June, 2006

Stories from June, 2006

La Reunion: Subsidies to Local Associations

  30 June 2006

Eric Fruteau, a member of the General Council of St-Andre, a town in La Reunion, complains (Fr) about the lack of transparency and accountability in the subsidies budget distributed by the town to local associations: “It is abnormal that 5 (…) associations (…) receive 35% of (…) the budget. (…)...

Jamaica: Land of unfettered breasts?

  30 June 2006

Francis Wade examines the feelings invoked by the sight of bra-less women in Jamaica and tries to figure out the rationale behind the eschweing of foundation garments.

Africa: World Cup Report Card

  30 June 2006

Says Senegalese blogger Seckasysteme (Fr): “African football is not up to par and its presence in the World Cup is mostly symbolic. Too bad that the numerous individual African talents could not orchestrate a comeback. (…) Why couldn't such talented African football players achieve the same performance in their national...

Jamaica: Going home

  30 June 2006

Jamaican Francis Wade addresses the “remarkable inner journey” one embarks upon on returning to one's homeland, and discusses some of the tools that have helped him along the way.

Aruba: Rumblings about indepdence

  30 June 2006

“Unless there is a drastic, drastic change in Aruba's economy and politics, we are simply not ready to go about it our own,” writes ArubaGirl, in a post prompted by a Bermudian blogger's musings on the subject of independence.

Brazil: Caetano Veloso's Biography

  30 June 2006

France-based Togolese bloggerKangni Alem writes (Fr): “Even though modesty is not Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso's forte, he has great talent as an agitator. He also exhibits phenomenal memory in the intellectual autobiography that was prompted by the New York Times to recount the birth of the artistic and musical movement...

Belarus: Chavez to Visit Minsk in July

Hugo Chavez plans to visit Belarus at the end of July, reports TOL's Belarus Blog: “Finally, the two outspoken haters of U.S. will meet. I am sure they have a lot of things to discuss, and I assume some spicy joint anti-Washington statements will be made during the visit.”

Ukraine: World Cup Wishful Thinking

“We've got three victories! and there are three more left… Go, Ukraine!” – by LJ user lokizzz A popular joke about Ukraine's spectacular – and totally unforeseen – World Cup performance and the resulting financial disaster seemed funny just a few hours ago. Then Italy defeated Ukraine in the quarter-finals...

India: Guru Dutt and 1957

  30 June 2006

DoZ catches Pyaasa, a movie made in 1957 and wonders, “There is no three-point program to improve the sum total of the hero’s happiness in fifty-five minutes. When you make your life that deterministic, the risk of unhappiness only seems to go up.”

India: Women and their Period

  30 June 2006

Nikita has a post on the perceived impurity of women during their menstrual cycle. No access to places of worship, treated as an untouchable and more.

Bangladesh: Kawran Bazar

  30 June 2006

Dhaka Diary on the corners in Dhaka. “Kawran Bazar, plays out to an audience of many, movement is rapid, shift and purposeful. It is a hub of action and activity, offices, banks, TV studios, small shopkeepers, street vendors and consumer waste make it a party worth dropping into.”

Sri Lanka: Public service media

  30 June 2006

Voices of Reconciliation on the public appeal for Public Service Media in Sri Lanka. “As Sri Lankan citizens groups have been campaigning for public service media, we now call on politicians, public authorities, civil society and all media groups to unite around a program to enhance public service values in...

Nepal: Politics and Alliances

  30 June 2006

Nepali Netbook comments on the changing face of alignments and alliances post the upheaval in April. “A passionate realignment of politics seems to be underway. To be sure, the precise motives and possible outcomes remain obscure. Yet this much is clear: In the run-up to the constituent assembly elections, Nepalese...