Stories about East Asia from April, 2009
DoGooderTV: Voting Open for the NonProfit Video Awards
The voting period to select the winners of the DogooderTV 2009 Non Profit Video Awards ends this Saturday, April 25, so now is the perfect time to head over to their site, view the different videos uploaded by organizations to promote a cause. Today we´ll show you some of the competing videos which focus on international issues.
Japan: An Oscar to “Okuribito” (Departures)
For the first time a Japanese movie, Okuribito (or Departures), has been awarded the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, over the French “The Class” and the Israeli animated documentary “Waltz With Bashir”. Directed by Yôjiro Takita, Okuribito is based on the novel Nôkanfû Nikki (納棺夫日記, lit. Diary of an undertaker)...
Sri Lanka: Lamenting On The War
Sri Lankan blogger Mathawaada, who blogs at A Collision Of Ideas, laments on the civil war hearing the news that the LTTE rebels are finally being defeated militarily: “Ah…this war. Yes, this war is older than me, just like anyone in their early twenties I also grew up with it....
China: Property giant block newspapers
On April 15, Xinjiang Property Management issued an order to all of the communities it manages in Urumqi to block Morning Post newspaper carriers from entering – Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated local reports on how private corporate tried to manipulate the media.
China: Impact of New Media
China Digital Times reports on Liu Jianqiang, Zhang Ping, Wang Lixiong's sharing on the impact of new media in a round table discussion at the University of California, Berkeley.
China: More on Jackie Chan
Kai Pan from CNReview translates Jackie Chan's comment on “Chinese need more control” with more semantic analysis of the context. Imagethief wonders where exactly should we place the context then?
China: Free Wu Baoquan
A netizen has been sentenced to 2 year imprisonment for criticizing Ordos city government (in Inner Mongolia) for illegal land requisition. Spontaneous Online campaign calling for justice to Wu has been harmonized. (more in GVA).
Unemployment in Singapore
Tan Kin Lian believes unemployment rate in Singapore is “seriously under-reported.”
Reflections on Barcamp Kuala Lumpur 2009
Bernard Leong shares his reflections on the recent Barcamp Kuala Lumpur 2009. He writes: Other than technology, we have topics ranging from social & youth entrepreneurship, corporate brands with social media, bloggers, to even salsa dancing.”
Jackie Chan: Chinese need control
“I'm mot sure if it's good to have freedom or not, I'm really confused now. If there is too much freedom, like the way Hong Kong is today, it is very chaotic; Taiwan is also chaotic. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled.” – Jackie...
Malaysia: Facebook now more popular than Friendster
Friendster is the top social networking site for many years already in Southeast Asia. But Facebook is now more popular than Friendster in Malaysia.
Cambodia: “Finest pepper in the world”
Kampot province in Cambodia is known for producing the “finest pepper in the world”
Global crisis affects Cambodian migrant workers
Due to the global economic crisis, South Korea has reduced the number of migrant workers it will accept this year. This is bad news for Cambodia's migrant workers. Many Cambodians are working and planning to work in South Korea.
Thailand: Red Shirt videos
Happi like a Hippo gives a list of protest videos uploaded by Thailand's Red Shirt protesters on YouTube.
China: Gangster in the Government
Chinageeks translated an article written by Yang Licai (via Ai Weiwei) about his experience in various local town while collecting names of the earthquake school kid victims.
China: Our right to be spared from fear
Blogger Lan Xiaohuan （兰小欢）, in his post ‘Bitter Smile’, reflects on how a nation permeated with fear has muzzled people's voice. Lamenting that the cost to claim the rights of a citizen is getting higher today, he also lampooned the infusing fear that crushes people's courage and love, concluding that...
Japan: The SHADO Collective
Photoreporter Noriyuki Aida (会田法行) presents the SHA-DO Collective (写道・写真家集団). The group comprising Aida-san and other four photographers based in Tokyo — the Japanese Yasuhiro Ogawa, the Greek Androniki Christodoulou, the Spanish David Coll Blanco and the German Eric Rechsteiner — intends to provide “five specific photographic approaches focusing mainly on...
Global Recession: The world is talking. Are we listening?
There is no lack of online articles about the various aspects of the global economic crisis. Many of them are written by economic experts and policymakers. What about the perspectives of ordinary bloggers? This global roundup of blogs gathers stories of people around the world who are struggling to survive the economic downturn.
Korea: Is teachers’ physical punishment toward students a crime?
A second grade student at a primary school was struck 27 times by her teacher because she gave the wrong answer to a math question. After her mother put a photo of her daughter’s bottom with bruises on the internet, parents’ associations and other netizens criticized the teacher’s behavior. In...
Taiwan: Promoting language diversity
Taiwan is home to a range of Austronesian and Chinese languages. Taiwanese Identity discusses ways to promote Taiwan's languages.
Global Recession: “Underdevelopment is a mixed blessing”
There are governments which insist that their countries are not affected by the global economic crisis. Most of the time they are not convincing; and their constituents do not believe in the supposed improvement of the economy. Countries with very small economies and countries which are not globally-integrated are usually the same countries which claim that the financial crisis has not affected them so far.
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