Sunday Morning Reading

A few bits of reading I came across this morning:

Abkhazia: recognising the ruins

Armenians Seek Language Rights in Georgia

Georgia + Cold War Radioactive Material

An interesting article....

Georgia a crossroads for black-market Russian nuclear material

Democratic Transition without Violence

From the New York Times, a piece about Monday's elections in Georgia:

Georgia's President Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election

Election Time in Georgia

Elections are being held in Georgia on Monday. I wonder how it's all going to shake out...

In the Caucasus: Protests and Scandals Dominate Georgia's Elections

Georgia Holds Its Breath

I'm spending election day in Turkey.

Protests in Tbilisi

Also in the news....

Georgian prison torture: Citizens protest in thousands

Videos of Inmates Abuse, Rape Emerge

USAid Is Leaving Russia

This article from the BBC caught my eye this morning:

USAid shuts down Russian operation

Dear Mom, Don't Read This

Okay....so that's not a fair title for this post. Seeing that, of course she'll read what I have to say. I was looking through news articles on Gori and came across one in the Guardian that features a photo of my apartment building. Gori was bombed by the Russians in 2008 and the resulting damage is still visible around town. In fact, some of the schools I conduct observations at were hit.

'I got my children out minutes before the bombs fell': Stories of survival and destruction from the residents of the Georgian town hit by Russian jets that missed their target

Passport Stamps of Kosovo

As Kosovo attempts to take control over its northern borders with Serbia, I thought I'd post photos of Kosovo passport stamps. The first is an old UNMIK passport stamp (from when the United Nations Mission in Kosovo controlled border entries and exits), and the second is the stamp that is in use in Kosovo currently.

From the news outlets...

Kosovo tense after deadly clash on Serbian border

Pleas for calm after Kosovo border raids

Kosovo PM Defends Police Attempt to Sieze Border Posts

Deal struck to defuse tension in north Kosovo

Typhoon Ma-On

By all accounts, there's a fairly strong typhoon headed Hiroshima's way. We'll likely be affected tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday. Luckily, I've already gotten rid of all my patio furniture so there's nothing for me to batten down.

Some further reading:

Very strong and very large Typhoon Ma-On (1106) may be coming to Japan

Powerful typhoon moving toward Japan's main islands

Typhoon 08W (Ma-On) (FYI, the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni is close to Hiroshima)

Hopefully classes won't be cancelled tomorrow. I have vocabulary tests scheduled! If you'd like to keep tabs on me, you can always read my Twitter feed in the sidebar on the right. Hopefully, we'll just have heavy rainfall and moderate winds. Fingers crossed!

Two Small Reasons I Love Japan

Here's a little bit of reading for you this windy Tuesday morning (windy in Reno, at least...we're expecting gusts up to 60 mph).

Japan Proves Truly "A Friend Indeed" After Hurricane Katrina

(via @kirsty_girl & @makiwi)

After each disaster Japan rebuilds bigger and better

(via @SoonerGirl2 & @jaxsensei)

Live News Coverage from Japan in English

NHK, which is Japan's national broadcasting corporation, is broadcasting live on ustream. This link should take you to their live stream, which is translated into English.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

I had some problems when copying and pasting the link, so if that's giving you issues, try clicking on it directly. (Thanks very much to my friend Egg for the link!)

News

From my readings today....

K. Serbs in warning over license plates

The hidden crimes of Kosovo

How Corrupt Governments Make a Killing on Human Organs

Turkish doctor suspected of human organ trafficking arrested

No More Care Packages From K

I've been known to send the occasional care package every now and again. However, I won't be sending anything over 453 grams.

453-gram limit on U.S.-bound mail

Security Theater: The Ripples Spread to Japan

I am really, really glad I don't have to send Christmas packages.

Tuesday News

Kosovo is a small country and there aren't many places a Kosovar can travel without a visa (which can be prohibitively expensive).

Officials warn of Kosovo citizens getting Albanian passports

K. Albanians seek Albania's

Pristina's paths

Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages

It's hard for me to imagine being confined to such a small area. If I were stuck in a visa ghetto, I wonder what I'd do...

Those 50+ Need Not Apply

I don't know how I missed this one:

Kosovo official: University violating rights

Thursday News

I haven't posted anything to read for a while. Here's what's catching my eye today:

Protest Set on Mother Teresa Decision

Angelina Jolie to Direct Bosnian War Story

Kosovo Starts to Find an Independent Identity

Friday Reading

Kosovo is in the news again. This time it's due to the International Court of Justice's ruling on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia. I imagine that there's a lot of crazy celebration going on around the country at this exact moment.

Serbia and Kosovo react to ICJ ruling

K. Albanians hail ICJ decision as big victory

U.N. Court Rules Kosovo Declaration Was Legal


Of course, all this hullabaloo suddenly puts Haradinaj on the back burner, news wise.

Former Kosovo premier faces war crimes trial

Former Kosovo Leader to Be Retried

Acne, Adorable?

You should never wonder why I love Japan. :)

Teenage acne considered cute!?

As a side note, the only TV I ever really see is CNN and Proactiv commercials are on heavy rotation between news bites.

Friday Reading

Kosovo "gay spy affair" in court

End of the road for Kosovo organ claims?

Bill Clinton's still their man

Visa on Notebook Paper?

Is this how the EU's European policy works? Yeesh.

Passport impasse