Archive for
January 7th, 2006
Stories
Turkey is Typing…
The first week of the new year brings with it another death of bird flu to Turkey. Erkan's Field Diary has reported that cases of bird flu have been found in both rural and urban areas, information that rejects a possible Kurdish connection that Amerikan Turk discusses.
Coming up on the 10th is Eid al-Aida, the Feast of Sacrifice, which has always been an interesting time of year as there are always “problems” that arise from trying to standardize rituals sacrifices in urban settings (animals set for sacrifice breaking loose and roaming the streets), Phanja from The Need to Know discusses some of the regulations that have been introduced to combat these types of situations.
And now from some quick updates:
To start off the new year right Turkish Torque has several recipes posted for making Turkish Delight (this is one food that I love but have never managed to make an edible final product). He also has information on the Uygurs of China, which are of Turkish decent.
Metroblogging: Istanbul writes about the Toy Museum in Kadikoy, Istanbul.
Erkan's Field Diary posts about the lastest population numbers for Turkey (73 million-wow!) and about the postponement of his mandatory military service.
Talk Turkey discusses the recent mining disaster in West Virginia, USA and talks about similar disasters that have happened in Turkey.
Blogging in Exile
The following article was originally written in Spanish by Sebastian Delmont, a Venezuelan native who now lives and blogs in New York City. It was published in the first (and only) issue of Weblog Magazine, but is also available at Delmont's second blog, Zona Geek. Following the article, I will list various Latin American bloggers who live outside the continent. Translation by Linda Evarts.
For some reasons that I don’t pretend to know, a disproportionate amount of the most well-known bloggers are people who have abandoned their nations of origin in search of new horizons. Venezuelans in New York, Americans in Madrid, Ecuadorians in Mexico, Argentines in Barcelona, Spaniards in Montevideo, just to mention a few. And although I’ve already said that I don’t claim to know the reasons, this is no obstacle for me—as a good blogger—to propose a few crazy theories to try to pass the time.
If there is a correlation, there are three possible scenarios: exile is the result of blogs, blogs are the result of exile, blogs and exile are results of some other factor. (Those most knowledgeable about statistics will realize that I have omitted the possibility that there is no correlation at all. Those people are not able to see the irony inherent in this article or the absolute lack of scientific methodology despite the pseudo formal tone, and we are not going to pay attention to them.)
For many, blogs have become the door to the rest of the world. In writing a blog, you are inviting other people to know your life, and it is inevitable that this sentiment will be reciprocated. You ultimately read others’ blogs and discover their lives in other places. When you write something complaining about the public transportation in your city someone inevitably leaves a comment that could be summarized as “life is better in my city.” In the end, it becomes impossible for you to ignore the pressure, and you begin to feel curious about the world beyond your street, and without realizing it, some months later you’ll be moving to the other side of the ocean.
Others, however, were already curious before starting their blogs. Many moved first and then began to write. In the solitude of a new and strange city, blogs become the virtual connection to old friends, to family, to known places. Even those who are enjoying their new life find in blogs the perfect tool to maintain relationships with all the people back home. It’s not necessary to spend hours on the phone explaining to Mom how the new apartment is, only to then do the same with your uncle and later your old friend. You can simply put it in a blog and enjoy all the time you’ve saved going for beers at the café on the corner.
Maybe there is no causal relationship. Maybe blogging and exile are both results of some other factor. Maybe we blog to discover and we travel for the same reason. Maybe the same mental state that brings us to write about the weather or what we ate for breakfast is to blame for stimulating the enterprising desire to live in another country.
But after so much analysis I’ve arrived at a theory that maybe everyone won’t accept as valid, but if they leave behind their pride and look within themselves they will realize it is true. I believe that all bloggers living abroad leave in search of new destinations simply to have something to blog about, and because there is no better way to get new links than to make new friends in a new city. I dare to claim that bloggers immigrate abroad in search of new posts and a better page rank.
Latin Americans Blogging From Abroad:
Iria Puyosa: Venezuela -> U.S.A.
Vicente Ulive-Schnell: Venezuela -> France
Tiempo Conjugado: Peru -> U.S.A.
La Otra Orilla: Panama -> Israel
Marie Aiden: Costa Rica -> Netherlands
José Luis Orihuela: Argentina -> Spain
K-Minos: Venezuela -> Bangladesh
Martin Varsavsky: Argentina -> Spain
Día a día: Colombia + Venezuela -> Bangladesh
Julio Sueco: Mexico + U.S.A -> Sweden
Argenautas: Argentina -> Worldwide
Jonathan Molea: Venezuela -> Nigeria
Chilenos en Alemania: Chile -> Germany
Álvaro Ramírez Ospina: Colombia -> Norway
Afrael: Venezuela -> U.S.A
Juliana Forero: Colombia -> U.S.A.
Gedanken Bilingual: Venezuela -> Germany
Diego Sarraseca: Argentina -> U.S.A.
Rayas y Palabras: Venezuela -> Spain
Strolling Luna: Mexico -> U.S.A.
Almada de Noche: Bolivia -> France
Eduardo Arcos: Ecuador -> Mexico
Kiswahili Blogosphere This Week
Mwandani writes about the plight of African immigrants in the West (in English and Kiswahili).
His post was spotted by Ethan Zuckerman through BlogAfrica aggregator.
Tanzania's leading photoblogger, Issa Michuzi, comes across “World Trade Center” in Marangu, Moshi, Tanzania. He posts a photo for Tanzanians living abroad of a Dar Es Salaam resident drinking young coconut juice, a popular beverage along the East African coast.
News and discussions about the presidential and parliamentary elections in Tanzania, which took place last month, have dominated Kiswahili Blogosphere. Miruko and Kasri la Mwanazuo posts names of the new cabinet (in Kiswahili), Kaka Pori posts the new president's maiden speech in Parliament while Fikra Thabiti analyses it. Fikra Thabiti says that Jakaya Kikwete is the first Tanzanian president to admit that political situation in Zanzibar is getting worse and needs to be addressed. Kikwete, in his speech, promises to promote Kiswahili in the world. For a start, he is sending Kiswahili instructors to Libya and Congo DRC. Harakati does not want voters to forget promises made during the campaign. He therefore posts the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi election manifesto.
Da Mija writes about the only female presiential aspirant in the in the 2006 general election in Tanzania, Anna Senkoro. Anna Senkoro participated in the race on Progressive Party of Tanzania-Maendeleo ticket. She received 0.17% of the vote. Candidate for the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi, Jakaya Kikwete, won the race with over 80% of the vote. However, Da Mija still congratulates Senkoro for showing an example to other women.
Msangi Mdogo posts a photo of a Member of Parliament , Janet Kahama, sleeping during the first session of the new parliament.
Few Tanzanian bloggers have met face to face. Recently, two Kiswahili bloggers, Boniphace Makene and Jeff Msangi based in the US and Canada, met in Toronto. And they took this picture.
Cooking up the World!
How many people that are lactose-intolerant do you know? Well, I have good news for them: “Raw Milk”. Verdant San Francisco tells us his story about how he became vegan trying to find an answer to his problem, and how now, after 10 years without drinking milk, he becomes a big fan of raw dairy products. Very interesting!
Tepin Peppers: a Habanero killer? You probably have never heard of the Tepin pepper, and probably would disagree that these tiny peppers could rival the heat of the Habanero or Scotch Bonnet. If you want to know more about this little hot devil, take a moment to visit the Hot Sauce Blog and learn from Adam who actually bears a PhD in Artes Picantes. Good for him!
Looking for some neat New Year's resolutions? How good is your “chopstick etiquette“? Cha Xio Bao tell us how to achieve this task. For example, did you know that while it is perfectly appropriate to put food into your mouth with chopsticks; it is flat-out impolite to lick your chopsticks before you use them? Following his simple and intelligent suggestions, you will get to be the queen or king operating those chopsticks, just like the pros!
Striving for perfection? Are you so afraid of not doing things perfectly, that at the end you do nothing? In this almost philosophical post, Zarah Maria from “Food & Thoughts” resuscitates her blog sharing a fantastic recipe to prepare Panna Cotta with Pomegranates. Yum!
Have you ever prepared “Portuguese Egg Tarts”? Are you still having those recurrent nightmares about your puff pastry not puffing up? The girls from the Just Heavenly blog: Swee San, YeeMei & Melisa, share their secrets and recipes with very nice step by step photos, to help you prepare the perfect “Apple Strudel” with a puff pastry made from scratch, and the traditionally delicious “Portuguese Egg Tarts“.
From my Rasoi: A call to all Indian food lovers!, is projected to be one of the most popular food blog events this year. Rasoi is what you call a “kitchen” in Hindi. And Meena, from Hooked on Heat, would really like you to get into your rasoi and get inspired to cook delicious Indian dishes. India is one of the largest countries in the world; there are endless styles of cuisine there. Visit Meena's official announcement to learn about the details of this monthly event, and get going!
Voting begins for the 2005 Food Blog Awards! Head over to Kate's Accidental Hedonist blog and support your favorite food bloggers. This is actually the second time this event takes place, and is well known as a promoter and motivational starting-point for new blogs written by food lovers and professionals from the food industry.
“Of Cookbooks and Recipe Theft” is a very interesting article by Juliette Rossant from the SuperChef blog. It is a particularly interesting story about intellectual property, given our attention recently to the blogging of food images, namely the theft of recipes in cookbooks. While the culinary blogosphere expands, we face the problem of many copyrighted recipes, and stock images being published by food bloggers as theirs in their blogs.
Are you still looking for the perfect recipe to prepare scrumptious pepper jelly? Tania in Canada, from the CandiedQuince blog, shares her story and an incredibly easy recipe to prepare “Sweet Orange Pepper Jelly“. She describes her creation as being “…both a little bit sweet (from the orange) and a little bit tart (from the vinegar), with a lovely orange flavor that complements the red pepper's sweetness. It´s delicious with cream cheese on crackers, but I can only imagine how well it would pair with a sharp cheddar, a crumbly Stilton, or a mellow nutty oka.”
Chika in Japan, the talented girl behind the “She Who Eats” blog, presents a gorgeous way to start the 2006: “First bake of the year, with a a bit of Japanese touch and accidents“. Which cake would you bake to mark a glorious beginning of the 2006? Chika chose a Black Pearl Layer Cake, with a twist consisting of ginger and wasabi, her personal touch. The result, well…you´ve got to visit her blog and see it with your own eyes. I promise you won't regret it!
Happy New Year!
Images from Palestine: School Book
“A Palestinian school girl holding here English book” by paella69
Links for Sat, 2006-01
Curucuteando features a series of pictures of the old road Caracas-La Guaira (ES), which is now the best way to go from Venezuela’s capital to the coastline and the airport.
An exquisite sculpture by glass artist Dale Chihuly inspires Francomenz to rhapsodize on Trinidad and Tobago's famous Carnival, which is gearing up virtually as this is being written. “It. . . doesn’t matter what forces have conspired to shape the glass,” says Francomenz, “they’re all in the same boat, going in the same direction - perhaps something to keep in mind as T&T struggles with an upsurge in crime and people cut themselves off from one another, building stronger fences and higher walls.”
Wanderingkhunphu romanticizes Thai village life: “Naudom is a small, limited society and a world where it seems there is no “I” letter. It seems to me that everyone is there for each other, always ready and willing to help and forget about himself for the sake of the community. This makes me wonder if I finally did discover some kind of successful form of socialism.”
4 color rebellion, a gamer blog, reacts to articles blaming Japanese for the poor reception of the Xbox360 at its recent launch. His post starts a long discussion about anti-Americanism, racism and how Japanese react to U.S. products.
Bingfeng Teahouse adds his thoughts to Microsoft's shutdown of Michael Anti's blogs in China. “in my opinion, msn just did what a foreign company should do in a media environment like china's, it was absolutely a correct business decision to remove a-n-t-i's blog, with the price of suspicions of its ethical standards in exchange for eliminating the risk of the whole business operations in china.”
Seserak, a Cambodian student studying in Japan, adds his voice to those criticizing the New Year's arrest of two local human rights activists by his government. “It is much more worrisome to think that the young democracy in Cambodia is dying; that the Cambodian government has deliberately chosen to walk on the wrong track; and that it prefers the authoritarian political system instead.”
Own a villa in the US Virgin Islands? Then you're in luck, as Frank Barnako is reporting that the value of of residential properties in St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John is about to skyrocket as a result of a massive property revaluation exercise. The commercial revaluation, completed last spring, resulted in increases of 250 to 300 percent in certain areas of St. John. In other Caribbean real estate news, Caribbean Free Radio deconstructs a news story about Giorgio Armani's new villa in Antigua.
Cambodia contributor Beth Kanter says: “Oh my god, a Cambodian food blog.” The tasty-looking blog's name is Phnomenon.
Nicholas Laughlin links to an article in the Jamaica Observer about a three-day cabinet meeting held at the Couples Sans Souci Resort and Spa. “It's good to know the key members of the J'can government are spending quality time together,” remarks the cheeky Trinidadian, “–at a ‘luxury all-inclusive, boutique-style, couples-only resort. . . . Surely I'm not the only one wondering how they paired off?”
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