Stories from 26 October 2010
Ukraine, Serbia: Food, Libraries, Dwellings
A Crimean Tatar wedding feast and fall's bounty at a Kyiv farmers’ market – at The Pickle Project; an initiative to help a library in the Ukrainian town of Konotop – at Jud Dolphin Adventure; the Modern Village exhibit at the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Life just outside...
India: Goodbye Bluline Bus
Raja Basu at Potpourri welcomes the announcement of the Delhi city government to withdraw Blueline Buses from December 14, 2010 because of its poor service records.
Bhtan: Biggest Fire Disaster
Passu reports with broken hearts about the biggest fire disaster of Bhutan, which took place today.
India: Ayodhya Verdict And Secular Conscience
The six-decade-old Ayodhya dispute has been “acknowledged as one of India’s most divisive and contentious issues which have flared up repeatedly to polarize the country along religious lines by instilling a stream of dangerous ideas deep inside a devout Indian society, ” comments Words From Solitude.
Myanmar's new flag and new name
Myanmar's new flag was unveiled for the first time last week. It also has a new name: it is now known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar netizens are criticizing the design of the new flag. Some bloggers insist the flag represents only the army and not the people of Myanmar
Guatemala: Photo Essay: ‘K'iche’ People Reject The Exploitation of their Natural Resources’
James Rodríguez begins his photo essay reporting that, “On a historic day, residents from the municipality of Santa Cruz del Quiché – one of Guatemala’s most important hubs and the birthplace of the Maya K’iche’ people – unanimously rejected the exploitation of natural goods and resources, in particular through mining...
Costa Rica: Young Professionals Work to Make San José Bike Friendly
The Tico Times Blog writes: “A group of young professionals calling themselves ChepeCletas [es] is poised to transform San José into a haven for bikers, and they are doing it one ride at a time. The group’s eventual goal is to make the city bike friendly.”
Peru: Thousands of Indigenous People Block Rivers in Protest
Globalizado reports [es] that thousands of indigenous people in the Amazon are blocking the mouth of rivers Marañon and Tigre. The communities are protesting the constant contamination of the rivers by oil company Pluspetrol, which they accuse of neglecting those affected by a recent oil spill [es] and of not...
Trinidad & Tobago: On Homophobia
Outlish suggests that homophobia “prevents us from maturing as a society, and taking responsibility for our actions, or the lack thereof”, while gspott urges readers to resist “the war on love”, here, here and here.
Zimbabwe: Minister of Commerce and Industry Uses Twitter to Air Frustrations
On October 22, 2010 Zimbabwean blogger Hope noticed a series of fast twitter updates coming from Professor Welshman Ncube, the Zimbabwe Minister of Commerce and Industry and the MDC Secretary General.
Zambia: Zambian Singing Sensation
Bling introduces Zambian singing sensation Salma Dodia: “Salma Dodia's big break came when she featured on JK's Kapiripiri which has been a major hit in Zambia this year.”
Jamaica: More Tributes to Isaacs
Regional bloggers continue to pay tribute to the late reggae legend, Gregory Isaacs, with Annie Paul noting: “Times like this you realize not just the breadth but the depth of Jamaican music…”
Africa: African Science Cafes
On expanding African science cafes: “Science cafes are slowly and steadily spreading across the African continent. Regular cafes are being held in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, and Morocco. It began in 2007 at a workshop on African Science Cafes in South Africa supported by the British Council.”
Haiti: MINUSTAH
An experience during a recent protest against the UN peacekeeping mission prompts Mediahacker to say: “Makes you wonder how ordinary Haitians are treated, day in and day out, in places where there are no cameras.”
Bahamas: The Time Is Now
Weblog Bahamas‘ Sidney Sweeting says: “The time has come to take the gloves off and let Government get real serious about crime in the country or everything else will be for naught.”
Trinidad & Tobago : Fix the Floods
The Undisputed Truth thinks it “laughable” that taxpayers’ money has been spent on things like summits “when we have such stupid problems, i.e. 20-30 mins of rain and the entire capital city is crippled.”
Trinidad & Tobago: CLICO Policyholders
Bloggers continue to comment on the CLICO bailout…aka_lol thinks that the policyholders are “trying to flex its hot-air inflated muscle[s] to bully the rest of the citizens of the country to get back all the toys it freely loaned to Clico to play with”, while Plain Talk has a “simple...
Barbados: Make Your Mark
Jdid takes issue with comments suggesting that the late David Thompson's “focus on being prime minister led to his demise”; on the contrary, the diaspora blogger says: “I hope the youth take note of his work and strive to make their mark like he did.”
Taiwan: Foreign wives and citizenship
Sinocentric looks at the place of foreign wives in Taiwanese society. The number of foreign wives in Taiwan, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, has increased significantly in recent years.
Lebanon: TV Shows on Homosexuality Create Buzz
"A gay killer has the passion of a woman and the aggression of a man," states Zaven Kouyoumjian, Lebanese host of Siree Wenfatahet, a program broadcast by Future TV and one of the highest rated TV shows in the Middle East. Following are reactions from the LGBT community in Lebanon on this show and others dealing with the gay community on television.
France: Youth against Pension Reform
October 19 was the seventh consecutive day of nationwide demonstrations in France against the pension reform bill. As the foreign press is reporting the protests mainyl as a social conflict, broadcasting images of urban guerilla warfare and giving very little press to the reasons, bloggers go in depth about the motivation of the youth and its implications
