28 July 2009

Stories from 28 July 2009

Ecuador: Woman Attempts to Auction Virginity Online in Spain

  28 July 2009

An Ecuadorian immigrant living in Valencia, Spain decided to put her virginity up for an online auction to help pay for medical care for her ailing mother. The ads were eventually taken down, not without attracting strong reactions in blogs and in mainstream media from those criticizing her actions and also brought focus on the plight of immigrants in Spain.

Bangladesh: A Concrete Island

  28 July 2009

When it rains it pours in Bangladesh. Sabih Uddin Omar woke up today and found himself in a concrete island: “It's water! Water everywhere! Water clogging the streets, water in the gardens, water in the backyard.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Mother Earth

  28 July 2009

“It’s not how many tractors you have or how much oil you drill or how many smelters you build. But the humanity and the humility of what you do with your knowledge and your resources”: Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer fears that we will pay for the “gross and sloppy mishandling...

Trinidad & Tobago: Assassination Attempt?

  28 July 2009

The Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister has revealed an alleged plot to assassinate him a few years ago, prompting diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch to call the claim “a serious piece of dotishness.”

Bhutan: Expensive Chilies

  28 July 2009

Penstar is irked by the skyrocketed price of chilies in Bhutan. The blogger puns: “What is so special about that? The answer is so simple because they are coated with gold!”

Jamaica: Dancehall & Child Abuse

  28 July 2009

As the Jamaican government introduces a child pornography bill, Jamaica Salt makes it clear that the blame for the rise in child abuse on the island cannot be laid squarely at the door of dancehall music.

Nepal's Dolphins in Danger

  28 July 2009

“Just 30 years ago, the Karnali River was home to approximately 100 Ganges River Dolphins. But according to conservationists, there are only six of them left.'” Rhishja Larson at Ecoworldly writes about Nepal's disappearing fresh water Dolphins.

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Musical collaboration

Despite the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh which has left many citizens of both countries intolerant and bitterly opposed to the other, a Baku-based newspaper has discovered a video on YouTube of an Azeri girl singing traditional mugham backed by Armenian musicians. Remy_G tweets that the...

China: “Internet addiction disorder” is a joke

  28 July 2009

Alice Liu from DANWEI translated an article written by Chang Ping, who pointed out that the government's stopping of electro-shock treatment does not mean that they won't reissue Internet addiction as a disease - they are just changing the standards for treatment.

Philippines: Eating Taho

  28 July 2009

My Cebu PhotoBlog posts pictures of Taho, a popular snack item in the Philippines made of bean curd, tapioca balls, and sweet ’sauce’ from liquefied sugar.

China: One-Child Policy Heading for a Revision

  28 July 2009

According to Time magazine, the one-child policy, a cornerstone of contemporary China, will be changed when word got out late last week that Shanghai was encouraging couples to have additional offspring. For three decades, millions of Chinese parents have raised their only children under the strict prescriptions of China’s family...

Paraguay: The Government's Negotiations in the Itaipú Dam

  28 July 2009

Carlos Rodríguez of Rescatar [es] is pleased with the negotiations between Paraguay and Brazil regarding the binational project of the Itaipú dam. He applauds the actions of President Fernando Lugo for showing “commitment, patriotism, honesty and negotiating ability.”

Get Your New Global Voices T-Shirt

  28 July 2009

If you love Global Voices, there's no easier way to show it than to wear a beautiful new shirt. Are you having a meeting with Barack Obama or the Queen of Jordan? Wear the t-shirt!