October, 2008

Stories from October, 2008

China: Blog is Outdated?

  31 October 2008

The 4th Chinese Blogger Conference will be held November 15-16th, 2008, in Guangzhou, China. However, in the past year, there is a continuing discussion in the Chinese blogosphere on whether blog culture is dying down. Moreover, recently bokee.com and blogchina.com, the two earliest BSPs founded by Fang dong-xing (nickname blogfather)...

BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 2

  31 October 2008

Earlier this week we visited the videoblogs of some of the nominees for the BOBs, Deutsche Welle's Best of Blogs awards. On this second part, we'll see which other videobloggers from all over the globe are nominated and what your choices will be when you decide to vote for your...

D.R. Congo: Confusion Reigns in Goma

  31 October 2008

Two months ago fighting resumed in the DR Congo's Eastern province of North Kivu between the rebel group led by Laurent Nkunda and government forces, in violation of a peace accord signed in January. The fighting has intensified during the last 6 days and, although a cease-fire was announced, the situation remains uncertain in Goma. Here are a few impressions from bloggers on the ground.

Japan: Thoughts on Itochu trading scam

  31 October 2008

On October 10th, Itochu Corporation announced that it had paid close to one hundred billion yen in false transactions valued at nearly 100 billion yen to Mongolian suppliers for construction machinery and materials. One blogger and chartered accountant offers their thoughts on what happened inside Itochu.

Japan: Response to Obama “Put down the Wii Remote” Ad

  31 October 2008

Comments from Japanese net users respond [ja] to an ad by U.S. presidential nominee Obama in which viewers are told to “put down the remote and go vote“. “Why Wii?” one asks. Another writes: “Anti-Japan policies before even becoming president?” And one person wonders: “Does Obama despise Japan?”

Japan: Spam mail from a chimpanzee

  31 October 2008

id:crystaline reports [ja] that she discovered a spam mail with the title: “It might seem unbelievable, but I am a chimpanzee”. The ‘chimp’ explains: “At first, I thought I was a human. Like the other humans around me. However, I acquired knowledge, and realized that I was different. And I...

Cambodia: Hero of the Year nominee

  31 October 2008

Nuon Phymean from Cambodia is one of the nominees for the CNN Hero of the Year Award. She has helped a lot of children in Phnom Penh by providing free education and job training.

Indonesia: Parliament approves anti-porn law

  31 October 2008

Indonesia now has an anti-porn law which critics say will curtail freedom of speech and traditional practices. Via Twitter, Aulia comments: “If only people would read the entire ‘porn’ law and understand its full consequences.”

Ibero-America: Campus Party in El Salvador

  30 October 2008

This week in El Salvador, hundreds of technology fanatics have assembled to take part in the latest edition of Campus Party. Participants from 22 member states are divided into one of a broad range of areas including: Astronomy, CampusBot (robotics), Innovation, Modding, Campus Create, Digital Leisure and Digital Inclusion. The participation of bloggers have captured the feeling of being in a room with their fellow technology enthusiasts through their blog posts, photos and videos.

Peru: The King of Spain and the Peruvian Congresswoman

  30 October 2008

Guillermo from Quimeras Seductoras [es] summarizes the encounter of Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, and the Peruvian congresswoman Hilaria Supa, who met outside of the Congress buildings. She confronted the King and asked him to return all of the wealth taken by Spain during the Conquest.