Stories from 21 March 2010
Bangladesh: Mobile Based Donations
Shehzaad Shams at Bangladesh Corporate Blog suggests with examples that mobile phone based programs for collecting donation can work for Bangladeshi NGOs.
Japan: Brussels sprout in Kyoto
Photographer and blogger Sigrid, author of one of the most popular Italian gourmet blogs, is in Kyoto. Wonderful pictures of the city and of the delicatessen she has, together with mouth-watering Japanese recipes for the Cavoletto di Bruxelles‘ fans.
Lebanon: Runaway Maids
“When a maid runs away from her employer's house, the police station is unable to act because there's no law criminalizing runaway maids. So the police station officer tells the Lebanese employee to say that she stole money,” writes Ethiopian Suicides.
Lebanon: Billboards for Mothers’ Day
Beirut Drive-by Shooting posts photos of the Billboards planted along the Lebanese roads. One billboard about Mothers’ Day states: “because she gave you the gift of life” and the blogger comments: “…and you gave her backache, stretchmarks, swollen feet, indigestion, morning sickness, exhaustion, constipation, weight gain, bloating, dry skin, hair...
Lebanon: Baysour's Oasis Hoax
BabaGannouj et La Zaytouni has images of Plitvice National Park in Croatia which are returned by Google Image search whenever one is searching for the village of Baysour in Lebanon. “Even sites such as Souwar.com incorrectly show pictures of the Croatian Park and label them Baysour, Lebanon.” BetLZ tries to...
Lebanon: World's Richest Man Dropped By
A collaboration between Qifa Nabki and Maya Zankoul resulted in a comic strip about the visit of the world's richest man, the Mexican of Lebanese origin, Carlos Slim Helou, and who was “fêted in the Lebanese press for demonstrating the inherent superiority of Phoenician DNA in producing successful traders.”
Lebanon: Special Photographs
Shezshe goes around Beirut and other places in Lebanon spotting and photographing special people with special things and/or unique outfits.
Lebanon: Environmental Awarness
Emir Bachir discusses Lebanon’s environment which he believes is in free fall and posts a list of priorities that need urgent attention.
Lebanon: Shankaboot, first Arabic webdrama
A topic of several blog posts in the Lebanese blogosphere is Shankaboot. “Shankaboot– the world’s first Arabic webdrama – takes us into the beating heart of modern Beirut street life through the eyes of Suleiman, our 15 year old, happy-go-lucky delivery boy.” Enjoy.
Tajikistan: Free speech vs. courts
The saga of three judges and three newspapers continues in Tajikistan and has taken an interesting turn as the journalists fight back with a new recording revealing the corruption in the Supreme Court, neweurasia’s Alpharabius reports.
Kyrgyzstan: Osh town redevelopment
Iskender writes that the Kyrgyzstan government proposes a 15-year plan of complex redevelopment for Osh, an old town also called as the Kyrgyz Southern capital.
Kazkahstan: Flood and the government
KZBlog reports on the aftermath of the flood in Kazakhstan, saying that corruption might have been the main reason for the tragedy.
Afghanistan: Film archive survives or not
Nick Fielding reports on the fact that the continuing survival of the Afghan National Film Archive, containing the only known copies of some Afghan films and documentaries, remains precarious.
Uzbekistan: Economic purge
Dafydd takes a look at various versions of why did the Uzbekistan's president order the arrest of a whole slew of Uzbekistan’s richest people.
Afghanistan: Does Iran support the Taliban?
Joshua Foust doubts whether reports of Iranian support to the Taliban are credible.
Afghanistan: Counterinsurgency is not just Talibans
Joshua Foust reflects on how the U.S. military chooses to portray the communities where it operates.
Afghanistan: Did the US invade Afghanistan?
Nasim Fekrat reviews nine years of the US presence in Afghanistan and says that those cannot be considered as “invasion”.
Malaysia: What's The Real Deal With Palm Oil?
Palm oil has become the target of criticism from environmentalists and green activists in recent years. Daniel Chandranayagam sums up the issues surrounding the impact of palm oil production in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Singapore: Anti-Death Penalty Campaign
Singapore bloggers react to the death penalty sentence handed down by the High Court of Singapore to a Malaysian youth who was convicted of drug trafficking charges
