Stories from 11 October 2005
Argentina: The Argentine Elections and “Clientelismo”
GoodAirs offers some analysis on Argentina's upcoming October 23rd congressional elections.
Russia: Ordinary Detergent
While comparative advertisement is illegal in Russia, using a generic product name featured in a competitor's advertising is not. Konstantin Dlutskiy reports on how this led to the birth of Ordinary Detergent.
Poland: The Also-rans
the beatroot profiles also-rans from Poland's presidential race.
Poland: PolBlogcast on Presidential Election
The latest blogcast at PolBlog hooks up with the beatroot to discuss the first round of the Polish presidential election..
Armenia: Pop and Politics
Oneworld Multimedia reports on the use of pop music as an instrument of politics in Armenia.
Azerbaijan: Weekly Election Report
azerbaijan.neweurasia.net reports on the week in Azeri election news.
Armenia: Asbestos Everywhere
After discovering that his roof is asbestos, Ara of Martuni or Bust!!! reports on the prevalence of asbestos in Armenian homes and the costs of replacing it.
Iranian Bloggers are Writing about Cinema
Iranian films have been prize winners in festivals for several years. Thanks to movie directors such as Kiarostami, Panahi, Majidi,…Iranian can be proud of their cinema. Each year a few Iranian movies find their way to theatres in the West. Some Iranian directors and cinema students are blogging and share...
Puerto Rico: “Death of a Nationalist, Birth of a Martyr”
Aníbal Freytes has two excellent ruminations on FBI's killing of Puerto Rican criminal and independence activist, Filiberto Ojeda Ríos.
South Korea: Wild chicken English teachers
Japundit reports on a move by the South Korean authorities to crack down on foreigners teaching English in the country with no qualifications, or with fake diplomas.
China: Xinhua unveiled
Simon World picks up on a new report from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) about the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, which it says is one of the world's largest official propaganda machines.
Malaysia: Quake debate
Jeff Ooi rounds up, from a Malaysian perspective, the relief effort in the wake of the South Asian earthquake.
Philippines: How many bloggers?
Yuga takes issue with a recent estimate from the Blog Herald that there are around 75,000 bloggers in the Philippines, promising to come up with some more credible numbers.
Myanmar (Burma): Flash presentation
Burma Underground recommends a flash/photo show entitled Burma: Grace Under Pressure.
Puerto Rico: Buying on Credit
Gil C. Schmidt says Puerto Ricans are “enslaving” themselves by buying too many goods on credit.
Indonesia: Bombing theory deconstructed
Paras Indonesia posts a long essay deconstructing prevailing views of Bali as the “natural” location for Islamist suicide bombers to attack Western tourists in their reactions against the forces of imperialism. Kemal Taruc writes: “Many people may choose their preferred explanation as long as they can have peace in their...
China: Lu Banglie beating
AsiaPundit defends his fellow hack Benjamin Joffe-Walt, saying the Guardian correspondent isn't reponsible for the beating of Hubei lawmaker Lu Banglie in the southern Chinese village of Taishi. But he also reports some of the angrier comments in the blogosphere and among other foreign journalists that are circulating about his...
Liberia: Presidential elections
Liberians vote for a new president, and Chippla says that “an election in West Africa should be a thing of joy.” Who could have imagined this only two years ago when the dictator Charles Taylor was still in power, he muses.
Senegal: Migrants deported
Black Looks reports on the expulsion by Spanish authorities of a number of Senegalese migrant workers to Morocco. The move, which she says is illegal, has put the men at risk of further hardship and brutality. “The migrants are now trapped and cornered like hunted animals between the Moroccan desert...
South Africa: Bad night in Jo'burg
commentary.co.za posts an anonymous report about the incompetence of the Johannesburg police when answering an emergency call in which a child was at risk from a knife-wielding drunk, sparking debate and some recognition in the comments section.
Sudan: Genocide Intervention Fund
The Passion of the Present calls on bloggers around the world to link to the Genocide Intervention Fund to help victims of violence in Darfur, reminding us that 2.5 million displaced people remain too frightened to go home, 3.5 million are in need of food, with the security situation sliding...
