Stories from Quick Reads from March, 2008
Israel: Yafo Residents Protest Corporate Greed
Yudit of Occupied writes about Land Day in Yafo (Jaffa), Israel: “Over one thousand people marched in Jaffa, against the ethnic cleansing carried out by big money in close cooperation with the public housing companies and the municipality… Jaffa's people, women, men and children, marched together for the future of...
Israel: Israeli Vietnamese Poet is Rising Star
“Vaan Nguyen, the 26-year-old, Israeli-born daughter of Vietnamese refugees… is being hailed as one of the country's provocative and innovative young poets,” Dion Nissenbaum reports.
Israel: New Technology Will Improve Organ Transplants
Israeli biotech company Core Dynamics may have found a way to improve organ transplants. A new technique in cyropreservation will change the way organs are frozen and thawed, enhancing their viability until time of transplant. Israel Start-Up News has the details.
Armenia: Sevan Museum
Robert Dietrich posts photographs of some of the treasures he recently discovered at a small museum outside of the capital. The Peace Corps Volunteer says he was overwhelmed by the amount of items dating back thousands of years and in urgent need of being displayed properly.
Armenia: The Little Prince
The Armenian Patchwork posts photographs of preparations and a performance of The Little Prince in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The blog seems impressed with the organization of the play for children.
Georgia: Opposition Ends Hunger Strike
TOL Georgia comments on news that the opposition has called off its hunger strike after a second intervention from the Georgian patriarch. With no concessions forthcoming from the government, the blog wonders where the current political situation in Georgia leaves the opposition ahead of the May parliamentary vote.
Lebanon: Facebook Suicide
SLH shares this letter that he sent to his “facebook friends” explaining the reasons behind his decision to leave Facebook forever and to “rejoin real world interaction”.
Mexico: Water News
Noticias del Agua [es] is a blog that links to various news articles related to the use and conservation of water, especially in Mexico.
Peru: Two Earthquakes Shake Lima
Juan Arellano of Globalizado [es] reports on this morning's earthquakes in Lima and provides links to what bloggers and users of twitters have been saying.
Iran:”Defending animal rights =Westernization”
Mojgan Jamshidi, an environmentalist journalist and a leading blogger says[Fa] in Iran some believe defending animal rights is a kind of westernization. The blogger writes even reformist deputies while dominating Iranian parliament, considered animal rights is not a topic deserve to be discussed. She also published a photo of a...
Japan: Richard Gear ditched by Nissan?
A news report [ja] (summary in English) that Nissan has decided to back out of a contract for a TV commercial with Richard Gear due to the actor's support of the Dalai Lama has triggered hundreds of comments in posting forums [ja] and responses from bloggers. While some wonder whether...
Iran:Supporting Earth Hour
Mohammad Darvish, a leading environmentalist from Iran, asks[Fa] Iranians to support Earth Hour,an international event that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour on the evening of 29 March.
Iran:Beautiful Mountain
Kosoof, a leading photo blogger from Iran, has published a photo of Mount Damavand,a dormant volcano and the highest peak in Iran.
Libya: Killing Time at Weddings
From Libya, Khadija Teri takes us along with her to a wedding in Tripoli – where she discovers a new way to kill time.
Morocco: Melon Season Soon
“Morocco's melon season is about to start. But the bad news is that the melons that appear in the souqs are the ones that Europe doesn't want. The Moroccan melon varieties are grown principally for export,” writes The View from Fez.
Qatar: Some Facebook Applications Banned
Ngourlay announces that Qatar Telecoms has blocked some of Facebook's applications. The blogger also lists five reasons the telecom provider censors sites: pornography, political criticism of Gulf countries and anti-Islamic sites; some sites are also blocked ‘by mistake’ and others are banned because they may be offensive to some people.
Saudi Arabia: Diplomatic Quarter Nightmare
Saudi Jeans complains about the trouble Saudi men have to go through to enter the high-security Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, which houses embassies, offices and the living quarters of people who work in that district.
Kuwait: Stop Demolishing Kuwait Facebook Group
Rampurple draws our attention to a new Facebook group named Stop Demolishing Kuwait's History.
Iraq: Security Situation in Basra
Iraq the Model discusses the security situation in Basra.
Jordan: Paris’ Lame Attempt in Turkey
Moey, from Jordan, posts this video of Paris Hilton attempting to belly dance in Turkey.
Ukraine, Poland: Tusk Visits Kyiv
Leopolis reports on Donald Tusk's visit to Ukraine: “The biggest development of the trip was the signing of a cross-border visa agreement for small-time Ukrainian traders living 50 kilometres from the border.”