Stories from 6 April 2008
Southeast Europe, Russia: War, Peace, and Shared History
Veronica Khokhlova translates some Russophone bloggers' views on shared history and conflict in Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Blogger of the Week: Abdullatif Alomar
Kuwaiti blogger Abdullatif Alomar, 30, caught the blogging bug in January 2005 and has never looked back since. In this week's Blogger of the Week series, he opens his heart to us, giving us a sneak preview about why he blogs and the insides of the Kuwaiti blogosphere, which now boasts about 800 members.
China: Chinese protest in London you never see on BBC
Bridge-blogging has taken on a whole new meaning now in China since armies of multilingual netizens started scouring the known media universe last month for inaccuracy or distortions in reports regarding China or, more specifically, Tibet.
Armenia: Hunger Strike
The Armenaker Kamilion posts a list of demands by several opposition activists detained during the recent state of emergency in Armenia. They include declaring the disputed 19 February presidential election invalid and the release of over a hundred opposition figures currently under arrest.
Argentina: high school students use online video to report their issues.
By uploading a video on YouTube, argentinean high school students managed to get mass media's attention to their plight: the need for a building where they can receive classes. Currently the Ipem 112 “César Iñíguez Montenegro”, in Sebastián Elcano, a village to the north of the Cordoba capital in Argentina are receiving lessons at an elementary school. However, because the elementary school has double shifts, the high school students are forced to receive evening classes, as if it were a night school.
Azerbaijan: Cuisine
Carolyn & Jesse's Azerbaijan Peace Corps Blog introduces its readers to Azerbaijani cuisine. Although the blog says that the nutritional value of many of the meals on offer is questionable it concludes that there are some “real treasures in the country” and provides a culinary tour of some of them.
Paraguay: Candidate Debate
Liam of Políticamente Incorrecto [es] provides his thoughts on the recent Paraguayan presidential debate and does not think highly of the ANR candidate Blanca Ovelar's “empty promises.”
Azerbaijan: Taza Mosque
An American in Azerbaijan pays a village to the Taza Mosque in Baku. Built in the early 1900s, the mosque is currently undergoing restoration in an area of the Azerbaijani capital that few foreigners visit.
Mexico: Smoking Ban in Effect
Chilanga Banda [es] and DFinitivo [es] write about the prohibition of smoking in enclosed places in Mexico City, which took effect this past weekend. The ban especially affects bars and restaurants.
Japan: Family registry system and same-sax couples
Blogger Maruyama Teruno discusses the gay-unfriendly nature of the Japanese family registry system, referred to as koseki, and argues that the system lacks consideration for the privacy of individuals. Even if partnership law was implemented but the current family registry system remained the same, it could potentially violate the privacy...
Japan: 7th Tokyo Pride Parade announced
7th Tokyo Pride Parade (TTP7th) has been announced and the official blog [jp]has been launched. Scheduled for August 9, the theme for this year's TPP is “matsuri”, or festival in Japanese.
Cape Verde: Gilberto Freyre at my greatgranny's
Jorge Sousa Brito [pt] posts photos and writes about an incredible and wonderful story: the day that the Brazilian sociologist, cultural anthropologist Gilberto Freyre dropped at this great grandmother's house when he visited Cape Verde in 1951.
Uruguay: Round of Poets
“In Montevideo (Uruguay), there are places where beautiful things happen, like the round of poets,” writes Sole of ¡Montevideo me mata! [es]. She writes that poet Leonardo de Mello read some of his poems on that night.
Iran:Salehi is out of jail
Salam Demokrat informs[Fa] us that Mahmoud Salehi,an Iranian leading worker activist, is out of jail. He was in prison for more than one year. You can watch a video about him.
Mozambique: Reflecting on the news
“In my humble opinion it is necessary that news reporters reflect seriously on the kind of news they offer to society. When absence of facts starts to become rule rather than exception in the news, who do we serve as communicators? Consumers? With no facts or objectivity in addressing the...
Colombia: Internet Usage Survey
A recent poll conducted of 7,000 Colombian revealed some interesting findings regarding internet use in that country. Bloggings by Boz has some thoughts on the results.
Japan in full bloom
Spring has come to Japan with the first cherry blossoms of the year. People anxiously wait for the blossom forecast announced by the Meteorological Agency, while marking their calendar for the best day for blossom viewing (hanami). As the cherry blossoms front (sakurazensen) moved northwards, the cherry trees started blooming...
Honduras: More on Contaminated Cantaloupes
La Gringa's Blogicito writes about the continuing controversy regarding contaminated cantaloupes in Honduras. The president Mel Zelaya reportedly ate a cantaloupe on the international news in order to prove that there was nothing wrong with this important export, but controversy arose whether he ate a honeydew instead.
Venezuela: A Month for Farewells – Part II
Even though two of Venezuela's prominent artists passed away in late 2007 and in early 2008, the month of March was a time when many gathered to pay tribute to Aldemaro Romero and Adriano González León. This is the second in a two-part series that takes a look at how Venezuelan bloggers honored the legacy of these two artists.
Lebanon: Selling Air
With Lebanese air now canned and exported around the world, bloggers are torn between considering the move as a nationalist or money making scheme. Moussa Bashir reports from Beirut.
Jordan: The Queen's Video, New Media Battles & Spring
As spring begins to take its course throughout the Kingdom, Jordanian bloggers have had a lot to talk about these past two weeks. Naseem Tarwanah takes us on the tour of the Jordanian blogosphere, with stops at the Queen Rania YouTube message to the world; online free speech; spring and local politics.
