· October, 2011

Stories about North America from October, 2011

Iran: Virtual U.S Embassy

  30 October 2011

America decided to establish a virtual U.S embassy for Iran. In Khodnevis a cartoon says “Imam [Khomeyni]how can we climb up this embassy's wall”. The cartoon refers to Iran hostage crisis where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981.

D.R. of Congo/U.S.A: Conflict-Free: A Growing Movement

  29 October 2011

Alex Hellmuth and Tracy Fehr looks the growing conflict-free minerals movement in the US: “The progress made by Congo activists earlier this month in the state of California, the city of St. Petersburg, FL, and most recently at the University of Colorado-Boulder, is part of a dynamic conflict-free movement that...

USA: The Challenge of Diversity in the “Occupy” Movement

  26 October 2011

One month since the initial occupation of the financial district of New York, Wall Street, collective actions in the city continue to diversify. Activists and organizations from minority communities have begun to join and also express their indignation.

USA: Lawrence Lessig's “Republic, Lost”

  24 October 2011

@Therealpsmst recommends [mk] the talk by anti-corruption activist, law professor and Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig (@lessig): “Republic, Lost” is about the role of campaign contribution racket in the times of crisis and ways to reform the U.S. political and financial system.

Bangladesh: Occupy Dhaka, Joining the Movement Against the 1%

  22 October 2011

Occupy Wall Street and We Are 99%, the peaceful protests that started last month in New York City's financial capital have already spread in many countries of the world. Hundreds of Bangladeshis have joined in protests titled "Occupy Dhaka" in solidarity with the campaigns.

Hong Kong: Why Occupy Central?

  21 October 2011

A group of activists in Hong Kong have occupied the ground floor of the iconic HSBC building in Central District for almost one week. Their occupation has provided a reflective space for people to look into the problems of the existing economic system.

USA: October 15 on the Streets and Social Networks

  18 October 2011

It's no secret that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, among other social networks, have played a key role in the recent local and global protests. As was expected, the global protests of October 15 thoroughly used them too.

Poetry Slam Activism in Francophone Africa

  17 October 2011

Poetry slam is a well-known channel of expression for many activists in North America but the rest of the world has now embraced this unique blend of poetry and rhythmic oral story telling. Here are some examples from Francophone Africa and the context in which they arose.

China: No Clear Solution to the Wall Street Occupation

  17 October 2011

The occupation of Wall Street has gathered a lot of interest in China, as have three blog posts last week from an investment banker, a columnist and a Yale professor, none of whom seem too optimistic that a new economic vision will arise from the growing global movement any time soon.

USA: Legendary Computer Scientist Dennis Ritchie Has Died

  13 October 2011

Computer science legend Dennis Ritchie died on October 8, 2011, in his home in New Jersey at the age of 70, leaving behind a legacy of enormous impact on global development. Ritchie was the developer of the C programming language, one of the most widely used programming languages of all time.

Mexico: U.S. Alleges Iranian Assassination Plot Involving Los Zetas

  13 October 2011

Reports that the U.S. Justice Department charged two men with conspiring with "factions of the Iranian government" to assassinate Saudi Arabia's U.S. ambassador and to bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington - allegedly with assistance from the Los Zetas drug cartel - provoked strong reactions from netizens in Mexico and around the globe.

United States: “Occupy Wall Street” Gets Stronger

  13 October 2011

When we first published our story on "Occupy Wall Street," it barely made it to the front pages of newspapers. Currently, with thousands of followers, Occupy Wall Street has captured the attention of the national and international media, and the protests have extended to hundreds of city in the United States.

Macedonia: Comparing Steve Jobs to Tito

  12 October 2011

“Comrade Apple died” – the anonymous Taen bloger (= Secret Blogger) used the language imitating the original 1980 TV announcement [sr] of the death of the beloved Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito to comment [mk] on the reactions following the death of Steve Jobs.

Latin American Social Movements and #OccupyWallStreet

  12 October 2011

Benjamin Dangl in Upside Down World writes a report that “connects tactics and philosophies surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement with similar movements in Latin America, from the popular assemblies and occupation of factories during Argentina’s economic crisis in 2001-2002, to grassroots struggles for land in Brazil.”