Stories from 25 March 2010
Bulgaria: Football Player Beats Up a Model
Bulgaria is quite shocked at the news of a player for one of the country's biggest football clubs, CSKA, beating top model Kristin Vacheva.
Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating Women in Technology and Transparency Worldwide
In celebration of Ada Lovelace Day we profile several women based around the world who use technology to to make government more transparent and accountable.
Philippines: Post-earthquake reactions on Twitter
A 6.1 intensity earthquake rocked Manila and nearby provinces in the Philippines a few hours ago. Twitterers continue to share their experience and observations.
Africa: Notes From the Field
This is a roundup of blog posts of Concern US aid workers blogging from Sub-Saharan Africa. Concern US aid workers blog regularly about their work and challenges they face as they help to transform lives of people in Malawi, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sri Lanka: The Akon Controversy
A recent video of R&B singer-songwriter Akon featuring a group of scantly clad women dancing at a pool party in front of a Buddha statue caused much uproar in Sri Lanka. This became a hot topic in the Sri Lankan blogosphere.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: BBC Azeri Facebook Diary II
As part of the BBC Superpower Season, the BBC's Azeri service approached Global Voices Online's Caucasus editor to participate in its own reflection on the power of the Internet. What follows is Part II in English.
Barbados: Drought Continues
“Monday was world water day and it has brought home to many of us that we must not take this precious commodity for granted”: my rustic bajan garden blogs about “the ravages of drought”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Money Done
“I yawned last night when the news on all local TV stations reported that the police, famous for being loyal to our incorruptible leader, raided UDeCOTT offices, Sunway International’s offices and the home of Calder Hart, possibly looking for remnants of The Treasury”: This Beach Called Life says that Trinidad...
China: Characters in leaders’ names made sensitive search terms on Google
Beginning Wednesday and continuing today, Chinese Internet users have discovered that Google searches containing the Chinese characters for the surnames of China's top leaders (ie. the ‘hu’ [jintao] in carrot, ‘huluobo’) are resulting in a reset connection to the website. Isaac Mao has made a screencast showing how this works.
Sri Lanka: The Economics Of Being A Rice Farmer
Rajaratarala at Perceptions blog discusses the challenging economics of the production cost of a rice farmer in Sri Lanka and the price they get for their produces.
Bhutan: Sex And Society
Freedom In Bhutan writes about the reservations of the Hindu community to talk about sex issues in the context that “the Hindu tradition is full of sex”.
Japan: Human-faced dog
Pink Tentacle has a feature story about the legend of human-faced dog in Japan.
China and Japan: Expo Osaka and Expo Shanghai
Martin J Frid notices that the theme of Expo 2010 is loaded with a strong belief in “developmentalism” and “urbanism”. He then shares the experience of Expo Osaka in 1970 which helped setting up the global agenda of sustainable development.
Bangladesh: Disappearing Islands
Reacting on the news that disputed South Talpatti island in the Bay of Bengal has submerged due to sea level rise, Mohammad Farhan Husain writes about the bleak future of Bangladesh in the face of global warming.
India: Not A Culture Or An Idea, But An Experience
Sometimes people ask what India is – a country, an idea or a culture? According to Supriyo Chaudhuri “India is an experience. It is greater than the country, more diverse than just the idea and more dynamic than what is understood to be its culture;” as described in his blog...
Myanmar: Why Is There No Backup Plan?
Nyi Lynn Seck shared his thoughts on the political processes of Myanmar in the past, and wondered why there are no backup plans to continue with another person if one person cannot carry ahead anymore.
Myanmar: NLD Challenges Election Laws
Myanmar's National League for Democracy (NLD) has legally challenged the electoral laws which prohibits the party's leader Aung San Su Kyi from participating in the general election.
Philippines: Earthquake near Manila
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake was felt near Manila, Philippines. Earthquake is now a trending topic on twitter.
Fashionalism in the Philippines
Andang Juan blogs on “fashionalism,” a term invented by a Filipino fashion designer from the words “fashion” and “nationalism,” as a means by which capitalists translate the abstract concept of nationalism into the logic of consumerism and profit.
Philippines: Online Campaigning
Radulce blogs about online campaigning in the Philippines in the context of the 2010 Presidential Elections.
East Timor: Economic data
The Lost Boy questions the accuracy of some positive economic indicators cited by East Timor officials.