Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2007 May 20

20 May 2007

Daily archive · 5 posts

Stories from 20 May 2007

Which father is my real father?: Japan's 300-day rule

In early May, the Japanese government announced that it will take a special measure to recognise children born within 300 days of their mother's divorce, given that the mothers became...

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Russia: “Discrimination”

Written by Veronica Khokhlova · Eastern & Central Europe

It sometimes takes more than money and time to have your computer fixed in Moscow: good looks, lots of patience and a special sense of humor may prove helpful as well. LJ user kmaka reports on a recent conversation with a technical support service representative.

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Kuwait: Food, Protocol and Dust Storms

Written by Abdullatif AlOmar · Middle East & North Africa

What is the difference between Chicken Majboos and Chicken Biryani? How do you react when you are suddenly face to face with the Amir (Ruler) of Kuwait? And how do you survive a dust storm? These are just some of the issues Kuwaiti bloggers are discussing this week and which Abdullatif Alomar keeps us updated with.

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Hong Kong: From Indecent Student Magazine to Indecent Bible

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

The campaign against the Bible was started by an anonymous website, truthbible, on 15 of May to protest against the Obscene Articles Tribunal's (OAT) internim ruling that two issues of...

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Korea: 518, Gwangju Massacre

Written by Hyejin Kim · East Asia

It was 518. A number Koreans don’t forget. Blogs were filled with ‘518’ for several days in order to commemorate the Gwangju Massacre (Gwangju Democratizaion Movement) on the 18th of...

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Updates from 20 May 2007

Japan

Japan Observer has posted a long and very thoughtful entry outlining the history and politics of the constitutional revision debate in Japan. On the future of the debate, JO writes: “[W]ith the collapse of organized opposition to revision within the political system, the only potential source of opposition is from the Japanese people themselves […] the push for revision is an opportunity for the Japanese people to raise their voices and claim the process for themselves.”

• Chris Salzberg

Madagascar

From AfriGadget: “A small company in Madagascar is working to get electricity to rural areas of the island. This video shows them taking the solar panels around in a van to show people how it works and educate the children on solar power. It’s an interesting video, especially near the end where Bill hooks up his computer to the internet through a satellite connection at night - all powered by the solar panel’s stored energy.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Zimbabwe

Is Zimbabwe still moving forward?, asks David Kobia: “Africa is truly a continent of insoluble contradictions. Zimbabwe's largest mobile operator, Econet has introduced 3G (Third Generation) cellular service to the capital - Harare. So far there are only 2 other countries offering the service on the continent, South Africa and Mauritius.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Kenya

Kenyan Pundit announces free wi-fi in Nairobi, Kenya: “Apparently KDN is offering free wi-fi in Nairobi (think it’s a promotion for their Butterfly product). It’s supposed to last through the end of the month. If you have a wi-fi enabled laptop, PDA etc. just search for the essid butterfly and connect. They are supposed to have around 100 access points in Nairobi.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Botswana

The face of brain-drain: “I found this document the other day at the Air Botswana check-in counter at the recently renamed O.R. Tambo International Airport, Jo'burg. It reads: “NOTICE TO AIR BOTSWANA PASSENGERS & STAKEHOLDERS
Air Botswana apologises sincerely to passengers who are affected by the current disruption to its services. This temporary situation is caused by factors relating to flight crew. In common with many airlines in Africa and elsewhere, Air Botswana has experienced a loss of pilots, whose skills have been recruited by carriers in the Middle East and Asia where the civil aviation industry is growing rapidly. This has resulted in a diminished capacity to maintain a full timetable for services, necessitating a rescheduling of some flights.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

United Arab Emirates

“Dubai rockers Asking Alexandria dropped into the studio and we filmed their live performance. They're about to start a 9 month tour of the UK and they've been asked to play 4 songs on MTV Europe's segment on Dubai. Not bad for a bunch of students from the UAE, one of whom attended The American University of Sharjah!” write UAE Students, who link to a video of the performance here.

• Amira Al Hussaini

Zimbabwe

This is Zimbabwe remembers Murambatsvina: “In the dead of winter, just like Stalin, one his heroes, Bob set the armed forces on defenceless families and brought in the bulldozers to throw them into the street. Within a matter of weeks, 700 000 people were living in the open, exposed to the harsh winter by night and loss of dignity and property by day. It was a hopeless situation as working men and women were tormented by the choice between going to work and leaving their property and helpless children in the open, or not going to work and getting fired. The expression between a rock and a hard place has never been so real.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Japan

dr.stonefly reprints an email sent by an activist in Henoko, urging the readers to take direct action in the protest against the marine survey. The email describes a fierce collision between the authorities and the peaceful demonstrators on boats and canoes. [Ja]

• Hanako Tokita

D.R. of Congo

Kakaluigi describes an apprehensive mood (Fr) in Bukavu, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bukavu was caught in the middle of fighting between Tutsi government forces and the Hutu that fled there after the Rwandan genocide, and later between Congolese government and rebel forces. Kakaluigi wonders whose interests President Joseph Kabila really has at heart: those of Bukavu's people at heart or the Rwandan government. “During the day he is with us and at night he is with Kigali.”

• Jennifer Brea

Reunion

Rachiri Mayotte writes about racism in Reunion (Fr) as politics on the island move toward the right.

• Jennifer Brea

Russia: The RuNet's Top 10 Political Slang Words

In my opinion, the only slang from this list which is falling out of vogue is the nickname of Medvedev...
I'm from Russia, use internet daily, and I didn't know half of these words. The other slang words are not...