Stories from 23 December 2007
Grenada: Down By The River
If you're looking for Free Spirit she'll be down by the river…
Barbados: Election Date
“For most Barbadians who have not become completely apathetic, this general election will be one of the most interesting since Independence in 1966″: Barbados Underground reports that the island's Prime Minister has set a date for elections.
Bahamas: Go Slow?
Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com wonders if the island's air traffic controllers are on a go-slow.
Caribbean: Christmas Traditions
All over the world, people get together with friends and family to celebrate Christmas. They exchange gifts, and invite one another to their homes for parties, lunches or dinners, signifying the trademark Christmas message of peace and goodwill. Karel McIntosh speaks to a few regional bloggers to get a glimpse into what Christmas traditions are like in the Caribbean...
Korea: Why the Internet didn't Influence the Presidential Election This Time
The presidential election of the Republic of Korea was held on the 19th of December. While the election ended in the predicted result to many, it shocked others. In particular, the results of the election showed that some active netizens’ opinions didn’t influence this election compared to the last presidential...
Bahrain: The debt owed to the Indians of the Gulf
This is the second post from Bahrain this week; the first covered various celebrations, and demonstrations. In this post we'll be examining the official population statistics, hearing about a frustrating experience in Saudi Arabia, seeing what role graffiti can play in political mobilisation, and acknowledging the debt owed to South Asians in the Gulf.
Zimbabwe: Currency fiasco
Kubatana blog on the Zimbabwe's currency fiasco: “So, I’m not sure what it says about the Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono’s attachment issues, that he’s not willing to let go of a few zeroes in our currency and make all of our lives a whole lot simpler by introducing some...
D.R. of Congo: The Batwa people
AfricaBeat on the Batwa from the Democratic Republic of Congo: “The Batwa people were traditionally hunter-gatherers. In Eastern Congo, they lived off what the forest provided, until prolonged warfare and the creation of national parks ended their way of life.”
Thailand: PPP Leading
Bangkok Pundit analyzes the latest results of exit poll data and the actual election results. The PPP or People's Power Party, considered by many as the incarnation of the banned Thai Rak Thai is leading the polls.
Thailand: Exit Poll Results
Real Life Thailand does not like the possible candidate favored by the latest exit poll data in Thailand.
Brazil: The future is open source
Sérgio Amadeu [pt] publishes a picture of a GNU/Linux computing class, with a difference: there students are middle age learners. “I have learned a lot with this research, which has changed my concepts about learning and about the capacity to dream and project a better world”.
Angola: Welcome to Cuban doctors
Orlando Castro [pt] welcomes the Cuban doctors that will work in Huambo, an Angolan province with a population of over 2 million people and a doctor for every 40,183 patients. “People need doctors, no matter what nationality they have (…) If Cubans, instead of Portuguese for example, are available, there...
Brazil: 2007 in posts
Idelber [pt] goes on holidays and leaves his readers with a collection of links to 2007 posts that are well worth a second helping. “We will be back on January 07 [2008], with a piece of news about a unmissable book”.
Morocco: Seeing stars in Marrakesh
It's been a star-struck week in the French-speaking Moroccan bloggosphere, famous international figures being a primary focus of discussion. Several bloggers wrote about the happenings at the seventh edition of the International Marrakesh Film Festival, most notably on the reception there of American director Martin Scorcese and some famous Egyptian film stars.
Saudi Blogger Fouad Al Farhan Arrested in Jeddah
Saudi Arabia added yet another accolade to its freedom of speech record by arresting its first blogger. Fuad Al Farhan, considered by many as being the dean of Saudi bloggers for being among the first to blog in his country using his real name, has been arrested in Jeddah. No further news is available for the reasons for his detention. This is how some of his fellow bloggers reacted to his arrest.
Japan: Economics of the “Illegal” Download
Following on recent moves by the government to regulate the Internet, plans for regulation in other areas of online communication have been moving ahead apace in Japan. Among these is the plan to revise article 30 of Japan's Copyright Law to make it illegal for individuals to download copyrighted material for personal use, something which up until now had been considered legal. Blogger and economist Ikeda Nobuo delves into the economics of the "illegal download", strongly criticizing the proposed revision.
Syria: Palestinian ‘Cycle of Violence’
Syrian blogger Yaman discusses the ‘cycle of violence’ in Palestine.
Saudi: World Excited About Saudi ‘YouTubers’
Saudi Jeans comments on the world's fascination with the relationship of Saudis with video sharing site YouTube. “Now this fascination is not limited to Saudis as YouTube has become an international phenomenon in short time, but as with almost everything else, outsiders seem to think that our country is a...
Saudi Fatwa Against the US Dollar
Window into Palestine comments on a new Saudi fatwa (religious edict) on the US dollar. Click here to read about it.
Palestine: Donkeys for Transportation
“Gazans seem to be traveling back in time as major shortages in fuel and car parts restore the donkey to the most prevalent form of transportation…..” is a comment by Bea on Tony‘s blog.
Jordan: Views on Wearing the Hijab
“I'm not Anti-Hijab or Anti-Hijabi or anything. But I really find it weird that some ladies are so keen on wearing it, while they live up to nothing that it represents,” writes Qwaider, from Jordan.
