The first week of every month, contributor Amy Phillips will recap what made waves in blogging for the previous month.
October saw many of us entering fall and cooler temperatures, but blogs have been heating up. Stories on true crime in Italy, financial greed in the US, and the future of the European Union are common topics of conversation.
The first story of the month came very early with the news that Amanda Knox had been freed on murder charges in Italy. There are several ways to approach this news story. One is, of course, the tragic murder of a British woman. Above all, in the all the coverage, it should never be forgotten that there was a victim. But also, the story of Amanda herself- how she was treated, how she reacted, her guilt or innocence. And last, is the staggering incompetence of the prosecutors trying the case. Plus, here is a great article on how young women abroad are perceived.
In Libya, the rebellion came to an end with the death of Gaddafi. The revolution in Egypt only looks to be half over with the military taking over power. The recent crackdown on bloggers (this one was recently and put in prison) and allegations of torture are troubling signs for this country’s future. Syria continues its fight for freedom. This vlogger is chronicling the protests and violence.
In Europe, the ongoing debt crisis still finds Greece as its center. Here is a great post/ video about the issues. Of course, this is only a symptom of the larger debt crisis that is engulfing Europe. Here is handy chart on the debt crisis explained.
The United States is still dealing with the fallout of that particular crisis. As the Occupy Wall Street movement has shown, there is a lot of anger towards the financial institutions and their part in the global meltdown. It has been called Un-American, but has received a lot of solidarity from all facets of society. However, even taking the chance to exercise your first amendment rights can come at a high cost. The Occupy Movements have spread to other cities, such as Oakland where the police injured protestors. Some wonder what the movement is all about, a wonderful tumblr blog tells of the frustrations of what is being called “The 99%”. The Occupy movement has a website for more information.
This month also saw the death of Steve Jobs. The outpourings of grief, thanks, and remembrances. Reactions were everywhere on the web this month (here is an interesting graphic on the Facebook’s reaction). Whether you love or hate Apple, Mr. Jobs was a husband and father taken from his family too soon by cancer. Our hearts go out to them.
In other news, Bangkok is flooding, a Jewish soldier was freed in a prisoner swap in Israel, and the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series.
Now to my favorite part…viral videos. This video shows you shouldn’t always judge a person by how they look, something we all know, but it is nice to have a reminder.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIBKifOOQQ&w=560&h=315]
Presidential Contender Herman Cain’s video was strange to say the least. A video presentation on how we got to seven billion people is fun to watch. Nicki Minaj singing with a fan is sure to bring a smile to your face. Other videos include a mountain biker coming across an unusual hazard, and a trailer for a new video game.
Have a great November!
