Stories from 28 August 2009
Jordan: Who supports the wife beaters?
Do 85 per cent of Jordanians support the beating of wives by their husbands? Qwaider tackles this issue in this post.
Morocco: Death on a Plane
The View from Fez reports on a mystery death on board a flight from Morocco.
Jordan: Congrats Maktoob
Jordanian Qwaider addresses Arab blogging portal Maktoob, which has just signed a deal with Yahoo! saying: “Well done my friends. Not only because someone like Yahoo recognized you. But because you have actually made it.”
Jordan: Yahoo! Maktoob in New Deal
Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawnah comments on the recent Maktoob-Yahoo! deal.
East Timor: Abe Barreto Soares’ Poetry for Nation Building
He calls himself a “wanderer like anyone else” but Abe Barreto Soares is also a poet, a translator and an active blogger. In this interview, he talks about Timorese nationalism, language and poetry.
Sudan: Promoting peace in Sudan
Laura discusses peace efforts in Sudan: “In the three days since the Sudan Now initiative launched, we’ve seen a number of bloggers and journalists qualify their reports of activist frustration by noting that the Obama administration has indeed been active in trying to address the multiple crises in Sudan”
Africa/UK: South African blogger on Ramadan in the UK
Ramadan in the UK is a bit… different, writes Muhammad Karim, a South African blogger in the UK: “In the UK, specifically here in Epsom, there’s a community as well, albeit a younger, less developed one. So, in essence, it can be a little lonely.”
Africa: BarCampAfrica UK 2009
An announcement for BarCampAfrica UK 2009: “So a tweet , a retweet ,a couple of emails back and forth and an organizers meeting later we are on course for an inspiring and action oriented BarCampAfrica UK on the 7th of November 2009.”
Ghana: Should Ghana consider space travel?
Should Ghana consider space travel?: “It is absolute wishful thinking. Travel to space to do what in the first place? Honestly, given even 50 years from today, I bet we are not and never going to get anywhere near there.”
Ghana: Ghanaians wont be chewing their chicken bones
Ghanaians will not be chewing their chicken bones!: “It turns out the Ghanaian parliament and U.S. Congress are working on passing a Bill known as the “Biosafety Act” which will allow the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into Ghana's food chain.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Paper Vs. Blogger
A battle appears to be brewing between a Trinidad and Tobago blogger and a local newspaper: the latter says that it will “exercise all its available legal options” unless kid5rivers apologizes for this post, in which he airs his opinion that the paper has become “a media house that no...
South Africa: Health Advisory for Highway Africa participants
For those of you traveling from abroad to South Africa for the Highway Africa conference, here’s a health advisory on the pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 2009, commonly known as swine flu, that we recommend you to read.
Africa: 10 songs dedicated to African women
In honoring Women's Month, Mighty African selects 10 songs dedicated to African women from different countries in Africa.
Puerto Rico: “Such is Life”
The executive director of the government project Portal del Futuro defended the construction of a luxury mega-resort by telling residents of neighboring communities that they would not have access to this kind of project because "such is life." Puerto Rican bloggers respond to his remarks.
Japan: Marines and Okinawa
Peter Ennis at NBR Forum explains [en] the “role” of the U.S. Marines in Okinawa. “The US Marines are so heavily based on Okinawa for one reason:Budget. Japan picks up most of the bill. War plans for the Korean Peninsula virtually do not include the US Marines.” [via Tobias Harris,...
India: We Are Also Indians
Partha Pratim writes an open letter to fellow Indians venting frustrations that the people of the seven states in the north-eastern part of India and their issues are often ignored and overlooked by the majority Indians.
Nepal: Taking Oath In Hindi
Parmananda Jha, the new Vice President (VP) of Nepal stirred controversy when he took his oath in Hindi language. According to a latest court order “Mr. Jha has still some days to correct himself by retaking oath in Nepali or resign if he can not speak Nepali in front of...
Pakistan: Sex Education Row
Faisal K. at Deadpan Thoughts is outraged by a controversy in a Pakistan school where some parents are demanding that the principal should step down because she introduced a grade 7 biology book in the curriculum which has a few pages on human reproduction system.
Trinidad & Tobago: Barbadine Punch
“Here in Trinidad and Tobago we have two uses for the giant granadilla when making drinks; we use it for juices or, in today's case, in a punch”: Simply Trini Cooking shares a barbadine recipe that packs a punch!
Anguilla: Discussing Freedom of Information
“Writing the law is the easy part. Getting it to work is another matter. But, even discussing it is a really important step if we are really serious about accountability and transparency…”: Corruption-free Anguilla examines the issue of Freedom of Information.
Bahamas: Economic Priorities?
“Rumour has it that cash flow is hard to come by for the government…yet the country opens a consulate office in Atlanta, Georgia”: Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas wonders what on earth the government could be thinking.
