Stories about Health from February, 2012
Cuba: Worry about Hunger Striker
Uncommon Sense hopes that political prisoner Ernesto Borges’ fate will not go the way of so many other hunger strikers, saying: “He needs you to learn his story and to spread it so that his life can be saved.”
Thailand: Facebook Blamed for Teen Pregnancies
Netizens in Thailand react to the report of the National Economic and Social Development Board that popular social networking site Facebook is partly to blame for the unwanted teen pregnancies in the country. Thailand has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies in the world.
Taiwan: Say No to Ractopamine Tainted American Meat
Ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing feed additive, is banned in Taiwan and more than 150 other countries. However, under pressure from the US government, the newly elected Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is now considering lifting the ban.
Brazil: Visually Impaired Dancers Become Ballet Professionals
Pierre Larose, on his blog Discovering São Paulo, shares a video report on ‘a ballet school in São Paulo which has developed a method of “teaching by touch” in order to develop professional ballet dancers who are blind or visually impaired’. He adds that in 12 years approximately 300 dancers...
Italy: Historic ‘Guilty’ Verdict in the Eternit Asbestos Trial
It is a historic verdict: on February 13, 2012 in Turin, northern Italy, the two top senior executives of the multinational Eternit, a producer of asbestos, were sentenced to 16 years in prison after a criminal trial began in 2009. Here are the reactions of the associations and the families of asbestos victims in Italy and Europe.
Cuba: Prisoners’ Rights
Uncommon Sense republishes a statement by Amnesty International about “former prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia [whose] whereabouts are unknown following his alleged arrest in central Havana, Cuba, on 21 February”; Pedazos de la Isla, meanwhile, reports that “the political prisoner on hunger strike, Ernesto Borges, was taken from...
Brazil: LGBT AIDS Prevention Campaign Excluded From TV
Marcelo Gerald, from the blog Eleições Hoje, comments [pt] on the alleged censorship by the Brazilian Ministry of Health of a recently launched campaign on AIDS prevention, focused on the LGBT public. He posts some of the videos that were excluded from the TV a few days after the campaign...
Tunisia: Visit of an Egyptian Islamist Preacher Causes Uproar
Wajdi Ghonim, an Egyptian Islamist preacher has recently visited Tunisia, where he gave a series of religious lectures. His visit has been the centre of a heated debate on citizen media and angered many in Tunisia, because of his support for female genital mutilation.
Rwanda: Sharp Poverty Reduction
Edward Ojulu wrote on The Rwanda Focus blog: “…. over the last five years, more than one million more Rwandans gained access to adequate food, safe drinking water, good health and education services among others.”
Tunisia: Social Media Campaign to Legalize Marijuana Underway
Legalize It was an album by the Jamaican and pro-marijuana consumption, Peter Tosh, in 1976. Now Legalize It! is a social media campaign for the legalization of marijuana in Tunisia. Ahmed Medien sums up netizen reactions to consuming marijuana ahead of a protest planned in front of Parliament to call for its legalization on Saturday, February 18.
Slovakia, Hungary: Shrouded in Smog
Blogger Ulrika Lejnarová, highlighting air pollution data from the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute [sk], wonders [sk] why Slovakia, while often paying attention to the critical conditions in Hungary [en], is doing little to inform its own citizens of the domestic situation adequately, in order to avoid health complications.
Hungary: Another Environmental Catastrophe in the Making
In October 2010, a toxic spill from a red sludge reservoir in Kolontár caused the greatest environmental disaster in Hungary's recent history. Atlatszo.hu and Greenpeace are now drawing attention to another hazardous waste reservoir, in the town of Almásfüzitő, which is "leaking like a sponge" and is already causing grave environmental and health damage.
China: Online Protest Against the Bear Bile Business
Since early 2011, Gui Zhentang, China's largest bear bile medicine producer, has been trying to apply for stock market launch on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Last year, the application was turned down as a result of netizens' protests. Oiwan Lam updates the issue.
Jamaica: Journalist “Mutty” Perkins Dies
Girl With a Purpose mourns the death of controversial Jamaican journalist and radio talk show host, Wilmott ‘Mutty’ Perkins, who passed away this morning, saying: “We hope, ‘Mutty’, that Jamaicans will truly be free to understand that Jamaica is for Jamaicans and those who love her and not for those...
Russia: New .Ru Domain Registration Rules Allow Easy Domain Seizure
Andrey Rylkov Foundation writes about the first case of enforcement of the domain seizure rules in the “.ru” and “.рф” domain zones. The rules [ru] (Article 5, point 5.5) , updated on November 11, 2011 allow any law enforcement agency (like police, Federal Security Service, Prosecutor's office or Federal Drug Control Services (FDCS)) to request...
Pakistan: Deadly Pills
Talha Bin Ayub at Teeth Maestro takes a look into the sordid state of health care delivery systems in Pakistan.
Guyana: Send in the Clowns
“Every morning then, without fail, the clown put on she joie de vivre and tumble out”: Guyana-Gyal tries to keep a smile on her face despite her mother's diagnosis.
Cuba: U.S. Citizen Held During Trip “Home”
Capitol Hill Cubans reports on an incident in which a “Cuban-American and family man is wrongly accused and detained” while on a visit to Cuba.
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