Stories from 20 November 2008
Syria: Stop Generalisations
From Syria, Maysaloon [dead link/this post has since been deleted] wishes that writers and bloggers will stop generalising when addressing political issues and “stop speaking for ‘most’ or ‘many’ Syrians.”
Morocco: $31 million for Reforestation Projects
SunnyRaindrops tells us that Morocco plans to spend USD31 million over the next two years on reforestation.
Morocco: Debating the Death Penalty
Abdelilah Boukili debates the death penalty in his blog as a response to the BBC World's Have Your Say program.
Morocco: Hate Crimes on the Rise in the US Following Obama's Election
Myrtus, a Moroccan living in the U.S., is alarmed by the number of hate crimes across the U.S. following Obama's election to the presidency.
Morocco: Doctors Protest Against Remote Assignments
SunnyRaindrops reports that female doctors in Morocco are protesting against being assigned to remote locations.
Egypt: Convicted for being a Blogger
Is blogging a serious crime? And is speaking up for others something which warrants punishment? Egyptian Marwa Rakha translates a post from Arabic which discusses bloggers and blogging in Egypt.
Cameroon: Questioning the Bakassi Freedom Fighters hostage exchange
A week after the 10 hostages (including 8 foreign nationals) kidnapped by the Bakassi Freedom Fighters were exchanged for the release of 13 prisoners, Cameroonian blogger Le blog du Prési wonders what a hostage is worth. “I don't mean ‘what does a hostage cost?'”, he writes. “Even though these would be...
Madagascar: Brides-for-Sale just one harsh reality of poverty
Lova Rakotomalala translates the Malagasy blogosphere as it talks about the extremes people can be driven to by poverty.
Egypt: King Abdullah's Glass of Wine
A rumor has been spreading in the blogosphere, accompanied with a photograph of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia showing him seated beside US President George W Bush while holding a glass of wine in his hand. And as you all know, alcohol is prohibited in Islam, and it is a sin to drink or even stay in a place where it is being served or available. Following are reactions from Egypt.
Israel: Hoessein Derakhshan Arrested
Iranian-born Meir Javedanfar, who is based in Tel Aviv, blogs about Iranian Hoessein Deraskhshan's arrest in Tehran in this post on Middle East Analyst. Global Voices Advocacy covered the story here.
Trinidad & Tobago: Effects of Flooding
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers are keeping an eye on the flood waters, here and here.
Hungary: Eszter Hajdú's Documentary
Hungarian Spectrum writes about a documentary on “the devastating effects of Hungarian political divisiveness on families and friendships.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Gotham City?
Trinidad and Tobago's The Liming House blogs about Baby Marisa, who died from a rare but treatable liver problem: “The death of this innocent should rest on all our minds. Who defends the defenseless? How is it that a government has basically left a child to die and faces no...
Barbados: The Abortion Issue
Barbados Free Press comments on two regional mainstream media articles about abortion.
Grenada: Heavy Rains
Yesterday's heavy rains turned Grenada's Annandale Falls dangerous – Free Spirit posts some photos.
Guyana: Snake Tales
A discarded snake skin reminds Guyana-Gyal of two stories that she learned through oral tradition, causing her to lament: “Instead of adding we stories to the grand history of man, to help illustrate the story of man, we the people is shedding we tales, leaving them to decay while we...
Japan: 10,000 signatures to support a café
A small independent café, Berg, is facing possible eviction from a shopping complex in Shinjuku, adjacent to the world's busiest train station. The building owner wants the 50-square-metre café out because the café owner has refused to sign a new contract that allows the company to evict its tenant after...
Peru: APEC Summit an Opportunity for the Country
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum will attract 21 member countries to Lima, Peru, which will have the opportunity to put on display its recent economic accomplishments, investment opportunities, as well as its tourism potential. Many Peruvian bloggers are excited about this showcase opportunity, in spite of the logistical nightmares such a large gathering might produce.
China: When Your Son Is Kidnapped
ESWN translated a Southern Metropolis Daily news about a father seeking help online for finding his kidnapped son: the kidnappers demanded 30,000 RMB, but the police refused to accept the case because the amount has to be 50,000 RMB or more. The helpless father therefore went onto the Internet for...
