Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2009 November 13

13 November 2009

Daily archive · 7 posts

Stories from 13 November 2009

Cambodia: Journalist charged with defamation

Ros Sokhet, a journalist well known in Cambodia for his contribution to the English language media, was arrested on October 30th and charged with defamation. The arrest generated a debate on alleged corruption in the media industry

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Egypt: Celebrities sans Diplomacy

Written by Marwa Rakha · Middle East & North Africa, North America

Bikya Masr reported two stories a couple of days apart about celebrity blunders and lack of tact. Beyonce was targeted in the first and Salma Hayek spoke out in the second. Marwa Rahka has the story.

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Morocco: Aicha Ech Chenna Wins Opus Prize

Written by Jillian C. York · Middle East & North Africa

In Morocco, women who get pregnant out of wedlock are often shunned from their communities. Activist and social worker Aicha Ech Chenna has been working for almost 25 years to help such mothers and their children. Now, her efforts are being rewarded.

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Qatar: No one is above the law - really?

Written by Shabina Khatri · Middle East & North Africa

Doha bloggers bemused, incredulous and wistful by official remarks that no one in Qatar is above the law. A debate over the merits of that statement quickly evolves into a discussion on press freedom, as more clamor for a new law press law, free from any imprisonment penalties against journalists.

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Egypt: One day before playing Algeria

Written by Marwa Rakha · Middle East & North Africa

Tension is building up over the decisive football match between Egypt and Algeria due to take place in Cairo on November 14. The encounter will determine which of the two teams will qualify to next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Some Egyptian bloggers enjoy a game with a twist.

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Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version

Written by Scilla Alecci · East Asia

After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing,...

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Hungary: Flu Vaccination as “the Great Hungarian Experiment”

Written by Marietta Le · Eastern & Central Europe

The vaccination campaign of the Hungarian National Public Health and Medical Officer Service has inspired a public debate among the institution itself, doctors, politicians and ordinary people who are just not sure whether the Hungarian-made swine flu vaccine is good or not.

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Updates from 13 November 2009

Trinidad & Tobago

From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life clears the air on “the not-so-new property tax that has angered homeowners into an angry fireball. Citizens, despite cursing and more cursing, were about to resign themselves to paying the much higher property tax when, out of nowhere, a flagpole appeared.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad & Tobago

“One thing that seems to me to distinguish good governance from bad is an understanding that cities and countries are built on communities, not on buildings”: Club Soda and Salt comments on Trinidad and Tobago's “latest white elephant”.

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Liberia

Too Late for Flowers is a short story by Liberian writer Saah Millimono: “Theresa was in her seventies, lean, gray-headed, with a wrinkled face and almost toothless mouth when I moved into her house as a tenant. She had suffered a stroke that left her right leg crippled and her left arm useless.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Liberia

Ruthie writes about photography workshop in Monrovia, Liberia, which trained Liberian journalists on editing, picture taking skills, and street photography.

• Ndesanjo Macha

Liberia

From bullets and guns to notebooks and pens in Liberia: “Waking up in the morning…with my uniforms…on my way to school, sitting in the classroom taking notes – is something that I really like doing every day.” These are of words of Matthew Jacobs, a former child soldier who fought the Liberian Civil War at the age of eight in 2003.

• Ndesanjo Macha

Nigeria

Theresa lists PayPal alternatives for African entrepreneurs: “Although PayPal is ubiquitous in the States and Europe, there are many alternatives available online, most with far more relaxed policies about where and how money can be sent.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Liberia

Ceasefire Liberia reports: “Police sources in Monrovia say it has made some arrests in the murder of the late Keith Jubah. Immediately after the incidence police arrested Abel Bondo and James Linka. Keith was Liberia's Public Procurement Chairman.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

South Africa

Mike writes about The Bookmark Awards in South Africa: “From the high quality of the judging panel, to the evening’s entertainment (1st Project and the Dirty Skirts) to the really funky awards themselves, it really was a world class event.”

• Ndesanjo Macha

Japan

Hideki Sakamoto (坂本英樹)comments on the topic of the week: the bizarre results of the predictive search function of some Japanese search engines.
“If you enter the word otto (夫,　husband) in the Google search bar, and then press space, a few phrases are shown. But at the head of the list is the keyword 夫死んでほしい (I want my husband dead), with 674,000 hits […].”
Though, the most searched one is 夫嫌い (otto kirai, I hate my husband), with 2,190,000 hits.
Besides, according to blogger Sakamoto, the first two keywords to be `suggested` after otto in the Yahoo Japan search bar are 浮気　(uwaki, infidelity) and 小遣い平均 (kozukai heikin, average pocket money).