The first week of every month, contributor Amy Phillips will recap what made waves in blogging for the previous month.
September is when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere finally got a break from the heat. But the political situation around the world remained red hot.
Once of the most unexpected stories that came out this month was the announcement that women in Saudi Arabia would be allowed to vote. Saudi women are one of the most repressed populations in the world. News that they may be allowed to take part in elections is a step forward in a kingdom that still does not allow women to drive.
Libya remained in the news. After months of fighting, the Gadhafi regime finally fell. What this means for the nation, the Middle East, and the world is something that will unfold in the coming days. For now, the rebels are enjoying their moment of victory after a hard-fought campaign. For many of those in the country, they desire a return to normalcy. They are hoping the end of fighting will hasten that reality.
Of course, the ‘Arab Spring’ continues in Yemen and Syria as well, thought those fights look to be having less success than others.
In Russia, a plane crash that claimed the lives of an entire hockey team sent the nation into shock and mourning.
In Mexico, social media has clashed with the drug violence that has already claimed so many lives. A woman in Mexico was decapitated due to her online comments on the continuing drug wars. For continuing updates on the violence that permeates the Mexico border try the excellent blog, Borderland Beat.
In the US, an air show crash claimed a dozen lives. As with every recent tragedy, the events were caught up close with cell phones and recording devices. The cause remains under investigation. The planes were involved in an air race at the time of the crash, and that practice has come under scrutiny.
In New York a protest movement, called Occupy Wall Street, began to sit in and protest around Wall Street. A blog with updates is a great source of information. However, coverage has been light on the protests and protesters. NPR has taken some heat for not covering the protests in full. Perhaps, the starkest image is the video of Wall Street bankers drinking champagne while the protests raged.
A satellite fell out of orbit and crashed to earth. NASA spent weeks trying to assure people it would not fall on a crowded area, but, in fact, couldn’t pinpoint exactly where the satellite went down. The estimate of how much space junk there is orbiting the earth is staggering.
The biggest news story by far was the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Bloggers everywhere wrote posts talking about where they were on that day. The Google blog had a great post. Some of my favorite posts are here, here, and because I believe that everything should be balanced with laughter, this post celebrating all the horrible gifs created in honor of 9/11 is one I will read again and again. Assuming my eyes don’t start bleeding.
Viral videos this month ranged from the silly to the entertainment heavy videos. First up, is the grandparents setting up their webcam. Chuck Testa has inspired a whole internet meme. A beer ad with some interesting movie patrons was advertising at its best. LMFAO has a new video out, and it has already garnered fifteen million views. A rap battle between Mr. T and Mr. Rogers is worth a watch. IN celebration of the repeal of the archaic ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ I want to include one of the hardest videos to watch, but also the most poignant was the moment a soldier tells his dad that he is gay.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVAgz6iyK6A&w=420&h=315]
Have a wonderful October, everyone.
Keep blogging!
