Irish web users are criticizing their Prime Minister

IRISH WEB USERS TARGET BRIAN COWEN

In Ireland, Prime Minister Brian Cowen has unveiled a drastic austerity plan and announced the country will be seeking international aid to shore up its finances. This has enraged many citizens, and many are expressing their anger on the web.

This video blogger has composed a song denouncing the measures proposed by the government. In the track, he deeply criticizes Cowen and his handling of the country’s economy ever since he came to power in 2008.
 
This Irishman has written a poem expressing his resentment of the current prime Minister. He says that by accepting international aid, Cowen has renounced the country’s financial independence, and has made citizens slaves, condemned to work to reimburse the IMF.

And many have turned to Twitter to share their anger, saying that if the people of Ireland have to tighten their belts, then Cowen should give himself a pay cut. A great number of the micro blogging site’s users have stated that their prime Minister is the best paid politician in Europe with an annual salary of over 340 000 dollars.
 
But the failures of the Irish leader are a source of inspiration for online comedians and satirical videos are multiplying on the web. Here, Brian Cowen is compared to the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il to illustrate his solitude on the political scene. And in this clip, one web user has played around with an MC Hammer song to depict a country that chose to beg.
 
CAMBODIA MOURNS STAMPEDE VICTIMS
 
It was reportedly fear that sparked the stampede that claimed over 450 lives on Monday night in Phnom Penh. A preliminary investigation shows that panic was triggered after rumours spread amongst the crowd that the bridge was about to give way. Web users are in mourning and wondering who is responsible for this tragedy.

Several Cambodian web sites relayed appeals to take part in Thursday’s mourning ceremony. Web users have also been encouraged to make donations for the victims’ families.

And the country turned out en mass for this day of national mourning, and tributes continue to pour in. As we see here, the site Ki Media is also displaying letters of condolence from other countries, like Thailand and the US.

This blogger denounces the behavior of some people who are trying to profit from the collective gathering. He mentions the case of banana sellers who have pushed up their prices. Bananas are used to pray the dead go to heaven. 

Others are sharing their resentment. This Cambodian man is asking for the Prime Minister’s resignation. He thinks that even if the governments’ responsibility in the affair has not been established, the government’s inability to deal with the situation should be questioned. 
 
The site New Mandela has published a text that predicts the deadly stampede, demonstrating that it could have been avoided. Written two days before the tragedy, the author expresses safety concerns as he found it difficult to cross the bridge as there were too many people.
 
SAVE THE WORDS

Adopt a word! This is what Oxford Dictionaries is proposing. Objective : stop certain words becoming obsolete. By clicking on one of the words, web users will find out what it means. They can then sign up to receive an adoption certificate. Their role is to look after the word, use it as often as possible to get it back into circulation.
 
FACES OF SYDNEY

The city of Sydney in Australia is running an original project: find out what the average man and woman in Sydney look like. To do this, photos of thousands of residents have been blended together. The eldest was 93 years old and the youngest just two weeks. The city’s web site is showing a sample of the faces used as well as the “making of” this original project.
 
VIDEO OF THE DAY

From Madonna to Lady Gaga and also Mozart, this young man gives an outstanding performance on pipes.  He has made his own instrument from them. It appears to be a hit with both the public and web users…