April 9, 2009

Featured TwitPic: Waterfalls in Mauritius


"Waterfalls in South side of the Island (Mauritius)" (Posted by @rosie_tweeting)

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Irish spirits down after new budget

Per the Irish Independent, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, spoke in defense of the newest budget announced by his government this week. Cowen maintains that though families will suffer now, the Irish economy can revive from its current recession and return to a growth by 2011.

Also reported by the Irish Independent, listener tempers raged on Irish Radio RTE against the Irish finance minister who has now increased taxes and introduced new levies twice since October 2008. The measures most despised have continuously incited public outcries that the government is attacking low and middle income earners to climb out of recession.

Tweeting Dubliners are feeling the budget burn:

  1. Alan Broderick
    broddo (Dublin, Ireland) So tired this morning that I didn't bother cycling-now I feel really lazy. It's the budget's fault!
  2. Niamh Shaw
    niamhiepoos (Dublin, Ireland) Picked up a bug of some sort- maybe it's a post-budget bug, my body rejecting the new daft cost-saving initiatives by our hallowed Govt


Tweets also bring critics, economists, and comedians all together in the name of government spending:

  1. David McWilliams
    davidmcw (Dublin, Ireland) re budget. is anyone in government on the side of the taxpayer?
  2. Robbie Cousins
    Robbiecousins (Dublin, Ireland) Is it ironic so many are making a living out of commenting on how much money we lose thru the budget
  3. Michael O'Brien
    cryos2k9 (Dublin, Ireland) @eddieizzard Wet, Raining and Bad news in the budget! Welcome to Ireland :)


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Crowd of 10,000 creates mess at U.S. job fair

Per The Nashua Telegraph, state officials are apologizing for shutting down a job fair prematurely after 10,000 people showed up at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H., more than double the crowd that had been expected.

Twitterers in the area voiced their frustrations about the event:

  1. Charles Frost
    cfrost23 (Durham, N.H.) Job fair was closed because too many people showed up. Good planning. I guess I will search elsewhere for a job.
  2. Rob Keplin
    rkeplin (Nashua, N.H.) The job fair in Manchester was a failure (for the jobless at least). Over 10,000 people showed up; so it closed at 11am, instead of 3pm
  3. Amanda Morrill
    Amanda_Morrill (Manchester, N.H.) Job Fair at SNHU is a complete zoo! I didn't think I was going to get in... let's just say I had to be "creative".
  4. New England Job Show
    NEJobShow (Chelmsford, Mass.) TRIED to go to the job fair in Manchester! Talked to our exec. producer and over 5k people showed up & satellite parking was overloaded!
  5. Laura Fulton
    butterflyangels (Nashua, N.H.) My brother got interviewed by the local news network after being denied entry to the state-wide job fair. He was pissy.
  6. Regi Sasso
    regisasso (Boston, Mass.) (Sad) sign of times: NH job fair today,140 employers, 1,500 openings, 10,000 job-seekers: http://tinyurl.com/ckzqa3


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Bangkok rallies bring city to standstill

Per BBC News, thousands of anti-government protesters lined the streets of Bangkok's business district on Thursday, with taxi drivers and supporters with red shirts leading the movement by blocking street access.

The mass protests have forced Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to declare a public holiday to deal with the situation, according to BBC.

Twitterers in Bangkok provided context on the rallies, tweeting about their impact and emotional toll:

  1. Rikker Dockum
    thai101 @jtindall I can't see the taxis, but there's no traffic and red shirts are gathering en masse. Rally cries are beginning, crowds cheering.
  2. thaicoup
    thaicoup Apt location for protest. Roundabout is a great metaphor for Thai politics. Keep going round and round. No exit. http://tinyurl.com/bxx7nr
  3. Jan
    baramunchies i don't see thai tv interview participants of rally to find out what is their true motivation. did i miss that part or does noone care?
  4. wisekwai
    wise_kwai Editorial staff has Abhisit on every TV; production room is still tuned in to red-shirt rally. #redshirt
  5. pongsathorn
    pongsathorn Feel so sorry for those patients who are effected emotionally from the protest.
  6. Lynn K
    bkksoul Thanks to #redshirt, tomorrow's a national holiday...except for me, of course. *shaking fist at dental gods*
  7. Piriya Sambandaraksa
    piriya #redshirt Police say, they can not arrest taxis blocking the road because they still don't have enoght evidence.
  8. Newley Purnell
    newley Images on a Thai web board of #redshirt demonstrations here in Bangkok today: http://is.gd/rDgG (Via @sugree @luke_bkk) #thailand


@chalet16 of Bangkok posted this TwitPic of the protest:


"#redshirt at victory monument, update"

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Rape victim loses suit against transit employees

Per MSNBC, a former New York City graduate student has lost her case against the city's MTA system, in which she claimed that transit workers didn't do enough to help while they witnessed her being raped in June 2005.

The woman was riding the G train to Queens when someone on the train grabbed her feet. She got off at the next stop, but was caught from behind and raped twice before fleeing, per the article. Two MTA employees witnessed the scene and notified their superiors, but did not attempt to take any other action. This week, a judge ruled that they had no obligation to take further action, MSNBC reports.

Twitter users reacted to the story with shock and outrage.

  1. Ms. Fatimah
    divademoda (Brooklyn, N.Y.) im shook from this mta rape story... never ride the G train at 2:30am
  2. parlance
    parlance1 (Los Angeles, Calif.) Enraged, disturbed and saddened by this story: Court: MTA Employees Not Required to Stop Rape: http://tr.im/idNh
  3. Jani Hayes
    joeyviola (N.J.) "Judge tosses suit accusing MTA workers accused of ignoring rape victim's plea for help". What kind of world are we living in?
  4. Amanda ReCupido
    TheUndomestic (New York, N.Y.) Things that make me sick: G Train Platform Rape Victim Loses MTA Negligence Suit (via @Gothamist) http://ow.ly/1Rdo


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Indonesia votes in key election

Per EuroNews, more than 170 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots on Thursday in the first of two general elections, choosing between thousands of local and national candidates.

Indonesia will hold a second election, its presidential vote, on July 8, according to the article. Southeast Asia's largest democracy, the nation seeks to "stimulate growth, attract investment and create jobs," EuroNews reports.

Twitterers in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta have been providing updates on the election for the last several hours, using hashtags like #election and #politikana:

  1. djeedjes
    djeedjes @joycevh are u going for election?Starbucks is giving free coffee for people who had the election by showing their ink marked fingers here!
  2. Stephen_NFS
    sTeP_eNd has take a part on government election today.. This is my 1st.. :-D
  3. Budi Putra
    budip Following Indonesia Election report through Twitter (thanks #politikana!). Can't vote, since my name is not registered.
  4. Shintya Kurniawan
    TyaOwen just had my 3rd election and I did well :) I feel like I choose the right one this time *fingers crossed*
  5. Arief Rakhmadani
    ariefr just registered to vote. The crowd is bigger than last election's. Either my RT is growing or more ppl realize the importance of election
  6. Alfa Aphrodita
    chibialfa No, I am not voting. Didn't get the invitation, too lazy to drag my ass to TPS, but twitter makes me feel as if I was there. #election
  7. Mandy Marahimin
    somemandy This year's election is weird. There's a tps right in front of my house, but none of the people in my house can vote there. #pemuli09


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