Back to blogging after a long hiatus, Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif lashes out at the way ‘poor unfortunate birds’ and animals are treated in his country. Click on the link to find out why Al Yousif's blood “is still boiling.”
15 May 2009
Stories from 15 May 2009
Tunisia: Ammar 404 is Back and Censoring Blogs Again
After a short hiatus, the dreaded Ammar 404 has once again attacked the Tunisian blogosphere. Ammar is the nickname given by Tunisian bloggers to the censorship machine plaguing their access to the Internet and his victim this time is Zig Zag blog by 3amrouch. Tunisian bloggers show solidarity with their colleague by reprinting the material which blocked his blog in the first place.
Guatemala: Rosenberg Video Causes Uncertainty and Speculation
A video was recently released by slain Guatemalan lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg where he accused President Alvaro Colom, the First Lady and 2 close associates of being responsible for his murder. The reactions by the Guatemalan blogosphere and twittosphere has even led to the arrest of one for inciting financial panic. However, there is speculation that even more could be targeted for spreading information and opinions about the case, which has been prominent using the hashtag #escandalogt. As details emerge, it is certain that it will continue to be a highly discussed topic.
Video: 48 Hour Young Lions YouTube Contest and others you can join
Tonight could be your chance to make it big in the online video field, almost anywhere you live. All it takes is 48 hours to make, upload and get as many votes on your video, and you could go to the Cannes Film Festival. If you can't make it on time, don't worry: following is a list of other contests open for participants from all around the world.
Saudi Arabia: Will Swine Flu Threaten Hajj?
Every year millions of Muslims converge to Mecca to perform Hajj (pilgrimage), one of the five pillars of Islam. Is this year's Hajj season being threatened by the A/H1N1 or Swine Flu virus? Bloggers commenting on the region weigh in.
Egypt: Court bans Porn Sites
Lawyer Nizar Ghorab (Ghorab translates to Crow in Arabic) filed a lawsuit calling for banning porn sites because they destroy the core values of the Egyptian society. The Administrative Court in Cairo ruled in his favor. Between anger and sarcasm, Egyptian bloggers react to the ruling.
Japan: ‘Yoshiharu Habu and Modern Shogi', an Open Translation Project
A volunteer translation project sprang up and translated all of Mochio Umeda's book "Watching Shogi from Silicon Valley - Habu Yoshiharu and Modern Times" into English in under a week.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers speak about Baku youth protest, detentions
Following a terrifying shooting spree at a Baku university which left 13 dead, students took to the streets to demand that a national day of mourning be declared in Azerbaijan. With the request falling on deaf ears, several youth activists, among them some bloggers, planned to protest the inaction, and specifically a festive holiday of flowers scheduled for 10 May. Many were detained.
This is why I don't like Disqus much; I have no idea when, or if,...