Stories about East Asia from July, 2009
Japan: Fireworks in Tokyo
Auberginefleur at Japan Now & Then has compiled a handy list of Tokyo's firework events for 2009. suzurzan.ranran, cadm2, chris.jan have uploaded their photos of yesterday's Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival, one of Tokyo's biggest summer events.
Malaysia: “Where is democracy?”
Malaysia's Prime Minister celebrated his 100th day in office two weeks ago. But many of his constituents chose to mark the event by launching the “Where is democracy?” campaign. The 711whereisdemocracy blog was set-up encouraging Malaysian bloggers to support the internet protest.
Laos: Owls vs rats
Barn owls could be used in north Laos to reduce the number of rodents which are damaging the crops planted by farmers.
Myanmar: Importing athletes
New Mandala observes that football teams in Myanmar have been recruiting players from other countries.
Britain Brunei Running Festival
Gavin G from Brunei posted pictures of the 2009 Britain Brunei Running Festival.
Brunei: Worldwide Photowalk
Anakbrunei posted pictures of the Worldwide Photowalk event in Brunei.
Malaysia: Life after divorce
Mahaguru58 from Malaysia shares his life experience after being legally separated from his wife and kids.
China: Suspension of Electroshock for “Net Addiction”
The Chinese Ministry of Health recently announced that electroshock treatment for "internet addiction" should be suspended. The controversial electroshock therapies have recently been used by some Chinese clinics to cure symptoms of "addiction" to the internet in young people.
Featured Author: Sara Moreira
This past week I was able to catch up with Global Voices author Sara Moreira at the International School for Digital Transformation in Porto, Portugal. Sara arrived to the program after spending several weeks in Dili, East Timor, the country whose blogosphere she dutifully covers on Global Voices.
Japan: Possible Twitter Novel Publication
Netafull [ja] reports that writer/essayist Mica Naitoh tweeted [ja] that she has received an offer to publish her Twitter novel, just a few days after she started tweeting with the hashtag #twnovel.
Korea: Why Did Korean Politicians Fight?
The National Assembly passed a bill to revise media regulations after a brutal fight. The obsession with passing the bills from the ruling party, the GNP (Grand National Party), and suspicion of voting by proxy are leading to complaints from all kinds of people and organizations. The GNP denies the...
China: Chinese Internet Memes For 2009
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a series of drawings that show some of the most popular terms in Chinese Internet 2009.
Japan: Mizuhiki twine art
Adamu from Multantfrog introduces a Japanese craft, Mizuhiki, which uses twine made from Japanese-style paper to create fancy bows and other designs.
South Korea: White Guys Blogging About Korean Women
An interesting conversation about a Korean woman questioning a white guy, in this case the blogger, on why he blogs about Korean women at the Grand Narrative.
Japan: School Lunches
Kara at morotsuka.com has chronicled what goes on during school lunches in Japan.
China: Introducing Tibetan writer Jamyang Kyi
Jamyang Kyi is a Tibetan broadcaster, writer and blogger based in Xining. Her blog is very popular amongst Tibetans. High Peaks Pure Earth has translated third letter to her friend Norzin Wangmo who was imprisoned in the wake of the unrest in Tibet in 2008 from Tibetan to English.
Japan: No Twitter for Election Campaigns
In response to the government's decision that the usage of Twitter in election campaign activities violates the Public Offices Election Law, Kengo Preston wonders why disruptive methods such as direct phone calls and street speeches with megaphones are permitted while these low-cost and practical new technologies are not.
Cambodia, Thailand: ilovethailand website sparks controversy
The recently launched website ilovethailand.org is causing a stir online. Thailand's Prime Minister announced that the website is intended to restore the country's image and unify the nation in light of recent unrest. The controversy stems from the website's claims about Thailand's “lost territory” — territory that is present day Cambodia.
Bangladesh, South Korea: Bandhobi, Addressing Migrant Workers’ Issues
Bangladeshi blogger Fahmidul Haque introduces us [bn] to a Korean Movie which features the love between a Bangladeshi migrant worker and a South Korean teenager girl and addresses migrant workers' issues.
China: Memorable Quotations from Qin Gang
Qin Gang is the spokesperson of Foreign Ministry. C.A. Yeung from Under the Jacaranda Tree cites a number of memorable quotes made by Qin in his weekly press conference.
China: On Eclipses and Astronomy in Chinese history
Today part of India, China and Japan saw the longest total sola eclipse in 21st Century. In Chinese Astronomy, solar eclipses is related with instability and Granite Studio has an interesting article on eclipses and astronomy in Chinese history.
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