Stories from 28 May 2009
Russia: A Blogger's Review of “The Associate”
About a month ago, Jost A Mon blog posted a “roundup of translated crime fiction consumed in April” - which included several books by writers from Central and Eastern Europe. What follows below is a displeased Russian blogger's blitz review of John Grisham's 21st novel, The Associate.
Azerbaijan: Republic Day
Sheki, Azerbaijan marks the anniversary of the first republic declared in Azerbaijan by looking back at the significance of the event, and also looking forwards.
Colombia: HiperBarrio Workshops in Ituango
The HiperBarrio project has been conducting blogging workshops in the Colombian community of Ituango and Blueandtanit of $ujetate [es] provides details on the weekend's activities.
Colombia: Bogotá Campus Party 2009 Blog
The official blog of Campus Party Colombia 2009 [es] is now providing updates on the activities scheduled for the event to held in Bogotá on July 6-12.
Russia: Farewell to Actor Oleg Yankovsky
Renowned Russian actor Oleg Yankovsky, 65, died in Moscow on May 20 and was buried at Novodevichiy Cemetery two days later. Thousands of fans came to the Lenkom Theater to bid farewell to him. LJ user drugoi re-posted AP photos from the memorial event, and LJ user leosat wrote about it.
Mexico: Television Comedy Show Makes Light of Actor's Mental Disability
The Human Rights Commission of Mexico DF has asked the television network Televisa to apologize the actor known as Sammy, after the contestants of a comedy game show played a prank on him, even though it is widely known that he suffers from moderate mental disability. The incident brought to light the frequency that Mexican comedians mock others or their situations in order to get laughs.
Bangladesh: Waiting For The Community Radio Boom
Panos Radio South Asia airs a special report on the status of the community radios in Bangladesh. Following a progressive and pro-radio broadcasting law enacted by the government last year, 116 community radio stations are waiting for the final nod to be on air.
UN Human Rights Council Backs Sri Lankan Government
Sepia Mutiny reports that the UN human rights council passed a resolution praising Sri Lanka's victory over the LTTE and refused calls to investigate allegations of war crimes by both sides in the fag end of the civil war. Human Rights Watch condemned the resolution.
Sri Lanka: Prabhakaran's DNA Matches With Son
Bailaman reports that DNA taken from the body of the LTTE leader Prabhakaran matches with his son Charles Anthony. This discovery by Sri Lankan Army medical experts is supposed to end all speculations over his death.
Lebanon: Women in Parliament
“There are actually more men with the first name of Mohammad than there are women in parliament,” writes BabaGannouj et La Zaytouni about the current number of women parliamentarians and about the very small number of women candidates (12) compared to the hundreds of men running for the upcoming elections...
Honduras: 7.1 Scale Earthquake Hits
A 7.1 scale earthquake has hit Honduras. Janpedrano [es] writes about communicating with friends and family around the country through internet, SMS, and telephone making sure that they were alright.
Morocco: The Blogoma's Journey Continues
Blogging has come a long way in Morocco. From a handful a blogs a few years ago, the blogosphere is now growing rapidly, in three languages. In this post, Anas Alaoui reviews the Blogma - the bloggers' very own name for Morocco's thriving blogging scene.
Guadeloupe: In May 2009, keep May 1802 and May 1967 in mind
2009 will definitely be a "new" year in Guadeloupe - at least judging from a pun that people used as their New Year's wish, since in Creole "new" is pronounced "nef" and "nine" is also pronounced "nef". The first social movements in December 2008 foreshadowed the massive mobilization which took place from January until March 2009, which resulted in 45 days of an all-out strike on the island. Although an agreement was signed, the situation still has not been properly settled - and May, traditionally a month of protest in the French and Guadeloupean social history, is particularly hot this year.
Bahamas: Flooding
Weblog Bahamas republishes an article which addresses the serious impact of flooding on the island.
Peru: Freezing Temperatures in Puno Result in Children Deaths
While much of Peru and the media has been discussing the 16 confirmed individuals with AH1N1 virus, very little has been mentioned about the 133 children that have recently died as a result of the freezing temperatures affecting the southern part of the country. Bloggers have been noting this difference in coverage, and have been criticizing the lack of planning by local and national governments for what has been become an annual tragedy.
Haiti: Father Jean-Juste Passes On
HaitiAnalysis.com acknowledges the passing of “Father Jean-Juste, a friend and inspiration for us all.”
Trinidad & Tobago: AG Resigns
Bloggers have their say about the resignation of Trinidad and Tobago's Attorney General. This Beach Called Life: “The AG resigned, bringing with it accusations she wouldn’t tow The Party Line. Or support The Dictatorship, depending how you say it”; Jumbie's Watch: “This is a red herring to detract us from…the...
Barbados, U.S.A.: Getting the Message
Barbados Free Press is concerned about the conflicting messages being sent regarding the United States’ Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.
Guyana, St. Lucia: Child Dies in Car
Guyanese blogger Imran Khan draws attention to the curious circumstances surrounding the death of a toddler in St. Lucia.
Iran:'Photoland’ and election
Mohammad Ali Abtahi,former vice president, informs[fa] us that Mehdi Karroubi‘s supportes have launched a site named ‘Photoland’ where people can publish the photos. The site has proposed Iranians to send their photos on potatoes. It seems government's free potatoes distribution is still a hot topic in country.
Iran:Presidential campaign in photos
Jomhour,an Iran based blogger, has published several photos of Mir Hussein Mousavi‘s supporters’ activities in presidential campaign in Ahwaz in the southern part of Iran. Mousavi's campaign's colour is green.
