Stories from 11 November 2010
Thailand's forest monks
Paul Garrigan blogs about the forest monks of Thailand. These Buddhist monks left the temples to wander in the forests and live like ascetics.
Food From Northern Laos blog
Authors of The Boat Landing Cookbook have set-up a blog to promote the food and cultural diversity of northern Laos
Thailand: Newspaper “awards” Roberto Baggio with Nobel Peace Prize
The Nation, a major broadsheet in Thailand, made the mistake of naming football legend Roberto Baggio as one of the winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize’. It has since then corrected the inaccurate news item but netizens have already documented the mistake.
Technology for Transparency: Five New Cases, With More to Come!
The Technology for Transparency Network is thrilled to announce the start of the publication of our second phase of research. Beginning with five cases — Accountability Initiative in India, Amatora mu mahoro in Burundi, Democrator.ru in Russia, Excelências in Brazil, and Mam Prawo Wiedzieć in Poland — we will be...
Obama's Indonesian Homecoming Charms Residents
Barack Obama thrilled the crowd of over 6,500 excited Indonesians who came to hear the U.S. President address their nation at the University of Indonesia. Reactions from twitter and blogs were equally complimentary
Nepal: Police Arrest Muslim Man For Selling Cow Meat
XNepali criticizes Nepalese authority's decision to arrest a Muslim man from Eastern Nepal on charges of selling cow meat.
Deforestation Is A Threat In Nepal
Bhumika Ghimire informs that Deforestation is a growing problem in Nepal with only 29% of the country's forests remaining.
Paksitan Needs Tax Reform
“Pakistan needs serious tax reform,” opines Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan.
Technology for Transparency: Government Accountability in India
As the Technology for Transparency Network has mapped different transparency projects around the world, we have been excited to discover how enthusiasm for a more ethical and transparent society is flourishing everywhere. A protagonist of these changes is India, the largest, most diverse democracy in the world.
Sudan: Abyei is not a shared area
Maggie writes about a new sign in Juba that reads, “Abyei is not a shared area. Nothing more to be compromised.” She writes: “…but a new sign in Juba speaks to the hardened sentiments surrounding this strategic border zone.”
D. R. of Congo: The New Universal Mantra
The new universal mantra in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “These people aren't taking any chances. They've already launched a presidential bid on behalf of Kabila and it's very ambitious: “To ensure the reelection of the Raïs in the first round of the presidential election of 2011.”
Sudan: Photos from Miss Malaika 2010
Photos from the preliminary round of Miss Malaika 2010, a beauty pageant in Juba, Southern Sudan: “It was an enjoyable evening–in my view not because of the cat-walking and high fashion, but because it was a celebration of Southern Sudan’s diverse cultures.”
Puerto Rico: Government Solidifies Grip on The Supreme Court
For the first time in history, the pro-statehood National Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP) has a majority of judges in the country's Supreme Court. The court, in a partisan 4-3 vote asked last week to increase the number of sitting judges to nine which could give the NPP a solid 6-3 majority in the court for years to come. The blogosphere and online media react.
D.R. of Congo: Letter from the capital of rape
I am writing these words from the world capital of rape. I’m not the one who named it that way, but Margot Wallström, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations, with regard to violence against women. So you understand, I am in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where women...
Zambia: Community Entrepreneurship
An example of community entrepreneurship in Zambia: “Four of our entrepreneurs started a community store with their loan money. By combining their loans, they were able to hire another member of their village to build them a shop – now not only are our entrepreneurs benefiting off this co-op, but...
Uganda: President's Rap Song
Ugandan President's own rap music: “In the case of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the bright yellow of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is accompanied by a song that has become a national hit. It seems to be boosting his popularity among the youth…”
Haiti: Abuse of Power?
HaitiAnalysis.com republishes an article from a grassroots community development organization which wonders whether stabilization is actually a euphemism for subordination.
Trinidad & Tobago: Fazeer's Firing
Bloggers discuss the firing of talk show host Fazeer Mohammed – KnowTnT.com: “If the first premise of a national media house is to promote government's agenda then it is their right to hire agents who will work towards this…”; Lisa Allen-Agostini counters: “If it is government policy to usurp the...
Trinidad & Tobago: Unreasonable Bailout
“The unstated assumption is that if someone has to stand the bounce…that someone must be the taxpayer. That could never be the correct position”: Afra Raymond wants the facts of the CL Financial collapse and bailout.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Illegal Monitoring
As news breaks that illegal interception of private conversations was taking place within Trinidad and Tobago's National Security Ministry, Barbados Underground wonders whether the same thing could be happening in Barbados and asks: “Who is guarding the guards?”
Jamaica: Dancehall and the Law
Reggae icon Buju Banton is finally out on bail; Girl With a Purpose calls this latest development “a small victory” and notes that “in the meantime, two infamous Jamaican Dancehall artistes…Vybz Kartel and…Mavado were listed as persons of interest” by Jamaican police.
