Stories about Weblog from October, 2010
Lebanon: TV Shows on Homosexuality Create Buzz
"A gay killer has the passion of a woman and the aggression of a man," states Zaven Kouyoumjian, Lebanese host of Siree Wenfatahet, a program broadcast by Future TV and one of the highest rated TV shows in the Middle East. Following are reactions from the LGBT community in Lebanon on this show and others dealing with the gay community on television.
France: Youth against Pension Reform
October 19 was the seventh consecutive day of nationwide demonstrations in France against the pension reform bill. As the foreign press is reporting the protests mainyl as a social conflict, broadcasting images of urban guerilla warfare and giving very little press to the reasons, bloggers go in depth about the motivation of the youth and its implications
Flooding disaster in Thailand
More than 40 people are now confirmed dead due to rising floodwaters in the northeast and central parts of Thailand. Parts of Bangkok, the country’s capital, are now flooded too. Netizens provide disaster updates through blogs and twitter
Russia: Online Activism Success Stories
While Internet analysts across the Atlantic are busy arguing whether technology brings about social and political change or not, bloggers in Russia add their humble contributions to the debate, probably unaware that the debate is taking place at all. Their victories are small and not numerous; their impact can easily be attributed to statistical error - but they certainly are out there.
Bangladesh: Land Grab And Protests
In Rupganj, Bangladesh land-owners protested acquiring of land for an army housing project and they clashed with the security forces leaving 50 people injured and one dead. Bloggers react angrily.
Chile: Natividad Llanquileo, voice of the Mapuche hunger strike
Natividad Llanquileo was the spokesperson of the Mapuche prisoners that were on hunger strike for more than 80 days; she is 26 years old and a law student. Media from different countries and social networks have been moved by this girl's image and steady voice that explains the hunger strike, the demands of the prisoners and the dignity of the Mapuche.
Jamaica: Farewell to the “Cool Ruler”
Jamaican reggae icon Gregory Isaacs, popularly known as the “Cool Ruler”, died this morning at this home in London, after a long battle with cancer. Possessing one of the most soulful voices in the reggae genre, Isaacs was probably best known for his song “Night Nurse” (from the 1982 album of the same name). The Jamaican blogosphere has been active upon hearing news of his death, to the point where the late singer has become a trending topic on Twitter.
Global Voices seeks a Deputy Editor
We're seeking a Deputy Editor to help manage daily content flow in English. Global Voices in English is a central focal point for more than 400 bloggers and translators around the world who work together to report on blogs and citizen media everywhere, with emphasis on voices that are not ordinarily heard in international mainstream media.
Israel: Controversial Loyalty Oath Undermines Democracy
The Israeli cabinet approved by a 22-8 vote the proposed amendment to Israel's Citizenship Law, which would require all those seeking citizenship to pledge allegiance to Israel as a “Jewish and democratic state," sparking controversy on the ground and online.
Panama loses hosting rights of Bolivarian Games
In May, the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO) named Panama the host of the XVII Bolivarian Games, but this week the organization decided not to host the games there anymore. The news is causing reactions from authorities and Twitter users.
Barbados: A Nation Mourns
Barbados - along with the rest of the region - is in mourning following the untimely death of Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson, who passed away yesterday from pancreatic cancer. At 48 years old, he was one of the youngest Caribbean heads of state and bloggers across the Caribbean archipelago are paying their respects…
Philippines: Popular dancing videos
Dancing prisoners. Dancing maids. Dancing flight attendants. And now Dancing Tax Collectors. Watch again these popular dancing videos from the Philippines.
China: Looking at Xi Jinping, possible future ruler
As with all of China's top leaders, little is known or allowed to be known about the country's likely next ruler, Xi Jinping, despite a curious public. The man has lots of fans, though, and despite wide-ranging censorship, together they have a few important things to say about Xi and China's future.
Saudi Arabia: Genie in Court
"I was under the influence of a genie" is the latest excuse for administrative corruption in Saudi Arabia. A corrupt judge, a genie and a religious investigation panel, which claims to have interrogated the genie, create a plot to good for Saudi netizens to pass on. Haifa Alrasheed brings us the latest reactions on the story.
Russia: Post-Emergency Sustainability of Crowdsourcing Projects
Gregory Asmolov analyzes the fate of the Ushahidi-based Help Map project after the wildfires have ended. What is the future of emergency projects and how can we make them more sustainable?
Argentina: Protester killed in confrontation between labor unions
Mariano Ferreyra, a student at the University of Buenos Aires and member of the Worker's Party, was shot during a confrontation between members of the Railroad workers union and workers that were protesting layoffs along with militants of left-leaning parties. Demonstrations condemning the killing were quickly organized.
A journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction
Solidar'IT in Haiti is a journey through the unheard voices of Haiti’s reconstruction, organized as a web-documentary in progress.
Haze envelops Singapore
Haze in Singapore and south Malaysia! They blame it on the burning of trees in Sumatra, Indonesia where farmers are preparing for the crop planting season. Residents are coughing and complaining. The haze makes everyone dizzy and the web is buzzing about it
Serbia: Children Get Military Training in Russian Camps
In the prime of the newest public discussion on patriotism and the origin of violence in the Serbian society, newspaper Danas reported that two years ago Serbian children, aged 11 to 15 years old, had spent 16 days in scout camps in Russia, where they were being trained to assemble and dismantle weapons, to throw bombs, and to fire rifles. Sinisa Boljanovic translates some of the reactions to the case.
Cameroon: Cameroonian Blogs Roundup
We begin our roundup of Cameroonian blogs with Dibussi Tande who takes us the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. He discusses the myriad challenges facing the tribunal- specifically the charge that the court dispenses winners’ justice. The ICTR, he argues, means different things to different people: The...
China: My father is Li Gang!
The son of a deputy police director in Hebei province killed a young woman in a traffic accident on October 16 and reportedly shouted to an angry crowd, "Go ahead and sue me, my father is Li Gang". Now hundreds of people have been writing and sharing songs and poetry online in protest against bad behavior by offspring of government officials
