Stories about Weblog from June, 2010
Bangladesh: Hartal Is Back
Hartal, a South Asian form of strike action is back in Bangladesh after almost three years. Bangladeshi netizens react.
Worldwide: The oil spills that don't make the news
The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has the world's attention on the devastation that badly managed oil extraction can bring. However, in some places around the world, people live with toxic spills such as these and through videos people try to bring the world's attention to their plight.
Russia: Bloggers React to President Medvedev's Silicon Valley Tour
For the first 24 hours, Dmitry Medvedev's @KremlinRussia Twitter account provided a unique opportunity to send unmoderated comments to the Russian president. Then all the comments were removed, and the era of the Russian unmoderated online democracy ended. Gregory Asmolov reviews Russian bloggers' reactions to the president's visit to California.
South Africa: The social media world of vuvuzelas
Can't get enough of vuvuzelas? Or perhaps the opposite is the case. Here are a series of social media links devoted to everything vuvuzela.
Algeria: Defeat by USA Brings the Country Back to Earth
Algerians went from hope to disillusion as their team lost to USA in additional time. Bloggers react to the end of the world cup journey for their country.
Brazil: “Tsunami” hits some of the poorest riverside cities
At least 46 people have been killed and an estimated hundreds are missing after torrential floods swept through states in the north-east Brazil, in the worst environmental tragedy in the local population's memory.
Peru: Chess World Champions Visit Lima
For two days, Lima hosted the two chess champions, Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. They both came for an exhibition game, where they played against 25 children. Although football is the king of all sports in Peru, and in spite of Peruvian chess being banned from international competitions, the news didn't go unnoticed for some bloggers.
Martinique, Guadeloupe: French Football Flop now Racial Controversy?
The French national football team has been through some rough times prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but the past three days have stirred up old issues around "Les Bleus". Bloggers follow the play.
Madagascar: A Strange 50th Independence Day Anniversary
The Anniversary of Madagascar 50th Independence Day is on June 26th and the festivities are already underway. Still, the atmosphere is not exactly festive because of the political and economic uncertainty.
Australians Challenge Afghanistan War Commitment
Even before Barack Obama sacked General McCrystal, Australia bloggers were questioning the commitment of troops to the Afghanistan war. This has intensified with the deaths of five soldiers in the last couple of weeks.
Taiwan: “When the Excavators Came to the Rice Fields”
Now occupying only 1.8% of total GDP in Taiwan, no one can deny that local agriculture has lost its once highly-respected status and is almost dying under many political decisions that are not in favor of agriculture. Or we can say that farming is no longer regarded as important and...
Jamaica: ‘Dudus’ In Custody
News broke late yesterday that Jamaica's most wanted man, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke - whose pending extradition to the United States threw the island nation into a state of emergency thanks to a standoff between alleged criminal elements and national security forces - had finally been captured. Bloggers follow developments.
Brazil: “CALA BOCA TADEU SCHMIDT”, Phenomenon Continued
After the huge success of "CALA BOCA GALVAO", a similar phenomenon arose in the Brazilian social media, this time involving Brazil's main television network, Rede Globo, one of its reporters, Tadeu Schmidt, and the national football team coach, Dunga.
Iran: Mir-Hossein Mousavi Cartoon Upsets Greens
A leading Iranian cartoonist and blogger based in Canada, Nikahang Kowsar, posted a cartoon this month of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi that has caused numerous reactions in Iranian citizen media. It shows Mousavi 10 years from now, writing his 300th statement.
Nigeria: Reactions to Sani Kaita's red card on Facebook
Nigerian football fans are deeply divided over Sani Kaita who was sent off in Nigeria's second Group B 2010 FIFA World Cup match against Greece for kicking Vasilis Torosidis. Nigeria went on to lose 2-1.
Russia: Flaws and Pitfalls of the Subsidized “Social” Internet Plan
Gregory Asmolov examines the potential of the Russian government's two new initiatives that aim at reducing the digital divide in the country.
World: Protecting Human Rights on Citizen Video
Making a video to protect human rights might backfire and end up threatening the rights of those who appear or participate in the video. WITNESS' The Hub shares with us how we can make a human rights video that gets the message across while minimizing the risk to those involved.
India: What Does It Mean To Be Indian?
What does it mean to be Indian? Priya Ramani is editor of Mint Lounge, the weekend magazine of business newspaper Mint, and an article she wrote recently about her feeling that she wasn't really Indian provoked heated debate online.
Ecuador: Bloggers Analyze Truth Comission Report
On May 2007, a Truth Commission (TC) was created by presidential decree; its purpose is to investigate and collect information on human rights violations attributed to the security forces in the last 25 years. This past May 7, after three years, the Truth Commission handed out its report to President Rafael Correa, which included 831 human rights violations affecting 456 victims between 1984 and 2008. Bloggers have analyzed the report from different points of view.
Japan: Butoh Legend Kazuo Ohno Passes Away
Kazuo Ohno, legendary performer and one of the founding fathers of Butoh, passed away on June 1st at the age of 103. Butoh is an avant-garde dance form that originated in post WWII Japan, characterized by white body paint and conceptual, tortured movements.
Egypt: Looking Inside Mr Egypt
Twenty-six-year-old Tarek Mohammed Nagiub Abdel Gawad has been named Mr Egypt 2010. Bloggers react to the title and his participation in Mister World 2010, held in South Korea.
