Stories from 24 July 2009
Hungary, Bolivia: Update on Rózsa-Flores’ Case
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on Eduardo Rózsa-Flores’ case.
Belarus: Flooded Streets of Minsk
Heavy rain caused flooding in the streets of Minsk on Friday: LJ user toxaby (RUS) posted 45 photos and LJ user black-hg (RUS) posted two.
Palestine: Back Home In Gaza
Dr. Mona El-Farra is back home in Gaza after a prolonged absence: “I now see a different Gaza, and it is not the Gaza I have known, it is like a city after an earthquake.”
Palestine: No Security
In the West Bank, activist Hannah Mermelstein writes: “A friend of mine here once told me that she never feels safe, so safety is not a consideration for her in making decisions. As much as I may try, I cannot truly imagine this lack of control.”
Palestine: Indigenous Solidarity
In the West Bank, Marcy Newman has been teaching young Palestinians about indigenous Americans, as preparation for a solidarity visit by a group of Native Americans next month.
Palestine: Photos Of Gaza
Antony Loewenstein is visiting Gaza, and is posting photos on his blog.
Palestine: A Gazan Haircut
From Gaza, Erin Cunningham writes on Twitter: “just had my hair cut by a wonderfully gay Gazan stylist whose salon has been firebombed several times by extremists. resilience = good hair.”
Egypt: “Fifty-seven years after the coup and we still are not able cope”
On the 57th anniversary of their revolution, Egyptians are still evaluating and debating how this historic event that started with the military coup d’etat has changed the their lives, and that of many future generations. Until today, bloggers continue to discuss and pinpoint the pros and the cons of the revolution, as well as the decisions of the Free Officers, who led the coup which turned Egypt from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.
Morocco: A Decade with Mohammed VI
When in July 1999, king Mohammed VI of Morocco ascended to the throne, the expectations for change and progress were such that many international observers foresaw an albeit difficult but inexorable march that would lead the country to a prosperous, liberal and democratic future. Ten years later, many bloggers and online news websites commemorate the first decade of the reign of Mohammed VI with hope for a better tomorrow.
Africa: The arrival of Seacom cable sparks debate
The arrival of an undersea cable that will increase bandwidth and lower Internet access costs throughout Africa has sparked debate and interest in the African blogoshere. Seacom, which links South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique to Europe and Asia, went live on Thursday, connecting eastern and southern Africa to the global broadband network.
Jamaica: Mento Master Missed
Repeating Islands remembers the life and career of Jamaica's Mento master, Theodore “T” Miller: “Mento is a style of Jamaican folk music that draws heavily on musical traditions brought to the island by African slaves…his loss, as the Gleaner recently reported, ‘represents a great loss to Jamaica’s cultural heritage’.”
Cuba: Political Arrests
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense links to a report that claims “there were 130 political arrests” in Cuba in the month of June.
Pakistan: Rain In Karachi
The recent record breaking rainfall in Karachi has made the lives of Karachites miserable and Kashif Aziz at Chowrangi questions “why Karachi suffers when it rains?”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Fatherly Advice
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp considers the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. from a father's perspective: “I want my son to be a man who has enough self confidence to think that he can overcome any obstacle and that he will not permit any kind...
Bermuda: The Race Card
Bermudian Catch a fire says that neither political party “has an exclusive monopoly on the race card”, claiming that both factions resort to using it.
Bangladesh: Photos Of Solar Eclipse
Anil Advani posts some amazing photos of the total solar eclipse of last Wednesday taken from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
India: The Chakmas Of Mizoram
Paritosh Chakma at Musings of a Chakma critically examines the position of the Chakmas in the Mizoram state of India – their social, economic conditions and political status and discusses about their struggles.
Azerbaijan: Fighting mirrors
Fighting windmills? Take a pill. recounts various events that have happened to Azerbaijan's youth movements in the past few months, including the detention of dozens of activists. The blog says that tomorrow a new initiative will be established to protect their rights.
China: Chinese Internet Memes For 2009
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a series of drawings that show some of the most popular terms in Chinese Internet 2009.
Japan: Mizuhiki twine art
Adamu from Multantfrog introduces a Japanese craft, Mizuhiki, which uses twine made from Japanese-style paper to create fancy bows and other designs.
South Korea: White Guys Blogging About Korean Women
An interesting conversation about a Korean woman questioning a white guy, in this case the blogger, on why he blogs about Korean women at the Grand Narrative.