Stories from 30 August 2007
Saudi: Support for Jailed Activists
Saudi Jeans updates us on the demands being made by the supporters of Saudi reformists detained since February.
Arabeyes: Who is Using the Tunisian Presidential Airplane?
The Tunisian presidential airplane and the 'unofficial' trips it takes to Europe and the fashion capitals of the world has attracted the scrutiny of the country's most outspoken bloggers. Who is using the president's plane? Who approves the trips abroad and how much is it used for official business? These are some of the questions being raised in Arabic and French, which I am translating today into English.
Ugandans and Expats Face Off in the Blogosphere
"I can also tell an American blogger when I read one—they are different in a way that neither makes me laugh or angered. See this entry, for example. Well, maybe some aren’t that American, but the Americans—most expats, anyway—tend to lean towards that. To them, Uganda is little more than an experiment in hard living." This quote comes from 27 Comrade’s blog....Read on.
Russia: Politkovskaya Updates
Sean's Russia Blog is posting updates on Anna Politkovskaya's murder investigation – here, here, here (46 comments), and here.
Russia: Sakhalin Travel
White Sun of the Desert writes about his recent Sakhalin travel: “The journey back entailed me having to do one of those things I’d always hoped I’d never have to do: enter a 4-berth Russian railway carriage which has 3 people sleeping in it already, and the spare bed is...
Russia: “Anti-Akhmatova”
Languor Management writes about Tamara Katayeva's “600-page assault on the literary legacy Anna Akhmatova”: “This reminds me of Emma Gerstein's Moscow Memoirs, which was supposed to have debunked Nadehzda and Osip Mandelshtam's literary legacy, and really just portrayed them as particularly difficult people going through particularly hard times.”
Russia: “Word of Badmouth”
Copydude writes about various ways of mistreating foreigners in Russia – and about “word of badmouth,” which certain Russian restaurant owners don't seem to know anything about: “According to customer service research, a dissatisfied customer complains to an average of eight other people about a bad experience. In the blogging...
Palestine: Gul for Turkey
Fayyad from Palestinian blog Kabobfest writes about Abdulla Gul‘s election as Turkey's president. “Ironically, some secular extremists in Turkey, too (have) issue with the fact the Gul’s wife, Hayrunisa, wears a hijab, which is banned from all Turkish public institutions, and (for) some reason terrifies some, especially when Mrs. Gul...
Iraqi Insurgency
Abu Aardvark (Marc Lynch) updates us on the latest news about the insurgency in Iraq.
Czech Rebublic: Syphilitic Pornstars
“Dozens of Czech pornstars caught syphilis during the last three months,” Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word reports.
Mauritania : Ignorance and Tradition
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Generously endowed women are favored in Mauritania. The fatter the woman, the more beautiful she is thought to be. Being big is also a sign of wealth and the search for beauty and signs of exterior wealth leads to some unorthodox methods...
Czech Rebublic: Mushrooming
My Czech Republic Blog writes about “a Czech national leisure activity”: mushroom picking.
Ukraine: Animal Shelter
On August 19, Ukrainian journalist Tanya Kremen paid a visit to an animal shelter located near a small town just outside Kyiv. Below are her impressions and thoughts, which she has posted on her blog at Korrespondent.net, as well as a couple of comments from her readers.
Iran:US policy and a web site
Azarmehr says that during his visit to US last Novemeber :”we had a meeting at the US State Department. We were told that the US does not have a policy of regime change in Iran, instead the US policy is changing the behaviour of the Islamic regime! So I asked,...
Afghanistan: Errors of Judgment
In his first roundup for Global Voices, Joshua Foust takes a tour of mostly Western experts on Afghanistan to see where and how things are changing. This week, he focuses on the newly unveiled American opium eradication campaign.
Myanmar: Fuel Price Protests
New Mandala reports on the continuing protests against the fuel price rise in Myanmar.
Thailand: Online Video Sites Down, YouTube Works
Bangkok Pundit says Thai people can now access the previously banned YouTube site but couple of other video sites are not working.
Trinidad & Tobago: Infinite Island
Antilles highlights Infinite Island, a contemporary Caribbean art show which opens tomorrow at the Brooklyn Museum.
Singapore: Unlikely Allies
Little Bridge finds African students taking the side of Chinese students in a campus fight with Mongolian students.
Guyana: Dark Side of the Moon
Guyana-Gyal might have missed an eclipse…
Trinidad & Tobago: Poor Salesmanship
Caribbean Public Relations blogs about “a perfect example of poor customer service and salesmanship.”