Stories from 28 October 2010
US: Stop Meddling with Palestinian Online Conversations
Jillian C York is concerned with the policy recommendations of a study released by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Palestinian social media.
Palestine: A Parting Gift from Gaza
Gaza Mom is back to the US with a parting gift from Gaza. Click here to find out.
Saudi Arabia: A Genie for your Thought!
Saudis continue to react to the genie (jinni) drama. Qusay shares his thoughts here.
Iran: Digital Media Fair
The 4th International Digital Media Fair was run from October 9 to 16 in Tehran. Akase Mosalman, has published several photos from this digital event in Iran.
Egypt: Why Does Saudi Arabia Need So Many Helicopters?
Issandr El Amrani, from the Arabist, wonders why Saudi Arabia needs to purchase so many helicopters. “What will they use all of these helicopters for? Future incursions into Yemen? Riot control in Dhahran province? Counter-terrorism in the Empty Quarter? Helicopters, unlike F-15s, are not really for engaging another state (like...
Ethiopia: On Ethiopian Intellectuals
A critique of Ethiopian intellectuals: “Ethiopian intellectuals are a sick bunch. They are wild and radical. Radical in the sense of acting together as a single unit; wild in the sense of having no focus or rather focused only on short term gains.”
Lebanon: GeekFest Planned
Plans are underway for GeekFest Beirut v3 on November 3. Here are more details.
Iran: Tehran at night
Kosoof, a leading photo blogger from Iran, has published a collection photos of Tehran at night.
Egypt: On Salafis and Shias
“Because some did not believe the claims that the Egyptian regime is behind the Salafi channels and the Salafi trend in the country , the suspension of the Salafi channels revealed very interesting facts,” writes Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles.
Tanzania: Vote Like You Own Your Country
Elsie looks at election related news and events a few days before Tanzanians go to the polls: ” Now, to the serious business: we've got our citizen reporting work cut out for us, folks. I told you already that Vijana FM are running an election monitoring online tool based on...
Africa: Africans Turn to Each Other for Expert Advice
Google Baraza – Information for Africa: “How can I write a movie script for Nollywood? How does the stock exchange operate in Johannesburg? What is the recipe for bitter leaf soup? What is the best company for car insurance in Kenya? English and French speaking Internet users in Africa, with...
“United Russia” Ideologist Calls to Forbid Official Blogs
Alexey Chadaev, a leading ideologist of “United Russia,” calls [RUS] to ban blogs and microblogs of senior Russian officials. Chadaev explains that blogging threatens the authority of the Russian political leadership since it has been always based on “three whales: miracle, secret and power,” in other words, exclusivity and distance from...
China: Mapping violent evictions for homebuyer awareness
The many forceful evictions in China and their tragic victims are widely reported upon and discussed online, but what can be said about housing that goes on the market after the rubble is cleared and the people buying it up?
Argentina: Former President, Nestor Kirchner, Dies
This Wednesday, Nestor Kirchner, former president and husband of the current president Cristina Fernandez, died of a heart attack. Argentinian bloggers shared their impressions on this sudden and unexpected death.
China: The social and political implication of “Car Accident Gate”
ESWN translates a blog post explaining the social and political implications of the public rage instigated by the catchphrase: “My father is Li Gang” in the recent “Car Accident Gate”.
China: Blood house map
A google map that marks social conflicts related with force demolition and land acquisition.
Mozambique: English influencing spoken language
Mosanblog [pt] looks at how the introduction of English words is rapidly influencing colloquial Portuguese in Mozambique.
Brazil: satirical voting campaign goes viral
A topic that has been making waves throughout the Brazilian Internet is the satirical campanha #votoserrapq (why I will vote for Serra campaign) [pt]. Organised by the blog Grupo Brasil e Desenvolvimento (Brasil & Development Group) [pt], the campaign consists of video footage [pt] of citizens sarcastically explaining why they will vote...
Brazil: activists, bloggers defend freedom of expression
In an act of solidarity [pt] in response to the censoring of Revista do Brasil magazine, a host of Brazilian activists, bloggers and other independent media joined yesterday in collectively criticising the country's mainstream media and lack of freedom of speech.
