Stories about LANGUAGES from November, 2008
Sleepless and stranded in Thailand
There are more than a hundred thousand stranded passengers in Thailand and nearby countries after anti-government protesters forced the shutdown of Bangkok’s two major airports. What are the views of some of the stranded passengers, Bangkok residents and the now world infamous protesters?
India: Advice from a Sri Lankan
The Under Dog at the Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews has this to say to the Indians on the Mumbai terror attacks: “Here’s a word of advice from a Sri Lankan to our big neighbor. Don’t go down the path we have taken. Don’t be tempted to sacrifice the...
India: Interview With The Mumbai Terrorists
Bangladeshi-American blogger Mash at Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying posts a transcript of the interview with a Mumbai terrorist (translated from Hindi) which was broadcast in an Indian TV channel.
Japan, S. Korea, China: the Second International Congress of Asian Hemp Industry
Blogger Takashi reports [jp] on the Second International Congress of Asian Hemp Industry (第２回アジア大麻産業国際会議) held in Donghae (Korea) at the Hangzhong University from the 20th to the 23rd of November, 7 years after the first congress took place. Participants from Japan, China and South Korea [jp] debated the hemp industry...
China: Chinese students inform on political science professor
David Bandurski from China media project quoted from South China Morning post on a news about two Chinese students reporting to the police on a professor at Shanghai’s East China University of Political Science and Law concerning his “anti-government” speech. The incident has been widely discussed in local forum, such...
China: Zeng Jingyan's Thanksgiving message
ESWN translated Chinese dissent Zeng Jingyan's Thanksgiving message. Zeng's husband Hu Jia is still in prison and Zeng herself is under monitored.
Philippines: When a City is Not a City
GV Author Karlo Mongaya looks at the reactions of bloggers to the recent Supreme Court decision voiding the cityhood of 16 new cities in the Philippines.
Bolivia: Used Batteries End Up in Regular Landfill
The city of Cochabamba launched a campaign to collect waste, such as used batteries which were supposed to be disposed of properly, but Gustavo Cardoso of Observancia [es] notes with pictures that they ended up in the regular landfill defeating the purpose.
Colombia: Pitching In for Suso
Xady of Expresate [es] provides the latest update on the campaign in the Medellín, Colombia neighborhood of La Loma, where local bloggers from the Convergentes project are pitching in to build a house for one of their community members, Suso.
Madagascar: Designer is one of the victims of the Mumbai Attacks
Gaelle Mann writes that Malagasy-born designer Loumia Hiridjee and her husband Mourad Amrasy were among the casualties of the attacks at the Oberoi Restaurant in Mumbai (fr). Loumia Hiridjee, 47, had a dual Indian/ French citizenship and created with her sister Shama the successful lingerie brand princesse tam-tam (fr). The...
Are Women making Egypt Poorer?
Women: Should they stay at home and raise kids or should they work and have a contribution? A controversial question that Fantasia's World tried to answer in her post: Are you making your country poorer?
Caribbean: Watching Mumbai
From the other side of the world, Caribbean bloggers monitor the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and react with anxiety and consternation.
Pakistan: In solidarity with Mumbai
Pakistani blogger Adil Nazam declares “I, too, am a Mumbaikar today. I stand with you today. In prayer and in solidarity.”
Mumbai and Terror: The Day After
An attack of this scale has surprised the entire country. While India is no stranger to bomb blasts and attacks by terrorists, a prolonged hostage situation at prominent landmarks is a complete surprise. The last hostage situation that was covered this extensively was the hijacking of a flight in 1999....
India: A Muslim Speaks
Veteran Indian journalist M. J. Akbar blames complacence and politics for the failure to prevent the terror attacks and writes: “I am an Indian Muslim and proud to be both. Like any Indian, today I am angry, frustrated and depressed. I am angry at the manic, rabid dogs of war...
Bahrain: The problem of road rage
Bahrain Taxi is disappointed at the sentence given to a man in the UAE for deliberately driving over a pedestrian in his Hummer: “The pathetic ten year sentence which probably won't be ten years sends the message that road rage is not a serious problem and that losing your temper...
Israel: Updates on the Chabad Home Hostage Operation in Mumbai
As the commando operation at the Chabad Jewish Center of Mumbai unfolded, very little was known about the state of the hostages. Chabad is one of the largest Hasidic movements in Orthodox Judaism. The most current update states that the five Jewish hostages held inside the building were found dead, writes Gilad Lotan.
India: Who are they, and what is the Media saying?
Smoke Signals slams the mainstream media coverage of the event, as the television screens are filled with almost panic inducing sequences, and hurried question and answer sessions. At the time that this post is being written, the gun battles are still going on in at least one of the hotels...
Cuba: Youth Activist Jailed
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense highlights the plight of a Cuban youth activist who “was sentenced this week to 3 years in prison for ‘offenses against authority.'”
Puerto Rico: Status Quo?
“Our struggle for self-determination, to be free from outside impositions, is ideological and it is not what's best for the majority of the people who live here”: Gil the Jenius answers some tough questions about Puerto Rico's status.
Haiti, Venezuela: Chavez's Change
The Haitian Blogger believes that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is the driving force behind “a global change agenda that gives voice to the poor and dispossessed.”
