Stories from 24 May 2009
Russia: “A Popular Blogger”
Popularity means different things to different people, in blogging as in real life. Below is a very short humorous take on some of the implications of being a “popular” blogger in the Cyrillic sector of the LiveJournal universe.
Egypt: A visit to the glass factory
VagabondBlogger, an expat currently living in Egypt, wrote an inspiring post with illustrating photographs about her trip to a glass factory in Egypt.
MENA: Introducing, “The Circumventer”
Alexandra Sandels, from MENASSAT, writes her interview with Walid Al-Saqaf, a Sweden-based Yemeni Internet expert, regarding the launch of his new program Al-Kasir (means the circumventer in Arabic) – during a summit on blogging in Cairo which was entitled “Blogging for the Future“. Al-Kasir, which is currently available in its...
Nepal Has A New Prime Minister
United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that Madhav Nepal, a moderate Communist Leader is the new Prime Minister of Nepal.
Brazil: Petroleum, elections and poverty matters
Discussions of an investigation into the nation's biggest state-owned company and its possible political motivation fill the Brazilian blogosphere. This debate takes place in a Brazilian society which sees 'black gold' as a solution to the country's economic and energy problems.
Palestine: Palestinian Christians Want Freedom Too
Fadi Abu Sada, a Palestinian Christian, hopes that the Pope's recent visit to the Holy Land will help Christians worldwide understand that Palestinian Christians suffer from the same occupation that all Palestinians suffer from.
Palestine: Art From Rubble
Adham Khalil writes about Shireen Shamia, an art teacher in the Gaza Strip, who has made art from the rubble of her house.
Paraguay: Celebrating Independence Day in the United States
Muna Annahas celebrated Paraguayan Independence Day with fellow ex-pats living in the Seattle, Washington area with typical foods and music.
Brazil: Fighting against cyber surveillance
Brazilian cyberactivists are again taking action against online surveillance in defence of the netcitizen rights. The Mega Não! protest has been triggered by the controversial digital crimes bill which aims to control cybercrime, raising serious issues on digital rights management and the free use of digital devices. There will be...
Influenza A(H1N1) cases in Southeast Asia
Several Southeast Asian countries have confirmed that some of their citizens have tested positive for Influenza A(H1N1) infection. The region is no longer swine flu-free. Bloggers react as the virus continues to spread from one country to another.
Arabeyes: The launch of Yamli bookmarklet
Earlier this morning, Tunisian blogger Slim Amamou, announced on Twitter the launch of the Yamli bookmarklet that he, along with other Arab Techies, have developed in their Arab Techies Code Sprint 2009 in Cairo. Yamli is a real time smart Arabic keyboard that allows users to type Arabic without an...
Egypt: Message to Obama
The Arabist linked to Voices for a Democratic Egypt head Dina Guirguis’ message in The Washington Post to US President Barack Obama, ahead of his expected visit to Egypt next month. She urged him to confront the Egyptian regime, and choose a neutral location for his speech.
Azerbaijan: Smiling dos and don'ts
Once again comparing life in the UK with that of her native country, Scary Azeri in Suburbs looks at the cultural dos and don'ts of women smiling in Azerbaijan.
Morocco: Eleven Killed in Deadly Stampede at Music Festival
At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded on Saturday night, 23 May, during a music concert in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, at the Mawazine world music festival. Bloggers react to the tragedy.
Morocco: When Arabs Rock
Usually at this time of the year in Morocco, a series of festivals and cultural events that mark the eminence of the summer begin. They are annual gatherings that attract a growing number of artists, local and international alike. This year is no exception.
“Obama” as President of Indonesia
“Obama” presents himself as President of Indonesia through a YouTube video. The clip features an Obama impersonator. The presidential election in Indonesia will be held on July.
Indonesia: Presidential election survey
Survey result shows Indonesia's incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is still leading among the candidates for the July polls.
Indonesia: Wealthy candidates
Jakartass reviews the wealth reports submitted by Indonesia's presidential candidates. Many of them have businesses outside of Indonesia.
Bangladesh: Tipaimukh Dam Threatens Lives
Despite protests from within India and Bangladesh, India is going ahead with the construction of the massive Tipaimukh barrage on the Barack river near the border, which will reduce the water flow in Surma and Kushiara rivers in Bangladesh. Onnesha.tk brings up this concern that by depriving Bangladesh of life-giving...
Israel: Bloggers Back the Struggle for Workers’ Rights
One of the issues Israeli bloggers truly care about and campaign for is workers' rights. At present, two topics are stirring up the Hebrew blogosphere: supporting the academic staff of the Open University that has been on strike for five weeks and counting, and boycotting AMPM drugstores (the "seven eleven" of Tel Aviv) for their workers' rights infringements.
