Stories from 21 July 2009
Russia: Social Networking
Profy writes about social networking in Russia.
Poland: #KDT Battle in Warsaw
Polish blogosphere had an interesting day today due to the conflict between shopkeepers of Kupiecki Dom Towarowy - a shopping complex in the center of Warsaw - and the police. Sylwia Presley reports on the bloggers' coverage of the confrontation.
Libya: Rugby anyone?
Rugby in Libya? Khadija Teri reposts an announcement and notes: “Nothing on the brochure is mentioned about gender… do females play Rugby? I guess this would be a good way to work out your aggressions.”
Lebanon: No He Can't!
“No he can't!” chants Sophia from Lebanese blog Les Politiques on the controversy surrounding the release of Guantanamo Bay prisoners, following US President Barack Obama's promise to close down the detention camp.
Syria: Focus on Ability
Syrian blog Common English Mistakes Podcast continues its series of podcasts [Ar]. This episode focuses on the use of the word ability.
Syria: Who eats fruit?
Syrian Kinan Jarjous argues against eating fruit in this humourous post.
Turkey: Kurdish Newspaper Confiscated
Children of the Sun reports that the July 8th issue of the Kurdish newspaper Azadiya Welat was confiscated by authorities after it published allegations of a 23-year old woman who was raped by men claiming to the be the police. Reportedly, there have been more than 10 complaints of police...
Japan: Cat mania
The spreading of communities of people with same interests and hobbies is not new in the internet society. Netizens often exchange news, suggestions and picture on things and activities they share a common interest on. In Japan that is not only limited to hobbies, however, also love for pets is...
Japan: Japanese characters as ccTLD?
Motoko Hunt reports that a new conference is being set up to discuss Japanese ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) issues. We'll be seeing ccTLD with Japanese characters, such as “xx.日本”. (日本 is ‘Japan’ in Japanese.)
Bangladesh: Research In The Universities
Bijon B. Sarma at Mukto-Mona describes the role of research in the universities of Bangladesh.
Jamaica: The Last Don
As “word on the street has it that the Jamaican Security Forces have created a ‘Don Squad'”, Annie Paul interviews the man behind the film The Last Don, “about the process of making this comic documentary and his own history as a film-maker and photographer.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Media Responsibility
Attillah Springer considers the role of the local media in light of a comment by the Prime Minister: “It’s a time-honoured tradition in Trinidad now for Prime Ministers to have suspicion and contempt for the media. Papa Patos is right this time though. The media aren’t playing their role properly....
Pakistan: Cyber Crimes Act Threatens Freedom Of Speech
Pak Tea House criticizes the move of Pakistan government to “trace SMS (or text messages) and e-mails that ‘slander the political leadership of the country’ under the vague Cyber Crimes Act.” Mistakenly forwarding a joke about the president via SMS can cost someone a 14-year prison sentence and properties seized.
Trinidad & Tobago: In Pictures
A few “random shots” of Trinidad and Tobago, courtesy This Beach Called Life.
Barbados: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
“Our culture and attitudes must change from that of ‘guvment take care of it’ to ‘This street is mine and I must take care of my property’.”: Barbados Free Press says that there's no excuse for not recycling.
Barbados: Breath, Art, Memory
As Barbadian blogger Ingrid Persaud struggles with an art commission about memory “in the context of a larger exhibition about the international preservation of documentary memory”, she says: “Memories are things we have a place in our history for. Trauma is the stuff that has not yet found its place....
Nepal, India: Positive Energy To Beat Pessimism
kasthamandap of Thinking About Nepal visited the Indian capital recently and comments: “it just felt good to be in a place where positive energy seems to overwhelm the pessimism, especially going from Nepal where pessimism and negative thinking takes over and often overshadows optimism and positive thinking.”
Pakistan: The Unheard Stories Of Pedophilia
Sana Saleem at Mystified Justice brings up the issue of the shocking presence of pedophilia in the conservative Pakistani society and talks about the affected children living the horrors of their past.
India: Debate On BJP
Shveta Chhatra – Offstumped site for the New Big Tent republishes prominent Indian journalist, author, and politician Arun Shourie's detailed analysis of the political party BJP (Part 1, 2, 3, 4) which ensued a lively debate in the comment section.
Ecuador: Reactions After a Bus Robbery in Guayaquil
Crime can be a daily reality for many Ecuadorians, whether it be on the streets or during routine parts of one's day. For blogger José Andrés López Alvarez, he encountered one of these episodes while riding on a bus on the streets of Guayaquil.
Peru: Economic Impact of Canceling Events Due to H1N1 Virus
In order to slow down the spread of the H1N1 virus, the Peruvian government is considering canceling events in which a large number of people congregate such as the upcoming military parade. Caviar de Cianuro [es] examines the economic impact such a move would have, especially on walking vendors who...
