Stories from 11 February 2009
Philippines: Dumaguete Flood
The roads of Dumaguete suddenly became rivers when heavy rains battered the central Philippine city over the weekend. I Hate My Job shares his account of the flooding along with photos and videos. He also posted more pictures of the destruction left in the flood's aftermath. Meanwhile, Anthology of Snippets...
Hungary: The Roma and the Killing of Marian Cozma
Marian Cozma, a Romanian handball player, was killed in a nightclub fight in Veszprém, Hungary, on Feb. 8. Here's some of what's been written by bloggers about the circumstances of Cozma's death.
Philippines: If I Were Mayor of Bacolod
The Loveless Guru suggests 12 changes in the way Bacolod is governed if she was the mayor of the central Philippine city.
Philippines: Baro At Saya
One Sixth Sense posts photos of a doll donning different variations of the baro at saya, the Philippine national dress.
Indonesia: Many are still using Firefox 2
Through Twitter, Enda reports that Indonesia has the highest percentage of Firefox 2 users.
Myanmar: Three-year cyclone relief plan
According to The Irrawaddy, the Tripartite Core Group of Burma has a 3-year recovery and preparedness plan and will seek US $691 million to continue the Cyclone Nargis relief effort. Nargis hit Myanmar last May 2008 which killed and displaced hundreds of thousands in the country.
Malaysia: Opposition papers confiscated
Opposition newspapers Harakah and Suara KeADILan have been confiscated by the tens of thousands in Malaysia. Critics say this “is a politically motivated move by the government to block information.”
Indonesia: Earthquake report through Twitter
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolts Indonesia and some parts of the Philippines. Twitter broke the news ahead of mainstream media. Jyamasaki tweets: “I continue to be impressed how twitter is able to report on the Earthquake in Indonesia a few hours before it's reported on major news sites.”
Qatar and Bahrain: Disappearing the Internet
It would seem that another crackdown on Internet freedoms is occurring in the Middle East. Once thought to be the last bastion of free speech, the Internet has recently been subjected to a spate of blockings; and while censorship is no new thing to the region, the willingness of countries such as Bahrain and Qatar to adopt strict Internet policies akin to those in neighboring Saudi Arabia has created a sense of alarm amongst the online community.
Ukraine: National Security Meeting
Ukrainiana writes about the National Security and Defense Council meeting and translates some of the transcripts – here and here.
The Balkans: War Movies
Gray Falcon critiques some of the Balkan war movies.
Thai gov't upset over Angelina Jolie comment on refugees
UN Goodwill Ambassador and American actress Angelina Jolie visited a refugee camp in Thailand. Her visit and comments about the state of refugees from Myanmar were criticized by Thailand’s government. What are the views of bloggers in Thailand?
Ukraine: ‘Faina’ Sailors Charged $200 for Phone Calls
Petro's Jotter writes that “the sailors released from the Ukrainian owned vessel ‘Faina’, that was captured by Somali pirates last September, have been charged 200 USD for phonecalls made while in captivity”: “I suppose it will help offset the 3.2M USD ransom.”
Ukraine: Profile of a Chernobyl Employee
Michael Forster Rothbart writes about one of control room shift supervisor at Chernobyl Power Plant, whom he photographed for “a series of panoramic portraits of Chernobyl employees en milieu“: “The photos are equally about the people and the places they inhabit. Daily lives in this unique environment.”
Paraguay: The Typical Dish of Vori Vori
Vori Vori is a typical Paraguayan dish which is a soup with corn balls and meat and chicken, as described by Camino al Paraguay [es].
Serbia: Belgrade Prices
Belgraded and Balkan File discuss whether Belgrade is a cheap city or not.
Mexico: The Passing of the Tomato King
Andrés Bermúdez, also known as the “Tomato King” because of his invention of a tomato-planting machine, recently passed away writes Mexico Monitor. Bermúdez also was the first migrant in the U.S. to become mayor of a Mexican town.
Bolivia: Native Languages in the Public Bureaucracy
Ermapelo of Ciudad de Patas [es] wonders about the push in the new Constitution that seeks that all public employees in the Bolivian government speak at least one native language, and how many of the terms used in bureaucracy do not have equivalents in those languages. In the end, much...
Russia: “A ‘Fifth Wave’ of Emigration”
Window on Eurasia writes about “a ‘fifth wave’ of emigration” currently affecting Russia, as “tens of thousands” of Russia's managers and entrepreneurs are now seeking employment abroad.”
Poland, Pakistan: Piotr Stanczak's Death
The beatroot writes about the death of Piotr Stanczak, the Polish engineer who was kidnapped four months ago in Pakistan and beheaded last week.
On Valentine's: Teach Someone You Love to Blog (or Micro-Blog!)
Valentine's Day (February 14) is a day of love, friendship and communication. What better way to mark the occasion than to teach someone you love to blog or micro-blog?
