Archive for
May 3rd, 2006
Stories
Armenian Blogs on the Armavia Crash
An Airbus A320 flown by the Armenian airline Armavia crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 113 passengers and crew onboard–the worst air crash in Armenia's history. In early reaction to the story, Christian Garbis said that the crash will be hard for all Armenians as well as for the victims' families and that tourism by Armenians outside of the country will likely suffer temporarily.
Zarchka sends condolences to the families of all the victims and that the incident caused panic and anxiety across the country.
Everyone rushed to find out whether there were relatives or friends among the passengers. The telephone in our house wasn’t hung up the whole day. Later we learnt that my doctor’s brother’s young son, 25 years, was in the plane.
China: Current trends in censorship law
In September last year, Chinese authorities released a new set of regulations aimed at websites and blogs which show signs of democratic leanings or any behavior which might otherwise threaten the country's one-party rulers.
From Sophia Beach at China Digital Times:
It is worth noting that these new regulations include two additional categories of forbidden content compared with previously released regulations: 1) information inciting illegal assemblies, demonstrations, marches, or gatherings to disturb social order and 2) information released in the name of “illegal civil organizations.” This is an apparent attempt to target the capacity to organize online.
Following the design of this new law, online publishing in China has devolved into what increasingly appears to be something of a Whack-a-mole war, with blogs and BBS' getting smacked right back down just as they start to move up.
The Week That Was - Bolivian Blogs
Special Hydrocarbons Nationalization Edition
Nationalization. What does it actually mean? The word was bandied about during the 2005 elections. Seemingly every candidate ran on some sort of platform advocating for the nationalization of Bolivia’s hydrocarbons, which currently stand at the second largest gas reserves in the region. The practice made sense since the majority of Bolivians in all nine departments overwhelmingly passed a 2004 Referendum (ES) pushing for the nationalization of these natural resources. However, there were debates as to what nationalizing actually entailed. The outright winner, Evo Morales, promised to push his own view of nationalization through sooner, rather than later.
For some, especially on the radical far left, this would be accomplished with nothing less than the expropriation of physical property without any form of indemnization. Others thought Morales would take a more pragmatic approach and work with the foreign companies to renegotiate the contracts. During his worldwide tour before taking office (aka the Sweater tour), he reassured the governments home to many of these companies, such as Brazil and Spain, that the process would be for the benefit of both sides. Time and time again, he would reiterate, “we (Bolivia) need partners, not masters.” All of this sought to reverse the partial privatization launched by then president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada in the mid 1990s.
One hundred days into the administration, some were wondering why the delay. There were some grumblings that if nationalization did not take place soon, the mobilizations that brought down two previous presidents would begin. Morales would remind his supporters that “it (nationalization) is not simple, it is not easy.”
On May 1, on the traditional workers’ day around the world, Morales did make it look simple. Signing the supreme decree 28701 (ES), he announced that the hydrocarbons had been nationalized. Fanfare included signs hanging from the different structures declaring his own “mission accomplished” with great banners simply reading “Nationalized”. At that moment, he announced that the Armed Forces had descended onto the different oil fields to enforce this new decree.
In the main plaza of La Paz, celebrations broke out as one of the campaign promises had been carried through. However, this goes back to the original question, what does this mean? The previously reassured countries, such as Spain and Brazil, were no longer reassured. Petrobras, Bolivia’s largest investor called this move very unfriendly and would investigate how it would respond.
Within moments that the press broke the story, the Bolivian blogosphere also responded, but it remained rather shocked at the manner and the timing. Much of the first entries were merely reporting what was being said in the national and international media and others said that they would reserve judgment until more information is released.
Chernobyl remembered and the Amazigh poetry enjoyed in the Moroccan blogosphere
Two very interesting Moroccan blogs are celebrating the first year of their existence. So I'll start by wishing a happy birthday to M.S Hjiouj(Ar) and BLOGS MULTIPLES(Ar).
Atmani(Ar) I would like you to know that I have nothing against your political posts, and that it's always a joy for me to visit your blog.
Jewish vs Muslim..again!
Slix writes about Matisyahu, the popular Hasidic Jewish reggae artist and asks if a Muslim singer with beard and turban would have had the success(Fr) Matisyahu is enjoying. Except for Mchicha(Fr) who answered yes to the question, all the comments agreed that the Muslim singer won't stand a chance because of his displaying of his faith.
I couldn't help reading Slix's post again and again and going through the comments again and again. And I simply think it's scary to realize that young graduate intellectual Moroccans are starting to consider what USA think as the one and only reality in the world. I mean, why would a Muslim beard turbaned singer reach the approval of an American audience with a Christian-Judaic religious background instead of performing in the huge Islamic world?
We have many examples of religious singers with big audience, isn't enough?
What about the Muslim observant singer Sami Youssef whose albums have taken the Islamic world by storm!! (more…)
Thai Filmmaker Apologizes to Cambodia for Fictional Story of Khmer Rouge
Recently released Thai movie ‘Ghost Game,' modelled after a Khmer Rouge torture center, has attracted fair bit of public attention. The movie, entirely a work of fiction, tells the story of a reality TV show where the contestants spend time in a deserted jail. To win the game the contestants must successfully ward off the ghosts haunting the jail.
Lux Mean, one of Cambodia Blog contributors, commented on the news article:
“There is strong criticism to a new Thai film “Ghost Game” from Cambodian public and scholars. Cambodian Ministry of Culture may consider banning the movie from Cambodia when they see the film.”
Soon after the movie went public, Phantham Thongsang, managing director of the Tifa production house, apologised to Cambodia for setting the movie in a Khmer Rouge-style prison. The film maker was quoted in the Associated Press as saying that “if there is any part or any scene that makes Cambodian people unhappy or makes Cambodian people feel that we have abused their memories of Khmer Rouge rule, I would like to apologise for that.”
‘How Insensitive Can the Neighbours Get?'
This weblog title appeared in Khmer440, an expatriate-owned Weblog.
“Representatives of the Thai feature film ‘Ghost Game’ held a press conference today (Wednesday, April 26th) to apologise for any misunderstanding regarding depiction of the movie’s events at a location said to resemble the Khmer Rouge Toul Sieng prison in Cambodia.”
Links for Wed, 2006-05
Jefferson Morley says that immigration reform is rarely debated in the Salvadoran press.
Yon Ayisyen, the only Haiti-based Haitian blogger writes (FR): “When I noticed that [Yahoo war correspondent] Kevin Sites was in Colombia, I understood right away that he wasn't too far. But I also told myself that we had neither a war nor an armed conflict despite the daily gun violence and that probably Yahoo would not deem Haiti to be a hotzone. But I was wrong and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that Kevin Sites is here.“
Argentine blogger Mariano Amartino is at the WeMedia conference in London where he says (ES) that the mainstream media still incorrectly views “blogs” as a single entity rather than another way to deliver content. In a followup post (ES) he recounts that, by chance, he was at the same table as three directors of major media outlets who still “don't understand that there is no competition, that the [mainstream media] audiences are not getting any smaller, and that, in reality, what's turned up is a distinct and niche market. In fact, Timothy Balding, the CEO of the World Association of Newspapers, was the only one who seemed to understand clearly that both markets can (and in fact do) mutually benefit each other.”
Katy expresses her gratitude (sarcastically … I think) to Hugo Chavez for relieving the debts of former students who studied abroad during the early 90's. Afrael has a gas relaying the news (ES) that the “fartless bean” was invented in Venezuela in his post “Venezuela Keeps Innovating”: “only known for its oil, beautiful women, and Chavez, now they'll also have to recognize us for being the country that invented fartless beans.”
Steven Taylor writes about Uruguay's discontent with the South American trade bloc Mercorsur. Miguel Octavio (and his faithful readers) try to make sense of Latin America's recent economic realignment.
The cutting edge film reviewers at GoodAirs give two thumbs way up for the new movie Crónica de una Fuga. Brandán comments on his sense that “the movie repeated a lot of stock imagery of torture,” but still calls the story “incredible.”
Luke Distelhorst says that China will be training Mongolian judges.
The Golden Road to Samarqand discusses political reform in Kyrgyzstan in light of attempts by the country's cabinet to resign.
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