Stories about Ideas from February, 2007
Kuwait: Valentine Blues
Isolated Serenity, from Kuwait, has an interesting array of photographs, with goodies for her family and friends, here.
From Lebanon to India
Respect for the rule of law is what separates Lebanon from India, according to Lebanese blogger Ms Levantine.
Anniversary of Islamic Revolution and Iranian Bloggers
Several bloggers have written about their feelings, experiences and opinions about Islamic Revolution, with some celebrating its 28th anniversary on 11 February and others regreting it. Let's look at some of these writings. Mohmmad Ali Abtahi, a former vice president and reformist politician, says the Islamic Revolution was one of...
Valentine Special: Is Love in the Air in the Middle East?
If a picture says a thousand words, this is the image Cece, who is based between Bahrain and Kuwait, has posted to sum up how she feels about Valentine's Day. Although she isn't alone in shunning the tradition, which is fairly new to the region, for others it is a...
Iran: Flickr users vs. The State
One of the censorship nightmares experienced by web-connected citizens living in countries engaging in Internet filtering is to find out that they can no longer access their favorite sites. Unfortunately, this is what is happening to the Flickr.com community in Iran and in the United Arab Emirates, where, a few...
Martinique: The Dangers of Nationalism
Le Blog de [Moi], deploring the emergence of a movement led by novelist Raphaël Confiant in Martinique, cites the words of Guadeloupean Professor Jacky Dahomey (Fr): “Nationalism, a political ideology of social linkage invented in Europe, especially in its excessive form, is what we should not copy here. But be...
Guadeloupe: Criticizing the French Socialist Party
Toto criticizes (Fr) the French Socialist Party: ” Blinded by their ideological rage from another time, they can't stop wanting to instaure a so-called social justice. A social justice which has for main ingredient and main weakness … its tendency to attack property.”
Jamaica, USA: On privacy
“The irony is that the American achievement of new community and the Jamaican devolution into isolation is fueled by the same source: the Internet,” writes Jamaican novelist Marlon James. “Through the internet Americans have found a new way to interact while Jamaicans have found a new way to cut off...
Slovenia: Euro-Tracking
Via EuroBillTracker, The Glory of Carniola tracks his 20-euro bill from Slovenia to Italy, where it was printed. A reader is disappointed his bill's origin isn't as exotic.
Kuwait: Men Scared of Strong Women
Kuwaiti blogger Desert Girl tells us how men are afraid of her because of her strong personality, her sense of loss at the death of Anna Nicole Smith and her favourite holiday – Valentine.
Lebanon: We Want the Truth
Lebanese blogger EDB wants to know the truth and is calling for an international tribunal to “try the drug dealers who supplied Anna Nicole (Smith) with a lethal overdose.”
Syria: Passport Renewal Not Fun
Syrian blogger Bassam shares his experiences in renewing his passport. “Although I was offered to have an intelligence agent go with me to make things go “smooth”, but being stubborn and adventurous I figured I’d do it by myself,” he writes.
Iraq: Saddam ‘Not Executed’
Iraq Pundit reports on a new book which claims that ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's double was hanged.
Israel: Plagiarism
Israeli blogger Nathan tells us all we need to know about the different types of plagiarists out there.
Israel: How to Quit Smoking
Israeli blogger Yael has come up with an ingenious way to quit smoking – by shocking herself with a 9-volt battery!
Jamaica: Happy birthday, John Hearne
Geoffrey Philp marks the birthday of Jamaican novelist John Hearne: “He had to tread carefully, I suspect, as a white Jamaican who did not sound Jamaican, in a society that was changing rapidly and in which the privileges, which a generation before a person in his situation would have taken...
Arabisc: Morocco's Blind Declare War
In Morocco, a group of blind people are planning to stage a protest with a difference. Blogger Dar Lakbira says that they have decided to wear shrouds when they march on February 7 to demand more rights and support from social services to draw attention to their plight, which includes...
UAE: Student Vlogs
“Where can you find video logs, unusual commentary, rare links of articles you never came across, and really creative Arab students all at the same spot?,” asks Bahraini blogger Esraa, who leads us to an interesting site by Arab Vloggers.
Libyan Bloggers in a Week
The past week has been quite interesting as Libyan bloggers discussed the relative merits of a parallel universal, virtual reality or a chance at a Second Life which you could enter anytime you want if you were bored with your current one. This brings the movies Vanilla Sky or even...
Algeria: The Noble Black
Algerian blogger Lameen Souag examines the definition of the word black in the Songhay language, which is spoken in and around Timbuktu and in the Sahara. “It would be interesting to examine the connotations of “black” in more languages,” he writes.
Bahrain: Improve your Vocabulary
Bahrain Rants encourages readers to spend their weekend slipping in new words into their conversations. This weekends gems are: Flummery, Maven and Vamoose.
