Stories from 16 January 2009
Syria: Israel & The US
Rime Allaf of the blog Mosaics posts an editorial which questions just how intertwined the Israeli and US governments are.
Morocco: Libya's Coming of Age
A Moroccan About the World Around Him discusses the actions of newly appointed US ambassador to Tripoli Gene Cretz.
Israel: Loving and Hating Yonit Levi
Yonit Levi is the beloved anchorwoman for Israel's Channel 2. Over the past few days, however, she has become a pariah in the blogosphere for her reactions to the current crisis in Gaza, deemed as sympathetic to Palestinians. Jillian York has the story.
Bangladesh: A Festive Wedding
Geoffrey Hiller writes about a very special Bengali wedding and posts some colorful pictures.
Barbados, U.S.A.: Name Calling
“You going soon be inundated with children name D'Barack and Shabama and LaBama and such. Time to nip that in the bud”: Barbadian diaspora blogger Jdid wants Barack Obama to adjust his government's priorities.
Trinidad & Tobago: Tree Cutting, Belt Tightening
“The airport, which already looks like a sterile wasteland with all the grey paint and icky tiles, now bereft of the softening influence of vegetation. It looks like you've arrived in some place other than the Caribbean”: Coffeewallah thinks Trinidad is more like La La Land these days.
Cuba: Watching the Numbers
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to statistics from”an unofficial Cuban human rights group”, which suggest that dissidents continue to be “jailed or prosecuted because of their political opposition to the regime.”
Trinidad & Tobago: The Inferno?
“Somedays I feel that the effort to constantly be watching over my shoulder and worrying about the safety of friends and loved ones in this small country of just over 1Million people will wear me out”: Trin compares T&T to Dante's Inferno.
Morocco: A Country Divided Over Gaza
As a quorum of Arab leaders convene in Doha today, the world is wondering how their meeting might bring about a cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Yesterday, the news broke that King Mohammed VI of Morocco would not be attending the Doha or any other summit. Blogger react to that, and to the division of public opinion within Morocco, in this piece from Jillian York.
Barbados: Collapse Caused by Negligence
About a year and a half after this apartment collapse, an earth and atmospheric sciences expert concludes that the tragedy was caused by “gross negligence”. Barbados Free Press is calling for a proper inquest.
Costa Rica: After the Earthquake
A week has passed since the 6.2 Earthquake in Costa Rica, and on blogger and twitter people have been commenting on the aftermath, analyzing the relief efforts, the rescue operations and the media's coverage of the events. Blogger and journalist Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas has been updating regularly...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Pre-Inauguration Poem
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp pens “a simple lyric, for Barack Obama”.
Pakistan: Paypal and Ebay Services Required
In The Line Of Wire posts an open letter to eBay and PayPal asking why their services are not being offered for Pakistan, a country of 170 million people.
Sri Lanka: Alcoholism Is A Curse
Serendipity opines that alcoholism is a daily curse in Sri Lanka.
El Salvador: Campaign for the Coatepeque Lake
The Coatepeque Lake in El Salvador is nominated for one of the 7 Wonders of the World and a campaign has started to encourage Salvadorans to vote writes Hunnapuh [es].
Panama: The Arrival of the Lagartija Theater Group
In Panama, Hoja de Bijao [es] announces the arrival of the Lagartija Theater group of Ecuador to present the play Our Lady of the Clouds.
Kazakhstan: Prime-Minister Launched Blog
On January 9 the Press Office of the Government informed that Karim Massimov, the Prime-Minister of Kazakhstan, started his private, yet official blog. Last December the Prime –Minister visited Russian capital, where he gave the interview to Echo of Moscow radio station. There he was asked a series of uneasy...
Hong Kong: Election Consultation Deferred… It's Dog-Speak!
If constructive questions like the election consultation became "dog-speak" in the eye of top ruling elites (in the form of Freudian slip), what's the function of the Legislative council? Although LSD's legislators' dog's fight performance is disruptive, can the Legislative council be genuinely constructive with the un-democratic system?
Kyrgyzstan: Should They Stay, or Should They Go Now?
Ekspeditsya reports that the chatter about an imminent Kyrgyz decision to boot U.S. forces out of the Manas airbase has again resurfaced just days before President Kurmanbek Bakiyev sets off on his visit to Moscow.
Kyrgyztsan: New Head of Administration or Next President?
On 13th January Daniyar Usenov was assigned as the head of the president’s administration. The previous chief of the president’s administration Medet Sadyrkulov left his post voluntarily. He said that “he has completed the task of the recovery of the state mechanism”. A lot of people called Medet Sadyrkulov a...
Kazakhstan: Quantum of Kompromat
Adam writes about a new reported scandal, related to the chain of shady stories about Kazakhgate and subtle foreign activities of the Kazakh authorities.