2006 Blog Day 31.08.06 - August 31, 2006

Today August 31, written in many coun- tries as 3108, is Blog Day, 2006. The founder of blog day assigned this day to blogs upon realizing that if you scrunch up your eyes and peer sidesways 3108 looks a lot like the word "Blog". We won't comment on how many hours in front of a computer screen that takes, but the idea of a "Blog Day" is a good one. Several months ago I made a commitment to honor the day by introducing 5 new blogs from "other countries and other areas of interest." Today I make good on my commitment, and I hope you enjoy my picks. While I feature several blogs from other countries and other areas of interest on my blog roll to the right, after a great deal of thought I present the following five in honor of the day.

1. Offroad Pakistan - Ever wish you could take a jeep back in time to the Wild West? Looking for some genuine armchair adventure? The Karachi members of Offroad Pakistan, an informal online club, share pictures and stories of the wilds of Pakistan. This is a first rate adventure blog that will make you realize that there is a great deal more to Pakistan and its citizens than we see on the news. Stunning photos of a harsh and picuresque landscape will capture your imagination--it did mine!
Offroad Pakistan's companion blog, KO, is the personal blog of Offroad Pakistan's creator.
URL (Offroad Pakistan): http://offroadpakistan.com/
URL (KO): http://ko.offroadpakistan.com/

2. Mahmood's Den - Mahmood is probably the highest profile blogger in Bahrain. Mahmood takes you driving in his car, over to his office , introduces you to his family, shows you his home, and takes you on business trips with short video clips. His garden posts are the highlight, but his topics cover almost everthing that you can discuss on a blog. There always are numerous comments to every post (but you will have to scroll way down to see them) from from readers all over the world. When Mahmood ventures into political discussions, the comments will make you feel you have entered into some informal United Nations. Make sure you pay Mahmood's Den a visit soon!
URL: http://www.mahmood.tv/

3. Andolan - Andolan demonstrates why free access to blogs throughout the world is so vitally important, and why blocking blogs (done by numerous governments) is wrong. The earnest blogger at Andolan hasn't mastered html and he can't post pictures. There is little that is visually attractive. Nevertheless, the haunting and compelling messages byVidarbha Jananolan Samiti about the distubing plight of cotton farmers in Virdbha, India is worth reading and sharing with others. These famers, who grow cotton on impossibly small plots, are committing suicide in great numbers due to depair over cotton farming problems in their region. This blog shows how important one person with a computer and an Internet connection can be. It is a testament to Blogger software and hosting which requires little in technical skills to share a story with the world. Do take a few minutes to read this blog and share the link with others.
URL: http://andolan.blogspot.com/

4. My Thoughts - Blogger Balaji is from Norwich, England, home of many of America's early Puritan immigrants. Balaji originally hails from India, and his blog is a great mixture of both India and England. My Thoughts is a fairly new blog that is bound to be popular in the near future, but is only on the verge of discovery. I've referened Balaji's blog in several posts, but have never put him on the blogroll due to occasional "PG" content. This blog is updated frequently with best-of-the-web feature articles.
URL: http://puranijeansaurguitar.blogspot.com/

5. World Wide Help Blog - What do you do to help directly after disaster when government fails or has not had time to act? The all-volunteer, energetic, globally based World Wide Help Team, of whom I am proud to be a member, turns to the Internet. One year ago they put together a number of Internet based products with information and aid in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina. This Team--which has received wide attenton in the press--started its first effort directly after the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 with the SEAEAT blog and its associated wiki, and has been refining its skills ever since. A mixture of old tech, new tech, and emerging tech is used to point aid in the direction its needed and facilitate information and communication to help the affected. The core group owes its genesis to Indian bloggers who networked their way to assemble a team spread over three continents within a few short days after the Tsunami. Take a minute to look at their efforts which are linked on the right hand side of the blog, and bookmark the page for further information when disaster strikes.
URL: http://worldwidehelp.blogspot.com/

Phoro credits: The photo on the top is from Offroad Pakistan, and all other photos are from the blogs with which they are listed.


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