September, 2010
Stories from September, 2010
16 September 2010
Chile: Bloggers and Social Network Users Question Bicentennial Celebrations
On September 18 Chile commemorates 200 years of its Independence from Spain with a Bicentennial celebration. But the date has generated reactions from bloggers and Twitter users who are relating the celebrations to a prolonged hunger strike by the Mapuche indigenous group and other current issues of concern for the Chilean people.
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Caribbean: Farewell, Arrow
Caribbean bloggers are mourning the loss of one of the region's soca music pioneers - Alphonsus Cassell, better known as “Arrow” - whose mega-hit, Hot, Hot, Hot is largely credited with taking soca to a global audience. News reports confirm that the singer had been ailing from cancer for some time; bloggers' tributes have been both touching and personal...
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Palestine: Sending A Message With Social Media
Arjan El Fassed made headlines last year for having a street in a Palestinian refugee camp named after his Twitter account, and has been involved with an online initiative in which people can request messages to be spray-painted on the West Bank wall. In this interview with Global Voices he talks about the potential of social media to help the Palestinian cause.
Togo: The Most Hilarious Sports Joke of the Year
Togo's football federation says the “national team” that played an exhibition match against Bahrain on September 7, 2010 was fake. Togo's sports minister says that the team was made up of “unidentified players and their shadowy handlers” who belonged to a “mafia group.” FIFA is investigating the allegations. One blogger has described the story as one of the weirdest stories of the year and another one says it is “one of the most hilarious sports practical jokes of all time.”
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Hungary: Another Silence Decree Blows a Gasket
Marietta Le reports on how Budapest residents are resisting the newest 'silence decree' that requires bars, restaurants and 24-hour shops in one of the city's districts to close early.
I think the reason it stuck with me is that I was fired from my first real job--teaching at a...