Stories from 24 February 2007
Mexico: Cucapá People Denied Fishing Permits
Campamento Cucapá has published a new video documentary with English subtitles that “tells the story the Cucapá, an Indigenous people of Mexicali, who have been denied fishing permits, even though they have been fishing in their valley for over 9,000 years.”
Bolivia: Five Places to Sit Quietly in Cochabamba
Jim Shultz shares his top five places of tranquility in Cochabamba.
Bolivia: Floods and Carnival
While rising flood waters threaten the northeast province of Beni, Carlos Gustavo Machicado Salas describes the Carnival celebration in Oruro as one of the best in the world.
Love troubles female blogger; floods, politics and petty jobs worry Malawians
Based in the UK and studying Information Systems, Mercy Gondwe might be the only female Malawian blogger noted so far. While she has not been active she woke up on a day before Valentine's day to reflect on the day of romance. Mercy says she had to be careful with...
Paraguay: Valentine’s Day in Paraguay
Ben Dangl on Ciudad del Este, Paraguay: “most of the cars had tinted windows, the private security in front of shops had loaded guns, and the streets were as full of conspiracies and rumors as pirated DVDs and sunglasses. Real guns and fake musical condoms were also for sale in...
Colombia: 100 Years of Solitude
It is the 40th anniversary of Gabriel García Márquez's Cien años de soledad, described here by Posthegemony as “a long, sprawling novel that lacks much in the way of a conventional plot. Rather, it is full of events and incidents, digressions and flashbacks or flashforwards, not least the famous flashforward...
Spanish Language: Pornoesfera
Juan Luis of Tecnorantes is intrigued [ES] by Pornoesfera [ES], an informative, Spanish-language blog about the online industry or google's most-sought-after word.
Ecuador: Bond Default?
On the question of bond defaulting, ODI writes that “Rafael Correa, Ecuador’s new president, has been playing a game of chicken with the international capital markets.”
Latin America: Approval Ratings
Though 2007 is not overflowing with Latin American elections like 2006, Boz has still managed to come up with a thorough set of poll numbers measuring the approval ratings of leaders throughout the region. See who's hot and who's not.
Free Kareem: The Caribbean joins in
The Caribbean blogosphere tends to focus on internal matters, but the plight of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Suleiman struck a chord nevertheless with a few bloggers, including Cuban-American journalist Marc Masferrer, who posts frequently on human rights issues relating to Cuba. On February 19, Masferrer encouraged readers to sign a...
Free Kareem: Lusophone Blogs Join the Crusade
As soon as the information about the verdict circulated on the net, Portuguese posts commenting the 4 year in prison sentence given to blogger Abdel Kareem Suleiman started to appear. Brazilian bloggers sensitiveness about any situation involving censorship is a direct consequence of the many recent attacks to their freedoms...
Egypt: If Muslims are Weird..Read This:
If you think Muslims are weird, then Egypt-based blogger Tom Gara urges you to read this.
Bahrain: ‘Terrorist Plot’ Sparks Cynicism
Following a controversial news report about the discovery of a ‘terrorist training camp’ in one of Bahrain's Shi'a villages, Bani Jamra, Bahrain's ‘blogfather’ Mahmood Al Yousif writes a sarcastic post proclaiming his gratitude to Bahrain's Ministry of the Interior for making Bahrain a safer place: I am ever so grateful...
India: Dealing with Delhi
Feringhee on dealing with Delhi. “I don't see why people grouse so much about Delhi, but then, I have never had to live, commute and work here. As a stopover it is really quite civilized.”
India: On Duty
The Delhicate Constitution on duty and politics. “On the other hand you may say that you have been placed there because the majority of people have faith in your decision-making, and that they trust you to do the right thing for them. Doing what you think is right will not...
Pakistan: On Basant and Kite Flying
Light Within on the colourful festival of Basant that involves a lot of kiteflying and the prevalent controversy. “First it was the Punjab government announcing that they would set up a body to ensure safe kite-flying. Then there was the proclamation that Basant WILL be celebrated in Lahore with traditional...
Nepal: Monarchy and a Crisis
Nepal Monitor on monarchy and an existential crisis. “As once Maoists were minimized, now the monarchy is minimized. Because of personalistic egos of political leaders and the king, our institutions are suffering. We may blame monarchy for backwardness, and monarchy as an institution may be a thing of the past...
Nepal: A federal republic
Madhesh Blog on the demand for a federal republic in Nepal. “Thousands of Madheshis chanted slogans demanding abolition of monarchy, constituency based on equal and average population. They appealed interim parliament to announce Nepal as a federal republic.”
Taiwan: Flying Saucer Houses
Photographed by CantikFoto In Green Bay, Taipei County, there are some abandoned houses. Due to their appearance, they have been named ‘flying saucer houses’ by many people in that area. According to Echo-Maan, who lived in that area decades ago, the houses were built around 30 years ago by Tian...
Kazakhstan, the Soviet: “Stalinkas” and “Khrushchevkas”, Afghanistan and the Red Army Holiday
Save the Houses Photo by Adam Kesher Blogger Adam Kesher is displeased: the “Stalin's” house next to his own is going to be replaced by a new fancy building. These houses, built before the Second World War (1935-1938) or after (till 1955) are notable for their scale, high ceilings so...
