Stories about Weblog from August, 2007
Kannada: Independence, festivals and more
20 runners from 12 countries; the youngest among whom is a 23 year old American woman and the oldest, a 60 year old American man; an Indian, Sunil Jayaraj, from...
Guyana: Georgetown is flooded
“This is the Demerara Cricket Club ground behind that wall – an enclosed wading pool with the slightest rain fall..it must now be a veritable lake,” writes Flickr user Chennette,...
Russia: “Mama, We're In Hell!”
A young Russian woman traveling from Helsinki to Moscow found herself in a railway traffic jam caused by the train derailment last week. She was so horrified by the sight of the Russian countryside that she called her mother on her cell phone and told her they were stuck "in hell." The blogger who posted this story has received 469 comments from his readers.
Tajikistan: Beating the US
One of the most discussed topics on Tajik blogs recently was the loss of the US U-17s to the Tajik team in the Under–17 Football World Cup. This and much more in this week's blogosphere roundup.
Malawi: Moving on Despite the Politics of Section 65
The phenomenal story of 19 year-old Malawian blogger William Kamkwamba continues to attract attention from around the globe. William began making headlines after his appearance at the TEDGlobal 2007 conference in Tanzania, in June, where he talked about how he built a windmill using locally available resources in a remote part of Malawi where the easiest means of energy is fuel, wood, kerosene and candlelight.
Lebanon: Upcoming Presidential Elections
The Lebanese constitution stipulates that the parliament should convene and elect a new president within a period of at least a month before the end of the tenure of the...
Egypt: Blogging for Civil and Religious Freedoms
The struggle for personal freedoms is ongoing in Egypt and the nation's bloggers continue to demand the liberty of citizens. Whether it be religious freedom or freedom from the wrath of a brutal police state, Egypt is speaking out against the inhumane treatment of her citizens this week. Plus a veteran blogger gives us a rare look into the inner workings of Egypt's most historic remaining cities.
Bangladesh: under curfew
Civil unrest began in Bangladesh on the 20th of August when a petty dispute broke out concerning comments passed by armed forces personnel during a soccer match at a university...
Russia: Blogger on Trial for Writing Fiction
Blogger Dmitry Shirinkin faces trial for having written on his blog that he had purchased a gun and was going to kill a few dozen people in one of the city’s colleges. According to Shirinkin, the text - posted on April 21, but made private on April 22 - was a work of fiction, "inspired" by the Virginia Tech shooting. According to the prosecutor's office, however, Shirinkin has violated Article 207 of the Russian Criminal Code by "distributing false information on a planned terrorist act." The trial is likely to take place in September; if convicted, the Russian blogger may receive a three-year prison sentence.
Syria: Through the Bloggers’ Cameras
Hovic and Abd are two friends from Aleppo in northern Syria. They are also among the finest photo bloggers on the blogsphere. Hovic and Abd's Blogs, named, Syria Looks and Syria Winks, are online show rooms of Syria. Here is a journey through some of their most amazing collections.
Tanzania: How to shoot yourself in the foot
How to Shoot Yourself in the Foot is the lesson Tanzania’s parliament is delivering, at least for the time being, after its decision to suspend a Member of Parliament for Kigoma North, Zitto Kabwe, has turned into a mini victory for the opposition. Zitto, who keeps a blog, was suspended for allegedly lying to the parliament and humiliating the Energy and Minerals Minister, Nazir Karamagi.
India: Orkut and the death of a teenager
The online Indian community is rattled by the recent death of 16-year old Adnan Patrawala of Mumbai. Apparently Adnan was lured by his friends on Orkut and was later found...
Blogging for democracy around the world
Antony Loewenstein is a Sydney-based freelance journalist, author and blogger. He is currently writing a book on "Democracy and Blogging" and recently traveled to Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and China to meet with bloggers.
Taiwan: The Gentrification of Shih-Da night market
Shih-Da night market is one of the most famous night markets in Taipei. (“Shih-Da”(師大) is the abbreviation of National Taiwan Normal University(國立台灣師範大學) in Chinese. The night market is right next...
Kuwait: Jailed Blogger Released
Following a local and regional outcry, jailed Kuwaiti blogger Bashar Al-Sayegh was released in Kuwait earlier today. While some bloggers celebrated the release, others warned that it could be a...
Will Sudan Always be Africa's Largest Country?
As the Sudanese blogosphere continues to grow, we’re increasingly witnessing more activity and hearing more diverse voices coming from it. Allow me to take you into its recent conversations.
Bangladesh: Aftermath of Flood
(The extent of flood in Bangladesh : Satellite Photo taken on August 3, 2007 courtesy Cegisbd) This year's floods have claimed 587 lives in Bangladesh so far. The floods have...
Turkey: wordpress.com ban inspires firestorm of criticism
Matthew Mullenweg, founding developer of the popular WordPress blogging platform, has received a letter from the lawyers acting on behalf of a Turkish Islamic-creationist, Adnan Oktar, aka Harun Yahya, claiming to be responsible for the blanket ban on blogs hosted on the wordpress.com blogging platform in Turkey. On August 17th, 2007, the Turkish Fatih Second Civil Court of First Instance blocked access to all wordpress.com blogs in response to a suit filed by Adnan Oktar’s lawyers on the grounds that blogs hosted on the platform published allegedly defamatory and “unlawful” statements about their client.
Guatemala: Children Caught in the Middle of Adoption Debate
Guatemala has been considered a country, where children are adopted "relatively easy." As a result, the Central American nation has the highest per-capita adoption rate in the world. The Guatemalan Congress recently ratified the Hague Convention, which will place stricter controls on the adoption process. However, a case of involving an adoption house in Antigua has reignited the debate regarding the fate of children in the country. National bloggers and foreigners, who have experience with adoptions weigh in on the matter.
Korea: How Much Should One Ethnicity be Emphasized?
The emphasis on one ethnicity (danil minjok) in Korea society has become a problematic issue in international society. A news clip is below. A United Nations committee has urged Korea...
African writers criticize Sarkozy in open letter
Jean-Luc Raharimanana, a Malagasy writer famous for his influential works on French colonialism, recently authored an open letter to French president Nicolas Sarkozy in response to the now infamous message...