Stories from 16 February 2009
Thailand: International schools
Follow that elephant writes about the international school system in Thailand, including how it operates and recruitment of teachers.
Thailand: Scholar charged with Lese Majeste
Accused of violating Thailand's lese-majeste law, Bangkok-based professor Giles Ji Ungpakorn fled to the United Kingdom to avoid prosecution. FACT writes that “Thailand seems intent on sending its best and brightest into exile. If no free-thinker stays to fight lese majeste repression in Thailand, only tyranny remains.”
Iran: Bloggers Remember 30th Anniversary of the Revolution
Thousands of Iranians celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution on February 10, by rallying in Tehran and other major cities in Iran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, delivered a speech. Several Iranian bloggers, both citizens and politicians, blogged on this topic.
Arab World: Gasping for Air!
A massive dust storm engulfed the entire Arabian peninsula, leaving the people of Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, gasping for air. Here are some videos, photographs and blog entries on the crazy weather, which was unusual for this time of the year.
Ukraine: The Plight of Irina Gavrisheva
Jeff Mowatt draws attention to the plight of wheelchair-bound Irina Gavrisheva, who “writes and publishes website appeals and articles about helping sick children of Zaporozhye, on behalf of the Happy Child fund” – and needs money for a surgery herself.
Jamaica: Explicit music banned
The long-standing controversy over the appropriateness of certain music for public airplay has once again reared its head in Jamaica. Bloggers make their voices heard.
Global: Appointment of Saudi Arabia's First Female Deputy Minister Makes Waves
As millions of women the world over marked Valentine’s Day with gifts from their loved ones, one woman - in a country that has banned the holiday and labels it a ‘sin’ - has good reason to never forget February 14, 2009. Meet Noura Al Fayez, teacher extraordinaire, a product of the US education system, who last Saturday became the first ever woman deputy minister in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Eunice del Rosario round up local and international reactions to the appointment.
Egypt: Saddam's Nephew Blogging
Egyptian Chronicles points out that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's nephew has a blog – Crime is a human instinct.
Iraqi bloggers meet
Iraqi blogger Attawie describes meeting up with other Iraqi bloggers in Amman, Jordan, in this post.
Iraq: 25 Random Things
Ceasar of Pentra, from Iraq, shares 25 random things about himself in this post.
Egypt: Kareem writes from prison
Free Kareem, a blog set up to rally support for jailed Egyptian blogger Kareem Nabil Sulieman, posts excerpts from Kareem's latest letter from prison, sent to Egyptian blogger Wa7da Masrya.
Egypt: Pharmacies on strike
Egyptian Moftasa reports on Twitter that he saw five pharmacies closed on his way to work because of a strike.
Zimbabwe: Why Arrest Roy Bennett?
“Why arrest Roy Bennett?,” reads the headline at My Heart's in Accra about the MDC Treasurer General and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, Roy Bennett, who was arrested Friday in Harare. He was charged with treason before these charges were dropped and replaced with attempt to commit terrorism, banditry and sabotage. Zimbabwean bloggers and others have not been silent about his arrest. Many bloggers consider the charges against Bennett to be false. One bloggers links his arrest to Mugabe's hatred for white farmers.
Jordan: Bloggers Reflect on Valentine's Day
Bloggers' reflections on Valentine's day in Jordan varied between wishes for a happy day, and raising important issues about the holiday. Here is what some of them had to say....
Syria: Wikipedia in Arabic Unblocked
@nas from Syria reports that Wikipedia in Arabic was recently unblocked and wishes the this step expands to include other sites such as Amazon, Youtube, and Facebook.
Cuba: Interview with Blogger Reinaldo Escobar
Cuban blogger Reinaldo Escobar is one of the few bloggers that has worked professionally as a journalist with official Cuban media. Now he is an independent journalist and runs the portal Desde Cuba, which is also where his blog Desde Aquí is hosted. He is also very active in the Cuban blogosphere and is part of the team that will launch the project Cuban Voices. In this interview, Claudia Cadelo asks about his start with blogging and his thoughts on a blogosphere that is often polarized.
Mexico: Breaking the Kissing Record
Nearly 40,000 Mexicans broke the Guinness World Record for the most people kissing at the same time writes Jessica Uribe of Vivir México [es]. They assembled in Mexico City's zocalo to participate in the event and she adds, “there were all types of kisses, between couples, mothers with their children,...
El Salvador: A New Archbishop in San Salvador
The new Archbishop José Luís Escobar Alas recently took possession of his archdiocese of the capital city of El Salvador writes Carlos X. Colorado in a guest blog post at Tim's El Salvador Blog, where he also writes that the new Archbishops offers, “a striking contrast both in style and...
Paraguay: Visit to Planetarium in Sajonia
Mirtha González of Cuerpo y Alma [es] recommends readers to visit the planetarium in the Sajonia area of Asunción, Paraguay. As a trip with her son, she listened to an interesting talk given by the director, Professor Blas Servín.
Honduras: The Tourist Destination of La Esperanza in Intibucá
The town of La Esperanza in the department of Intibucá, Honduras is an excellent tourist destination [es] according to Hugo Chinchilla. In addition to colonial architecture, it also attracts many visitors during Easter's Holy Week.
Panama: Safe Child Care While Parents Work
Having an adequate and safe child care while the parents work is an important campaign issue for the upcoming elections in Panama writes Tu Politica [es].
