Stories from 15 July 2008
China: Pass on the temporary residence permit
As reported on Danwei earlier, Beijing residents have been told to renew their (or start getting) temporary residence permits before the Olympics. ‘I pay my taxes,’ writes Bullog blogger Alading512, ‘and I have the freedom to not support the Olympics, so why should I fork out this 5 yuan fee?’
Mali: 21st Century Slavery
Sociolingo's Africa quotes two recent articles that “show that slavery still goes on today” in northern Mali and that it is a very complex issue in the country as many people deny its existence.
Rwanda: Customized Taxi-Bicycles
Afrigadget posted a video-interview that Eric Kabera (the maker of the genocide film “100 days” and inventor of Hillywood – Rwanda’s version of Hollywood) had with a young bycicle-taxi driver in Rwanda that customized his vehicle to attract more customers, showing that “not all inventiveness is utilitarian (or, business can...
Japan and South Korea: Dokdo
Matt from Gusts of popular feelings blogs on the reaction on the territorial debate between Japan and South Korea over Dokdo.
Peru: The Legacy of Augusto Leguia
Gian Carlo Orbezo of Peru Politico [es] writes about Augusto B. Leguia, president of Peru from 1919 to 1930 and his sad end as a dictator, and the relationship to Alberto Fujimori who is now facing trials of his own.
South Korea: Tracking Foreign Student
Following U.S government's practice, the South Korean government started to track international students — more from Korea Beat.
Saudi Arabia: No Need for Doctors
Saudi Jeans comments on an article by a senior Saudi cleric arguing for less health and more religious studies programmes at universities.
Syria: Too Young for Marriage
From Syria, Allosh [Ar] comments on under-age marriages – saying that 18 is too young an age to tie the knot.
China: Gender Relation
Maryannodonnell writes some interesting notes on gender relation in Shenzhen.
China: Reflection on Human Value
Hu Yong posted an interview with Qian Gang, the writer of Tangshan Earthquake, about the recent Sichuan earthquake. The writer pointed out that after 32 years of the Tangshan earthquake, Chinese society is yet to reflect upon the value of “Human”.
Costa Rica: Academic Report on Blogs
Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es] links to an academic investigative report regarding Costa Rican blogs and developed by professor Ignacio Siles.
China: Chinese officials engage netizens
Buxi from Fool's mountain translates a news story from China Youth Daily on how Chinese officials get online and engage netizens.
Lebanon: Glitzy Wedding
Lebanese Beirut Spring posts photographs from the wedding of Lebanese President Sleiman daughter's wedding and notes: “It’s good for a change to see all our politicians celebrating together in a glitzy environment.”
Nicaragua: Real and Hypothetical Twitter Updates About Politicians
Users of Twitter in Nicaragua recently learned about the schedule of their United Nations ambassador through the account of the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. Some wondered what other politicians' Twitter updates might look like.
Kuwait: Prayer Comment
Kuwaiti Frankom posts two pictures of people praying under the title ‘No Comment.’
UAE: Sex on Jumeirah Beach
Jazarah writes: “Jumeirah Beach in Dubai witnessed two recent incidents where expats caught while they were engaged in sexual intercourse with tourists in public, alcohols were the reason in both cases, and of course results were too ugly.”
Egypt: Why Blog?
Egyptian blogger MonTexo [Ar] asks his readers about the reason why they blog.
Jordan: RIP Olive Riley
Jordanian Naseem Tarawnah mourns the death of the world's oldest blogger, Australian Olive Riley, who died at the age 108, and says: “for some reason, I feel a strange sense of affinity.”
Egypt: Interview with Marei
From Egypt, Ibn Al Dunya writes about an interview with Muhammed Marei, who was detained for 90 days – for working as an interpreter for American photojournalist James Buck.
Venezuela: The Tradition of the Dancing Devils of Yare
The Dancing Devils of Yare is a traditional expression of culture and religion that takes place 9 weeks after Holy Thursday in the state of Miranda in Venezuela. The ritual dance is performed by dancers in colorful costumes and is a sense of pride for the entire country, as explained by local bloggers.
