AUSTRALIA: Time to “Break Bad” in Australia
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – An Australian film corporation revealed that it will finance the production of more sophisticated TV drama for the enjoyment of audiences worldwide last week. In an attempt to satisfy viewers’ increasing demands for “high-end” television shows that are “taking creative risks and developing complex narratives,” SCREEN…
Full Article AUSTRALIA: Time to “Break Bad” in AustraliaBANGLADESH: Spotlight Shifts to Tanneries
KIARA BRAMASCO WRITES – The Bangladeshi garment industry is no stranger to inspection in recent months, but the spotlight is now shifting from cloth to hide. The industry has been under a microscope ever since 1,129 people died earlier this year in the collapse of Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial…
Full Article BANGLADESH: Spotlight Shifts to TanneriesCHINA: When Media Asks For Answers, China Doesn’t Miss a Beat
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – It takes a strong country to admit its past faults, which is something Japan is still working towards. 2013 commemorates the 68th anniversary of the Chinese people’s triumph over the Japanese in the War of Resistance and the World Anti-Fascist War. For those unfamiliar with the War of…
Full Article CHINA: When Media Asks For Answers, China Doesn’t Miss a BeatMALAYSIA: Say Goodbye to Human Rights
MARLENA NIP WRITES – Malaysian citizens are watching human rights disappear right before their eyes. Prime Minister Najib Razak and his fellow lawmakers passed new crime-prevention legislation in response to recent organized crime outbreaks. These amendments did not pass without heated debate. In recent months, there have been a number of robberies and high-profile, public…
Full Article MALAYSIA: Say Goodbye to Human RightsSINGAPORE: New Book on Asia and America
Well-known Asia books publisher Marshall Cavendish International Asia announces the official issue, effective November 3, of a new book by American journalist, columnist and LMU professor Tom Plate, The title is “In the Middle of the Future – Tom Plate on Asia,” and the 400-plus-page volume is soon to be…
Full Article SINGAPORE: New Book on Asia and America
JAPAN: The Fine Art of Pleasure
The British Museum in London has mounted an extraordinary exhibition of explicit and beautifully detailed paintings, prints and books going back to at least the 16th century. Called Shunga (the term of curators and art historians) this Japanese visual celebration of the erotic has inspired artists such as Picasso, Rodin…
Full Article JAPAN: The Fine Art of PleasureTHAILAND: Sexist Comment Against PM Further Marginalizes Women in Politics
ELIZABETH NAAI WRITES – You will find more honor and justice in a playground sandbox than you will in most governments. Former Prime Minister and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is accused of insinuating Prime Minister Yingluck is a “stupid bitch” after her visit to the reality show “Thailand’s Smart…
Full Article THAILAND: Sexist Comment Against PM Further Marginalizes Women in PoliticsPAKISTAN: First Gay Pakistani Site Blocked
AUSTIN SZABO WRITES – The front page of Pakistan’s only LGBT support website, Queer Pakistan, reads “Don’t Hate Us, Know Us!” The Pakistani government said no. In another attempt to impede social progress in Pakistan, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (the PTA) censored the website, saying “Surf Safely! This website is…
Full Article PAKISTAN: First Gay Pakistani Site BlockedLAOS: Crusade Against Christians, but Only a Concern in the US?
E.J. DE LARA WRITES – This past September, several villages in Laos have gained media attention from Catholic and Christian outlets for isolating and evicting Laotian Christians. Laos, known for being predominantly Buddhist, has avoided religious conflict until recently. Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom reported that several villages…
Full Article LAOS: Crusade Against Christians, but Only a Concern in the US?LEBANON: Apt Apps For Safety?
NICOLE SABA WRITES – What is the easiest way to stay safe? For Lebanese, the answer has just become clear: mobile app warnings. Lebanese people have been encompassed by instability for decades. Now, with war across the border in Syria, it has become even harder to envision what obstacles people…
Full Article LEBANON: Apt Apps For Safety?UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ADU ‘Likes’ Its Status As Leader in Social Media Usage
AMBER VERNETTI WRITES – Abu Dhabi University’s status was updated to “feeling social” last week after Facebook data revealed that the institution accounts for 80% of all social media involvement among other universities in the surrounding area. In respect to this extensive usage, the 2013 Arab Social Media Report recognized Arabic as social…
Full Article UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ADU ‘Likes’ Its Status As Leader in Social Media UsageTAIWAN: Plurk – or Tweet?!
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES — Taiwanese netizens are obsessed with social media and social media giants, Facebook and Twitter, do not fail to recognize this. This is in lieu to Facebook and Twitters announcements to further tap into the potential of Taiwanese markets. But why are these companies so eager to have…
Full Article TAIWAN: Plurk – or Tweet?!AFGHANISTAN: Social Media Summit Praises Positive Impact
VITTO BANEZ WRITES – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Vine are all social apps used to connect with friends, but Afghanistan says they’re more than that. The country aimed to promote these sites as democratizing tools through a recent summit. “Paiwand,” which translated to English means “connection,” was held on September…
Full Article AFGHANISTAN: Social Media Summit Praises Positive ImpactIRAN: President Rouhani’s Public ‘Charm Offensive’
ELODIE INTROIA WRITES – Whether or not the Movement succeeded, it looks like the climate is finally turning green in Iran. According to Thomas Erdbrink of The New York Times, the phone call between President Obama and Hassan Rouhani established the first official diplomatic relation between the US and Iran…
Full Article IRAN: President Rouhani’s Public ‘Charm Offensive’HONG KONG: Elephant Alibaba Roars at Hong Kong Exchange
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – A co-founder of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba took to the blogosphere September 26 to criticize Hong Kong regulators. His complaint? The region’s market regulations are too restricting for the biggest IPO since Facebook. At issue are complex rules about the corporate ownership structure of a firm…
Full Article HONG KONG: Elephant Alibaba Roars at Hong Kong ExchangeSINGAPORE: Un-Neighborly Brawl Goes Facebook Viral
STEPHANIE GARCIA WRITES – There are all types of neighbors, ones that lend a cup of sugar, ones whose names we never learn, and ones who play their music loudly. Of course, the worst of all are the ones who play their music loudly and then physically abuse their elderly…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Un-Neighborly Brawl Goes Facebook Viral