Protests in Jordan

Protests in Jordan

«  be aware of my anger and my hunger » ; numerous demonstrators brandished this message on banners during rallies organized by Jordanians in the capital on the 14th of January. They were protesting against the soaring prices of basic food necessities and also fuel. This protest movement has been largely inspired by the events that have rocked Tunisia in recent weeks and there has been a lot of coverage on social networks.

Jordanian web users have made great use of the Twitter thread « AngryJordan » to mobilize fellow citizens and encourage them to take part in demonstrations across the country. On the micro blogging site, Moh’d Yousef tweets that this wave of protests follows the unrest in Tunisia and could spread to the rest of the Arab world.

And these calls to protest have clearly been heard, notably in Amman, where there have been particularly large demonstrations, as we see in these online videos. During these protests slogans against rising prices slowly transformed into more political demands against the Prime Minister Samir Rifai and his government.

Jim Wright followed these processions. This American man who lives in the capital says he understands the Jordanians anger as low incomes and lack of work mean many can no longer provide for themselves. He describes a profoundly unequal society where some civil servants earn ten times the average wage and are out of touch with the reality of their fellow citizens. He thinks this situation can only end in a social explosion.

And the protesting continued throughout the weekend, notably in front of the parliament building. It is possible to follow the development of events via the net and notably on the Twitter thread #Reform Jo.
 
Corruption scandal in Indonesia

« If I was Gayus Tambunan, I could go to Bali and all my wishes would be granted”. This chorus has become an immediate hit in Indonesia after the clip was broadcast on the Internet. Composed by former prisoner Bona Paputungan, this song was inspired by the corruption scandal that is currently sparking lively debate in the country.

At the center of the storm, Gayus Tambunan, a tax official imprisoned last March on corruption charges. But in November when he was supposed to be behind bars awaiting trial, he was spotted in Bali. A photographer saw him watching a tennis match wearing a wig and carrying a fake passport. And the man who is now known as Super Gayus even admitted to having left his prison cell dozens of times to travel around Asia.

These escapades were made possible because of help from highly placed officials and have been a great source of inspiration for local web users. Gayus at a football game, Gayus the rapper, and also Gayus the astronaut … His talent for disguise has even become the subject of an online photo editing competition. The character has become an icon and symbolizes Indonesia’s inability to beat corruption.

And whilst some prefer to laugh about it, others like blogger Shalimow, have wasted no time in pointing the finger at the malfunctioning justice system, and the writer Fatih Syuhud is calling for exemplary sanctions against Gayus Tambunan and his collaborators.

 Julian Assange coloring book

It is now possible to use Julian Assange’s picture as an online painting model. With the « Julian Assange coloring book », web users can colour in the Wikileaks’ founder and create original artwork using the different colours and types of brush available. A gallery has also been added to the site, so your colouring might well be put on display.

Online museum of the French resistance
The online museum of the French Resistance hopes to gather together all the data on the French resistance available on French territory. Objective: make documentation of this period in French history, and the men who took part, available to as many people as possible. The project is both educational and participative as web users can send in their own documents and add to the information stored in this virtual library.

 Video of the day

If you have a sweet tooth then this video should whet your appetite. A French baker has filmed himself making croissants, pain au chocolat and current buns. He demonstrates all the painstaking steps involved in pastry making and the images are likely to get web users’ mouths watering.