· January, 2009

Stories about North America from January, 2009

Jamaica, Barbados, U.S.A.: Bonne Chance!

  23 January 2009

Jamaican diaspora blogger Pamela Mordecai holds high hopes for the Obama administration and wishes the new President well, while Notes From A Small Rock [Barbados] sums up her sentiment like this: “Now we wait. We wait to see if the words match the deeds. We all want so much of...

USA: Blogging their Dreams of Citizenship

  23 January 2009

More than 655,000 people participated in an online vote about which issues activist website Change.org should focus on in 2009. Thanks to campaigning from bloggers and immigrant activists, passing a law that would create a path for undocumented students to gain legal residence in the United States was selected as one of the top 10 priorities.

Saudi Arabia: Thoughts on the inauguration

  22 January 2009

Saudi blogger Hala, who currently lives in the United States, has posted her thoughts on Obama's inauguration: “For those of us who think it’s possible to see democracy in our part of the world, check the emphasis on holding government officials accountable, can we have such a system in our...

Cuba: Quelling the Rumours

  22 January 2009

Child of the Revolution confirms that recent rumours of Fidel Castro's demise have been just that – thanks to reports from Havana that the president of Argentina met with him on the last day of her visit to the island.

Haiti, U.S.A.: Retro Rhetoric?

  22 January 2009

The Haitian Blogger takes issue with some of the content of Barack Obama's inaugural speech, calling it “reminiscent of his predecessor”: “I wonder when the ‘West’ will accept some of the blame for the ill will that it has garnered for its actions in the global south and in the...

Support Global Voices: Win a ROFLCon Ticket

  22 January 2009

If you're a fan of everything on the internet that makes you “roll on the floor laughing” (ROFL) you're probably familiar with several of the invitees to ROFLCon's party in New York on January 24, 2009, like The Tron Guy, Obama Girl, and the owner of Sockington (the Twittering cat). Tickets to “ROFLThing” are sold out, but by bidding on one of the last five tickets right now, you can help support Global Voices.

Indonesia: Questions for President Obama

  21 January 2009

Between January 20-21, there were 27,968 blog entries that mention the word ‘Obama' in Indonesia. Furthermore, almost all national TV stations broadcasted live the inauguration last night.

African Blogosphere On Obama's Inauguration

  21 January 2009

“It is done. I knew it would come, but, oh, what a feeling! Yes, Mr. President, it is done, indeed!” These words from Kenyan blogger Whispering Inn sum up the emotional responses of most bloggers in the African blogosphere to the historic inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America.

MENA: Reactions to Obama's Inauguration

  20 January 2009

Today marked an historic moment in United States history as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President. While Arab support of Obama has been waning over the past few months following the selection of his cabinet and his silence over Israel's attacks on Gaza, across the Middle East and North Africa bloggers still have plenty to say, reports Jillian York.

Bermuda, U.S.A.: Thinking Out Loud

  20 January 2009

Bermudian blogger Vexed Bermoothes is filled with scurrilous thoughts about everything from the use of trusts to the Premier's attendance at the Obama inauguration.

Jamaica, U.S.A.: One Love?

  20 January 2009

Bob Marley's One Love was played at Barack Obama’s Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, prompting Abeng New Magazine to say, despite the ironies: “We are proud that the USA can borrow from us at a critical moment when the president-elect sells the idea that ‘anything is possible in...

Jamaica, U.S.A.: Political Comparisons

  19 January 2009

As America gears up for the inauguration of President Barack Obama, diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp is reminded of “the euphoria that many Jamaicans experienced when Michael Manley was elected as Prime Minister in 1972.”