· March, 2009

Stories about Weblog from March, 2009

Korea: Blog, Bloggers, and Etiquette.

  27 March 2009

While bloggers seem to be equally distant from each other, they are in fact not. They have their favorite blogs and bloggers, and they link their blogs to each other. They share their favorite posts from other bloggers with other websites. They leave their opinions on the posts of the...

India Elections '09: Netizens react to Political Campaigns

  27 March 2009

With the General Elections round the corner, major political parties like the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have each unleashed their election campaigns on the Indian populace. In a series of posts, we will explore blogger reactions to the election campaigns of various political parties. In this post, the first in the series, we look at how netizens have reacted to the BJP's Online Campaign.

China and Hong Kong: Can Shanghai be a new international financial center?

  27 March 2009

On 25 March 2009, Xinhua News reported China’s State Council has endorsed a statement to urge Shanghai to be developed into an international financial center by 2020 in order to keep up with “China’s economic influence and the Chinese yuan’s international status”. The idea generates discussion in the Beiyouren Forum...

Tunisia: Dismissed Student Activists on Hunger Strike for the Right to Education

A total of 158 Tunisians and their friends from around the world went on hunger strike for a day today (March 26) in solidarity with five students who have been on hunger strike since February 11 in Tunisia. The initiative has been orchestrated on a Facebook group [Fr] as a symbolic form of support to the students, who are members of Tunisian Students' Union (UGET), and who have been suspended from university for their activism on campus.

Global Voices Book Challenge – Read Your Way Around the World!

  26 March 2009

April 23 is UNESCO World Book Day – and just because the Global Voices team loves blogs, doesn’t mean we have forgotten other forms of the written word! In fact, because we think reading literature is such an enjoyable way to learn about another culture, we have a fun challenge for all Global Voices contributors and readers, and bloggers everywhere.

Mexico: Unsolved Feminicide Along the Border

  26 March 2009

Violence along the United States - Mexico border has reached staggering levels. The killings in border cities like Ciudad Juárez has already totaled 400 in the first two months of 2009. More than 370 women have been murdered in the cities of Juárez and Chihuahua “without the authorities taking proper measures to investigate and address the problem.” This crisis, often called feminicide, has been a cause for organizations and blogs to take to the internet to help raise awareness to the plight of the victims and their families.

Iraq: Six Years On

It's the sixth anniversary of the Iraq war and while bloggers remember the past, few seem to look to the future anymore. Salam Adil reviews the Iraqi blogosphere for reactions.

Serbia: Remembering NATO Bombing 10 Years Later

  26 March 2009

On March 24, 1999, NATO forces began attack on Serbia and Montenegro. The bombing went for 78 days. A few thousand people were killed, many buildings, bridges, railroads, roads and factories were destroyed. Also, many people still experience mental and psychic effects of the fear they had been through. Ten years later, Serbian bloggers are reminded of those terrible days. Below is a selection of some of their journal notes and recollections from the beginning of the war.

Libya: From Funerals to Weddings

From the death of a cousin after a lethal penicillin injection to discussing why Libyan men prefer marrying 'stupid' women over those who are educated, Fozia Mohamed sifts through posts written by established and new bloggers in her country to bring us those stories and more.

Egypt: Google doodle by orphans

More than 160 Egyptian orphans took part in a Google doodle competition, held for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. The winning design will be displayed on Egypt's Google homepage google.com.eg on April 3, which marks Orphan Day in Egypt. Eman AbdElRahman reviews the Egyptian blogosphere for reactions.

Zimbabwe: Bloggers not happy with the Coalition Government

  25 March 2009

Zimbabwean bloggers are unhappy with the way things are turning out within the coalition government between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai. The reactions are a mixture of distrust of Mugabe ad disappointment in the policy approaches of the MDC.

Colombia: Are Politicians Making the Most Out of Twitter?

  24 March 2009

In the last few weeks, as the race for the May 2010 presidential elections has started, two presidential candidates have decided to join the Colombian 'twittosphere'. But, after some initial skepticism, Colombian twitterers show that both candidates (or staffers within their campaigns) are failing to reach the intended audience correctly.

Israel: The Language of Taxis

Rasha Helwa, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel living in Acre (and describes herself as living in Palestine), has written a series of short posts at her blog Zaghroda about her thoughts when taking shared taxis, and on the significance of the language - Arabic or Hebrew - that the driver chooses to use.

China: Names to be remembered

  24 March 2009

The death toll and identity details of school children victims in the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake last year has been sealed in a black box by Chinese government officials, like a state secret. Last December, Ai Wei-wei, a most respectable intellectual and blogger, decided to compile the names of school...

Student Elections in Nepal

  24 March 2009

Last week Nepalese students exercised their democratic rights. Student elections were held at public universities and colleges campus throughout the country. Private institutions do not hold elections. The call to include them in the process has been growing over the years but fearing vapid political interference in college environment, private...