25 October 2008

Stories from 25 October 2008

Malaysian Media Council: Double handcuffs or media freedom?

  25 October 2008

Amidst a number of recent journalistic blunders, Malaysia’s Home Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, announced that the government has full intention of establishing a national media policy, together with a regulatory body over Malaysian media. Syed Hamid said that that a policy is currently being drafted and also that the foundations...

Japan: You call that “art”?

  25 October 2008

Blogger aiki_tachibana, in a post entitled “Don't call that ‘art'!” [ja], reacts to news about a controversial art performance in Hiroshima on Oct. 21st. According to reports [ja], a group of artists calling themselves “Chim←Pom” (チン←ポム) chartered a plane to fly through the sky and draw in smoke the characters...

Israel: Desiring the Druze

  25 October 2008

Anglo-Arab blogger Doshka has decided that Druze men are ‘hot': “In Israel, they are quite possibly all first cousins because they can neither marry out of the sect, nor can outsiders convert to the Druze faith – meaning they have a very, very narrow gene pool. It's a very, very...

Palestine: No security

  25 October 2008

In Gaza, Sameh Habeeb talks to a young girl who witnessed her father and brothers being beaten by Israeli soldiers: “In all cultures the father of the family represents safety and security to the family. The Israeli soldiers routinely rob Palestinian fathers of their role.”

Saudi Arabia: Creating a modern mix

  25 October 2008

Saudi blogger Hala wonders about Canadian activist Irshad Manji, who is lesbian, feminist, and Muslim: “Some choose to create a modern mix of their original values and their new ones, thus reaching a comfort zone that can enable them to access both societies with agreeable levels, but how far can...

Korea: US$100bn Package for Stabilizing the Market

  25 October 2008

South Korea's government has agreed to guarantee foreign-currency borrowing by the country's banks to help stabilize financial markets. The announcement doesn’t bring positive views from netizens. The netizens also have different interpretations. 불과 금요일까지만 해도 정부의 은행지급보증은 일말의 가능성에 불과했다. 유럽에서 너도 나도 지급보증 들어가서 지급보증이 멍멍이 짖는 소리처럼 들리는...

Malaysia: Era of contaminated food

  25 October 2008

After the China milk scandal, Jewelle notes that in Malaysia some popular food brands are also allegedly contaminated. Are we living in the era of contaminated food?

Working in Brunei

  25 October 2008

What are some of the advantages of working in Brunei: “peace, no income tax, heavily subsidized petrol price, excellent education facilities for the kids and one of the lowest inflation rate in the region.”