Stories from Quick Reads from January, 2014
Films on Digital Security Turn a Shade of Noir
Tactical Technology Collective, an organization dedicated to the use of information in activism, has produced a series of short films that focus on digital security and privacy. The movies are in a film noir style and include three interviews with human rights defenders from different regions, talking about the digital...
A Visual and Musical Journey Through Myanmar
Like a visual postcard, the short video A handful of Myanmar by Berta upe Tilmantaitė invites its viewers to marvel at the wonders of the Southeast Asian country. Reid Willis‘ music replaces the natural sounds of the place, as rhythm and tempo adapt to the flow of the rivers and...
Photos Uzbek Authorities Do Not Want You To See
EurasiaNet.org presents “Twenty Photos Uzbekistan Does Not Want You to See“, a collection of black-and-white images by photojournalist Timur Karpov. The photos were removed [ru] from a group exhibition at Tashkent's House of Photography two hours before the beginning of the show on January 25, apparently because they were deemed to be “undermining” national pride....
“Disaster” for Supporters of Ukraine Protests in Uzbekistan
On January 29, police in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, detained eight individuals for picketing the Ukrainian embassy in support of Euromaidan protesters. Those arrested for holding an unsanctioned rally included a prominent photographer Umida Akhmedova, photojournalist Timur Karpov, and culture blogger Alex Ulko. Following the activists’ arrest, blogging platform NewEurasia.net asserted: What happens when you mix...
Teaching of “Religion and Morality” In Bangladesh Schools
Blogger Bhaskar comments in Mukto Mona Blog about the newly introduced subject ‘religion and morality’ in school curricula of Bangladesh: In Bangladesh, teaching of ‘religion and morality’ in secular schools, we are talking about, is an extension of Maktab, Madrasa [Muslim religious schools] and dictatorial position held by Ulema in...
Birds Avoiding Bhopal
Bhopal, the capital of the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh, lies in the North-South corridor of the migratory path of birds coming from Northern Asia, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Mongolia etc. Blogger Proloy Bagchi reports that several species of migratory birds which used to congregate in and around the Bhojtal (former...
Iran: Several Miners Arrested
Iran's Anarchist Workers’ Facebook page reports that several striking miners got arrested in Yazd province.Iran's students tweeted Security Forces Illegally Arrest Striking Workers http://t.co/M0f8faTlqw #Iran #IranElection — Iran دانشجویان ایران (@GreenQuran) January 31, 2014
Whistleblower Barrister Expelled for Denoucing Dictatorial Trends in Burundi
Isidore Rufyikiri, Barrister at the Bujumbura Court in Burundi has been expelled from the Bar Association for denouncing dictatorial practices by the regime in power [fr] : J'ai osé dénoncer ce que les autres n'osent pas dénoncer, à savoir la dérive vers l'instauration d'un régime dictatorial au Burundi et la...
China: A Glass of Swine
“300 Shots at Greatness” introduced one of most distinctive alcohol in China. The distilled rice spirit, Yubingshao, has the taste of fat aroma as it is aged with jars filled with pig fat. The blogger describes the taste: I took a sip, and noted what appeared to be a flat,...
Australian Journalist Peter Greste Caught in Egypt's Media Crackdown
Writing in Working Life, Andrew Casey highlights the risks to media freedom in Egypt as international journalists and other media workers face terrorism charges. Among them is Australian Peter Greste, an Al Jazeera journalist.
Everyday Ukrainian Life in 1942 Depicted Through Fifty Color Photos
As anti-government protests that started on November 21, 2013, burden Ukrainian life today, a vintage photo blog takes a look back on another harsh period of the country's history – through 52 amazing color photographs [photo] of everyday life in Ukraine in 1942. In 1942, like many other European countries,...
Château-Rouge: A Prominent African Food Market in Paris
In order to find ingredients for African cuisine in Paris, the go-to place is still the Château-Rouge area located in the 18th District, specifically in the Rue Dejean street market [fr] that operates every day except Monday. The African Expatriate explains why the market is such a draw for many...
According to Google Autocomplete ‘Colombia is Passion’ and ‘Mexico is Culture’
Colombian blogger Javier Moreno typed “[Name of country] is” on Google search to see auto-complete suggestions for each country in Latin America and Europe. He modeled his experiment after the English version of the Google search “Why [country] is.” From his search in Colombia he got results like “Ecuador is...
3 Out of The Top 10 Most Inspirational Bangladeshis are Tech-Centric
While commenting on the a list of 10 most inspirational Bangladeshis around the world published by the London-based organization ‘British-Bangladeshi Power and Inspiration’, blogger Aminul Islam Sajib points out that 3 of them had significant contribution in technology field.
‘Good Girls’ Don't Use Social Media Sites in Tajikistan
Sexist bullying and harassment of girls and women is widespread on social media sites in Tajikistan, according to Radio Ozodi [tj] (Tajik service of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). The problem has to do with a strongly-held stereotype that female social media users are sexually promiscuous. On Odnoklassniki, the most popular...
A Business Model Competition to Ignite Start Ups in Madagascar
Harinjaka, founder of the co-working space Habaka and Madagascar-based blogger, created the 2014 Antananarivo Start Up Cup [fr] whose objective is to select and support the best business ideas in Madagascar. He thinks that there is a bright future for entrepreneurship and innovation [fr] in Madagascar. Here is a poster for the event [fr] :...
Sports as a Vector of Peace in Burkina Faso
The National Department of Sports and Entertainment in Burkina Faso published a report on the role of sports as a vector of peace and development in Burkina Faso [PDF in fr]: Les programmes sportifs bien conçus renforcent les capacités humaines de base, créent des relations interpersonnelles et inculquent des valeurs...
Ecuador's Indigenous People: “We believe in development that respects Mother Earth”
“The Government is appropriating our spiritual values of the Amazon region, it’s seeking to deconceptualize our cultural concepts”, says [Carlos Pérez, President of ECUARUNARI (Confederation of Kichwa Peoples of Ecuador)]. “It doesn’t know what Pachamama is. It doesn’t understand the rights of nature. It doesn’t understand Sumak Kawsay (good living),...
Double Standards Toward Women in Corporate Japan Are a Joke
"If a boss asks him for lunch..."A tumblr post illustrates double-standards in attitudes towards women in corporate Japan.
Why the Caribbean Should Pay Attention to the Net Neutrality Decision
ICT Pulse takes a look at the recent decision about net neutrality in the United States and the potential consequences for the Caribbean.
Kazakhstan's Largest City Hides Its “Beautiful” Side from Cameras
Top rated Russian photo-blogger Ilya Varlamov presents [ru] a photo report about his recent trip to Almaty, Kazakhstan's capital before 1997. What the blogger found most surprising about the city is that police officers do not allow anyone “photographing anything good, beautiful, and new” in Almaty. Curious travelers are, therefore, restricted to...