Stories from 17 November 2008
Bermuda: Identifying Expats
FreshieBlog, Bermuda Longtail and Breezeblog all comment on the government's intention to issue ID cards to expats “so that immigration can track down illegal immigrants.”
Jamaica: Schoolboy Murdered
A Jamaican schoolboy is sodomized and murdered, prompting Carlos King at Abeng News Magazine to write an open letter to the Prime Minister and Long Bench to address the issue of “the sexism and deep-seated and destructive hatred of homosexuality that pervades this society” with “people pandering to the notion...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Miami Book Fair
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp blogs about his experience at the Miami Book Fair.
Japan: 2008 Neologisms and Trendy Words
Presenting this year's 60 neologisms and trendy words [jp], among which only one will be elected representative for 2008, Kôgetsu describes briefly[jp] the events that influenced the choice and Japanese public opinion on the topic this year. His “best three” words are: subprime, tainted rise (事故米) and “Ponyo Ponyo, sakana...
Armenia: Violence against Women
The world’s oldest Christian nation may have many things to be proud about, but when it comes to women’s rights the ex-Soviet Armenia is possibly in denial. With widespread human trafficking as its worst manifestation, violence against women in Armenia is alarming the world. Will a recent Amnesty International report detailing domestic abuse and government inaction bring about change? Bloggers react.
Japan: Japanese Language in the Age of English
The Fall of the Japanese Language in the Age of English, the latest book by Japanese novelist and essayist Minae Mizumura, roused debate among many Japanese bloggers recently over the fate of their national language. Some wondered whether their country would one day adopt English as the mother tongue, and what that would mean for their national identity.
Malaysia: Are the police being too brutal?
A peaceful rally in Malaysia was violently dispersed by the police. Civil society groups have condemned the dispersal, especially the use of force, the repression of assembly and expression, and Malaysian bloggers are up in arms on the whole episode.
Nagorno Karabakh: Insular View
Security in the Caucasus comments on the recent declaration signed by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Moscow regarding the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. The blog finds it ironic that opposition and nationalist groups have reacted to it in the way they have and wonders what they propose instead.
Myanmar: Long prison terms for dissidents
Myanmar’s Junta continues to shock the world. This week, dissidents who joined street protests were sentenced to 65 years. A blogger and young entrepreneur was sentenced to 20 years for keeping defaced images of national leaders in his email inbox. A journalist faces a two-year prison term for writing about the deadly cyclone which hit Myanmar last May.
