· November, 2006

Stories about Citizen Media from November, 2006

  20 November 2006

An Arab version of both YouTube and Flickr on one site, called Ikbis, is gaining popularity in the Arab world, writes Mustapha from Beirut Spring. A video of a Lebanese girl belly dancing in her room is among the most watched videos in the site, which has sparked the interest...

India: The war with China in 1962

  20 November 2006

Kamla Bhatt has a podcast with a Professor who teaches at the School of International Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University. “Prof. Rajesh Rajagopalan talks about the events leading up to the India-China war of 1962. What were the perceptions, misperceptions that led to the war?”

India: Bad Roads and Good Economy

  20 November 2006

Atanu Dey links the importance and contribution of infrastructure (in this case good roads) to economic development. “He believed that because India was an underdeveloped economy that the roads were bad. He got the causality wrong. It is because the roads are bad (among other things) that India is a...

Nepal: Anti-Indian Establishment and Prachanda

  20 November 2006

The Maoist leader Prachanda on a visit to India appears to have spoken in favour of India over Pakistan. United We Blog! on the deep anti-Indian establishment sentiment in Nepal. “Every time the trade treaty nears to expiration, we have one fear: how much will Indians exploit while renewing it....

Bangladesh: The Voters List

  20 November 2006

Drishtipat on the issue of voters list for elections in Bangladesh – providing a chronology of events and process. “Throughout the process described above, there is clear evidence of bias by the election commission towards the then ruling party and incompetence and lack of transparency in the whole process of...

Bangladesh: Black Badge for Free Elections

  20 November 2006

Protest finds different ways of expression. Take Back Bangladesh on the black ribbon, and why your blog should wear one to support free and fair elections in the country. “Back in 1969-71, wearing a small rectangular BLACK BADGE on the arm or chest became a powerful symbol of protest against...

South Asia: Politics, Happiness, Religion and The Birds

  20 November 2006

The latest from different blogs about the following South Asian Countries: Bangladesh: Bangladesh is facing a political crisis. Unheard Voices: Drishtipat group blog informs about a citizens movement in Bangladesh in which people are urged to wear a black badge demanding a free and fair election and to bring an...

South Asia: Tasers and students in UCLA

  18 November 2006

An Iranian-American student at UCLA was repeatedly shot with a taser for passively resisting arrest. Sepia Mutiny has more – with a video shot by an eye-witness, who uploaded it to YouTube. (note – not graphic, but the audio has the student screaming with pain.)

India: Dying on the street

  18 November 2006

Some days back, a car was driven over sleeping people on a pavement in Mumbai. The reactions range from furious to shock. However, Dilip reminds us that the value of life is may be a lot less if the person in question is a migrant. “Those who were killed were...

Pakistan: First impressions – Al Jazeera

  18 November 2006

Al Jazeera launched a new English news channel recently. A young Pakistani Doctor Blogs takes a closer look at the channel and appears to be impressed despite initial misgivings. “There were two in-depth stories of life in Darfur – one of a UNICEF aid worker in the region, and another...

India, Sri Lanka: The death of Milton Friedman

  18 November 2006

The death of Milton Friedman has some reactions. Deane's Dimension from Sri Lanka on the loss of a man who's never been met. Patrix and India Uncut have some more reactions. “Well, maybe it's because many of the things he stood for are values I hold very close to my...

Bangladesh: Class struggle

  18 November 2006

morris the pen on education and children in Bangladesh, questioning methods that don't really appear to add value to the process. “Perhaps the biggest problem in our education practice here, however, relates to the whole notion of memorisation: a method of learning which encourages conformity, passivity and acceptance of what...

Bhutan: On individuals, expression and the internet

  16 November 2006

Asian Adventures on uniformity and the rise of individual expression in Bhutan. “A quiet revolution – not in the sense of anti-nationalist sentiment, but in the sense of a greater acceptance of individual thought – has been sweeping Bhutan since the mid-90s, and its pace is accelerating, especially as the...

India: Gender Bias in the Domestic Violence Law

  16 November 2006

The Greatbong points to the gender bias in the new Law dealing with domestic violence. The law appears to assume that all victims are female and all perpetrators are male. “That is, I presume (and I am no legal expert) that the gender of the victim and the perpetrator of...

Nepal: A Maoist Catonment Site

  16 November 2006

Even as peace progresses in Nepal, what of the Maoist forces? United We Blog! has Photos from A Maoist Cantonment Site. “The tripartite team (consisting representatives of the Nepal government, the UN and the CPN Maoist) inspects a Maoist proposed rebel cantonment site in Surkhet.”

Pakistan: The politics of Women Rights Bill

  16 November 2006

All Things Pakistan looks at the controversy surrounding the politics of the Women Rights Bill which would drastically change the rape laws in the country. However, the post cautions “It is clear that the major proponents of change in laws believe that too many political compromises have been made by...

Pakistan: Hudood Ordinance, Rape Laws and Extremism

  16 November 2006

jamalsadik.com on the Hudood Ordinance – the rape law that antagonized rape victims, and the repealing of this act in Pakistan. “Well it only took them about 30 years, but the Pakistani Government finally had enough with this nonsense. Perhaps Musharraf was getting embarrassed when it would come up over...

Blogging About India, NRIs, Bollywood and Ice Cricket

  16 November 2006

New blog aggregator, what does it take to buy a home in Bangalore, NRIs, English  Bollywood , ice cricket are some of the things we look in this round-up. There is a new blog aggregator from India with a different voice.  Check it out, it is called Blog Bharti. The...

Nepal: The Maoists and Democracy

  15 November 2006

Even as quite a few blogs found the peace agreement between the Maoists and the Ruling Alliance , Blogdai has slightly different thoughts to share. “We in Nepal are so blind that we will trust these thugs again and again because we are too stupid to differentiate between what sounds...

Sri Lanka: Introducing Buddhist Monks to Non Violence

  15 November 2006

ICT for Peacebuilding on an initiative called Peace Connectivity Programme for Religious Clergy. “Conducted by the Centre for Peace Building and Reconciliation it’s a fascinating initiative that when you first read it, sounds an oxymoron – teaching non-violent conflict transformation to Buddhist clergy brings to mind the old adage on...

Pakistan, India: Foreign Affairs

  15 November 2006

The affairs between India and Pakistan are determined by the political affairs and turmoil within. PWC-ing explains. “A quick peace is always sought by the party most likely to lose from the perpetuation of the status quo.”