Stories from 10 October 2008
Moroccans for Obama?
"When the Americans are getting ready to elect a president, the whole world holds its breath," writes Moroccon blogger, Robin des Blogs [Fr]. It's a sentiment held by many around the world, but some Moroccon netizens aren't sure which outcome--an Obama or a McCain presidency--would be best for Morocco.
XDR-TB: Photographer Brings Emerging Disease Into Focus
In 2007 renowned war photographer and photojournalist James Nachtwey received a TED Prize, granting him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. Nachtwey's wish was to share a vital story in an innovative way using news photography. Last week his wish came true with the unveiling of his photos,...
Latin America: Reporting On, Twitter for journalists gets popular
Reporting On, a new micro-blogging tool is getting quite popular among Latin American journalists who are using this tool to let others know what they are writing about.
Tunisia: National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4
Tunisian bloggers are rallying for a National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4. The day will coincide with a court hearing for a lawsuit filed by the journalist and blogger Zied El Heni against the Tunisian Internet Agency.
Brazil: A day in jail for blog comments
The first person to go to jail for commenting on a blog in Brazil was a high rank police officer. See reactions from the very close knit police blogosphere. Not surprisingly, with the intelligence monitoring blogs and comment boxes, most of the police officers decide to blog anonymously.
Honduras: One Man's Struggle to Get out of Debt
La Gringa points us out to English language blog “I owe so much”, where one man writes in English about his experience trying to get out of credit card debt in Honduras. He writes bluntly and honestly about how much he owes and how he got to that amount, how...
Costa Rica: Disappointment in Latin American Idol Results
Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas writes about the grand finale of Latin American Idol, where Costa Rican Maria Jose was up to the last minute singing for the first place. Much to the national disappointment, she didn't win, ending the three months of nail biting as Panama's singer walked...
Maldives: Second round of elections
Think Maldives blog informs that the presidential election of Maldives has gone to a second round as none of the candidates could get 50% of the vote. ArtWork predicts who will win in the runoff.
Nepal: Celebrating Dashain festival
Bibek Paudal discusses the controversy regarding whether the new Maoist Prime Minister observed Dashain festivities (15 days long national festival of Nepal) or not. He reminds: “Dashain is a Nepalese festival, not a Hindu festival. Calling Dashain anything other than a social-cultural festival is undermining the many unique Nepalese elements...
Taiwan: Government Interferes with Media
Michael Turton looks at how the KMT government is attempting to control content at the public media institutions (PTS, RTI and CNA). He follows up with details of the response from the International Federation of Journalists. Claudia Jean gives examples of more broader attacks by the KMT on freedom of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Coconut Water
Trinidadian blogger Now is Wow Too recounts an interesting conversation she had with an coconut vendor.
Cuba: Human Rights Activist Re-Arrested
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports that a Cuban human rights activist who was paroled from prison earlier this year because of poor health, now faces up to five years in prison “on a charge of ‘attacking’ — which has been used before to silence critics of the dictatorship.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Caribbean Sweeps Book Awards
Antilles, the blog of the Caribbean Review of Books, notes that “the Caribbean is well represented” among the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award winners: “Three of the four categories were won by Caribbean books.”
Cuba: Keep on Blogging
Generation Y offers encouragement to a rural blogger (whom she refers to as “peasant of agile keys and posts as sharp as machetes”), who paints a picture of what blogging in Cuba is like: “Time is scarce and expensive. You have to resend posts and emails that are interrupted when...
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Crossing the Racial Divide
Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp has been closely monitoring the US Presidential race and thinks that “there is a need for real patriotism on both sides and for the voices of rationality and impartiality to speak up. America used to have them–before she turned over her media to spin doctors,...
Bangladesh: Racism faced in Saudi Embassy
A Bangladeshi blogger Juboraj was refused visa from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Ghana and denied to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia citing the reason that only citizens of selected countries (USA, EEU, Australia, UK etc.) are allowed to receive Saudi Visa from a third country. When he asked...
Pakistan: Still ignoring the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh
“The politicians in Pakistan religiously issue statements each year bemoaning the plight of the stranded Pakistanis,” Raza Rumi writes about the stranded Pakistanis (Biharis) in Bangladesh and the appalling life they lead as they keep their hopes alive to return to Pakistan.
Sri Lanka: Plights of the displaced people
The recent military operations in the Kilinochchi district in Sri Lanka have led to mass displacements of the civilian population. An eyewitness writes in Groundviews about his personal experience of the plights of the displaced people.
Japan: Rikimaru Toho, the first manga narrating cantastoria
His stage name is Rikimaru Tōhō, he defines himself a “manga reader”, and for five years he has been enchanting hundreds of passersby with his performances in the suburbs of western Tokyo. A legendary performer, Rikimaru Tōhō's popularity is due not to TV or radio shows, but to his ability to modify his voice and play the parts of the characters in the stories he reads. Read some responses to Rikimaru's performances, and some passages from the manga reader's own blog.
Azerbaijan: Predictable Election
Writing from Azerbaijan, Herron Family News details various meetings that have been held as next week's presidential election draws closer. However, the blog notes, the outcome of the vote is predictable. With the main opposition parties boycotting the election, the incumbent president will be re-elected. The only unanswered question is...
China: Melamine Inevitable, even for EU Commissioner
Peter Mandelson, European Commissioner for Trade, drank a cup of milk in China. 9 days later, he was found inflicted by a great pain in kidney. Is the association between the two more dramatic than his surprise return to British cabinet? Chinese bloggers gave us their guesses.
