Stories from 22 January 2008
Sri Lanka: Blogging and a Literary Festival
TheKillRomeoProject expresses disappointment after attending a panel discussion on blogging at the Galle Literary Festival.
Sri Lanka: Galle Literary Festival
Cynically Yours goes to the Galle Literary Festival and writes about what she didn't like.
Nepal: On Coups
The pace of political events in Nepal prompts Nepali Netbook to conclude that the choice is between a “democratic coup” or a “nationalist” one.
Nepal: Rising fuel prices
United We Blog! on the stream of protests on the streets in Nepal – the latest one on the issue of rising fuel prices.
Brazil: Global anti-Chavez propaganda or coincidence?
Luiz Azenha [pt] on anti-Chavez propaganda: “I am interested in investigating whether there is a connection between the campaigns that run in the United States with what happens in other parts of the world – in Brazil and in Europe, for example. I mean physical or financial connection”. See also...
Morocco: Ashoura and Fashion
Morocco is celebrating Ashoura, the 10th day of the month of Moharram (which is the first month of the Hijra calendar year). In other news, dress was a prominent subject amongst Moroccan bloggers over the weekend as well, reports Jillian York.
Egypt: Gaza In the Headlines
Eman Abd Al Rahman brings us the latest headlines from the Egyptian blogosphere decrying the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. A four-day blockade has plunged Gaza in darkness, sparking international calls and anger on the Arab street to stop the carnage.
Social Media Outreach: Non-Profits are the Key
We often talk about extending the global conversation to every corner of the world with the available social media tools. Non-profits and NGO's, which have a wider influence on the population of the developing countries, have the capacity to use this technology in an wider scale and create a communication revolution among the people they serve.
Brazil: Blame the Oscar rules
“The exclusion of The Year My Parents Went on Vacation from the nominations for the foreign-language Oscar should not be blamed on the quality of the film itself or the timid campaign to promote the film in the United States, but on the stupid rules for this category”. Chico Fireman...
Japan: Illegal or Harmful?
Blogger Sakiyama Nobuo, a social activist who has covered the area of web censorship in Japan for many years, early last week responded to a conversation initiated by fellow blogger Minakata Tsukasa on the topic of the regulation of so-called "harmful" websites. The blog entry provides a useful overview of the current state of legal controls on Internet content in Japan, something which may come in handy in the future.
Pitch Black Gaza: Jordanian Bloggers React!
As the Israeli onslaught in Gaza continues this week, the death toll continues to climb. With many of the dead being civilians and the European Union labeling the Israeli offensive as 'collective punishment', the situation has not sat well with Jordanian bloggers. Here's what they had to say in the past few days.
Sudan: Potassium bromide and witchcraft
Andrew Heavens writes about Potassium bromide and witchcraft in Sudan: “Only in Sudan. Sudanese bakery owner fined for using witchcraft in court”
Trinidad & Tobago: On The Wire
Irony pervades Caribbean Free Radio‘s second attempt to improve her wireless broadband service.
Jamaica: Misdirected Gratitude?
“Here in the Caribbean we relate to people who provide us with good service with some gratitude, and perhaps with too much gratitude”: Francis Wade explains.
Cuba, UK: Visual Expressions
Child of the Revolution‘s interest is piqued by a new London art gallery's exhibition of the work of Cuban visual artists to show how they “discuss contradictions, ambiguities and social negotiations in Cuban life”.
Belize: Mourning Palacio
As Belize continues to mourn the death of Andy Palacio, Belizean posts a short bio of the country's most iconic musician.
Bahamas, Bermuda: Law Enforcement
“If they can minimize these minor crimes that would be a good start”: Sidney Sweeting at WeblogBahamas.com attends the induction ceremony of the Bahamas’ new Police Commissioner.
Japan: The Whistle of the Middle East
The sport of handball is receiving the kind of attention from the media and general public it never has before in Japan, as well as in Korea. The dispute came to light when Korea and Japan together appealed to the International Handball Federation for replay of the Olympics qualifiers of...
Japan: Best Selling Mail Order
Mari blogs a magazine survey on best selling mail order in 2007. The top product is a medical pillow from Italy.
Hong Kong: Strawberry Kids
Duimanpark comments on a recent suicide committed by a nine-year old kid because he only has 80 mark in school test. The blogger is worried about the emerge of strawberry kid phenomena. It refers to too protective and fragile kids who are not able to withstand any pressure (zh).
Kazakhstan: Kazakh Billionaire Noticed in London
Steve LeVine says the Kazakhstan billionaire Horelma Peramam has just spent 50 million pounds ($97 million) in the largest new residential property sale in U.K. history.