Stories from 18 August 2010
Morocco: Fasting Versus Individual Liberties
For most Muslims, the holy month of Ramadan is a time of peace, of reflection, of family and faith. But for those who have given up on religion, Ramadan can be a difficult time, especially when you live in Morocco, where fasting is obligatory.
Russia: Anglophone Bloggers Discuss Social and Political Aspects of the Wildfires
Anglophone Russia bloggers have been discussing social and political aspects of the catastrophic wildfires and the ongoing firefighting efforts in central Russia since early August. Here is a selection of their views.
U.S.A.: Russophone Students Blog About Work and Travel Program
Every summer thousands of college students from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries come to the United States to take part in the Work and Travel USA program. Many blog about their experiences and impressions.
Paraguay: Soaring Soybean Production Prompts Clashes
As the global demand for soy rises, Paraguay has become the world's fastest-growing producer of the crop. But with resulting riches have also come battles over land rights and environmental concerns.
East Timor: Raging debate on “culture”
Blog Timor News Network has republished a Facebook debate which was kicked off in late July by Augusto da Silva who posted a well-crafted essay by Fidelis Maglhães, challenging Timorese usage of “culture”. Magalhães was responding to a photo of the people of a mountain town carrying the PM.
India: Tell Your Story With Twitter Tales
Mathew Ingram at Giga Om informs that Twitter has introduced ‘Twitter Tales‘, a collection of stories from users about how the service has helped them or affected their lives. @natashabadhwar, an Indian tweep from New Delhi was featured in the life section.
Pakistan Flood Incident Reporting System Based On Ushahidi
Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House reports in details about the Ushahidi Crowdmap engine powered Pakistan Flood Incident Reporting site, which acts as a crowd-sourcing “data portal designed to gather comprehensive and dynamic information on disaster-related variables”.
Bangladesh made boat reaches France
Bangladesh Watchdog informs that an ‘unsinkable eco-friendly’ boat made of jute fibre has reached the coast of La Ciotat, South of France after an eight month long journey from Bangladesh. The mission of the sail was to highlight the problems Bangladeshi fishermen are facing due to global warming.
Brazil: Dona Delma on Twitter
“Dona Delma” has been on the worldwide Trending Topics for a week and , so far, most Twitter users haven't figured out the real meaning of it. Blog Hiper-Tension, copies [pt] the original post [pt] from a Brazilian Orkut's community, explaining the practical joke which consists of simply adding “Dona...
Nicaragua: Blog Informs About LGBT Community
Grupo de Diversidad Sexual de Carazo (Sexual Diversity Group from Carazo) keeps a blog [es] called Espacio Comunicación Alternativa (Space for Alternative Communication), where they aim to, “Create alternative and accessible processes to inform, communicate and teach LGBT youth, to achieve empowerment, recognition and respect for different sexual orientations and...
Nigeria: Citizen Reporter Interviews Fiery Lagos Preacher
A video of a citizen reporter, Kayode Ogundamisi, interviewing fiery Lagos pastor of the convener of the Save Nigeria Group.
South Africa: Would Media Appeals Tribunal be constitutional?
Pierre de Vos discusses the constitutionality of the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal (MAP) in South Africa: “The legislature will thus either pass a law creating a MAP that will not change anything, or it will pass a law creating a MAP that would be unconstitutional…”
Nigeria: Communications Commission wants to track your movement
Should the Nigerian Communications Commission be allowed to track your movement? David Ajao answers: “This is ludicrous. Telecom operators are now law enforcement agencies. Even if the NCC was allowed to implement this absurdity, how would they access the GPS coordinates of a mobile phone…”
Africa: Maker Faire Africa 2010
MightyAfrican writes about Maker Faire Africa 2010. Maker Faire is an event that features African-made products amongst others: “If you are in Kenya this August 26 to 28, you should attend this event at the University of Nairobi campus.”
Ghana: Footbal star ventures into music
The Ghanaian football star Asamoah Gyan has become the first footballer to venture into hiplife music.
Venezuela: Violent Images Censored for a Month
The Devil's Excrement shares images of Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional with the word “Censurado” (Censored) over the space where images would normally appear. In a previous post, the blogger explains, “a Judge issues the following prohibition [es] ‘For the next four weeks, no newspaper, magazine or weekly of the country...
El Salvador: Cheerleaders Banned from Independece Celebrations
In the blog Gatos Frentudos [es] Chambita Hernandez writes about a recent decision to ban cheerleaders from independence celebrations, starting with the bicentennial. Since 1960, cheerleaders have been part of annual independence parades.
Haiti: Presidential Candidates
Can Wycelf run for President or not? Dessalines’ Children republishes a report which confirms that “Haiti’s electoral board [has] decided to push back to August 20 its release of a final list of presidential candidates…”
Trinidad & Tobago: Fasting
As the end of the first week of Ramadan approaches, Lifespan of a Chennette shares a bit about those all-important meals.
Trinidad & Tobago: Toco Lighthouse
“No trip to Toco is complete without visiting the lighthouse that sits on the north eastern tip of Trinidad”: My Chutney Garden regales us with tales from her journey.
Cuba: Same Old?
As U.S. President Obama prepares to reconsider the travel ban on Cuba, Uncommon Sense says: “Before he does so, he might want to consider the assessment of the three prisoners who were released this week.”
