Stories from 19 July 2010
Portugal: Seagulls Invade the city of Porto
A seagull problem has been occurring in Porto's historical center. Portuguese netcitizens report that the birds are hungry and fearless and have even killed pigeons. For Cristina Santos, they are scaring tourists with their attacks on the garbage piled in the streets. Marta, a tourist, witnessed what she calls a...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Sometime in my lifetime
Scary Azeri makes a guest post on Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in the context of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh as part of a series of entries using new and social media to bring the two sides closer together. Noting the popularity of her own posts...
Russia: Pictures of the Khimki Forest Defense
Photographer Igor Podgorny publishes [RUS] pictures from the camp of the defenders of the Khimki forest park [EN] situated in the Moscow's outskirts. After authorities started to cut the trees [RUS] (illegally) on July 15th, a group of environmentalists [RUS] erected barricades in order to stop the cuttings.
Chile: How to Fight Poverty
A recent Casen survey revealed an increase of 1.4% in poverty in Chile; that means that “just over 355 thousand people reached the poverty line for the first time in 2009,” as explained by The Pulse. In response to the survey, the bloggers from de la República [es] uploaded a...
Global Lives: Revisiting the project recording people's lives
Two years ago we wrote about a project in its initial stages: Global Lives set out to record a day in the life of 10 people from all over the world. Today we revisit the project and check up on how they're coming along.
Guatemala: Foundation Talita Kumi Helping Women in Rural Communities
Cobán Galería Fotográfica posts [es] images and information about a foundation called Talita Kumi. The blogger highlights how the foundation teaches young women technical skills they will later use to help in the development of their community.
Bolivia: Interview with Argentinean Blogger and Journalist
Alberto Medrano shares [es] his email interview with Dady Rubio, an Argentinean journalist and blogger [es]. In the interview Rubio answers questions about Argentina and its bicentennial celebration, but also about Bolivia, blogging and the Internet in Latin America.
Guinea: Awaiting the Second Round of the Elections Amidst Fraud Allegations
A historical presidential election is underway in Guinea as the official results of the first round [fr] are about to be made official. Despite the allegations of fraud, the overall sentiment is that of relief for the absence of turmoil and a remarkable turnout. The Guinean blogosphere was also actively involved:
India: Railway Or Death Trap?
Being Cynical at Desicritics reacts on today's tragic train accident in the Indian state of West Bengal and opines that the Indian railways are turning into a death trap.
Lebanon: Saving the Planet and Sustainability
In this post, Ghassan Karam argues that “the biggest threat to human civilization and biodiversity as we know it is the human species itself” since the increase in the population of the Earth is resulting in an inevitable ecological degradation. He also mentions that Lebanon ranks as the 129th most...
Lebanon: The Plight of Palestinian Refugees
“We can work in any field or industry, they can’t. We can learn for free, they aren’t allowed. We have access to free healthcare, they don’t. We enjoy our dignity and human rights while they struggle to simply maintain theirs. And this has been going on for a good portion...
Lebanon: Swimming Pool Discrimination
“A group of independent activists organized a direct action on a number of touristic resorts that adopt racist policies towards migrant workers in Lebanon on the basis of color, race, and class.” The video in this post shows activists trying to get a migrant domestic worker (an activist of the Madagascari...
Egypt: Men and Women You Shouldn't Date
What started as an observation by an Egyptian blogger on Twitter on women you shouldn't date turned the microblogging site into a battlefield. Tweeps from Egypt and further afield joined the warring factions. Tarek Amr reports from the front line.
Pakistan: The Urge To Ban
Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts criticizes the urge of some Pakistanis to ban any problematic thing: “a ban is never an answer to any dilemma since it is an extremely inefficient way of proving one’s point.”
Estonia: Awaiting the Euro
Andrei Tuch of Antyx discusses the ongoing popular debate about the pros and cons of Estonia adopting the Euro as currency.
Egypt: The Beginning
“Welcome all to ‘Bedayaa‘ (which translates to ‘The Beginning’ in Arabic) a long-awaited project, a special place for gays and lesbians in the Nile Valley- Egypt and Sudan”: A new online space has been created where LGBTQI from the Nile Valley can meet, talk, discuss issues, and share experiences. Take...
Russia-Belarus: Authoritarian antagonism?
Ilya Yashin discusses [RUS] the ongoing conflict between Russia and Belarus and argues that it is a case of authoritarian antagonism.
Lebanon: Don't kill your language!
Is the Arabic language being murdered? Dany Awad comments on a new awareness project taking part on the streets of Beirut, imploring passers-by not to kill their language. See photos of this innovative project in this post [AR].
Bangladesh: Freedom Of Speech And Book Ban
Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, poet and blogger Maqsoodul Haque at The Bangladesh Poet of Impropriety discusses the politics behind and effectiveness of the recent banning of book of a controversial religious leader.
Russia: Gas find in Lake Baikal
Windows to Russia reports that new gas hydrate fields have been found in Lake Baikal, adding to those already explored in the Black Sea. If technologically exploitable, these finds could become a major future energy source.
Hungary: Rich man, poor man
Pesticide.hu notes that the new model of luxury Louis Vuitton handbag arrived on the Hungarian market today, as both state bonds and the forint plummeted to new lows, forcing an overday repricing of named bag.
