· April, 2007

Stories about Youth from April, 2007

Trinidad & Tobago: Akon Controversy Continues

  30 April 2007

A hip-hop artist, a 15 year-old girl, a Port of Spain nightclub, some YouTube - and subsequently, WestIndianTube - videos. The Trinidad and Tobago blogosphere wasted no time in sounding off on the April 12th scandal that's raised numerous issues for the citizens of the twin-island nation.

Lebanon: Art, Water and Tensions

This week was marred by the kidnapping and killing of two Lebanese youth, bringing back memories from the dark years of the Lebanese civil war. This was the topic updated and analysed by most Lebanese bloggers. In addition to this sad event, there are blog posts featuring paintings, poetry and political analysis about the expected water crisis in the Middle East as well as the huge billboard with photos of the captured Israeli soldiers that was place on the southern Lebanese borders.

Iran: Crackdown on Women Again

Iranian police have begun to crackdown on women’s dress. After the Islamic revolution of 1979, women have been obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures and protect their modesty. Thousands of Iranian women were warned about their poor Islamic dress this week and several hundred were arrested in the capital Tehran in the fiercest crackdown in more than a decade for what’s known as “bad hijab”.

Brunei: Brunei Girl, Sex and Relationship

  30 April 2007

Katie-Ella who calls herself “an old married woman” but remembers being a teenager once writes a post for “young women out there who are still finding their way, (hopefully) enjoying their youth and trying to make sense of modern relationships” .

Weekly Roundup of Myanmar Blogs

  30 April 2007

Last week in Myanmar Blogosphere, the bloggers were into a new meme game introduced by Moe Moe. The bloggers had to write 10 Weird Things about themselves. The tag game happens to be quite a new concept for some bloggers and was played with much fun and enthusiasm. Almost all the bloggers participated in the game.

Africa: ingenuity at a young age

  29 April 2007

Afrigadget on ingenuity of African children: “Most African children are forced to create their own toys from scratch. Below are some samplings of what they make with what’s available. Old tire inner-tubes, soda cans, mud, bailing wire and sticks are just a few of the materials used to create imaginative...

Iran:Disrespect to the Society

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, reformist politician, reminds us that these days ladies are inspected in many streets of Tehran. The ladies who are not wearing proper veil (hejab) are arrested… the ladies who are traced in the streets these days are mostly born after revolution and they have all been grown...

Colombia: Leading Cause of Death for Children in Bogota

  27 April 2007

Balada Del Elefante Azul [ES] is frustrated at the fact that the leading cause of death for children aged 12-17 in Bogota is by bullet or knife. He is also bothered by a culture that seems to applaud those that “appear on television and proudly saying that they were a...

Sri Lanka: Art and Children

  27 April 2007

cerno attends an art competition awards ceremony and is struck by the children present. “The majority of these kids were from rural schools. A string of Mahavidyalayas, Madya Maha Vidyalayas, and simple Vidyalayas. Words not heard among us Colombo types used to abbreviations of Visaka, Ananda, Royal etc. There were...

Japan: Reflections on postwar “Child's Play”

  27 April 2007

Debito reproduces a passage from John Dower's famous book “Embracing Defeat” dealing with the games children played in post-WW2 Japan, including “holding a mock black market, playing prostitute and customer, and recreating left-wing political demonstrations.” Debito comments that Dower's account “is something rarely considered in historical accounts: The barometer of...

Lebanon: Youth Kidnapped

Lebanese blogger Abu Kais updates us on the situation with two kidnapped Lebanese youth here. “The chances of finding Ziad Qabalan (25) and Ziad Ghandour (12) alive seem to be slim. Rumours claim their bodies were already found, and that the authorities are delaying the announcement. Officials spent Wednesday denying...

Arabeyes: Palestinian Jordanian Anyone?

Jordanian blogger Hareega is furious that people avoid discussing racism in his society. He is particularly angry about the discrimination Jordanians of Palestinian origin go through in a country he claims they have helped build and project to the level it is today. يبدو أن الناس بشكل عام تتفادى الخوض...

Writers in Guatemala

  26 April 2007

In Guatemala, most of the writers find it really hard to publish a book, and even harder to make it profitable. They often work as journalists, analysts, engineers and also write regularly. Few of them are full time writers, many of them, unknown locally. However, they have found, through blogging, an opportunity to express themselves, to share their works, and to promote the interest among Guatemalans, especially in poetry and short stories.

Tamil Blogs: Agriculture, Street Threatre and Children

  25 April 2007

187 countries observed ‘Earth Day’ on April 22nd. This month we have a new blogger in Tamil blogosphere whose blog is titled ‘iyarkai vivasaayam‘ or ‘Ecological agriculture’. In this blog Samsari talks about path-breaking, successful farmers, their techniques and issues related to farming in Tamil Nadu(TN), India. He introduces us...

Guyana: Society Producing Murderers?

  25 April 2007

“In light of this (Virginia Tech) incident and other such brutal attacks, like the one at the Kaieteur News printery last year”, The Guyana Groove thinks that “the debate at hand should not be about gun control, security measures or what could have been done different. The necessary debate should...

Ukraine: Chernobyl

  25 April 2007

MoldovAnn takes photographer Michael Forster Rothbart along on a trip to the Chernobyl-affected areas and posts an account that's both informative and poignant, and comes just days before the 21st anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl Catastrophe: “I felt very sad walking around, looking at the crumbling walls, thinking of everything...

Poland: A View on VT Tragedy

  25 April 2007

A Polish view on the Virginia Tech tragedy – at Warsaw Station: “Minutes after the tragedy on Monday, Polish news programs were running headlines like: “W Ameryce można kupić broń w supermarkecie” Translation: “In America one can buy a gun in a supermarket” Everyone else sees it. Why don't we?”