Stories from 28 December 2008
Palestine: On the Ground in Gaza
In spite of the continued attacks on Gaza, and the loss of electricity in many places, there are Gazan bloggers who are managing to write about what is going on. In addition, there are a number of foreign human rights activists in the Gaza Strip who are providing eyewitness accounts.
Ghana: Election runoff
African Elections Project posted some pictures of the runoff for the 7th of December Presidential elections taking place today, while @ghanaelections has been offering live Twitter updates on the voting.
Tanzania: Friends of Ruaha blog
Samuel Maina of Theatre of Inconveniences introduces the recently launched Friends of Ruaha blog devoted to the conservation of the Ruaha Park in Tanzania which is “arguably, one of the largest and most beautiful wildlife parks in Africa”, according to him. The post includes a video from the Friends of...
Iran Review 2008
According to the Berkman Center for Internet and Society there are around 60,000 active Iranian blogs. In 2008 they have been creative, dynamic and active in their diverse fields of interest. Here are a few of them.
The Global Twittersphere Discusses Gaza
Twitter is the new blogging, or so the story goes. Never has that been more apparent than in times of crisis: During the Mumbai attacks, Twitter users provided up-to-the-minute coverage, and today, as Israeli airstrikes continue to hit Gaza, the Twittersphere is deep in discussion.
Cameroon: Blogging to save 4 year-old from orbital tumor
In November 2008 Cameroon's national TV featured the story of a four year-old boy called Bright Asangwei Fuh suffering from a rare orbital tumor that could not be properly handled in the country. Since then a group of well wishers have created a blog to fundraise for the little boy's medical evacuation to the USA.
Syria: Present Day Nazis
“I mean the present-day Nazis that are shelling an entire population in Gaza. Who knew that the heirs to the ethnic genocidal policies of the Holocaust would be the Jews themselves? And have they perfected those policies!” Says Syrian blogger Lujayn, about the latest bombing of Gaza.
Palestine: Who is Responsible for Gaza?
Egyptian Ahmed Tammam asks who is responsible for the attacks in Gaza: “Hammas?? Isreal?? Aeabic world?? Islamic World?? May be All…”
Syria: Outrage at the “Massacre in Gaza”
The Arab world is somber today. The feeling of shock and disgust at the events of yesterday can be felt at every blog. As the Israeli Defense Forces bombed and wrecked havoc in besieged Gaza the Syrian blogosphere had a sense of disbelief at what is happening and the international reaction to it, as Yazan Badran explains.
Palestine: The Untold Story in Gaza
Sameh Habeeb, thought to be the one of the only English-language bloggers currently blogging from Gaza, offers an on-the-ground report of yesterday's events in Gaza.
Ukraine: Top ten bribes 2008
Wu Wei draws attention to a Kyiv Post story on the top ten bribe cases uncovered by Ukrainian authorities in 2008.
Rare Brunei stamp
Rozan Yunos writes about a rare 6c Brunei stamp issued during the Japanese Occupation.
Brunei: Stricter regulation in car purchases
Local Freakonomics from Brunei is happy over the more stringent enforcement of down-payment for car purchases since this will prevent consumers from spending what they could not afford.
Malaysia: Former king dies
Malaysia's former king, Tuanku Jaafar Ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, is dead. He was Malaysia's king from 1994-1999.
Saigon Beer vs Angkor Beer
Vuthasuf compares beer products of Vietnam and Cambodia.
Syria: Anti-Israel Protests Planned for London
“A demonstration may seem like the most pointless self-serving act you can do at a time like this. But it’s better than sitting at home” writes Syria News Wire in announcing a protest scheduled for tomorrow in front of the Israeli embassy in London.
The Death of Ai Iijima, the End of an Era
For many men in Taiwan, this Christmas Eve was a day of regret and disappointment. It is not because that at this eve some of us would need to spend a significant amount money to please our lovers--thanks to the endless bombing from merchants and commercials. And neither it is because that others would be upset due to lack of lovers for the holiday--yes, for most people, Christmas in Taiwan is more like Valentine's Day--perhaps the forth or the fifth one. It is that in the era of closure on any discussion of sex issues, an ex-AV porno Japanese actress who accompanied us during much of our private time, and later successfully transformed into an entertainer in show business, was found dead in the afternoon at her house in Shibuya, Tokyo: her name is Ai Iijima.
Palestine: “The Bloodiest Day Since 1967″
It started as a "normal" day in Gaza. By the end of the day, however, it became clear that December 27 would be known as the bloodiest day of the Palestine-Israel conflict since 1967. Although the target of the Israeli airstrikes was Hamas, as the day went on it became clear that there were also a number of civilian casualties among the 225 or so total.
Turkey: Anti-Israel Protests
Erkan's Field Diary posts photos of the anti-Israel protest in Istanbul's Taksim Square in response to recent attacks on Palestinians.
Ecuador: Public Spending by Correa Administration
Juan Montalvo of Ecuador Sin Censura [es] criticizes the public spending of the Rafael Correa government and cites financial figures comparing previous administrations.
Turkey: Apology Shakes Apologia over Armenian Genocide
Challenging 90 years of institutionalized denial of the massacre and deportation of the Ottoman Empire's indigenous Armenian community during WWI, tens of thousands of Turkish intellectuals, academics, writers, journalists and dissidents have apologized online for the "Great Catastrophe."
