Stories from 3 March 2009
Lao folktales
Nye Noona recommends a website and a book which both offer a good collection of Lao folktales.
Colombia: Medellin tastes fear again
Fear has returned to the citizens of Medellin, Colombia. A few days ago we wrote about the return of curfews and restrictions on male passengers on motorcycles, both created by the government to ensure security in the city, but now, the ones spreading fear are unknown authors of leaflets and fliers slipped under doors and passed hand to hand which state that no one is allowed after 9 or 10 pm at night in the streets of certain areas of the city, in an effort to cleanse it of unwanted denizens.
China: Societal Breakdown
Xujun Eberlein translated a well-known sociologist, Sun Liping's article on crisis in China. Sun argued that the greatest crisis is not social unrest but societal breakdown. Translation part I and...
China: RMB for Children
Chris from ChinaSMACK translated a news story and netizens comments on toy bank and pirated RMB for children in Shanxi, China.
Japan: Virtual Marathon
Masaru IKEDA from Asiajin blogs about a newly launched virtual marathon game.
Japan and Taiwan: Gay politics
Roy Berman from Mutantfrog Travelogue notices the different between gay politics in Japan and Taiwan.
Palestine: Need for Change in the Journalists’ Union
Fadi Abu Sada argues that the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate should not wait for political permission before holding its elections: “Palestinian journalists as a community need to pressure the Syndicate and...
Palestine: Carrying Rocks to Syria
Samuel Nichols, who works with the Christian Peacemaker Teams in the West Bank, tells us about a request he received from a Palestinian refugee in Damascus: “Please go to my...
Palestine: New Theatre Organisation
Abdelfattah Abusrour, director of Al-Rowwad Culture and Theatre Center in the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem introduces the newly-established Palestine Theatre League [Ar].
Bahrain: Traditional Children's Games
Shirley Dockerill, who is married to a Bahraini and blogs at White Girl, Arab World, writes about some of the games her husband remembers playing as a child.
Bahrain: Unimpressed by Speedy the Desert Racer
Bahraini blogger The Dude complains that the mascot chosen for the Bahrain International Circuit, host of Formula One races, is an embarrassment: “If this is the height of creativity in...
Israel: Novelist Writes From Palestinian Perspective
Matt Beynon Rees is a Jerusalem-based crime novelist whose third book, The Samaritan's Secret, has just been published to positive reviews. His protagonist is the Palestinian school teacher and amateur...
Israel: Changing Check Points
Those who frequently pass between check points have been offered special stickers for their vehicles, intended to smooth their passage. The consequences of the stickers may not be so clear,...
Israel: What is the Language of Peace?
MePeace participants discuss whether “language is a barrier to peacemaking on the web.” MePeace is an online community dedicated to promoting conversation among Israelis, Palestinians, and others interested in peace...
Israel: Is Lindsay Lohan Converting to Judaism?
Word in the Israeli blogosphere is that Lindsay Lohan is converting to Judaism. On her personal Facebook page, Lohan last week said she hoped that the conversion will bring her closer to her Jewish girlfriend, Samantha Ronson. Lohan and Ronson are currently in London attending a family bar mitzvah. The announcement has been met with mixed reviews.
Thailand: “Red Siam” Manifesto
Thai academic Giles Ji Ungpakor is the author of the ‘Red Siam’ Manifesto which has energized debates about Thai monarchy and politics in recent weeks. Giles recently fled Thailand to avoid persecution for "committing" lese majeste.
