Stories from 5 December 2008
YouTube Auditions for First Virtual Symphony Orchestra
YouTube is orchestrating an exciting new collaborative project: inviting musicians worldwide to be auditioned online for the world's first virtual symphony orchestra. Amateurs as well as professionals, have until January 28, 2008 to download sheet music, and upload videos of their performances.
India: Firing At New Delhi Airport
Kamla Bhatt analyzes the fresh reports of firing at New Delhi’s International Airport on the early hours of December 5, 2008.
Argentina: Closing of Restaurants in Buenos Aires
Many restaurants in Buenos Aires have had to close due to the decrease in international tourists writes Jorge Gobbi of Blog de Viajes [es].
Cuba: Two Sides of Che?
Havana-based Circles Robinson wonders how Cuban audiences will react to the new film about Che Guevara, while diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense advises readers to enroll in “The Ché Guevara Re-Education Program.”
Venezuela: After the Municipal Elections
After the results of the recent municipal elections, Kira Kariakin of K-minos [es] cannot believe that President Hugo Chávez announced that he wants to remain in power.
Jamaica: When You Gotta Go…
Need to go to the bathroom in Jamaica? Iriegal can point you in the right direction.
Trinidad & Tobago: P of A
Trin finds the government's position on certain key issues implausible and asks: “Are exhausted people resorting to threats of violence to escape a sinking city or Trinbagonians dying from an imaginary dengue outbreak part of your vacuous plan of action for ‘nurturing a caring society'”?
Belize: Former PM Arrested
Belizean and Barbadian blog Keltruth Corp. are all over the story of the former Belizean Prime Minister being charged with the misallocation of public funds.
Jamaica: The Agony of Defeat?
Jamaican Kadene Porter, writing at Abeng News Magazine, notices that women are often less than gracious “when it comes to conceding defeat in a political campaign.”
Nicaragua: Mondongo Soup Recipe
Homero shares a recipe from his mother for the Nicaraguan dish Mondongo Soup [es].
Cuba: Government Officials Tell Bloggers to Cancel Planned Meeting
A Cuban blogger meet-up scheduled for December 6 is in danger of being cancelled by the authorities. The event, which has been in the planning stage for months and had 25 confirmed attendees, is being deemed “counterrevolutionary.” This is according to a recent conversation between officials from the Interior Ministry and one of the island's most well-known bloggers Yoaní Sánchez of Generación Y, who was one of the bloggers recently summoned to the local police station.
Egypt: Wael Abbas refuses to meet President Bush
Egyptian blogger and activist Wael Abbas just announced on his blog that he turned down an invitation to meet up with Bush. Marwa Rakha translates his post from Arabic.
China: Editor removed from Southern Metropolis Daily
feng37 wrote on a new wave of control over media in China: the highly renowned chief editor of Southern Metropolis Daily's Editorial section, Jiang Yiping (江艺平) has been sacked and replaced.
Singapore: Medical treatment for AIDS victims
Everyday’s Life in a Snapshot from Singapore insists that government should subsidize the medical treatment of AIDS victims.
Brunei: Technology and Spirituality
Pixelated Scribbles from Brunei writes: “It’s great that we are technologically progressing, but it doesn’t mean that we should let our spirituality be left behind.”
Thailand: Journalists caught in the crossfire
Journalists criticize both the pro and anti government groups for harassing and attacking reporters during the airport crisis.
Thailand: Complaint of stranded Filipinos
Coffee Stains & Inks from the Philippines hints that embassy officials were slow in helping Filipinos who were stranded in Thailand during the airport crisis.
Egypt: Dirty Sexy Secrets
Young enlightened Egyptian bloggers write about their society's sex code, racism, bigotry, and lust after scandals - all in an attempt to make Egypt a better place to live in. Marwa Rakha zooms into the Egyptian blogosphere to bring us the story.
Japan: Ikeda on the Fall of Japanese
Minae Mizumura‘s The Fall of the Japanese Language in the Age of English, which sparked debate recently in Japan on the future of the country's national language, is the subject of a blog post [ja] by Nobuo Ikeda. Ikeda writes that his wife had bought the book and described it...
Egypt: When Virginity is More Important than Murder
Egypt is gripped with the story of a gruesome murder, in which two university students were killed, in the upscale Sixth of October City’s Sheikh Zayed district. One of the victims is the daughter of Moroccan singer Laila Ghofran and to make the crime more interesting to readers, some newspapers started to spread rumors about the victims' lifestyle..
