Blogworld

Writing a post on the World Have Your Say blog feels very much like coming home. It feels good! But hey enough emotions I’m here to talk business (seriously it feels great to be back on the blog.. I almost started moderating comments!)

I’m currently working on Blogworld– part of the BBC’s Superpower season in which WHYS is heavily involved. It basically looks at how the internet – the superpower that is – has changed our lives. An aspect of this of course is blogging. And that is where Blogworld comes in. We’re bringing together bloggers from around the world to tell us what they blog about, why they blog and how they see the future of blogging.

On air: Has President Obama got it right on Afghanistan?

US President Barack Obama has issued new orders for the US military in Afghanistan, he is set to formally announce that a further 30,000 troops are to be sent to Afghanistan in a televised address on Tuesday.

Do we need an artificial sense of danger?

The possibility of death and a sense of danger is what makes the Duke of Edinburgh award so appealing to young people. This is what Prince Edward said to an Australian newspaper as he was promoting the scheme.

On air: “Do starving Africans a favour. Don’t feed them”

This is what Sam Kiley suggests in his article.

Is the best way of helping Africa … well, not helping it? Or helping in a different way ?
Sam’s article came up last week when we were discussing the famine in Ethiopia,25 years on, and the latest appeals for aid.

Fareedoone’s story on being a student in a war zone

I’ve been on the phone to Fareedone this morning explaining what we’re trying to do today and he had a lot to say and is very excited. Read his story below. Tonight, he’ll be talking to Lubna in Baghdad and and Arsalan and Khadija in Islamabad.

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My name is Fareedoone. I am 25 and I am from Afghanistan. I am a Student of Law in Kabul. I was invited by World Have Your Say to share my experiences as a Student who’s grown up in a conflict zone.

Khadija’s story on being a student in a war zone

I am Khadija Ali from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. I am 20 years old, a law student, living in a conflicted country since 2001. Although we have to some extent gotten accustomed to the suicide bombing in our country, the recent attack in Islamic International University has depressed the youth of this country on a completely different level.

Black Barbie: A good idea?

Meet Grace, Kara and Trichelle. They are the new black Barbies released by Mattell in their latest So In Style or S.I.S line. Why? To fill a gap in the market for young black girls who for so long have been playing with dolls that don’t look like them.

Is famine inevitable in some countries?

After 25 years of a famine that has killed a million people Ethiopia prompted one of the largest charity campaigns in history, the hunger-stricken country is asking for emergency food aid for 6.2 million people.

If you have an obese child, are you a neglectful parent?

And if you are yourself obese are you a neglectful parent as well? Well, in the case of a Scottish mother of six , yes you are. Social workers have moved to take into care a baby born to an obese mother who gave birth to her sixth child last week. The mother cannot be named for the protection of her children’s identity.

Are we becoming obsessed with soft news?

Ask anyone what the most important issues in the world are today and one,two or all of the items in the list below are likely to come up. This is no particular order:
Iran, the war in Afghanistan, the economic downturn, Russia, global warming, Pakistan attacks, Middle East peace, China, Iraq

On a global scale, these are the most important stories – yes ?. These are the stories we are most interested in, right? According to one or two indices, wrong.

They are not what we are most interested in, judging by news websites in across the globe.