Stories from 25 August 2008
Palestine: A New Blogging Revolution
Blogger Times, a blogging magazine written by Arab bloggers, covering new developments and current issues within the Arab blogging world, has published a new story called Blogging.. a Palestinian revolution.” How is the blogging scene in Palestine and what should bloggers focus on?
Iran:Award-winning documentary about murdered bishop
According to Iranian.com, the winner of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, “A Cry from Iran” is a film about Haik Hovespian, the Christian bishop who was murdered in Iran.
Ukraine: More on Independence Day Parade
Greetings from Kyiv writes about this year's Independence Day in Kyiv: “In the last few years, Ukraine focused on featuring non-profit organizations and cultural groups in their Independence Day parade, but this year, they decided to go back to holding a military parade.”
Ukraine: Independence Day Parade and Tymoshenko
Petro of Petro's Jotter was watching live coverage of the Independence Day parade in Kyiv: “[Yulia Tymoshenko] was not shown in any of the coverage. I wonder where she is celebrating?”
Georgia: Pepsikolka's Dispatches From Poti
OpenDemocracy.net posts translations of posts by LJ user pepsikolka (Samira Kuznetsova), a blogger living in Poti, Georgia: here, here, and here. (Earlier GV translations of pepsikolka‘s posts are here and here.)
Cambodia: Sex workers, 100% condom use and human rights
Cambodian sex workers have taken to the internet to make their plight and fight for human rights better known. In Cambodia, a 100% condom use law which states that sexual exchanges with clients have to take place with condoms on sounds like a good idea, but it has been turned against those it is supposed to protect, by being used as a means to imprison sex workers, using the fact that they carry condoms with them as evidence for them doing sex work.
Brazil: An Olympic balance
For a country whose best record was its 15th place in Athens last time, Brazil's 23th medal table position in the Beijing Olympics, with only 3 gold medals was not an extraordinary defeat - however, from newspapers to blogs, the general feeling is that of disappointment. Here are some reactions from the blogosphere.
World: Dolls of the world
Australian Blogger Ange, from Hegab-Rehab, wrote about a collection of few dolls gathered from all around the world, some are Muslim dolls and others are just ethnic-based.
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: People Power
“The pictures of the Jamaican track teams facilities haunt me. But what they prove, perhaps is that all the high tech this, that and the other can’t take the place of the sheer power of the human spirit”: Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer wonders “if we have what it takes to...
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Cuba: Olympic Medals
Caribbean Beat Blog congratulates Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago on their gold and silver medals in the Men's 4 x 100 Relay, while Child of the Revolution thinks that “Fidel Castro won’t be happy” with the Cuban Olympic medal count.
Jamaica: Patwa Power
Annie Paul gives a rundown of Jamaica's outstanding Olympic achievements, making the point that “the phenomenal performance of the Jamaican athletes is also due to the cultural self-confidence they feel…this is not a confidence manufactured by the abjectly self-conscious, respectability-seeking, hymn-singing English-speaking middle classes but one bred out of the...
Bermuda: War on Drugs
The Bermudian government has plans to introduce a SWAT team to tackle the war on drugs, but 21 Square thinks that “cracking down on supply without solving the problem of demand creates a vicious cycle that will only make crime in Bermuda more violent than it already is.” Vexed Bermoothes...
Bahamas, Guyana: Walcott's Warning
At the opening of the Carifesta Symposia in Guyana, Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott warned that regional governments are killing their artists – making Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel even more convinced that her decision to resign her post as Director of Culture for the Bahamas Government is the right one.
Anguilla, Bermuda: Parental Liability
Bermuda considers passing legislation that would make parents liable for the criminal behaviour of their children. Corruption-free Anguilla thinks the idea has merit: “It is what happens or does not happen in the home that decides whether or not a child grows up to be a pillar of society or...
Georgia: Russian Parliament Recognizes Abkhazia, South Ossetia
Unzipped comments on news that the Russian parliament has voted to recognize the independence of the breakway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia. The Armenian blog says that the move sets an important precedent for resolving another frozen conflict in the region — Nagorno Karabakh.
Georgia: Dispatches
My The Caucasian Knot has posts accompanied by photographs of a press conference given by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, an account of attempts to get into the Russian-occupied town of Gori, humanitarian concerns in Tbilisi following an influx of IDPs, and a report...
Cape Verde: Counting the Olympic medals for Africa
Cape Verdean blogger Jorge Tolentino [pt] details the medals that the African countries brought back home from China and highlights: “In an overall total of 40 medals for the continent, 17 were won by women.”
Brazil: Longer maternity leave causes media outcry
A law that extends paid maternity leave from 120 to 180 days has just been signed by Brazilian President Lula. Private companies will be able to opt out, but the government will grant tax breaks to those that adopt it. Altamiro Borges [pt] comments on the outcry: “the hegemonic media,...
Brazil: Exploring the “New MPB”
For those who like Brazilian Popular Music, Isaías Camanducaia [pt] picks the top 10 of the “new MPB“, which he defines as “everything that came after Marisa Monte“.
Pakistan: Keeping One's Word
The Pakistani Spectator on how politicians never keep their word.
Pakistan: A changing Islamabad
All Things Pakistan on how the capital city – Islamabad has changed over the years.
