Stories from 18 December 2008
Gifts With a Light Carbon Footprint
The Capetown Oracle posts gift ideas for a green christmas “Buying green gifts at Xmas time is just another small way to make a difference to your carbon footprint, so why not?”
Adapting To Climate Change In Malawi
Oneworld blog reports, “In response to increased flooding and food insecurity, women in Salima, Malawi are boosting agricultural productivity by sharing resources and knowledge through local farmers’ clubs.”
Community Maps For Pakistan
Dinakar writes on the community map making efforts in Pakistan: “Surprisingly Pakistan cities are being rapidly updated by the community, how on earth can we imagine that we have an accurate digital map of a Pakistan city; this was only possible through the community initiative.”
DR Congo: Aid Worker killed in North Kivu
Stop the war in North Kivu reports that an aid worker has been killed in North Kivu: “This time, it has been Boduin Ntamena, 52 years old, a worker of AVSI (Voluntary Association for International Service), an Italian NGO very active in North Kivu. He was killed in an ambush...
Kazakhstan: National Search Engine Debated by the Bloggers
On December 11, 2008, Kazakhstani blogger Nurlan wrote in his blog, dedicated to IT development issues, about a possibility that so-called KazNet (a Kazakhstani segment of the world wide web) soon may have its own search engine and quotes an advertisement placed on the official website of the Governmental Agency...
Congo: A new aggregator and a Barcamp
Africa 2.0 [Fr] reports on the launch last week of Akouaba, a news aggregator created by 22 year old Congolese blogger from Verone Mankou from Brazzaville, including an interview with him. Mankou is also the organizer of Barcamp Congo, the first Barcamp in Central Africa that will take place in...
Kenya: Media protests communication bill
During Kenya’s 45th independence celebrations on December 12th, the media protested against the government's proposted Communication Amendment bill, a law that if passed will give them rights to regulate the content of electronic media. Bloggers react to the confrontations between the media and the government.
Shaping the Future of World Indigenous Education
Last week 3000 delegates from around the world shared their experiences at The World Indigenous Peoples' Conference: Education at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. There has been little coverage by the mainstream media and surprisingly little activity in the global blogosphere that I’m aware of.
China: Commissioner scrutinized by netizen detectives
Zhou, Commissioner of Housing Bureau in Nanjing, stopped developers from cutting down the real estate price, claiming it was for the sake of people. But rebukes never stop as what people expect is right the opposite. Netizen detectives set out to run after clues of corruption from past news reports and pictures, from which two crucial evidences show up: cigarettes and watches. They even find out that he has a brother who is exactly a developer.
Dominican Republic: Census to Determine Number of Haitians
The number of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic is not currently known. However, according to Joan Guerrero of Duarte 101 [es], the Autonmous Universities of Santo Domingo and Haiti will conduct a census to determine the number.
Bolivia: The Business of Digital Piracy in El Alto
Music and movie piracy in Bolivia is commonplace. Wilfredo Jordán takes a look at the business in El Alto, Bolivia and how many vendors travel to the Peruvian border to purchase goods to resell [es].
Guatemala: Farewell to Chepe Zarco
José Eduardo Zarco aka Chepe, director of the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre recently passed away. Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] fondly remembers the man, who published Figueroa's first column in the newspaper.
El Salvador: Armed Groups as Electoral Campaign Issue
JJ Mar of Hunnapuh [es] writes that the possibility of armed groups in El Salvador is a current electoral issue.
Guatemala: Christmas Decorations in Antigua
As Christmas fast approaches in Guatemala, Rudy Girón posts a series of photographs of typical decorations in Antigua.
Bolivia: Apartment Hunting in La Paz
Looking for an apartment in La Paz is tough [es] writes Juan José. In a city that is known for its low temperatures, an apartment with a lot of sunlight is highly sought after.
Philippines: Kumusta or How Are You
Don’t English Me, I’m not School muses on the usage of the word kumusta, a Filipino greeting which means “How are you?”
Translation and Literature in the Philippines
Cebuano poet Adonis Durado posts an article on the importance of translation for literary development in the Philippines. Durado recently launched his book of Cebuano poems, Dili Tanang Matagak Mahagbong [fil] (trans. Not All That Drop Falls).
New film on Philippine revolution
FeudArt posts trailers and a backgrounder of Baler, a new film based on events during the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonizers at the end of the 19th Century.
North Korea: A New Mobile Network
The latest news from North Korea is the launch of a new high speed mobile network by an Egyptian mobile giant. We have reactions from the bloggers commenting on the launch.
Southeast Asia: The shoe, the shoe
Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi will be known for a long time as the shoe thrower. He who succeeded in throwing a pair of shoes at U.S. President George Bush last Sunday. The shoe throwing incident has been hailed as heroic by many people around the world, especially those who opposed the foreign policies of the outgoing leader. What are the reactions of Southeast Asian bloggers and residents?
Serbia: “Mother Courage”
Sinisa Boljanovic translates a selection of heartbreakingly shocking stories of giving birth in Serbia, shared by anonymous Serbian women on the Majka Hrabrost ("Mother Courage") web site.
