Archive for
October 26th, 2006
Stories
Chilean Cycling Bloggers
Santiago, the capital of Chile, is one of the most polluted cities in the World (of which we are not proud). In this scenario a group of bike lovers, have developed a way to promote cycling in the city.
“Arriba de la Chanca” (ES) (the translation is “over the pig.” in Chile we call bikes “pigs”), was born in 2001 with the goal of promoting safe cycling in the city. They also work with CONASET (ES), National Committee for safe traffic, in training at universities and working on traffic laws. Throughout the year they organise cycling events and, in fact, they have one on the first of November. The same activities are also carried through in another movement, called “Ciclistas furiosos” (ES) ( furious cyclists). You can check out their cyclo path in Google earth and also read cycling jokes. In some activities the two groups work together.
Other cyclists that on the net share concerns, such as lights and bikes, include Claudio (ES) who explains:
Voices from Central Asia and the Caucasus
Alpine Pastures - Jailoo (c) Christopher Herwig, www.herwigphotos.com
It's time to strike our tents (or Kyrgyz yurts in the Jailoo in this case), the summer is over (although in Kazakhstan's capital Astana there's snow even in August…). Which also means more time for Central Asia buffs to spend in front of their computers. Let's see what they had to say over the last two weeks.
The EU and Uzbekistan
Over at The Registan, Nathan reported two weeks ago that the EU considered rolling back Uzbekistan sanctions that were imposed shortly after the incidents in Andjan in May 2005. Now, Uzbek state officials and the EU's special representative have met behind closed doors. Over at neweurasia, Kamron says that the visit was preceded by obvious signs from the Uzbek side that they're ready to talk business (RUS). Meanwhile, on the English version of the same blog, Shohruh gives an interesting insight into the psyche of President Islam Karimov. Is much of what he does attributable to his fear? (more…)
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Exploring the Pyramid
“Bosnian Pyramid? - Visocica Hill” - by sjareb
It's been over a year since the whole Bosnian pyramid media fuss started. Still, many talk about the possible discovery of Europe’s first step pyramid complex. The event is significant for Bosnia & Herzegovina's recovery, as it brings positive media attention and money into this poor and wounded country. Some disagree that the pyramid exploration followed by unique Balkan patriotism could be positive. After the findings proving that the structures below the hills had been made by humans, this part of the globe received additional media attention. Just 30 kilometers northwest of the capital city Sarajevo, in Visoko area, an archeological park has been set up. Founder of the whole undertaking, Semir Osmanagic, says the pyramid is at least 2,500 years old and may even date to the last ice age.
Sean Markey of the National Geographic began his report by saying this about Osmanagic:
He's been called a Balkan Indiana Jones. Others label him a dreamer, or worse, a pyramid buff with loony ideas.
Genijalci narrate the beginning of the story that shook the whole Bosnia (BIH):
Long time ago people at Visoko built the pyramids. The pyramid of the Sun is located at Visocica hill while the pyramid of the Moon is placed below Plesevica hill and the third pyramide of Bosnian Dragon is on the right side. Research aiming to prove the theory is being carried out at the moment. […] Detailed examination started on April 14, 2006. In April 2005, Semir Osmanagic, a US-based [businessman] and explorer paid a visit to the Visoko museum. Professor Senad Hodovic explained everything concerning the medieval Bosnia. He told him about the rocky remains of the old Visoko town and the legend about the three thrones of kings; the hill has a rare pyramidal shape which is an atypical phenomenon. Semir Osmanagic got interested in the affair. As an explorer, Osmanagic visited many locations throughout the world with similar sets of pyramids. He then acquired a license to conduct drills. He saw numerous anomalies pointing there might be a pyramid below the surface of the hill.
Arabisc: Rebellious Behaviour and the Quest for Intellectuals
With the festive season wrapping up in the Arab world, Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer has decided to ‘come out of the closet' and drop a bombshell - making some of his readers happy and others not so!
The Alexandria law student doesn't mince his words when he announces to his readers that the Holy Month of Ramadhan was the month of hypocrisy.
Unhappy with the practise, he says he decided and successfully managed to stay away from the Islamic ritual of not eating and drinking from dawn to sunset for a good month for the first time in his life.
While many Muslims may frown upon the public announcement, Kareem seems at ease with it.
ولقد خرجت من هذه التجربة الناجحة بتصورات جديدة عن مجتمع الفاترينات الذى نعيش فيه والذى يحتم على المرء أن يبدى قدرا من من النفاق للمجتمع الذى يعيش فيه حتى يحظى برضا من حوله حتى وإن كان من داخله مختلفا معه تمام الإختلاف .
Also from Egypt, Bint Masreya (Egyptian Girl), is drumming up support for readers to vote for a blog on Torture in Egypt for the Reporters Without Borders Award. (more…)
Torture in Gambia, “Militocracy” in Africa, Press Freedom and Dirty Water and Gold
We begin this week's West African blogs round-up with a post in a Gambian blog, Home of the mandinmories, about a Gambian soldier being “Coerced, and tortured” over an alleged coup plot:
Browsing through the Point today, a story on the court martial of Captain Yahya Darbo caught my eye. I wish I can say I told you so, but the abuse and indignity suffered by the victims will make your blood boil. This was what I wrote in march when these guys were paraded on national television and forced (in my opinion) to make confessions:
The Daily Observer ( here and here) has a run down of confessionals that the “alleged” coup plotters in the Gambia made. Yep thats right “alleged”. For all we know these people could've been tortured or threaten with torture to make those statements. Their confessionals in my opinion lend credence to my suspicion. All roads in this convoluted affair leads to Ndure Cham. Everyone keep harking back to what he told them. And since he is not around to refute them and the government is hellbent on punishing someone, they parade these people on television to narrate some scheme that they were supposedly part of…confessions
Cameroonian blog Ngwane highlights The Military And African Politics:
The reasons for military interventions (militocracy) in Africa are as varied as they are complex. They range from personal grievances of civilian regimes to the political and economic kleptocracy of civilian regimes.
In a struggle to cope with this predicament between the devil of tyranny (as in one-party system) and the deep blue sea of anarchy (as in multiparty systems) military rule has often been invoked. The balance sheet has largely been negative, with very few being benign, that is serving the interests of the people whether in a short or long political life span.
DRC, Belgium: Anti-Kabila Demonstration
Congolese demonstrating in Brussels last weekend. Photo by Etienne Ngandu.
In anticipation of the presidential runoff taking place this Sunday, October 29 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, opposing Jean-Pierre Bemba to incumbent Joseph Kabila, a demonstration took place in Brussels, Belgium last weekend in qualified support of Bemba but mostly in opposition to Kabila.
Belgium-based opposition party blog UDPS Liege –whose leader Etienne Tshisekedi refused to participate in this year's presidential election– writes (Fr):
Les congolais de Bruxelles dans une détermination implacable ont encore perturbé la circulation à Bruxelles pour apporter leur soutien aux élections apaisées en RDC.
Malgré leurs positions divergentes,ils se sont mobilisé pour rester en communion avec le Congo profond par les actions de la rue en apportant leur soutien au candidat de l'UN JPB GOMBO aux élections présidentielles qui auront lieu le 29/10/2006 au CONGO.
Hier si les congolais pouvaient voter,c'est le candidat JPB GOMBO qui allait sortir vainqueur parmi tous les congolais habitant le royaume de Belgique. Mais par mauvaise stratégie d'éliminer les sympathisants de l'UDPS à l'étranger voila que JPB GOMBO vient de se priver aussi d'un électorat favorable à la cause nationale face l'imposteur KANAMBE.
Despite their diverse positions, they mobilized to remain in communion with the deep Congo by bringing their suppor on the streets to the candidate of [political party] UN, JPB GOMBO [a.k.a. Jean-Pierre Bemba] in the presidential election taking place 10/29/2006 in the Congo.
Yesterday, if the Congolese in Belgium could have voted they would have chosen Bemba. But because of a misguided strategy seeking to eliminate UDPS sympathizers abroad, Bemba just deprived himself of voters who are favorable to the national cause against the imposter Kanambe [a.k.a Joseph Kabila].
Links for Thu, 2006-10
Vietnamese God takes us on a trip through the pavements in Hanoi and posts pictures of the attractions.
Kway Teow Man has a balanced look at what Singaporeans call the Wee Shu Min fiasco. Wee Shu Min, a teenager wrote a sharp response to another Singaporean blogger's post about government assistance to help ease life in an increasingly globalised world. The teenager was ridiculed for her “elitist” views on several Singaporean blogs. Kway Teow Man urges restrain “However, people may wish to remember that at the end of the day, we're talking about an 18-year-old girl. If her birthdate falls in December, even if she commits murder, we cannot hang her.”
On the occasion of Dominica's independence, Kenny Green affirms the strength of the island's culture while sounding a warning: “Dominica has some major questions to ask itself about independence. Most of our income was from a protected relationship with Europe which we scream to regain, brokered by England. Our current dependence is on Cuba, China and venezuela. Our macro economy is being run by the IMF and World Bank. And our major export is people.”
Adam's Gecko in Bangkok looks at the rise of democracy and de-centralisation of power in Indonesia. The blogger has interesting perspectives from a trip to Indonesia in 1992, just after a pro-democracy movement in Thailand.
Christopher Yee Mon reports that Trinidadian rock band Tripped and Fallen is offering their latest album as a free download.
Robert Koehler at Marmot Hole introduces a film, “Expats”, in Pusan film festival. The director Wonsuk Chin's goal is to introduce Korea to Amercian audience: Korean Wave films are doing well in Asia, but there hasn’t been a substantial American movie filmed here in decades.
Marie Mockett poses a question in Japundit: Is it true that every American celebrity can find instant success (in Japan)?
There'll be “Firefox parties” taking place throughout the world this weekend, reports Leon Robinson, including Jamaica.
Ria Bacon offers an update to an earlier post in which she discussed the matter of a close-up photograph of the Prime Minister's notepad taken during a debate on a no-confidence motion, and run on the front page of one of Jamaica's news dailies: “The upshot is that journalists will no longer be allowed to sit in the gallery above the members, but will be limited to a 6 x 6 foot press box.“
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