Stories from 23 May 2010
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision impressions
Unzipped: Gay Armenia compares the entries from Armenia and Azerbaijan in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The blog says that both female singers are beautiful, but their performances need some work before the semi-finals next week.
Azerbaijan: Democracy is…
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the U.S. State Department “Democracy is…” online video challenge and shares some of the entries with its readers. The blog is especially pleased to see that among the finalists is an entry from Azerbaijan.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Mafia & Society
Fatalin's Blog informs its readers about Mafia, a group game where some participants take on the role of the mafiosa and kill those who represent citizens while both sides deceive each other. Invented in Russia, and alluding to societies in both countries, the blog notes that the game is especially...
Egypt: A walk along a Mameluke street
Maryanne Stroud Gabbani invited her friend Patricia Canfield to write about her tours of Cairo and share the photographs she took. Patricia profoundly wrote about Khan El Khalili, Al Mu’izz Street and other touristic places in the capital city.
Morocco: Discussing a Free Thinker's Legacy
The death of Moroccan philosopher and social theorist, Mohammed Abed al-Jabri, has gone with little notice in the media. Yet al-Jabri's contributions over the last decades to the uphill battle between rationality and religious thought has probably never been so relevant as today. Bloggers have been commemorating his legacy.
Russia: Hacking of Women's Community Raises Gender, Ethical and Privacy Dilemmas
The legendary Russian women blog community "girls_only" with the most sensitive and private discussions was hacked by anonymous hacker and uploaded to a mirror site. The scandal raised a lot of legal, ethical and online security dilemmas. It also showed that men and women are creatures that live on different Internet planets and inspired online discussions about the gender differences.
Sri Lanka: Productivity Of The Ministers
Serendipity blog questions why the ministers of Sri Lanka are frequently summoned to the presidential secretariat and whether there could be more effective means of communication between the president and ministers in this electronic age.
Egypt: The State Versus the People on Minimum Wages
The current minimum laborer wage, set in the mid-1980s, is LE35. Tabula Gaza reviews the workers strife since the late 90s until today.
Egypt: Workers on Protest Face Security Crackdown
Amonsito textile factory owner Syrian-American Adel Agha fled Egypt in 2007 and responsibility for the factory was assumed by Manpower and Immigration Ministry and Bank Misr. Amonisto workers went on strike and Tabula Gaza blogged how they were kicked out of a parliament session, with six workers “kidnapped” and taken...
Peru: The Preference for Afro-Peruvians at Funeral Services
The funeral industry in Peru appears to be cornered by Afro-Peruvians, where clients specifically request and prefer their services. Many are wondering whether this might be reverse-discrimination against other ethnicities.
Kenya: Mocality – a mobile business directory
Moses writes about Mocality, a mobile-based and crowd-sourced business directory operating in Kenya.
Kazakhstan: Bloggers condemn the “Leader of the Nation” project
The parliament in Kazakhstan came out with the initiative to give a “Leader of the Nation” status to incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev. The former Kazakh Communist party’s secretary, a strongman that rules his country for more than 20 years, is to celebrate his 70th birthday July 6. This day is...
Africa: UNAIDS: Myth-makers or liars?
Simon of HIV In Kenya blog argues that UNAIDS publishes a list of recent HIV related publications. However, the list very rarely includes papers that discuss non-sexual HIV transmission, concentrating instead on the many articles that look at sexual risk or what is perceived as sexual risk.
Rwanda: Footbal war at Kigali Amahoro Stadium
Football war in Rwanda?: “Congolese players run amok at Kigali Amahoro Stadium and Rwanda expels team from country.”
South Africa: Zapiro's “Muhammad” Cartoon Controversy
Zapiro, South Africa's premier cartoonist, known for his controversial style in picking on politicians and commenting on societies issues, has come into the limelight in South Africa for jumping on the “Draw Muhammad Day” bandwagon.
Cameroon: Historical Dictional of Cameroon available
Dibussi reports that the Fourth Edition of Historical Dictionary of Cameroon is now available.
India, Pakistan: Crossing The Border By Bus
The blogger at The life and times of two Indians in Pakistan writes about the painful ordeal of crossing the India-Pakistan border on road.
East Timor: Portuguese Language in Debate
A heated discussion is taking place in the Timorese blogosphere regarding the implications of the adoption of Portuguese as one of the official languages in East Timor, along with Tetum. Kirsty Sword Gusmão, Goodwill Ambassador for Education, and spouse of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, reacts showing her concerns about education...
Caucasus: Eurovision Twitter
As this year's Eurovision Song Contest approaches, one way to keep up with the entries from the three countries making up the South Caucasus will be via Twitter. Armenia's entry, Eva Rivas, is at @EvaRivas2010 and currently has 110 followers, Azerbaijan's Safura Alizadeh is at @SafuraMusic with 338 followers at...
Japan: PacMan, still a hit after 30 years
When it was released in 1980, Pac-Man captured the world's attention and transformed the video game industry. Now Pac-Man is back to celebrate his 30th birthday, and he's popping up in unexpected places. In blogs and on Twitter, Japanese reflect on the game that launched their country to the forefront of the global video game industry.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision favorite
The Manchester Evening News blog comments on the buzz around Safura Alizadeh, Azerbaijan's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest and currently the favorite to win the international music competition. The blog features a short interview with the 17-year-old singer.
