Stories from 3 August 2010
Lebanon: Loving the army
Hatem Hamoui celebrates the 65th anniversary of the formation of the Lebanese Army by this cartoon showing how the Lebanese youth love their army.
Lebanon: What got them into blogging
“Lebanese bloggers tell us what got them into blogging in the first place” in a video prepared by Liliane and posted on the Lebanon Aggregator.
Lebanon: Colorful garbabe bins
“For 2 weeks, we had beautiful colorful bins with the new logo… But now, we are back to the green garbage bins, only using the new logo. Does this mean that the colorful bins were just a tactic communication practice to get the new logo noticed?” Celine asks in this...
Honduras: Fines for Not Destroying Mosquito Breeding Grounds
Dengue fever continues to be a serious health issue in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. David Morán of the blog El Catracho [es] criticizes the decision of the local government to places fines on individuals that do not destroy the places where the mosquitoes breed, saying the money may end being used for...
Ecuador: Guayaquil Protest Against Informal Sale of Pets
In Ecuador, Pitonizza announces a protest in Urdesa Park in Guayaquil against the informal sale of pets [es], which often live in unhealthy conditions and if customers buy these pets from the street, then it provides an incentive for the vendors to continue this practice.
Morocco: A Benevolent Capitalist?
“Is there any such a thing as a benevolent capitalist?” asks Moroccan blogger Hisham.
Bahrain: Towards a Liberal Bahrain
Bahrain is gearing up for its parliamentary elections in October. Activists have set up a Facebook page entitled: Towards a Liberal Bahrain.
Palestine/Israel: Paul and Peace
After the success of Paul the Octopus in correctly guessing the outcome of all of Germany's matches in the World Cup, bloggerheads tweets: “I think we've seen enough to trust Paul the Octopus with two boxes marked ‘Israel’ and ‘Palestine’.”
Israel: The Razing of Al Araqeeb
Daniel Dukarevich posted an eyewitness account (Hebrew) of the eradication of the Bedouin Negev village of Al-Araqeeb by the Israeli police and military. Tikun Olam posts a translation here.
Bahrain: Shooting Bats
Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif shot bats in his garden. Bats are not commonly seen in Bahrain.
Morocco: Petitioning for the decriminalisation of homosexuality
Moroccans are petitioning for the decriminalisation of homosexuality by the repeal of article 489 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which criminalises “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex.” See more at GayMaroc [AR], or visit the Facebook group here.
Pakistan: Karachi Burns Again
Beena Sarwar at Journeys To Democracy reports about the recent assassination of MQM leader and member of provincial assembly Haidar Raza which triggered fear and panic in Karachi.
India: Kashmiris In Despairs
South Asia Wired posts opinions of a female activist from Sri Nagar where she comments about the recent political situation and the curfew: “We’re so tired. We’re so angry. I’m getting sick from it.”
Pakistan: Stigma Against The Girl Child
R Zaib at The Rant Sessions names the stigma against the girl child and preference of boys in Pakistani societies – ‘a moronic desire’.
Flood Wreaks Havoc In Pakistan
Some 1.5 million people in Pakistan are affected by the worst flood in the last 80 years, and the death toll has mounted to 1100. While the response of Pakistan's blogosphere can be termed mild, some bloggers have taken initiatives to collect reliefs and carrying them to the affected areas.
South Korea: Samsung, patriots and the iPhone
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS, the world's largest technology company, is based in the Republic of Korea. South Koreans glow with pride when they introduce the company’s products to foreigners, and often criticisms to Samsung are understood as an insult to its creator, the South Korean government.
South Korea: Personal Information Requirement Halted For the Moment
In South Korea, a deal that could trigger mass personal information leakage was blocked at the last minute by public opposition. As one Korean portal giant’s attempt to gather private information was thwarted, a public notion has formed that we have let things go to far.