Stories from 8 March 2009
Palestine: Book Based on Gazan Blog
Posts from the group blog Moments of Gaza are part of a new book: “Maximilien Le Roy [Fr] from France, showed his kind support to Gaza and its victims through art. He recently made a book [Fr] that includes quotes from this blog and drawings inspired by the events on...
Palestine: Documentaries of Gazan Lives
Gazan blogger Lina Hesham, writing at 360 km2 of Chaos, praises a series of documentaries by Al Jazeera English about life in the Gaza Strip.
Palestine: Gazan Blogger to visit UK
Gazan blogger and photojournalist Sameh Habeeb is on his way to London to start a speaking tour: “I'll be speaking at the parliament, touring at colleges and universities to bring more awareness about Palestine and the last war launched against Gaza.”
Palestine: Life in Shuafat Refugee Camp
Ruba Anabtawi writes about life in the Palestinian refugee camp of Shuafat – which is within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem [Ar].
Libya: Berber Archive to Close
Lameen Souag reports at Jabal al-Lughat that a valuable online resource will soon close, possibly for political reasons: “Tawalt is a nine-year-old Libya-focused Amazigh/Berber website with a remarkable collection of audio recordings and resources for some of the least well documented Berber languages – those of Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt…If...
Palestine: Visiting Gaza's Bath-house
Louisa Waugh, writing at the New Internationalist's Gaza Blog, describes a visit to Gaza's only Turkish bath-house.
Syria: Anti-LGBT Campaign Sparks Heated Debate
This weekend the Syrian blogosphere warmed up for a new confrontation. A group of bloggers launched a campaign against the spread of blogs advancing LGBT rights, and the response came quick. LGBT is controversial everywhere, but within a society that is conservative in its majority, the topic gets much more sensitive and hotly-debated, writes Yazan Badran.
Brazil: Introducing the Web, a “Digital Baptism”
A "Digital Baptism" workshop brought digital inclusion to Belo Horizonte, the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais this Saturday, introducing the basics of using a computer to those who had never had the chance before or teaching more advanced tools to more advanced users. See some pictures and videos from the action packed day.
Bangladesh: YouTube And Esnips ban confirmed
Mash at Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying reports that “Bangladesh has blocked YouTube and some other file sharing websites after audio of a meeting between the Prime Minister and a large gathering of army senior officers was leaked and posted on YouTube.” Quoting news sources the blogger confirms...
Egypt: Diigo Fever
Diigo fever grips Egypt. Hossam El Hamalawy explains.
Qatar: Zeidi's Brother Speaks Out
Ammar Talk [Ar], in Doha, Qatar, interviews the brother of Iraqi Monthadar Al Zeidi, who threw his shoes at former US President George W Bush during a Press conference in Iraq late last year.
Jordan's “shameful reaction”
Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah is incensed with his countries “shameful reaction” towards Israel's plans to demolish 180 homes in East Jerusalem and evict 1,500 Palestinians. “[T]he reaction from the Jordanian state has been, as usual, quite horrendous, offering no more than a “denunciation” of Israel’s actions. Even the masses aren’t allowed...
Egypt: State Security following you on Twitter?
You are checking your emails. You get a message which reads: “State security is now following you on Twitter!” Egyptian Moftasa offers an explanation here.
Egypt: Poster to Mark International Women's Day
Egyptian Leftist posts this poster to mark the International Women's Day.
Saudi Arabia: Women can ride horses
Susie, an American married to a Saudi and living in Jeddah, takes her son to a riding school and notes: “Although there are many things that women cannot do here in Saudi Arabia, horseback riding is not one of them. Private equestrian centers are places where women are free to...
Turkey: Pictures from Istanbul
Travels in Turkey shares some photographs from Istanbul in this post.
Palestine: Welcome to Hebron
Mo-ha-med introduces a documentary about Hebron: “While I found absolutely repulsive the horror the Palestinians live in, what shocked me the most was the normalcy of it all.”
Qatar: The nature of exploitation
Qatari blogger ALFARES writes a thoughtful post [Ar] about self-interest, and the tendency of most people to exploit others.
MENA: Clinton Does the Middle East
Hillary Clinton wrapped up her first visit to the Middle East as US Secretary of State, with stopovers in Sharm El Sheikh, Israel, the West Bank and Turkey. Bloggers from the region discuss Clinton's visit in this post.
Armenia: International Women's Day
Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor posts photographs and an account of how some civil society groups marked International Women's Day in Armenia on the Frontline Club blog. In a country known for its traditional and patriarchal tendencies the day was observed not without its incidents.
Egypt: Blogger Mohamed Adel Released
Egyptian bloggers report that Mohammed Adel, a blogger held in custody since November 21, 2008, has been released. Marwa Rakha sums up their reactions in this post.
