15 February 2008

Stories from 15 February 2008

Egypt: Free Moroccan Fouad Mourtada

  15 February 2008

“The arrest and brutal treatment of Fouad Mourtada, the young man who create a fake Facebook profile of Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid, is a sad testimony to the fact that things have not changed as much as the regime would like you to believe in Morocco,” notes The Arabist, from...

Bahrain: Ouch!

  15 February 2008

Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif writes about a bizarre medical case here. You will have carefully examine the X-rays to believe your eyes. ***WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.

Iraq: War Kills Seven Friends

  15 February 2008

Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin writes: “My best friend during primary school was killed a month ago by a stray bullet in Baghdad. He was a Turkmen, I only knew of him yesterday. Coupled with my four dead friends, Haji Amir, and a college acquaintance, this is the 7th person that...

Lebanon: Two Republics; One Country

  15 February 2008

“It is official: Lebanon is now made of two separate and distinct republics: a Sunni republic versus a Shi`ite republic, and each republic enjoys an outside regional and international patron. The Christians and Druzes are mere bystanders,” writes Lebanese commentator Asad Abu Khalil.

Palestine: Celebrating Valentine's Day

  15 February 2008

The meanings of Valentine's Day, like love, are multi-faceted. This year had the Palestinian blogosphere thinking about making creative connections, communicating across borders and boundaries, meaningful expressions of love and giving, hard losses, and questions of respect, writes Maya Norton.

Costa Rica: Political Games

  15 February 2008

It is politics as usual in Costa Rica, where the government and opposition parties are jockeying for position. Some local bloggers are wondering about the tactics being used by the opposition party, PAC, and how it might affect their chances in the next election. Others are beginning to regret their vote for the PAC, especially after their unfulfilled promises of bringing about changes in the political landscape.

Kenya: Obama Beer

  15 February 2008

Rebekah posts a video about “Obama” beer in Kenya: “A friend sent me a link to this video, in which two jovial CNN reporters discuss Senator Beer's amusing new nickname: Obama.”

South Africa: Showcasing lesser known bloggers

  15 February 2008

Mike decides to showcase South African lesser known bloggers: “So I want to flip the lid on this one. It would be great to showcase some of the lesser known quality blogs in SA and get more of us nasty self-interested circle-jerking elitists talking about them and linking to them....

Japan: Sex and Marriage

  15 February 2008

Ping mag has an interview with Sumie Kawakami, who has spent two years interviewing Japanese women on issues related with sex and marriage.