Stories from Quick Reads from September, 2008
Slovenia: Election Results
Dr. Sean's Diary writes about the results of the election in Slovenia.
Czech Republic: EU Presidency
Dr. Sean's Diary writes about the Czech Republic’s forthcoming Presidency of the EU.
Slovakia: Hungarian Minority
Central Europe Activ writes about political views of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.
Serbia: Fake Obits of Javier Solana
Central Europe Activ cites an item from “an award-winning Hungarian language blog of Serbian expats” on the fake Javier Solana obits that appeared “on Kosovo Street and around the Serbian parliament in downtown Belgrade.”
Belarus: The Election
Pre- and post-election insight from Belarus – at Andrei Khrapavitski's Belarusan American Blog, here and here: “Both the govt and the opposition elite cared more about the exterior, much less about the substance.”
Montenegro: Independence, 2 1/2 Years On
A Fistful of Euros re-visits the issue of Montenegrin independence: “But, you know: it’s not an economic basket case. Independence was not a disaster.”
Jordan: Hypocrisy, Freedom or Disrespect?
From Jordan, Ahmed Humeid shares his thoughts on Ramadhan, hypocrisy, freedom and disrespect after the closure of a popular cafe for serving alcohol in Ramadhan in this post. Find out why when you click on the link.
Brazil: The Brazilian behind the new twitter design
Did you know that the designer behind the new Twitter interface is Brazilian? Futuro.vc [pt] brings an exclusive interview with Vitor Lourenço. “One of the goals was to make the application more elegant and functional. We've made very small changes, which together makes the difference.”
Jordan: Hypocrisy, Freedom or Disrespect?
From Jordan, Ahmed Humeid shares his thoughts on Ramadhan, hypocrisy, freedom and disrespect after the closure of a popular cafe for serving alcohol in Ramadhan in this post. Find out why when you click on the link.
Lebanon: Lyrical Internet Usage Map
A Diamond's Eye View of the World, an American who lives/lived in Lebanon, draws our attention to Lumeta’s Internet mapping project, which “includes this lyrical (okay, slightly alien-looking) map of Internet usage in the Middle East.”
Iraq: Erbil Visit
Baghdad Bacon & Eggs, from Iraq, has been to Erbil. Check out what he was doing there in this post.
Saudi Arabia: New Friends
From Saudi Arabia, Stilettos in the Sand has made new friends. Click on the link to see their pictures.
Brazil: Bloggers’ magazine on democracy
The latest issue of blogger magazine Feed-se: Democracia, available in PDF for free download (in Portuguese), is a special edition on democracy, by Brazilian bloggers Nospheratt, Alex, Lu Monte and Lúcia Freitas.
Kuwait: Benefiting from the Meltdown
From Kuwait, Don Veto explains how he actually made money in the US market meltdown.
Bahrain: The Frappaccino Karma
Don't mess about with Starbucks’ Frappuccino. Bahraini Hassan Hujairi explains why in this post.
Saudi Arabia: No to Fashionable Abayas
Mosan Mosan, from Kuwait, writes about a crackdown by Saudi authorities on fashionable Abayas (black cloaks worn by women) ahead of Eid – a celebration which marks the end of the Holy Muslim month of Ramadhan.
Libya: Diaspora and Difficult Times
Two young Algerian sisters were killed in the UK. Anglo-Libyan explains how families in the diaspora come together at such difficult times.
Palestine: Why Arabs Performed Badly at the Olympics
Palestinian Rantings of an Arab Chick links to an op-ed on why Arabs performed badly at the Olympics – and at other things.
Qatar: Time to Break Fast
From Qatar, Bahraini blogger Ammar Talk [ar] posts pictures of children around cannons, fired to signal the time to break one's fast in Ramadhan.
Lebanon: Hommus and Tabbouli
Lebanese blog Hommus & Tabbouli provides a list of mouth watering cuisine from Lebanon and beyond.
Qatar: Children and Ramadhan
“My kids go to bed at 7:30 PM but it seems that nothing for kids starts until after 8 during Ramadan! We're bored!” asked American Expat, at Qatar Living. For answers, click here.
