Pages

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Global In 140

So much has been happening here in the United States, it is easy to lose sight of some of the big stories unfolding around the globe. I’ve found that most of my political thoughts have turned into Tweets over on Twitter. Despite the goofy sounding name, Twitter has been extremely busy with folks voicing opinions, as well as sharing links to breaking news. They have also been holding the mainstream media’s feet to the fire over insufficient coverage or slanted coverage - from every possible angle!

Here are some of the topics which I’ve been following and what I have been Tweeting about recently - all in no more than 140 characters:

The Iranian Elections:

Iranian elections: 80%+ voter turnout - fraud is suspected & Mousavi may be under house arrest! (http://is.gd/112t1) The world is watching!

Hard to get current info on Iranian elections! (Try Huffington Post: http://is.gd/11rxT ) U.S. not accepting results! The world is watching!

Brief, fascinating article in NY Times on #CNNfail & the role Twitter has in Iranians communicating about elections: http://is.gd/11OA1


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Sunday Speech:

Is it just me or did Netanyahu's description of a disarmed Palestinian State sound like US 1800s policy putting Native Americans on the Rez?

Putting Netanyahu's speech in better perspective & a broader context: http://is.gd/12caB - from @NJDC


Zimbabwe:

President Obama & his administration have not overlooked Zimbabwe! Supports Tsvangirai; chides Mugabe: http://is.gd/12cRT


Of course, I intersperse these political Tweets with comments rooting on the Boston Red Sox or chatting with friends. You can find folks of every possible political stripe, business people marketing their wares, music fans, author groupies and even people who Tweet in haikus. Twitter continues to be a yeasty (yes, occasionally wild and even raunchy - thank heavens for the “block” feature!), fast paced and fascinating global town common.

2 comments:

bowler said...

i wonder if there is anyway to actually re-count the votes, or if Iran has a mechanism to allow for that

Pink Granite said...

Hi Bowler -
There has been talk of partial recounts as well as calls for a brand new election. It's difficult to see a peaceful and satisfying ultimate result coming out of this turmoil - but I'm still hoping...

Thanks for stopping by & leaving a comment.