Stories about Weblog from June, 2007
Iran: Protestors Torch Gas Stations
Enraged Iranian protesters torched several gas stations in Tehran and other cities on Wednesday, after the Iranian government announced fuel rationing for private vehicles. There is news item in Ilna [Fa], Iranian Labour news agency, reporting that people were killed in Yasouj, in southwestern Iran, during the protest. Iran is...
Discovering the Mozambican blogosphere through the “Diary of a Sociologist”
While navigating around the Mozambican blogosphere, I came across the “Diary of a Sociologist” – a blog by Carlos Serra, a Maputo-based Mozambican sociologist associated to the University Eduardo Mondlane, the country’s public university. It has, therefore, the potential to offer an interesting mix of personal commentary and academic observation,...
Korea: Media and Business
Last June, a reporter at a magazine, Sisa Journal, wrote an article related to Samsung. It was not a good story for the image of Samsung. Through friendship with Samsung and pressure from it, the magazine’s vice-president, who had a position as the president of a Samsung branch newspaper, asked...
Colombia: Outrage and Anger at FARC for the Death of 11 Lawmakers
Colombians awoke on the morning of June 28 to the news that 11 of 12 kidnapped deputies had been killed. The word from the FARC rebel group was that they were caught in the crossfire when the Colombian army staged a rescue attempt, however, many bloggers do not buy their explanation, as contempt for this group continues to grow and grow.
Palestine: What's Going On in Gaza?
"In this day and age communications can turn the devil into angel and beat the angel to a pulp," says blogger Ramzi Khoury. This week, Jillian York attempts to dig beyond the news to find out what's really happening in the Palestinian blogosphere.
Bahrain: The Tale of a ‘Legal Slave’
No longer a tax haven, people in Bahrain are fuming at the introduction of a one per cent tax to benefit an Unemployment Fund. Bloggers caught on the bug and are ranting and fuming on their blogs in this report by Ayesha Saldanha. In other related matters, bloggers talk about a new law which bans workers from working between noon and 4pm in the summer heat, lavish weddings and the forgotten 'martyrs' of the civil unrest which rocked Bahrain in the 90s.
Bangladesh: Rediscovering cultural roots, facing challenges and acknowledging successes
“How effectively a society is able to cope with the challenges it faces depend largely on its culture.” Shahzaman Mazumder tries to find the cultural roots of Bangladesh and provides a good analysis on the Bangladeshis: “Mostly fishermen, weavers, potters, and small farmers inhibited the territory that is today called...
Japanese Enlist for Billy's Boot Camp
Billy's Boot Camp has hit Japan, and Japanese bloggers are talking all about the show's star, Billy Blanks. Athlete of the year in the USA Karete Hall of Fame and actor in a number of American action-adventure feature films, Blanks has now brought his show to Japan, where it is making the rounds of local TV stations, drawing reactions from bloggers.
Ukraine: A Spanish Embassy Ordeal
In an ideal world, there'd be no need for travelers to waste their time and money obtaining visas: buying a plane ticket and booking a hotel room would suffice. Tanya Kremen, a Ukrainian journalist, studies Spanish but feels that a plane ticket to Latin America costs too much. So she decided to go to Spain. She had a valid visa - unlike the two of her friends who wanted to go along. What follows is the story of their frustrating visit to the Spanish Embassy in Kyiv, posted by Tanya on her blog at Korrespondent.net.
Tanzanian bloggers virtual election, Taifa Stars African Cup of Nations victory and a backflip in the parliament
Tanzanian bloggers virtual election, VIP treatment in the House of Parliament for Tanzania's National Team, Taifa Stars, after African Cup of Nations victory, alleged Bank of Tanzania embezzlement and a backflip in the parliament by a vocal member of Parliament. These are some of the issues dominating Swahili blogosphere.
Arabeyes: The Moment of Truth for a Jordanian Father
Today's Arabeyes makes five stops - two in Kuwait and Saudi each and a last stop in Jordan, where a blogger and journalist is forced to face himself and take a stance on the Palestinian infighting between Fatah and Hamas.
Syrian Blogsphere: Reform, Arab Nationalism and Travel
Why was a Syrian student blogger sued in the US? What should the Syrians do in Lebanon? Where is Arab Nationalism leading us to and what do you feel when you pack five cities into 11 days? These are some of the issues Syrian bloggers were talking about in this week's review by Yazan Badran.
Egypt: Freedom of Worship, Blogs to the Press, Anti-torture Campaigns Continue and More
In this week’s round-up from the Egyptian blogosphere, I am highlighting freedom of worship from two blog posts by Big Pharaoh and Baha’i Faith in Egypt, how an Egyptian blogger has started covering blogs for a weekly newspaper in Egypt, how anti-torture campaigns by bloggers extend to one of Egypt’s coastal cities and finally a technological tip by Greendata blog for Facebook users.
China: Bloggers take on drugs
June 26 was the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, how did your local blogsphere cover it? China took an integrated approach this year: celebrities, posters, online video, petitions and coverage of a public trial of convicted traffickers.
Morocco: Telecoms, The Blogging Grand Prix, and Reactions to Salman Rushdie's Knighthood
Blogging has indeed become a popular Moroccan pastime, with new blogs cropping up every day. Pointblog.com (fr), a self-described magazine of blogging, reports on the first Grand Prix des Blogs:” Une centaine de blogueurs marocains a participé au 1 er GrandPrix des Blogs organisé par le portail Bayn. Khadija Housni,...
Korea: 6.25
It was 6.25, the 27th anniversary of the start of the Korean War. The day was quiet. Very few special events compared to the past. How do Korean bloggers consider the Korean War? They expressed what this date means to them in the past and at the present. Dolstone2002: 어렸을때...
China: Boycotting Beijing Olympics? They have ill intentions.
From Mia Farrow to François Bayrou to US Congressmen, every news or report about boycotting Beijing Olympics has provoked rounds of anger from China's netizens. In a widely cross-posted blog post Boycotting Olympic: A farce doomed to failure, Wang Chong, a political commentor, grouped the boycotting Beijing Olympics advocators into...
Taiwan: Fifth Day Festival
(photo courtesy of judie) Fifth Day Festival is another name for the Dragon Boat Festival or Duanwu Festival because it is May fifth in the lunar calendar (June 19th this year). There are different ways to interpret the festival's cultural events we hold. The ‘traditional’ interpretation is to commemorate a...
Russia: “Completely Different Other Russias”
There was no police "overreaction" during the opposition's latest Dissenters' March in Moscow - possibly, because the organizers decided not to follow up the rally on Pushkinskaya Square with the actual marching. Everyone made their speeches - or so it seemed, until the blogosphere offered a not-so-pleasant revelation: opposition activist Maria Gaidar was prevented from addressing the crowd by Eduard Limonov, leader of the National Bolshevik Party and Garry Kasparov's close ally in the Other Russia anti-government coalition.
Madagascar: A New Hope and Weighing in on the “Aid for Africa” Debate
The hope generated from the TED conference in Arusha that Africa is on its way up has inspired the Malagasy blogosphere. Aiky reports that Malagasy senator Christian Razafimbahiny wrote a manual for success in which he asks the Malagasy youth to reach for their dreams. . Aiky himself wonders: «...
Guatemala: An Open Internet – Anyone Can Blog
In the early 90s, the press was controlled, and only the privileged had access to the new internet phenomenon. Once the telecommunications industry was privatized, many more had access to the world wide web, and as a result many more people had the opportunity to blog. Political parties, watchdog groups, and even a member of an elite army unit now had the power to say what they wanted.
