· August, 2010

Stories about Citizen Media from August, 2010

Venezuela: Franklin Brito Dies After Several Hunger Strikes

  31 August 2010

Franklin Brito, a farmer who had been on a hunger strike since July 2009, died from a respiratory arrest in a military hospital on Monday night. Brito had lived through several hunger strikes protesting the confiscation of his land. Venezuelans reacted to the announcement of his death through Twitter and blogs.

Ghana: Former President Connects With People On Facebook

  30 August 2010

It has been almost a year and half since John Kufuor respectfully handed over power to Ghanaian President Atta Mills. Despite leaving office, Kufuor still sees the need to communicate with the public. Thanks to social networking, Kufuor communicates to Ghanaian citizens using his Facebook account, which has 15,066 followers (at the time of writing this post).

West Africa: Drug Traffickers and Politico-Military Dictators

  30 August 2010

The UN assistant representative in Africa against drug trafficking Cyriaque Sobtafo recently stated that west Africa is now the hub for cocaine trafficking. Many countries are affected and the sudden death of the son of Dadis Camara generated many speculations about the possible involvement of drug dealers in the event.

Costa Rica: University Students Protest Budget Agreements

  29 August 2010

Some University of Costa Rica students took hold of the social sciences building in protest of the budgetary agreement that was reached between the government and university officials where a 7% budget increase was agreed upon after negotiating the original 4% the government proposed.

Japan: Eyebrows raised by China’s rise to number two

  27 August 2010

This month the Japanese government admitted that spending China has stolen its thunder becoming the second largest economy after the US. But this announcement hasn't surprised many Japanese people who had been expecting it to happen sooner or later, and has made many bloggers raise their eyebrows and say: so what?

India: Celebrating Raksha Bandhan

  25 August 2010

Yesterday, on 24th August 2010, India celebrated Raksha Bandhan - a festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Netizens expressed their feelings about this age old ritual.

Ghana: Is Mario Balotelli Italian or Ghanaian?

  25 August 2010

Is Mario Balotelli Ghanaian or Italian? That's the question that has created a heated debate online. Mario Barwuah Balotelli is a football striker playing for Manchester City and Italian national team. He was born to Ghanaian immigrants in Italy.

Technology for Transparency: Five Lessons Learned

  25 August 2010

Rebekah Heacock and Renata Avila outline the learnings from the first round of Global Voices' Technology for Transparency Network collaborative research project, sharing links to several successful online initiatives.

Noam Chomsky in China

  24 August 2010

On 13 August, Noam Chomsky delivered a speech at the Peking University in Beijing. Chomsky, one of the leading public intellectuals of our age, is famous for his political activism and contributions to linguistic and philosophy. The talk, titled Contours of World Order: Continuities and Changes, was mostly about two...

Chile: 33 Trapped Miners Are Alive

  23 August 2010

33 miners trapped inside a collapsed copper and gold mine in northern Chile confirmed on a small note that all of them are alive inside a shelter, thus revitalizing search and rescue efforts when hopes of finding them alive were fading. The note surfaced inside a bag attached to one of the drills that managed to reach the exact location where they are located, 2,300 feet (700 meters) underground.

South Korea: Civil Service Exams Removed, Years of Studies Wasted?

  23 August 2010

Many South Koreans are angry over a government's decision to replace the civil service exam with open recruitment. The exam has been praised for giving equal opportunities to applicants regardless of their education and family background. The online space is exploding with enraged bloggers' condemnations of the reform as a way of stalling the nation’s already flatlining social mobility.