Stories from 19 August 2007
Morocco: An Introduction to Peace Corps Bloggers
Morocco is home to a rather diverse group of English-language bloggers, as I'm sure you have observed. While many are native Moroccans utilizing their English skills and still others are expatriate teachers or workers, there is another unique group obvious from the tagline which their organization requires they post on their blogs: "Any written message or photo provided on this blog site does not represent the views or opinions of the U.S. Peace Corps or any other institution."
Syria: On Lebanon and Motorcycles
Just as the heat is cooling from an inter-Arab spat involving Jordanians and Iraqis, we move on to the Syrian blogosphere where bloggers are fanning the flames of a Palestinian-Lebanese virtual stand-off. Read Yazan's Badran round up to learn more.
Iran:Bloggers at Prayer
Khabarnegar Mosalman (means Moslem Reporter) says[Fa] that about 10 days ago, several bloggers came together at Kahfo Al Shohada, a place where five unknown war martyrs are buried, to pray with some Iranian officials and remember the martyrs.
Iran:Too Sexy Photos?
Kamangir says that Fars News site removed a set of pictures taken at a women’s sports event. Apparently, they were too sexy for them.Recently Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,Iranian president, said Fars News is his favorite site.You can watch photos here.
Palestine: Boycotting Israel, Excluding Handala and More
This week in the Palestinian blogosphere, bloggers tackled serious issues such as the academical boycott of Israel, checkpoints and Edward Said’s mural in San Francisco as well as lighter topics such as a Palestinian swimmer participating in a regional competition in Beit Sahour and other personal stories.
Climate Change in Africa: Voices From Kenya and Diaspora
Part of the discussion about Climate change in Africa has been covered by The Economist, NPR and other publications. On this inaugural post of environment news we read and hear from two voices, one on the continent of Africa through the blog ‘Kenvironews’, and the voice of Dr. Pius Kamau,...
Korea: Coming Out about Academic Degrees
A hot topic in Korea now is the continual coming out of fake academic degree holders. Some of the most respected figures in many fields have been revealed to have fabricated their academic qualifications. A famous theatre actress in Korea was discovered, partly through confession and partly through expose, to...
Mali: Sand storms in Timbuktu
Rives du Niger posts photographs of sand storms in Timbuktu, where “winds of sands looks like clouds.”
Senegal: Foreign investment in biofuel
Blog politique au Senegal writes that India, Brazil and Spain have been working with the Senegalese to produce biofuel.
Hezbollah video game lets players take on Israel
Hezbollah has come out with a video game (Fr) about the Lebanese resistance called “Special Force 2: Tale of the Truthful Pledge,” Tunisien Doctor announces. Players go head to head with enemy Merkava tanks and fight in battles based on Israel's July 2006 invasion of Lebanon. Can be played in...
Mauritania criminalizes slavery
Mauritania has made slavery a criminal offense, but Vive la Francophonie wonders if slavery can be abolished by laws alone (Fr). “Slavery is a mental attitude as old as humanity…The problem of slavery is in large part psychological,” Francophonie writes. “Mauritania, like the rest of the world, should fight against...
Peru: Post-Quake Chaos
The recent devasting earthquake that struck Peru brought out a wave of activity among Peruvian bloggers. Some wrote and documented what they felt when the seismic activity struck, whie others sought to inform fellow Peruvians protecting them from false information. However, many more responded by calling for solidarity through information campaigns regarding ways to help. Now that several days have passed, these same bloggers reflect upon the government response and some of the worrisome occurrences in their country.
Bolivia: Interview with Joaquin Cuevas
Blogs de Bolivia [ES] interviews comic blogger Joaquin Cuevas, where he explains that he began publishing to the web due to censorship at the newspaper where he was previously employed.
