Stories about Weblog from September, 2007
Trinidad & Tobago: Talking with Filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon
Trinidad-born Frances-Anne Solomon is a blogger and award winning filmmaker who has just completed her most recent project, A Winter Tale. Set in the violent downtown Toronto community of Parkdale, the story begins with the gathering of a black men’s support group, which was formed after a bullet meant for...
Oman: Rent Law and Life in Muscat
Oman's bloggers are ranting about increasing rent and driving in Ramadan in this round up of Omani blogs. Also, how was life before the opening of mega malls and are you interested in attending Oman's first bloggers meeting on October 3?
Morocco: Berbers can be blonde
Major media outlets and bloggers went into a frenzy a few days ago when a blurry photograph taken by a Spanish tourist in Morocco's Rif mountain region showed a small blonde girl bearing a strong resemblance to missing British child Madeleine McCann perched on the back of a Moroccan woman. As it turns out, the photo was not of Maddie but of a 2-year-old Moroccan girl. What do Moroccans think of this matter? Jillian York has the story.
Myanmar: “Oh yeah, everything is fine”
Myanmar blogger MoeMaKa Media writes about the need for consensus in statements made by Burmese citizens abroad in order to effectively support the struggle in Myanmar.
Bahrain: Halfway There!
From Bahrain this week: a mid-Ramadan celebration, great happiness to be at university, a description of some dating practices, and a packet of rice that just doesn't make sense!
Taiwan: Whose land?
The indigenous Smangus people consider a wind-fall beech tree is in their territory, but the Forestry Bureau doesn't agree. Bloggers discuss, how do we decide who is the owner of the land?
Kazakhstan: Big politics and human lives
While the usual discussions about political cobwebs and oil business intrigues kept the Kazakhstani bloggers busy, two dramatic incidents stood out: A rocket crash potentially threatening the health of thousands of people and the murder of a Russian blogger made the Kazakhstani blogosphere think about the value of a human life.
Iran: Ahmadinejad's Speech at Columbia University
Iranian President,Mahmoud Ahmadineajd’s speech at Columbia University in New York and university president Lee C. Bollinger’s criticism and tough words during his introduction remarks on Monday 24 September have become a hot topic in media throughout the world. Several Iranian and American bloggers have reacted to the incident. NikAhang Kosar,a...
China: Reality shows forbidden
No one would forget how popular Super Girl was on 2005. As a talent-search reality competition, it created a miracle both in economy and culture impact. Besides over 400 millions viewers watching the final episode, varied fans clubs founded across China and a revenue of 9 figures high in total,...
Uganda: Bloggers respond to massive flooding
The top thing on many Ugandan bloggers' minds in the past two weeks has been the massive flooding across sub-Saharan Africa. The floods hit particularly hard in northern and eastern Uganda, where 250 people have died and up to 150,000 have been displaced.
Myanmar: Prayer Meets and Support in Neighbouring Countries
Protest vigils and prayer meets in support of the protesting monks in Myanmar are being held in neighboring countries. This post has some images and videos from South East Asian countries.
Arabeyes: Meet Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Egypt-based blogger Maryanne Stroud Gabbani started blogging in 2003 at the age of 54, after becoming frustrated with trying to answer people individually regarding how it was that she was so happy living in a place that the news said was so opposed to "western women". She figured that hopefully a blog would reach more people and give Egypt a human face and has never looked back since.
Maldives: Facebook and blogs used to organize vigil to remember torture victim
On 19 September 2003 a conflict among some inmates of Maafushi Jail in the Maldives led to 12 of them being isolated from their cells. Among the isolated was Hassan Evan Naseem, a 19 year-old boy imprisoned because of drug-related charges. Evan insisted that he was not part of the...
Egypt: Ramadan Musings
It's fair to say the month of Ramadan provides a unique experience for all parties involved, the fasting followed by excessive eating, the excessive eating followed by excessive partying and the scathing eye of everyone around you, writes D B Shobrawy, who brings us the latest from Egyptian blogs this week.
Japanese cameraman killed in Myanmar
During a demonstration on September 27, Japanese photojournalist Nagai Kenji was killed while reporting on the ongoing unrest in Myanmar. Initially, news reports were that Nagai had likely been struck by a “stray bullet” when security forces opened fire on protestors. However, as written by Hosaka Nobuto, an opposition politician,...
Ghana: Did God save the Akosombo Dam?
We start off this week’s review with Ghana’s electricity crisis, which started in August 2006, but has seen a considerable improvement almost a year later. Could it be because priests prayed for the Akosombo Dam to fill up?
Myanmar: Internet Blocked
The follwing post is from a Burmese blogger who wishes to remain anonymous. There have been massive support from Myanmar bloggers for the current protest activities, and the whole Myanmar blogosphere is overwhelmed with news and photos. Because of that, Myanmar Junta got chickened out and banned the political blogs,...
Korea: Myanmar and Korea
How do Koreans think about the Myanmar situation? Interestingly, many bloggers strongly feel an attachment to this situation and link it to Korean history. The Myanmar situation reminded some bloggers of their own experiences in the 1980s of Korea. 고등학교 시절 까지 줄곧 미얀마라는 곳을 버마라고 부르기 시작하면서, 버마는 내게...
Myanmar: Soldiers back down in Mandalay
Monks continued their protests on Thursday, 27th September. The following post has links to the happenings on September 27, and eyewitness accounts and translated excerpts from Burmese blogs sent in by a Burmese blogger.
China: Bloggers side with Burmese monks
Chinese government talk of non-intervention in the violent crushing of democracy protests this week in the Myanmar capital Yangon hasn't resonated much with a number of high-profile Chinese bloggers, with several taking the risk of openly joining the Red Shirt for Burma campaign and calling for their readers to do the same.
Philippines: Corruption scandal reaches the presidential palace
A $330 million national broadband network deal between the Philippine government and ZTE firm from China. Critics describe the contract as overpriced, unnecessary and disadvantageous to the Philippines. Tales of bribery, corruption and harassment have surfaced which could implicate the First Family.
