Stories from 18 March 2009
Azerbaijan: Voting
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines details voting in today's referendum to amend the constitution in Azerbaijan. Although most consider the result a foregone conclusion, the blogger explains why she decided to vote.
Kazakhstan: Filtering of the blogs expands
Blogs on mail.ru – popular Russian information, entertainment and mail portal – have become the second victim of blockage campaign in Kazakhstan after LiveJournal. Access via national telecom operator is denied only to blogs, all other services of the portal work fine. Access to the blogs section is possible via...
China: A Visit to Chen Guangcheng's Family
ESWN translated Wang Keqin's report on his attempt to visit human rights activist Chen Guangcheng's family, and how Wang had been chased out of the village.
Falling standards at Fiji's resorts
Commenting on a local report regarding the falling service standards at some of Fiji's well-known resorts, Oceanic: User Experiences from the South Pacific argues that ‘service complacency’ is more dangerous to the viability of Fiji's large-scale tourism industry than any worries over ‘political instability.’
Bolivia: Documentary About Emigrants
Miguel Esquirol of El Forastero [es] reviews the new documentary “One More Day” about Bolivian emigrants who have left their country in search for greener pastures.
Israel: Plant to Farmer – “I'm Thirsty, Water Me”
“Come on, admit it, sometimes you just have to love Israel,” urges Jewlicious. Israeli researchers have developed sensors for plants that will send text messages to farmers when their water levels get low. Developed for commercial use, the devices are intended to decrease agricultural water costs by 50 percent.
Israel: Renovations Transform Yaffo (Jaffa)
“Every few weeks I take a bike ride through Yaffo (or Jaffa or Yafa) Tel Aviv's much older and much neglected sister, to watch it is changing before my eyes,” writes Tel Aviv Rooftop. Visit the blog to see photos and read descriptions of the city's renovation.
Israel: Use Clean Technology to Create Economic Growth
Venture capitalist Tali Aben hopes that Israel's new government will be inspired by President Obama in using clean technologies to create new job opportunities and spur economic growth.
Israel: Oboe Player Wins Seat in YouTube Orchestra
Israeli musician Nir Gavrieli has won a coveted seat in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra for his oboe rendition of Rossini's “La Scala di Seta.” Israelity reports that 3,000 people video-auditioned for 90 spaces in the orchestra. Finalists were voted on by 13 million YouTube viewers. The orchestra will perform in...
Israel: “No Such Thing as Peace Now”
“There is no such thing as ‘peace now’,” reflects JC of Israel Stories. “Immediate peace would involve hurried diplomacy, painful Israeli concessions, total withdrawal from land, and the transfer of thousands of Israeli citizens. Hang on a second. Now I may have a short memory, but didn't Israel do that?”
Israel: Israeli Innovations Light the Way in Africa
A Jewish Heart for Africa is providing Israeli technology in the form of solar power and drip irrigation to needy communities in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. “We are pumping 20,000 liters of water per day — it’s changed the entire economics of the village and the peoples’ health,” says founder...
Palestine: Author Alice Walker Visits Gaza
Author Alice Walker visited Gaza with a delegation of activists last week to witness the devastation caused by the recent war with Israel. Walker says she hopes to speak with President Barack Obama upon her return to the United States.
