Stories from 15 September 2008
Kuwait: Special Girgian Celebration
People in the Gulf region mark the middle of the Holy Month of Ramadan with a celebration, where children dress up and go door to door, wishing neighbours and collecting treats and sometimes money. One blogger from Kuwait shares the occasion with us.
Lebanon: Ramadan ‘not that great’
Kuwaiti blogger Ray is in Lebanon where she says: “lebanon isn't that great in ramadan. [But]bas the weather is AMAZING.”
Pakistani soldiers stop US Insurgence : reality or drama?
The Teeth Maestro comments on the recent firing of Pakistani troops on US troops: “…on a critical evaluation in light of the BBC report I suspect its all an orchestrated drama to salvage the cordial ties between the US and Pakistan“.
Sri Lanka: How cool are you?
Cerno talks about the coolest people in Sri Lanka and their status.
Saudi Arabia: The need for laws not just education
Hala outlines her position on male guardianship over women: “I’m just a simple person who believes that although education about rights and wrong is important yet it’s not worthy without laws that protect the rights, since we can lead a horse to the water but we can’t make it drink…...
Saudi Arabia: Sarah Palin for Saudi?
American Bedu wonders whether Sarah Palin would make an ideal citizen of Saudi Arabia: “she favors creationist teaching instead of evolution…She does not believe in abortion… She ‘should’ know much about oil coming from the key American producing state.”
India: Attacks on Christians
Kim writes in Desicritics on the recent communal violence in Mangalore and argues that the incident was not given proper coverage.
India: Delhi serial blasts and after thoughts
On September 13th the capital of India was rocked and terrorized by serial blasts. This is the fourth bombing incident targeting innocent people this year after Jaipur, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad. Aaman Lamba reports in Desicritics: Five bombs went off in succession in Karol Bagh, Connaught Place, and Greater Kailash I,...
Lithuania: State of the Blogosphere
Vilnius Blogs notes that even though “blogging is trendy [in Lithuania] just as everywhere else,” “there are not too many English-language blogs about Lithuania.”
Taiwan: More than 10,000 bloggers compete in this year's Blog Award
The fourth Global Chinese Blog Award-the biggest blog award in Chinese blogosphere-hosted by Taiwan's Chinatimes.com just finished sign-up stage this evening with a result of more than 10,000 blogs signing in 16 categories. The most competitive category is Art and Culture which has 3,015 contesting blogs while the least is...
Bangladesh: The other face of Dhaka
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh comes with the usual facets of a megacity; it is congested, polluted and with a lot of traffic jams. Dhaka Dweller reminds that it also has its “cultural diversity, the sheer warmth of the people and the magic of the old town”.
Africa: Citizen Journalism, Journalism for Citizens
Last week, 700 journalists, bloggers, researchers, students and policymakers from more than 40 African countries took part in three days of discussions, debates and training at the 12th edition of Highway Africa conference in Grahamstown, South Africa. Highway Africa is the largest annual gathering of journalists and other media practitioners on the continent. This year's themes was Citizen Journalism, Journalism for Citizens.
Russia, UK: Russians in London
IZO writes that the Russian government allegedly has a say in how Russian “oligarchs” are spending their money on cultural and other events in London.
World Bank Film Competition – Social Dimensions of Climate Change
The world bank has a call for submissions of short 2-5 minute documentaries that show the social effects or aspects of climate change. The deadline for the competition is October 24th 2008. They would like submissions from developing countries (particularly from the youth), covering any of the following categories. -...
India: The complex middle class
Supriyo Chaudhuri writes in his blog Sunday Posts about the Indian middle class and the complexity of its composition.
Russia: “Extreme and Absurd, Violence and Art”
Moscow Through Brown Eyes lists recent “extremist actions” in Russia, writes about one of the possible reasons for the ongoing South Park scandal, and posts a video of a “provocative performance” by art group “Voina”: “As a present to well-known xenophobic and homophobic Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, the artists acted out...
Turkey: “Armenian Istanbul”
Sundry Translations and Other Tangentialia translates Mark Grigorian's LJ entries (RUS – here, here, here) on Istanbul's Armenian dimension.
Russia: Lavrov Needs a Vacation
Eternal Remont thinks that Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, deserves certain pity and needs a vacation.
Russia: Putin's Sex Appeal and the “New Cold War”
Vilhelm Konnander writes about Vladimir Putin's sex appeal and the West's alleged “psychological need for negative power projection – a primitive urge to make Putin look impotent at a time when ‘barbarious Russia’ stands at the gates of our ‘imaginary western world of values’.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Financial Armageddon?
Trinidadian blogger The Liming House is concerned about “events that have shaken Wall Street, the City of London and the global financial system to its very core”, adding: “You might think – if you live in the Caribbean, for instance – that what’s happening ‘out there’ might not affect you....
Bahamas, Guyana: Fringe Benefits
Bahamian blogger The Gaulin Wife reflects on her experience at the recently-concluded Carifesta: “Perhaps being left out of officially sanctioned spaces is sometimes the critical jolt that remembers us to ourselves – reminds us that no government, and no festival can create art or artists, we create and define ourselves.”
