Stories about Weblog from May, 2008
Lebanon: An Eyewitness Report
Lebanese journalist and blogger Lelia Mezher was one of several Lebanese bloggers who worked round the clock to keep the world informed about the crisis which rocked her country when different factions clashed in Beirut. Global Voices Online caught up with Mezher, who is involved with News Lab, in this quick interview.
Malawi's Ex-President Under House Arrest
Following recent reports of alleged coup plotters, police picked up and put Malawi's former president Bakili Muluzi under house arrest. Lilongwe-based Journalist Bright Sonani gives eyewitness accounts as events unfolded at Kamuzu International Aiport in Lilongwe where Muluzi was picked as he arrived from a trip from the UK.
China: Relief tents embezzled, while stoppers got arrested
Diaster-relief tents were found in up-scale community and college campus in Chengdu city rather than any refugee site where they should be. Activists took action to check out the fact, while at the night of 21st, a conflict strangely burst out between police and embezzlement stoppers.
Venezuela: The Poet Who Enjoyed the Simple Things in Life
Poet Aquiles Nazoa had always led a simple life. His poetry illustrated the beauties of daily life and the humorous soul of all Venezuelans. He was also one of the most furious advocates of Human Rights during the 1960s in Venezuela. Venezuelan bloggers pay tribute to this poet, who had a certain love of the simple things in life.
El Salvador: A Computer in Ecuador Stirs Up Salvadoran Presidential Campaign
A computer file purportedly discovered on a laptop computer at a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuador, has bloggers in El Salvador wondering what impact it will have and what impact it should have on the upcoming elections in their country scheduled for March 2009. Much of the focus has been on FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes and his reaction to the discovery.
Japan: The Secret of Mizuki Shigeru
At age 86, Mizuki Shigeru is one of the most well-known manga artists in Japan thanks to work that stretches over more than four decades, including among them some of the most popular Japanese manga and anime TV series. GeGeGe no Kitarō, a manga series he created in 1959, is Mizuki's most famous, featuring an orphaned yōkai (monster) named Kitaro who fights for peace between humans and monsters. In a post entitled “Why has GeGeGe no Kitaro remained popular for this long?”, blogger ta26 proposes an explanation for the popularity of this manga.
Colombia: Paramilitary Leaders Extradited to the United States
In Colombia, 14 demobilized paramilitary bosses were recently extradited to the United States to face charges of drug trafficking. Bloggers in Colombia discuss how this might affect the current political situation in the country and how much the jailed individuals might reveal now that they have very little incentive to keep silent.
China: Environmental Fallout After Sichuan Earthquake
A week after China's deadly earthquake killed nearly 56,000 people, environmental and other costs of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake are becoming clearer. On this post we examine posts related to the environmental fallout of the earthquake, and also the plight of animals in the earthquake area. Plans for a proposed...
Peru: Lima Plays Host to Regional Summit
Lima, Peru recently played host to the 5th Latin America - European Union summit, which aims to address some of the pressing matters of the region. Peruvian bloggers provide their thoughts on how valuable these summits are and whether the city disorder is worth the hassle. Other bloggers were left disappointed after offering to volunteer at the summit.
China: Q&A with Premier Wen
An increasing number of questions are being asked as China continues to mourn for the massive number of lives lost in the earthquake in Sichuan earlier this month. Veteran news figure Rose Luqiu has posted her recent questions to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on her blog along with his answers, in full.
Israel: Going Green with Gore
Former Vice President Al Gore added his name to the list of political luminaries visiting Israel in recent months. Gore joined the Board of Governors celebrations at Tel Aviv University this week to accept the $1 million Dan David Prize for environmental activism.
Japan: Experiences at IDAHO
On the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), Japanese LGBT communities organized several events and street activities in several cities across the country. With a slogan of “Yes to sexual diversity” (多様な性にYES!), various groups broadcast messages promoting a society where differences and diversity are accepted and respected.
Brazil: Can the Amazon problem be solved with new management?
Changing the command in a Brazilian Ministry used to be a domestic affair, but the resignation of the renowned rainforest defender Marina Silva from the Environmental Ministry has sparked global reactions. Ms. Silva's replacement was quickly announced by President Lula, through the designation of Carlos Minc, former environmental secretary of...
Jamaica, Caribbean: No gays in Golding's government
Bloggers around the Caribbean respond to Jamaican prime minister Bruce Golding's assertion that there is no room in his Cabinet for homosexuals.
Colombian anti-military youth group commemorates 10 years of resistance
Last May 17th marked the ten year aniversary of the Antimili sonoro, an event organized by the Youth Network as a way to spread the word about resistance to the mandatory military service in Colombia through music. The date was celebrated with a concert, and the whole month of May was programmed with conferences, talks and marches commemorating the 10 years of the youth organization's Disobedience and Civil Resistance movement. Showcasing the invitation to the events, the promotional clips and a short video from one of the ska bands playing in the concert.
The Victimization of Egyptian Women and Children
Fantasia's World raises crucial issues that hold back the Egyptian society all together; namely women's rights, violence against women and children, and the general misconceptions of male-female relationships in the Egyptian society and in the Arab world. Marwa Rakha zooms into a new post which discusses how Egyptian women and children are being victimized by traditions, law, and the Muslim Brothers.
Macedonia: Use of New Media in Election Campaign
Authors of the Macedonian media blog Komunikacii.net analyzed the "unprecedented" use of the internet and the new media by the leading political parties in the campaign for the early parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 1, 2008. Filip Stojanovski has translated the post from Macedonian.
Korea: Saving One Life
A netizen shares a cute story that happened on a usual day for him. Helping others might not be so hard. …안녕하세요.. 저는 20대 직장인 남자입니다^^! 다른게 아니라 어제 밤 11시 30분쯤에 있었던일을 이야기할려합니다… 뚜뚜~~뚜뚜~~뚜우우~ 7시다 퇴근하자 칼퇴근.. ㅁㅅㅁ 퇴근을 마치고.. 요즘 똥배가 조금나와서 8시부터 항상 운동을합니다.. 이 한강근처라.. 한강에서...
Argentina: The Countryside and Social Conflict
During the last two months, the Argentinean political agenda has been marked by the conflict between the government and “the countryside,” a generic denomination that groups everything from big land owners, to private companies that rent the land for soybean harvesting, to small producers, and rural workers. Blogs on both sides take a stand on the conflict.
YouTube starts citizen journalism channel
Giving citizen journalism videos more airtime has just gotten easier: YouTube video uploading website has opened a new channel exclusively for citizen videos named CitizenNews. Vloggers who specialize in reporting what is going on where they live can now subscribe to the channel and let the world know what is going on.
Ukraine: A View From Crimea
Last week, Ukraine banned Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov from the country, after he called for Russia to take ownership of Sevastopol, a Ukrainian Black Sea naval port. The incident received much coverage in the Russian and Ukrainian media and blogs. Below is one more post, written by a Russophone resident of Balaklava, a Crimean town that has an official status of a district of the city of Sevastopol.
