· April, 2007

Stories about Weblog from April, 2007

India: Politics and Technology

  26 April 2007

Blogging about IT and technology is common topic for many Indian bloggers. The technology sector is the engine that is pulling the great Indian train forward in fits and starts and it seems that there be a change in the engine crew. President  Kalam's tenure as the President is coming to...

Syrian Independence Day and Elections

Syria celebrated it's independence and Parliamentary elections with a lot of official fanfare, but very little excitement from bloggers as a reported two per cent of the constituents turned up at the polling stations. Yazan Badran sums up the reactions as bloggers debate the results and updates us about the jailing of a prominent human rights lawyer.

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.

Caribbean: Farewell to a cricketing legend

  25 April 2007

In the early ’90s, the West Indies' dominance of the international cricket scene entered its long decline. There were fewer victories to celebrate, fewer exceptional demonstrations of the brilliance to which West Indian fans had become so accustomed. And when there were bright spots, they often came courtesy of one man: Brian Charles Lara. Lara played his last ever international cricket match in Barbados on April 21, 2007, in front of thousands of fans and visitors. The Caribbean blogosphere pays tribute to the man some consider the greatest cricketer of all time.

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...

Second Life Brings Its Second Life to Brazil

  25 April 2007

The much heralded launching of the first Second Life national community happened this Monday, April 23, and Brazilians are getting ready to their outposts in a custom tropicalized virtual environment. The novelty is attracting the attention of users as Linden Labs makes its first attempt to scale and customize the environment to host non-English speaking cultures -- and markets. The initiative is the result of the partnership with the local Kaizen Games, which has been announced as a Second Life Global Provider and part of the SL Grid. Bloggers are reporting.

Getting to Know Global Voices’ Latin America Team

  25 April 2007

Some of the very best weblogs from around Latin America hardly ever receive mention on Global Voices. That's because their authors are also contributors here and spend most of their time drawing your attention to others' posts. Well, it's long past time to highlight their personal creativity and boundless enthusiasm for new media in Latin America.

Russia: More Reactions to Yeltsin's Death

  24 April 2007

What was the effect of Boris Yeltsin's policies on the people of Germany, Poland and the Baltic states, as well as on the "Russian Bride industry"? While yesterday's post reflected some of what Russian bloggers' thought of Boris Yeltsin's life and death, this one deals with the reactions of predominantly non-Russian observers.

Bangladesh: The Politics of Exile

  24 April 2007

The Bangladeshi blogosphere heated up reacting to the drama of the process of exiling the two powerful lady politicians of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Begum Khaleda Zia crowned the center stage in Bangladesh politics in the past few decades. They spearhead two different ideologies in Bangladesh, which instead of...

Sex Education in Brunei, a No No

  24 April 2007

Sex education is an extremely taboo issue in the very Islam-conscious nation of Brunei. However a recent newspaper article talking about increasing numbers of teenage mothers got the bloggers busy in Brunei. The bloggers feel that maybe it is high time for schools to start incorporating sex education into the curriculum.

Lebanon: Anti-Semitism, Fist-Fights, etc

Check out the following topics freshly picked from the Lebanese blogosphere this week: an intense argument between American University of Beirut professors, sectarian polarisation in Lebanon and the Virginia Tech shooting which claimed the lives of 33 people, including two of Lebanese origin.

Russia: Reactions to Boris Yeltsin's Death

  23 April 2007

Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first president, died today in Moscow. There is an avalanche of responses to his death in the Russian blogosphere, ranging from “rest in peace” to “be damned.” Below is a tiny selection (RUS) from the blog of LJ user dolboeb (Anton Nossik): aristo_big: Ten years ago, this...

Bolivia: Interview With El Alto Blogger Mario Duran

  23 April 2007

The city of El Alto is not known for blogging. For starters, internet access is scarce and expensive, while citizens seem to have different priorities. Many who do have internet access have yet to discover the value of expressing themselves via blogs. Mario Duran is a blogger that wants to set out to change all that. In this recent interview, he discusses his entry to the Bolivian blogosphere and his plans to reach out to others.

China: Blame Canada?

  23 April 2007

Google seizes up before any results appear in a search for 'Celil,' 'Canada' (in Chinese) and '2007,' fitting given that a proxified search turns up no Chinese language media reports from websites that can be readily viewed within China. It's a different story, as usual, for a Google search which includes the word blog.