Stories about Weblog from October, 2010
Uruguayans Mourn Death of Musician José Carbajal, ‘El Sabalero’
Singer and composer José Carbajal, nicknamed "el Sabalero," died of a heart attack on October 21 at age 66. Carbajal is considered an icon of Uruguayan culture. This year he was working with other artists and the One Laptop per Child project in Uruguay, Plan Ceibal, to perform in concerts for public school children around the country.
Debating Animal Cruelty During Nepal's Dashain Festival
Nepalese around the world celebrate the fifteen day long Dashain festival with gusto as it brings communities and families together. But, lately this popular holiday has been criticized for a number of reasons but mainly animal cruelty.
Shintaro Ishihara’s views on China, Japan
Shintaro Ishihara is a politician, author and governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government since 1999. He is well known for his critical stance on Japan’s dependence under the US-Japan security alliance. In 1989, he co-authored the book The Japan That Can Say No with then-Sony chairman Akio Morita. He is...
Kazakhstan: Governance matters
Kazakh bloggers keep on discussing their favorite topic – the quality of public administration. Megakhuimyak raises the issue of professionalism of the higher officials and says that often it appears to be secondary to the “family affairs”. Cronyism remains a serious problem in Kazakhstani human resource management both in business...
Thailand: Worst flooding in decades
Heavy rains in the past weeks produced the worst flooding in many decades in the rural northeast of Thailand. Since October 10, flooding also hit 13 provinces of Thailand. Netizens share their stories and reactions
Mexico: 20-year-old Woman is New Police Chief of Northern Mexican Town
Marisol Valles García is a married 20-year-old woman studying Criminology; she is also the new chief of police in Práxedis, Chihuahua, a town located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico's most violent city.
Kuwait: Police Brutality Caught on Video?
Police brutality has been caught on video around the world. Here's one from Kuwait which was posted on a popular blog and attracted a lot of comments - many attacking the blogger for posting it.
Zimbabwe: Update on Zimbabwe's New Draft Constitution
Zimbabweans are discussing the proposed draft of a new constitution. This will be Zimbabwe's second constitution. A proposed new constitution to replace the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 was approved by the Parliament in 1999, but was defeated in the 2000 referendum. Zimbabwe will hold a referendum on the new constitution next year on June 30.
Puerto Rico: Pervasive Corruption in the Police Department
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) arrested 133 people in Puerto Rico, including 89 police officers, in what the US Department of Justice called "the biggest police corruption investigation in the history of the FBI". The blogosphere reacts.
Egypt: Bad Bad Facebook
A TV show discussing Facebook on the Egyptian state-run television channel soon became the source for rumours, mockery, and loads of fun on blogs and Twitter. Tarek Amr has more in this round up of reactions from Egyptian netizens.
Venezuela: Nuclear Energy Deal with Russia
President Hugo Chávez met with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Russia on October 14. At the meeting they signed a "plan of action" on different issues; among them, building a nuclear plant in Venezuela. Venezuela is the first Latin American country to sign an atomic energy deal with Russia.
Syria: Who Gets Paid $42,000 a Month?
Syria, formerly a socialist state, began its economic reform process in late 2003. The process has lead to a rapid growth of Syria's private sector, but also led to a continuous increase in poverty levels and an exponential income inequality within the private sector.
Serbia: Two Internet Entrepreneurs Detained for Months Without Trial
Danica Radisic writes about the plight of Internet entrepreneurs Djordje Djokic and Dusan Jaglicic, who have been in jail for the past eight months, with no possibility of bail, no trial and no legal conviction, and about the implications of their case for the Serbian online community.
Tanzania: Running for Office While Combining Kangas With Social Media
Danish blogger Pernille Bærendtsen looks at the use of traditional elements and social media in Tanzania election campaigns focusing on Zitto Kabwe, the parliamentary candidate for Kigoma North. Her post is titled "Running for Office (While Combining Kangas and Social Media). Kanga is a piece of printed cotton fabric worn by women and occasionally by men throughout Eastern Africa.
Puerto Rico: Presenting the reputable online paper “The Yam”
They are definitely funny. Not to mention that the often absurd and surreal Puerto Rican political landscape gives them plenty of material. They are El Cangrimán, El Rata and Oscar Marrano, the three main writers of the Puerto Rican online-based paper El Ñame.
China: Afterthoughts of Foxconn tragedies
Foxconn, a Taiwanese company and the world's largest maker of electronic components, has become one of the most notorious corporations in China after 13 consecutive suicides of its workers in 2010. However, given the fact that Foxconn's salary and working environment is not the worst of its kind, no one has...
Philippines: Strongest typhoon of the year
Typhoon Juan (international name: Megi), the world’s strongest tropical cyclone of the year, hit the north part of the Philippines forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. Many provinces are still without power and communication signals; rice and other agricultural crops were also destroyed. Netizens share their stories
Russia: New Video from Primorsky Krai Guerrillas
The story of the cop-killing gang in Russia's Far East continues, and Masha Egupova analyzes the new content.
Kenya: My Life as a Transgender Girl in Kenya
Lindsay is a transgendered woman living in Kenya who shares her life and her journey to womanhood on her blog Living Lindsay- My life as a transgender girl in Kenya. She describes herself as “I'm a normal girl with not-so-normal traits. I am transgender, or transsexual if you like.”
Jordan: The ArabCrunch Controversy Continues
ArabCrunch was founded in 2008. The blog launched its Arabic version in 2009, and quickly became a leading blog in the Arab tech sector. Jordanian netizens react to controversies surrounding the site and allegations made by its founder in this post.
Saudi Arabia: Calls to Free Samar Albadawi
Samar Albadawi, a divorced Saudi woman is currently being held in Brayman jail in Jeddah for disobeying her father. While some netizens are furious others are skeptical about her case and the debate still continues among Saudi bloggers and tweeps.
