in Poland and ‘golden Polish fall’, among other things: “There is a sense of magic in the fact that Poles do not clear the paths from leaves – it makes the parks look like a golden carpet at this time of the year.”
Poland, U.K.: “Poles Apart” by Polly Courtney
Sylwia Presley discusses some issues raised in Polly Courtney's novel about Polish immigrants in the U.K., “Poles Apart.”
The Balkans: Roma Mass Graves Discovered
Romano Them re-posts a Reuters piece on the discovery of two mass graves containing the bodies of murdered Roma in Bosanski Dubočac, Bosnia & Herzegovina: “The order for the killings was issued by a number of Croatian Army generals, including Ante Prkačin, claims Nijaz Čaušević Medo, a former high ranking...
Russia, Ukraine: Financial Crisis
IZO cites a post by LJ.Rossia.org user mrparker (RUS) about a somewhat panicky mistranslation of a Reuters news item on the financial situation by a Russian news agency. Also, a few notes on the banks, real estate and contemporary art in Ukraine.
Environment: Meetup of Green Bloggers in Capetown South Africa
On October 11th 2008, Global Voices Environment, Carbon Smart and Urban Sprout organized a meetup for environment bloggers in Capetown South Africa. What follows is a rundown of what was discussed. Blogging about the environment is a multi-faceted endeavor, because it is such a broad topic. This was reflected in...
Croatia: Cyber Squatting and Rijeka.com
Hudin writes about “cyber squatting” on city and country names – and about what seems like a rare exception to the rule: rijeka.com, a photo gallery page for Rijeka, “Croatia's most northern coastal city east of the Istrian Peninsula.”
Russia, Georgia: Report Says Stan Storimans Was Killed by Cluster Bomb
From the Frontline links to a report on the findings of the Dutch government investigation into the death of a Dutch TV cameraman in Georgia in August; according to the report, Stan Storimans was killed by a Russian cluster bomb. “In May 2008, more than 100 countries agreed to ban...
China: Microsoft vs. netizens
A hard battle is looming. Microsoft vs. millions of piracy users, international corporation vs. developing state, who will win the final victory?
U.S., Ukraine: Obama and Ukrainian American Voters
Ukrainiana writes about Barack Obama “courting Ukrainian American voters.”
Indonesia: Medical tourism
Indonesia is building world-class health facilities. It seems to be targeting the dollar-earning medical tourism industry.
Myanmar: Crop failure in cyclone-hit areas
Rule of Lords warns of food shortage in Myanmar, especially in the cyclone-hit areas. Crop failures were reported in fields inundated with salt water.
Thai and Taiwanese protesters
Christian Schafferer compares the tactics, practices and ideologies of Thai and Taiwanese protesters. Check also the interesting pictures inside the protest camps in Bangkok.
Myanmar: Socio-economic history documents
Myat Thura links to a website which features ancient documents about Myanmar’s socio-economic history.
Bolivia: Pro-Government March Arrives to La Paz
Tens of thousands of peasants, miners, coca-growers, and other supporters of the government of Evo Morales arrived in La Paz on Monday. What had originally started as a march to apply pressure to the Bolivian Congress to pass a law calling for a Referendum to approve the draft Constitution ended as a celebration when the lawmakers reached a compromise, and seemingly pacified the country after several volatile months.
Myanmar: Bomb blasts in North Yangon
Two bomb blasts rocked North Yangon, Myanmar over the weekend. The Sunday blast claimed the life of a man who made a home-made bomb.
Parts of Vietnam still flooded
Heavy rains during the past few days brought flooding in central Vietnam. Check out these pictures.
Bhutan: Unemployment
Whatever Matters!! has some solutions to reduce unemployment, which is a growing concern in Bhutan.
Pakistan, India: Old trade route opened
CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan reports with backgrounds: “Today, India and Pakistan between their respective parts of Kashmir, reopening an old trade route across the Line of Control [LoC] for the first time in sixty years.”
India: Fail Camp
After successful Bar Camps an innovative “Fail Camp” is being organized in India, reports Kiruba Shankar. FailCamp is a friendly unconference where people get-together to share and learn from failures.
Kuwait: Guys and Rejection
From Kuwait, Ginaview writes about how different guys react when they are rejected by women.
Kuwait: The Plight of a Foreign Teacher
Teach the Masses School Days draws our attention to the plight of a foreign teacher in Kuwait.
