January, 2009
Stories from January, 2009
30 January 2009
Kazakhstan: Livejournal Unblocked. And Blocked Again
On Junuary 28, the Kazakhstani Internet users were suddenly granted access to LiveJournal - the most popular blog platform in the post-Soviet Russian-speaking blogosphere. It was blocked by the national...
Ethiopia: What a Difference Water Makes
At the end of last year, five families decided that visiting Ethiopia with their daughters would be the best way for them to see what their donations to provide fresh, clean and safe water sources were doing to change the lives of families and complete villages. Through their blog and videos, they have been able to share the importance of charity:water in making this possible, and hopefully raise more donations and engage more people to help.
Japan: Blurry Lines Between Buzz and Truth - McDonald's Quarter Pounder Debut
Cultivating imported products into megahits is a big part of creating consumer trends in Japan, and food is no exception to the rule. Last year, it was the American donut shop, Krispy Kreme. The year before that, it was the American ice cream shop, Cold Stone Creamery. Both are Western foods that are familiar to the Japanese, with a unique twist. Both gained fame for long lines in front of their stores. And both were carefully cultivated hits.
29 January 2009
Madagascar: “Unmitigated Disaster”
After two days of upheaval that resulted in an estimated death toll at 80 nationally, and the looting of dozens of stores, a day of relative calm greeted a stunned nation.
China: Plateau in Peril
A newly launched interactive site ‘China Green' focuses on China's environmental and climate issues. The first project is about Tibetan Plateau, shows how the effects of global warming on the...
Guadeloupe: A new social movement
Guadeloupe has been in a state of social unrest for about a week now as record numbers of trade unions, cultural and political associations have united around a motto: "Lyannaj kont pwofitasyon", Creole for “Let's gather up to fight against all sorts of abuses.”
































I think the reason it stuck with me is that I was fired from my first real job--teaching at a...