Stories from 10 March 2009
Pakistan: Two Documentary Shorts
Wide Angle, the Emmy-award winning international current affairs documentary series from PBS published two documentary shorts “Vote for Benazir's Blood” and “You Cannot Hide from Allah” as a part of their Pakistan at polls series. Click on the titles to watch.
Caribbean: Message for Rihanna
The Rihanna/Chris Brown headlines have been capturing the interest of bloggers Caribbean-wide recently, not only because Rihanna is Barbados-born and bred, but because the whole issue of domestic abuse hits really close to home.
Egypt: Dalia Ziada urges Saudi Arabia to end discrimination against Muslim women
On the occasion of Prophet Mohamed's birthday, Egyptian blogger Dalia Ziada launches a campaign asking Saudi Arabia to end their discrimination against young Muslim women worldwide! Marwa Rakha reports on the initiative.
Barbados: Race Relations
Living in Barbados discusses the issue of race.
Haiti: On the Agenda
“Countless visitors profess a desire to improve life for Haitians and to promote democracy but they seldom deliver. That does not excuse the Haitian authorities and Haiti's bourgeoisie class who have kept Haitians living in extreme poverty”: Still, Wadner Pierre wonders “what visitors to Haiti really want for Haitians.”
Cuba: Ladies Arrested
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says that “the Castro dictatorship's strong-arm treatment of the Damas De Blanco (“Ladies In White”) continued over the weekend with the arrest of the three of the group's members.”
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Slumdogs
“To be part of a group of voluble Indians in the diaspora watching the Oscars while contributing to a live, running commentary the year Slumdog Millionaire won 8 Oscars was quite an experience”: From Jamaica, Annie Paul shares her thoughts on the movie, while Jumbie's Watch posts a perspective on...
Jamaica, Barbados: Mentorship
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp pays tribute to one of his mentors, writer Kamau Brathwaite.
From Bangladesh with Love
BRAC Blog informs that BRAC, the largest non-profit (NGO) development organization in Bangladesh, has set up an office in Liberia and deployed its trained and experienced staffs to carry out development activities which includes helping rural farmers grow better crops to feed their families and sustain their livelihoods. It will...
Minority Rights In South Asia – Full Of Denials
The New Horizon comments on the state of minority rights in South Asia: “Each country says minorities are treated in the best possible ways they should have. However, as the UN data shows, all these countries have low rank in Human development and high rank in discrimination against minorities.”
Japan: Making money thanks to the economic crisis.
If on one hand libraries and newspaper kiosks overflow with books and magazines that examine, analyze and comment on the current economic recession hitting Japan, then on the other hand, many people have begun to think that, if there are losers (layoffs and companies in the red), there must also...
Hong Kong: End of HSBC myth?
Yesterday (March 9) HSBC Holding, Europe's biggest bank, and an Elephant in Hong Kong Hang Seng Index plunged 24% to HK$33, its lowest level since 1995. Since the beginning of financial crisis, many Hong Kong people believe that the city will not be hit directly by the tsunami (partly because...
Southeast Asia: Who is my neighbor?
Pravit Rojanaphruk writes about the lack of knowledge of Southeast Asians about their neighbors in the region.
East Timor: SMS text used as corruption evidence
Leaked mobile phone text messages were used by a journalist to expose a corruption deal in East Timor. The journalist is now facing a criminal defamation suit.
Malaysia: Police used teargas to disperse rallyists
More than 8,000 Malaysians trooped to the streets to oppose the proposal to use the English language in teaching Math and Science in schools. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Indonesia: Protest against Buddha Bar
Some Indonesian Buddhists are not happy over a bar in Jakarta which is known as the Buddha Bar. They believe the name of the pub insults Buddhism.
Colombia: Monuments and Landmarks
A year ago we wrote about Vlog International, a network of Spanish speaking vloggers who send in videos on a certain topic, and then one of them puts them all together into a short collaborative video. This last one asked vloggers to show which monuments are an important part of their city, and the answers came from different parts of Colombia, Mexico, and the US.
Western Ideological vs. Chinese Nationalistic Sentiment
Inside-Out China blogs about the nationalistic sentiment shared by overseas Chinese, as a result of direct confrontation with Western Ideology: if the Chinese government were smarter, it should send all dissidents overseas instead of putting them in prison, as living the West seems to be more effective in changing views.
Madagascar: Amidst Turmoil, Media Misinformation and Hard Truths
More than a month and a half into the crisis in Madagascar, confusion grows crescendo as the power struggle between the president and a former mayor vying for the presidency extends, leaving many wondering when the political stalemate will end.
Middle East: Women Looking for a Cause to Celebrate
Female bloggers from across the Middle East joined hands in marking the International Women's Day with posts reflecting on the occasion and celebrating the lives and achievements of women who have touched them. In Saudi Arabia, American Bedu admits that while many women in the kingdom may not even be...
Mexico: The Cathedral of Oaxaca
Aquí Oaxaca [es] provides historical details of the Cathedral located in the heart of the Mexican city of Oaxaca.
