Stories about LANGUAGES from February, 2008
Bolivia: Relief for Flooding Victims
Many residents from other Bolivian cities are chipping in to provide relief for the victims of the flooding in the Beni region. Kevin of Travieso [es] writes about the cooperation with a local Santa Cruz radio station to collect supplies.
Ecuador: Google Maps and Flooding
Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es] writes about the new Google maps mashup that provides locations of the heaviest flooding around Ecuador.
Argentina: Concern Over Cartoneros
The Buenos Aires government is worried about the activity of the ‘cartoneros,’ who are members of the informal economy and rummage through garbage to salvage cardboard that can be sold for recycling. Gabriela Arca of Grito Argentino [es] writes about some of the government's reasons for concern.
Brazil: Following up the Democratic Primaries
‘Biscoito Fino e a Massa‘ is closely following the Texas Democratic Primary polls [PT], and reports about Obama's surge toward nomination. He also tries hard to explain the primary's rules in the state, and mention past local cases of electoral mess and misconduct like the ‘gerrymandering’ in 2003. The blog...
Argentina: Direct Taxes and Digital Rights
A new proposal in Argentina sought to add a direct tax to any electronic equipment capable of reproducing digital media, which would seek to offset some of the revenues lost by artists due to piracy. Bloggers in that country mobilized to say that this move would encourage piracy because compensation would have already been paid. It would have also raised the prices of these goods in a country where the prices are already expensive.
Israel: Ashkelon is ‘on the map’
Following the recent missile attacks on Ashkelon, many worried bloggers react, describing their experiences with terror and fear, within this deteriorating situation that seems ever more hopeless. Gilad Lotan brings us the story from the Hebrew blogosphere.
China: Chongqing's Pride
Zhang Xiaozhou's soccer game report has hurt Chongqing citizens’ pride. Students, representatives of people congress, and newspapers editors protested against the report and demanded the authority to punish the reporter. Blogger Wen yunchao commented that Chongqing people were over sensitive (zh). Zhao Mu criticized that the Chongqing local newspapers were...
China: Is ‘inadequate national virtue’ an excuse?
In a new published book entitled Lu Xun & Hu Shi: Two Chinese Intellectuals in the 20th Century the author made a thorough analysis about the mutual relation between the process of democratization and Chinese national virtue. This book and its theme raised a lot discussion online. Blogger bbcjy wrote[zh]...
China: Country with the world's biggest income gap
According to the latest Outlook Weekly, the Gini coefficient of China is growing up to 0.47, which is above the international warning line and much higher than that of most developing countries. It means the income gap between urban and rural residents is getting wider. Chenyuan26 [zh] thinks that the...
Cameroon: Will the widespread unrest bring political change?
Cameroon was besieged this week by the worst violence in fifteen years, as a transportation strike formally ended by unions on Wednesday expanded into a more general protest against rising food and oil prices and President Biya's attempts to alter the constitution and extend his 25-year rule. Bloggers and netizens describe the situation on the ground and what it means for Cameroon's future.
D.R. of Congo: Plane wreckage has become part of the urban landscape
In October, Du Cabiau Kinshasa wrote about an Antonov plane which went down in Kinshasa, killing three dozen people. This week, he posts a photograph of part of the wreckage, which casually sits somewhere along the road to the airport. “No one is interested in it anymore. The urban jungle...
Bolivia: Anti-Government Protester Beat by Supporters
El refugio del pez que fuma [es] writes about intolerance shown by supporters of President Evo Morales, who beat a protester voicing displeasure over the current administration.
Paraguay: The Craft of Goat Cheese
The making of goat cheese is an artisan craft in Paraguay. A new blog called Quesos de Cabra – Caprísimo [es] highlights this process and how it is marketed in the city of Loma Grande.
Korea: Companies that check how many times you go to the toilet
Companies that check how many times you go to the toilet ... What do you think? A post on a Korean blog about companies that monitor their employees every move, has received interesting responses.
China: Suicide at tech giant Huawei
Following up on one blogger's lead, some comments on yet another staff suicide at tech company Huawei this week which for many reinforces the company's popular image of having one of the toughest workplace environments in the country.
Hong Kong: The Invisible Class
Henry porter comments on the newly released government budget report and points out the existence of an “invisible class”. Under the “winner takes the most, loser takes the rest” logic, the invisible class takes nothing (zh).
China: Suicide or Security Problem?
On Feb 17, a woman fell into the Guangzhou Metro track and killed. The police and company said that it was a suicide case but her family didn't believe the story and demanded further investigation. They believed her death was caused by the defect of the safety gate. The incident...
China: Thoughts and debates on the name-calling professor
The start was in fact very simple. In 2007, Professor Zhong Hua at Sichuan Normal University issued an article entitled Cultural Studies and the Lost of Literary Theory in the 11th issue of “Literature and Art Studies”, one of the core academic journals in China, criticizing an academic work entitled...
Taiwan: No City for Old Aborigines
The first Presidential debate powered by citizen media platform Peopo was held on Feb 24. Two candidates running for President answers 20 questions raised by citizens who use Youtube-like video clips to express their wishes and problems.
Mexico: New Ruins Around Zócalo
Vivir México [es] writes about the new archaeological ruins found around the Mexico City zócalo (main plaza).
Iraq: Ben Kerishan and Wahhabism
Emirati Ben Kerishan blogger (Arabic) provides a concise, humorous and insightful summary of the history of development of Salafist Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia, one of the most dangerous evils in our present world, writes Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin in this post.
