Stories from 4 April 2009
Global: Switching off the lights for a sustainable world
On Saturday March 29, many people around the world turned their lights off from 20:30 to 21:30 local time, in a symbolic act to show they care about the environment. See how Earth Hour was portrayed by those who observed it.
Azerbaijan: Mud Volcanoes
Environmental graffiti visits Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes and says they are a sight to behold. The blog says that in 2001 one of the country's 300 mud volcanoes spewed flames 49 feet high.
Nagorno Karabakh: Interrogation
DispatchesFromElsewhere details being detained and questioned while visiting the unrecognized and self-declared Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Inhabited by ethnic Armenians but situated within Azerbaijan, the blog says that the problems started while trying to enter the ghost town of Aghdam.
Armenia: Tsakharzard
Teenage DOTCOM blogger Araksya Tsaturova says the pre-Easter holiday of Tsakharzard in Armenia is one her favorites. The blog says the holiday is dedicated to the coming of spring and posts photographs to accompany the entry.
Japan: Tokyo Marathon 2009
Tokyo Marathon 2009, the largest marathon event in Japan, was held on March 22nd. It felt like everyone in Tokyo knew someone who was competing or had wanted to, and with 226,378 applicants for 30,000 spots, that might not have been too far from the truth. Tokyo Marathon's official website...
Netherlands: Dutch minister tweets about Afghanistan summit
During the recent Afghanistan summit in The Hague, Dutch speakers could read updates and direct responses to questions about the summit on Twitter. The updates were posted by Maxime Verhagen, the Dutch Mininster of Foreign Affairs, who hosted the summit. Mr Verhagen is an avid Twitter user.
Australia: Indigenous Rights Declaration Approved
Australia’s government has endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a year and a half after voting – along with Canada, New Zealand, and the United States – against the September 2007 document. Reform Wollongong City Council, a blog from Australia, writes: On Friday 3 April...
Thailand: Another airport blockade?
Twitter user jeremyfanclub heard on the radio that anti-government protesters in Thailand plan to block the Chiang Mai airport today where the Prime Minister is expected to land after noon.
Global Job Losses and Returning Migrant Workers
This post focuses on the stories of the unemployed and migrant workers who are returning home to their countries. Job layoffs are perceived by most people as the primary and most recognizable indicator of the global economic recession. How has unemployment affected individuals around the world? In what ways the reverse migration of workers creating problems for developing nations?
Taiwan: Dancing with the glass eels
The adult eels live in rivers. During the reproduction season in summer, they swim downstream toward the deep sea thousands miles away (besides Philippine and the Mariana Islands) to lay their eggs. The eel larvae drift with the North Equatorial Current toward Philippine. They then drift with the Kuroshio toward north. Therefore, we can see people in different countries catch elvers along the way of the Kuroshio: Philippine, Taiwan, and Japan.
