Stories from 27 September 2009
Hungary: Pro-Nightlife Rally; Art Station
Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest posts photos and video from a rally in support of Budapest's nightlife and from a graffiti and extreme sports competition held inside a metro station whose construction had been halted due to financial difficulties.
Hungary: Political Talk Show Taken Off Air
GV Author Marietta Le of Remainder of Budapest and Eva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum write about Nap-kelte, a morning political TV talk show that was taken off air last week, some 20 years after its launch in 1989.
Hungary: Healthcare
Hungarian Spectrum writes about healthcare in Hungary.
Syrian Students Banned From Using Supercomputer at KAUST
Wael Alwani said on his blog [ar] that Syrian Students at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) are forbidden from using Shaheen, a US made supercomputer, due to technology export sanctions imposed by the US against Syria.
Israel: “Ajami” Reveals Nuanced Look at Israeli Society
The film "Ajami" was the big winner at last night's Ophir Prizes and will continue on to international audiences as Israel's foreign film nominee for the 2010 Academy Awards. Israeli bloggers comment on the film, which touches on coexistence between people of different religions.
Japan: Measuring Celebrity Buzz on 2ch
Blogger APEESCAPE translated a 2ch post that measured the buzz of celebrity stories by counting the number of threads on 2ch from 2004 to 2009.
Japan: Animated Explanations of Policies?
Inspired by this American video explaining ‘Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance‘, Media Sabor suggests using some of the budget from the canceled National Center for Media Arts to have animators create understandable animations to explain new policies to the public [ja].
Philippines: Worst Flooding in 40 Years
Tropical Storm "Ondoy" hit the Philippines last Saturday triggering the worst flooding in 40 years which left 50 people dead and 280,000 residents displaced. Social media sites were maximized to share updates about the storm and to assist flood victims
Arab World: Artificial Virginity Made in China
Moroccan blogger Mounir writes on Des maux à dire [Fr] about artificial hymens, made in China, apparently much appreciated by a growing base of Arab customers. “In the Arab region, Syrians have seen this revolutionary ‘product’ invade the black market. In Egypt, investors are seriously considering its introduction,” alleges the...
Israel: Leonard Cohen Performs to Rave Reviews
Songmaster Leonard Cohen visited Israel this week, performing to a sold out crowd of 47,000 fans. Israeli bloggers who were lucky enough to attend gave rave reviews.
Israel: Palestinian TV Comedy Wins Applause from Bloggers
“Country on a String,” a new Palestinian comedy that aired during Ramadan, is being hailed by Israeli bloggers for its creative irreverence. Tamar Orvell of Only Connect writes: “I salute my brave Palestinian cousins who pick up pens, not guns, and who look within and without in a bid for...
Israel: Cafes Discourage Digital Workers
“How do we handle fast shifts in the economy and in people's behavior?” asks Ami Vider of Tel Aviv Tomorrow, reflecting on how businesses respond to the physical presence of digital workers.
Israel: New Organ Donation Law Passed
The Chief Rabbinate (Court) and Knesset (Congress) of Israel have ruled that a patient who is brain dead is legally dead, allowing for his organs to be harvested more effectively before his heart stops beating. OneJerusalem.com discusses the implications of the ruling.
Israel/Palestine: Mocking Qaddafi on Wikipedia
Qaddafi = dog? Mu-ha-med of The Traveler Within reports: “I don't what was it that ticked an anonymous user to edit his Wikipedia page, changing the Libyan leader's name in Arabic from “Muammar Al-Qaddhafi معمر القذافـي” to “DOG كلب.”
Israel: Dealing with Israelis During the Holiday Season
“Every fall, millions of Israelis stop what they are doing (aka “working”) and spend several weeks watching and sending Shana Tova (Happy New Year) greetings to one another.” Gila Weiss of My Shrapnel offers a crash course on what you need to know about dealing with Israelis during the holiday...
Israel: Preparing for Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement
Jerusalem Diaries’ Judy Lash Balint records and remarks upon various traditions preceding the holiest day of the Jewish year: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Japan: Training for disaster prevention
The first week of September in Japan is the Disaster Prevention Week [ja]. During this week schools, organizations, offices and so on come together to organize disaster prevention training.
Taiwan: BoF 2009
Started by a group of bloggers in 2005, and then organized by ADCT since 2006, BoF(Birds of a Feather), aka Taiwan Youth Blog Festival, has become the major Web 2.0 event in Taiwan. This year, because of Typhoon Morakot that wreaked havoc in August 2009 in southeren Taiwan, BoF 2009...
