Stories about Ideas from July, 2014
Indian Scientists Are Preventing Wild Elephant Attacks With Text Messages and TV
A small team tracks elephants during the day and gives the information to TV channels. Text messages are sent to those who are within a two-kilometre radius of elephant movement.
Honduras Generates Employment with Community Activities
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandes launched the program “Desarrollemos Honduras” (Let's Develop Honduras) alongside civil servants and community members. Hernandes explained that if a house has a damaged or a dirt floor, it should be replaced with a cement floor; or prioritize according to the family needs, and: Cambiar los...
Reasons to Take a Trip Once in a While
On her blog Historias de una mujer lobo (Stories of a female werewolf), Natalia Cartolini reflects on the reasons why a trip can be beneficial as, in her opinion, “the fact of visiting new places or meeting new people from another perspective is important at any moment. It doesn't matter...
Why Some Caribbean Authors Are Accusing a Trinidad-Born Novelist of Being a ‘Latter Day Columbus’
After a U.K.-based writer wrote a blog post exploring modern Caribbean writers, some authors accused her of ignorance about the region's literary history.
5 Modern African Thinkers on Identity, Language and Regionalism
Albeit a bit of a mystery worldwide, African philosophy is strong discipline that has evolved tremendously through history.
The Hypocrisy of Outrage Against LGBT Rights in Jamaica
An off-colour comment by a Jamaican sports commentator who “dampened the moment of post World Cup celebrations with his shouts of ‘Heil Hitler’ on national television” leads author and blogger Kei Miller to pen a letter to the editor illustrating why his countrymen are living a double standard – outraged...
Spanish Football Club Presents Peculiar T-Shirt
Spanish football club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa, presented its new T-shirt on July 22, 2014, with a peculiar design that simulates a tuxedo, with shoulder braids, and even a bow tie just below the neck. Twitter users were quick to express their opinion, not always favorable: No sé cuál es peor: Las...
The Purple House, a Collective in Colombia's Medellín ‘To Create, Enjoy and Find Ourselves’
Morada, or Casa Morada, is an initiative born in a complex neighborhood of the Colombian city of Medellín. Learn about its various projects that combine art, education and participation.
Simply, Thank You!
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is over and Argentina didn't win this time. A week after the final match, there are still lots of reflections and comments about the performance of the Argentinian national team. This time, we find a hearfelt comment by Manuel de León, where he expresses his...
Colombia: “What Do You Love About Medellin Downtown?”
On his Facebook page, Colombian journalist Juan Mosquera reflects on the problems of downtown Medellin: #AmamosElCentro El centro de Medellín tiene problemas, cada día más palpables y agudos, que no sólo obedecen a la siniestra presencia de los intereses de la delincuencia. Lo lees, lo escuchas, lo ves, casi lo...
Tour Guides Only Tell You One Version of a City's Story. This New App Lets Residents Tell You Theirs
Voicemap lets you listen to personal stories about the places you visit. You won't find these stories in the usual tourism guides.
Artists Explore the ‘Melting Point’ of Art and Propaganda in Skopje
A not-for-profit, self-financed group of artists calling themselves Kooperacija (“Cooperation”, Macedonian slang for a general store in small villages) hosted an exhibition titled “Melting Point: Art as Anti-Hegemonic Propaganda” [en, mk, with photos] in Skopje recently. As reported [mk] by several news outlets that cover culture [mk], including Belgrade-based SEE...
App Created by Global Voices Contributor Selected to be Developed Online
Lawyer, blogger, digital activist, dreamer and Global Voices Paraguayan Global Voices contributor Gabriela Galilea, was selected by Techpeaks program from European organization Trento Rise, a startup promoter, to develope her online game platform Mr. Patch: [un] videojuego para tabletas, smartphones, televisores inteligentes y web (PC), que ejercita los músculos de...
The Maya Nut, a Nature Giant
In the Guatemalan department of Petén, a group of local women market natural products prepared with Maya nut, well known as natural medicine. The president of the producer association, Benedicta Galicia Ramírez, notes they “pick up the seed and then dry it, toast and grind it to make fluor”, and...
What We Take With Us
From Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, Madame Gumbeaux tells she will return to live in the United States in a few weeks, and lists what she will miss… and other things she won't: I will miss…. 1. the guy on the motorbike who rides through the ‘hood twice a day,...
Reflections From a Chronic Pedestrian
From Bogotá, the author of blog Juglar del Zipa remembers his childhood without a family car, among other things he hadn't at home that made him the “weird guy of the class: elder dad, wasn't a football fan but enjoyed classic music, hadn't been baptized… and didn't have a car!”...
Chile: Controversial Draft Law Anti Memes Lasted Less Than 24 Hours
A very short life had the controversial anti-meme draft law, announced on Thursday July 10 by Chilean congressman of Christian Democratic Party, Jorge Sabag, as informed on Chilean media. The goal of the prohect was to preserve “authorities’ dignity” on social networks. The project imposed fines for individuals who used...
“I Increasingly See More People Looking Like Zombies”
Its aim is to make you think a little, or at least, get a smile. This is the description of the blog Se hace camino al andar (You make the road as you go) managed by Andres Mayorquin who from Merida, México, explain us why some people look today so...
The Pleasure of Friendship
Karla comments on Mujeres Construyendo (Women Building) about her weekend meeting with some girlfriends, and her reflections on changing decades and friendship: He reído con muchas ganas y creo que eso es lo que me ha llenado de vitalidad, de jovialidad y de ganas de continuar tomando todo de forma...
Packaging and Ecosystem
Are you someone who cares about the packaging of the products you buy and use? Biologist Rut Abrain Sánchez does, and on her blog Esturirafi she shows six examples of ecological packaging of some products in Asia, Europe and North America. To understand the scope of this issue, Abrain quotes...
This Project Is Helping France Unlearn Its Stereotypes About Romania
Newsroum is a school project from La Sorbonne journalism school in France that is dedicated to fighting clichés about Romania.