Stories from 27 January 2010
Russia: Lyudmila Alexeyeva; “Zhivago's Children”
IZO links to a New York Times’ profile of the 82-year-old Russian dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva (who blogs in Russian at http://lm-alexeeva.livejournal.com/) – and to a review of Vladislav Zubok's Zhivago's Children: The Last Russian Intelligentsia, posted at Languagehat.
Brazil: The National Program for Human Rights – Part 1
Controversy has erupted following the proposal of a legislative reform package that decriminalises abortion and criminalises homophobia, bans religious symbols from public spaces and calls for a truth commission.
Haiti: Damage in Surrounding Areas
how can they hear takes a trip to Leogane and posts photos of the damage, saying: “The truth is that people need to see that Leogane and the surrounding areas need help. We still have families buried underneath the rubble here”, while Ellen in Haiti crunches some numbers: “It says...
Haiti: Endurance
“Over and over mind-numbing injuries that are now two weeks old — yet the people are stoic, strong, long-suffering, graceful … resilient beyond comprehension”: The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog is convinced that “against the odds, the people of Haiti will endure.”
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: On the Ground
“You try to get around as much as you can, but in the end you’ll see only a tiny fraction of the whole, and perhaps understand or read accurately only a fraction of that”: Caribbean Free Radio blogs from Port-au-Prince.
Bermuda: “How did we get here?”
“It’s 2010 here in Bermuda. We’re facing an ongoing recession likely to last into the foreseeable future, a run away budget, job losses, glut in real estate, a downturn in construction and rising youth violence”: 21 Square asks, “How did we get here and should we have seen it coming?”
Jamaica, Haiti: Making sense of it all
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a poem for Haiti.
Peru: Heavy Rains and Mudslides in Cusco
Heavy rains and flooding have been affecting the region of Cusco, Peru, leaving thousands of local residents affected. The tragedy has left unanswered questions about the region's preparedness for these types of natural disasters.
Palestine: The Commodification Of Gaza
Exiled is a blogger who recently left Gaza - and he is in no hurry to return. In this translation of a recent post of his, we hear his opinions about political propaganda and self-interest, the tunnels to Egypt and the planned steel fence, and the nature of the outside world's concern for the Gaza Strip.
What the Tibetan Language Needs is Space
A young Tibetan blogger based in the US, who goes by the name of “Jhutok” (one of those untranslatable Tibetan words that describes someone who is nosy and likes to interfere, gossip and busybody all in one), has written a blogpost about written Tibetan, arguing for language reform to written...
Japan: Itami Airport
In response to the news that the Osaka Governor is talking about closing down Itami Airport, Joe Jones at the Mutant Frog Travelogue contemplates obsolete airports and suggests alternate uses.
Australia: An Australia Day of Celebration and Protest
Celebrated on January 26, this year's Australia Day was characterized by an increase of flag-waving patriotism. However, the day was also commemorated with the Great Australian Internet Blackout, where Australians protested the government's plan for an internet filter.
India: I want my country back, says Munna
Environmental blogger Hemant Anant Jain aka Munna, writes a thought-provoking post on 26th January, the nation's 61st Republic Day, urging people to look beyond the commercial “growing market” tag and work towards restoring the rich environmental heritage of the amazing country that is India.
Global Voices Online Nominated for Game Changer Award
Global Voices Online was recently nominated as a Community Choice Finalist for the 2010 We Media Game Changer Award. Please consider voting for GVO, as winners will be selected through an online vote.
China: Animal cruelty law
Joel Martinsen translates the mainstream media's discussion on drafting of animal cruelty law. The new law may ban the selling and eating of dog and cat's meat.
Japan: Peace walkers
TenThousandThings from Kurashi reports on a 4-month peace walk from Okinawa to Tokyo calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Japan: The Japan-China-U.S. trade relation
MTC from Shisaku shows the changes among Japan, China and U.S relation with a statistical illustration on foreign trade.
Japan: Website Localization
Motoko discusses the need for foreign websites to be localized into Japanese: If your website is not in Japanese, it would have little to no chances of being found in the search results in Japan.
Peru: The Loss of Local Rock Radio Stations
Peruvian radio stations catering to fans of rock music are being taken off the air, with business reasons often cited as the reason. However, many bloggers say there is still a market for the music.
