Stories from 15 October 2010
Japan: Memories of an outlaw – Part Two
After almost three years outside the walls, a blogger - who prefers to be anonymous - decided to tell the story of his life behind bars.
Jordanians Tweet about Election Campaigning
Jordanian parliamentary candidates are now allowed to post campaign materials for the November 9 elections. Posters now cover main roads, and the topic of these campaign materials has been hotly discussed among Jordanian Twitter users. Almost unanimously, these tweets express disgust with the posters.
Mexico: The Lerma River is Dying
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico’s second longest river. It used to be a source of drinking water for the capital and the central part of the country, but today the river is infected by a considerable number pollutants.
Japan: Virtual water
On Blog Action Day Masato Fukushima reflects [ja] on the concept of Virtual Water [ja]. Japan has a very low food self-sufficiency ratio and rely on imports, he explains, adding that imported food is cultivated and processed using the water of other countries and that Japanese should keep it in...
El Salvador: ‘There's no water’
For Blog Action Day, Linda writes: “Usually, no hay agua [meaning, “there is no water”] is a temporary condition, and the water returns. Yet as more and more demands are placed on our water systems, and less and less care is taken to preserve and recycle water well, no hay...
Venezuela: University Students Protest Budget Cuts
University students protested budget cuts in Caracas on October 14. Alejandro Tarrae reports on his blog [es] that he saw hundreds of Police and National Guard troops; he realized why so many security forces where in place when he later saw the multitude of students and professors protesting on the...
Bolivia: The Effects of Climate Change on Water
Pablo Rivero blogs at Purple Fire [es] for Blog Action Day: “Bolivia is a country with great nature reserves, among them, fresh water. However, in the last years, the effects of climate change have left notorious and dramatic footprints.” He provides various links for more information, including a blog dedicated...
Honduras: The Lack of Clean Water
Laurie says that statistics on water conditions are “too big to grasp! But here in the elbow of Central America, I get it. Water, or the lack of clean water, kills people. They get diarrhea, cholera or hepatitis. They lose their kids. Their hope. They stay in poverty.” Laurie knows...
Video: How to keep water clean and use it wisely
From tips on reusing gray water or minimizing wasted water when we flush the toilet, to kids in the Valle del Colca in Peru explaining the importance of keeping community water sources clean. Join us on Blog Action Day as we tour the world with World Conservation Videos
Iran: President Ahamdinejad's trip to Lebanon
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has just concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon. It was his first official since 2005 when he first took office. He held talks with Lebanese officials and visited strongholds of Iran's ally Hezbollah. He received a hero's welcome. Several Iranian bloggers reacted to this trip.
Brazil: social networking world champions
Comunica Geral [pt] reports that a Unisys-led study has shown Brazilians beat the rest of the world in social networking. 19% of Brazilians said they access social networking websites at least once a day for work-related reasons, compared to 3% of Americans, 7% of Europeans and 5% of respondents from...
Brazil: mobile data packages most expensive among developing nations, says study
The 2010 Information Economy Report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has revealed Brazil has one of the most expensive mobile data packages [pt] among developing countries, at around US $120 for 2.1 megabytes of data per month, according to Rede Brasil Atual [pt]. The report also found that digital technology and...
Brazil: media silent on handouts from state education departments
Conceição Lemes at Vi O Mundo [pt] has posted a lengthy interview with web researcher NaMaria News [pt], in which it has been claimed that some of Brazil's major media groups have received substantial funding from São Paulo state's Education Department and the country's Education Development Foundation.
Bermuda: Hit the Road
“The real problem is us: we drive like idiots”: As the government tries to find ways to “slow down traffic” in the face of rising road deaths, Vexed Bermoothes thinks that “there is much that can be done”, but warns that “‘technical measures’ alone will not solve the problem.”
Greece: Teargas under the Acropolis
The financial crisis gripping Greece has led to new clashes between protesting workers and police, most recently at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens on October 13 when riot police teargassed contract employees of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, who were protesting against unpaid wages and demanding permanent contracts.
Jamaica: Mother & Child
“I wondered what kind of frustration would cause an upset mother to unleash such unbridled anger on her child … and if the child did not cry because he had become accustomed to it”: Ruthibelle witnesses a phenomenon that is becoming all too prevalent in the Caribbean.
Jamaica: Blogging for Action
Adding her voice to the Blog Action Day initiative, Labrish Jamaica says: “The global water cycle is speeding up and countries in the tropics are taking the brunt [of] it.”
Bermuda: Stats!
Bermuda is celebrating National Statistics Day today, but Vexed Bermoothes may spoil the party: “I see little to celebrate in the ‘achievement’ of managing to cover less than half the population in the national census.”
Jamaica: Bail for Buju
As news breaks that Buju Banton has been granted bail, Girl With a Purpose says: “The conditions of his bail are so onerous, that I'm wondering if he shouldn't just save himself the expense and remain in prison until December”; The Wickedest Time, on the other hand, sees the development...
China: Tibetan Writer Shogdung Released on Bail
Woeser reports on her blog that Tibetan writer Tagyal (pen name: Shogdung) has been released from detention on “bail pending trial”. The news comes from the family appointed lawyer Li Fangping. The short blogpost has been translated into English by High Peaks Pure Earth.
Iran: Daily Photos of Art and Persian History
Iranian citizen media does not only talk about politics and protest, but also life, art and history. Vahid Rahmanian is a creative photo blogger who publishes photos of art and historic places in Iran.
