Stories from 17 February 2008
Zimbabwe: My first ever bribe
Hope's first ever bribe in Zimbabwe: “I bribed a government official yesterday – my first ever bribe. The Zimbabweans reading this post may now shut their mouths and massage their bruised chins from where they hit the floor. I know that everyone does it but this really was my first...
Egypt: Dov'è L'Amore
Last Thursday was Valentine's Day, and for sure Egyptian bloggers couldn't miss such opportunity without writing about it, or even dedicating a special recipe of a Chocolate Pie for this occasion and calling it "The meal of Love". Tarek Amr has more.
Ethiopia: Goodbye Ferenge Addis Blog
After going back to the US from Ethiopia, this is Marc's last post on his blog, Ferenge Addis Blog: “Having moved back to the US a couple of weeks ago, I'm sad to now say goodbye to the FAB. I've made some friends through contacts made here. And the comments...
Philippines: A Tale of Corruption and Bribery
Filipino bloggers react to the testimony of a whistleblower who testified against corruption and bribery in government. The revelation could prove damaging to the Philippine president whose husband was implicated in the controversy.
Kenya: The digital activist class
Ethan Zuckerman discusses “the digital activist class” in Kenya: “There’s a strong overlap between the emerging middle class in the developing world and the world of citizen media. Bloggers in Africa are highly educated, and generally are wealthier than the average African. (It’s not cheap, in African terms, to afford...
Ghana: Ghana Elections 2008 Blog
Ethan Zuckerman posts a link to a special Ghana Elections 2008 Blog: “The beginnings of a project to monitor Ghana’s upcoming presidential and parliametary elections via blogs, mobiles and community radio.”
Sudanese Blogosphere Reaches New Milestone
The Sudanese blogosphere is starting to build momentum. Blogs written in English are quite active now, showing the genuine, diverse and raw face of Sudan to the world. On the other hand, blogs written in Arabic have mushroomed at another corner of this vast online space.
Japan: Reactions to alleged Okinawa rape
The news last week that a U.S. Marine had allegedly raped a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa sparked various degrees of condemnation from local citizens, politicians, the government and bloggers, reigniting anger at the continued presence of American military bases in Japan's southernmost prefecture. In blogs and internet forums, however, many Japanese also criticized the alleged victim herself for being careless and "allowing" the rape to happen.
Korea: Burning of Namdaemun
Namdaemun, the Great South Gate (called Namdaemun or Sungnyemun), which was established in the 14th century, was ravaged by a fire that broke out on the 10th of February. It was was the city’s main entrance from the south when Seoul became the capital of Korea more than 600 years...
Amit Gupta: A self confessed geek
Amit Gupta is a software engineer who works as a web applications architect in India and is a self confessed geek, in other words, someone who literally lives, breathes, sleeps and talks the Internet. With such a high tech profile, it doesn't come as a surprise that he has been...
