Stories from 20 February 2008
Jordan: Linux Disaster
“I did a silly thing and decided to switch to Linux today. My laptop is no longer functional, it talks in strange tongues now and will not do anything. I will be back when my life is a little less ruined,” writes TololyJ, from Jordan.
Russia: Volga Cars
History of Volga cars – at Windows to Russia!
Russia: BP Closes Sakhalin Office
BP has closed its Sakhalin office, White Sun of the Desert reports.
Russia: Adamov's Case
Siberian Light reports on the case of Russia's former Nuclear Power Minister Yevgeny Adamov.
Kosovo: “Western Protectorate” Tradition
“Kosova’s status as a Western protectorate, replete with a banal, EU-style flag, is therefore entirely in keeping with the tradition of earlier Balkan states that successfully achieved their independence under Great Power guidance,” writes Greater Surbiton.
Kosovo: Implications and Consequences
“Kosovo’s declaration of independence has meant that a state of uncertainty has returned to the region,” writes Balkan Baby.
Albania: Kosovo/Serbia Cartoon
Albanian Blogger posts an image “portraying Kosova’s declaration of independence from Serbia” – along with a “personal disclaimer.”
Ukraine: Yatsenyuk and Highway Patrol
Ukrainiana writes about Ukraine's parliamentary speaker's rough encounter with the “Ukrainian driving culture” – impersonated by “the deputy chief of Kobra, a special highway patrol force authorized to inspect officials’ cars.”
Madagascar: After the storm Ivan, the aftermath
Tropical Cyclone Ivan has now left Madagascar leaving behind several regions in shambles and thousands of people without homes. The official account by the authorities reports 2 deaths and 15,000 people without homes. Considering that Ivan was classified as a very severe cyclonic storm with winds at up to 137 km/h, many people are wondering what might be the final count of actual casualties and damages.
Kosovo: Views from the Russophone Blogosphere
According to the Yandex Blogs portal, over 3,700 posts on Kosovo independence have appeared in the Russian-language blogosphere in the past three days. Some of these posts have received dozens, if not hundreds, of comments. Below are a few snippets of this lively discussion, all translated from Russian.
Jordan: Country in Denial
Tololy, from Jordan, is angry her country has rejected a Human Rights Watch report on Jordan as baseless. “Some times I wish there was a huge creature who could slap Jordan on the face and wake us all up,” she writes.
Jordan: Baby on Board Stickers
Ibrahim Owais, from Jordan, draws our attention to a Baby on Board sticker for garbage bin. The campaign, from Italy, is part of a drive to stop people from ‘dumping’ newborns into garbage bins.
French immigration minister: ‘France isn't racist’
Forum Realisance summarizes French immigration minister Brice Hortefeux's recent interview [Fr] with Jeune Afrique in which he discussed DNA testing for immigrants, immigration quotas, expulsion and other controversial issues, finally stating, “No, France is not racist.”
Burkina Faso: Comedy Festival in Ouagadougou
QuophyBlogeur writes about Burkina Faso's first comedy festival [Fr], and its “magic to break from the monotony of life and overcome life's most difficult situations.”
San Francisco Gay Choir, in Arabic
Zizou from Djerba blogs about the San Francisco Gay Choir‘s performance of Safeer El Layl, quite possibly the world's first gay-themed choral number to be written and sung in Arabic.
Colombia: New Television Channel Zoom TV
Campus Comunicativo [es] writes about a new university television channel called Zoom TV, and lists some challenges, including how much influence will the government have on the message and content.
India: Auction and cricket players
Smoke Signals on the bidding process for cricket players for the Indian Premier League.
Pakistan: Elections and after
Pakistan Paindabad on the morning after the elections – the results are in and life gone as usual.
Pakistan: Voting dilemmas
Lahore Nama on the the dilemmas of a Lahori voter in the recently held elections in Pakistan.
South Asia: Managing urban growth
Development Industry on manging urban growth in South Asia – given that estimates suggest where over a third of the people live in urban areas.
Martinique: Dockworkers on strike. Again.
In Martinique, le blog de [moi] writes that the port of Fort-de-France is completely blocked [Fr], and has been for a week, by dockworkers on strike. She's not too sympathetic, noting, according to one report, that dockworkers’ salaries have doubled in the last five years, and that they last went...
