Global Voices · Citizen media stories from 2010 August 10

10 August 2010

Daily archive · 8 posts

Stories from 10 August 2010

Russian-Fires.ru, First Ushahidi Experience

Written by Alexey Sidorenko · Eastern & Central Europe

Wildfires in central Russia have shown that the Russian blogosphere is capable of fast mobilization, cooperation and solidarity when it comes to natural disasters. The RuNet Echo team not only observed the blogosphere's reaction to the wildfires, but has become one of the few centers of coordination of volunteers and victims of the disaster.

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Mexico: Citizen video and Drug Trafficking

Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · Latin America

Mexican bloggers debate whether citizen videos and pictures showing graphic violent crimes are an answer to what some say is the mass media's resistance to cover drug trafficking related violence or if it is just another way to spread fear and terror.

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Rwanda: Bloggers Discuss Presidential Election 2010

Written by Ndesanjo Macha · Sub-Saharan Africa

Preliminary results released by the National Electoral Commission show that Paul Kagame has won Rwandan election by a landslide. What does Kagame's victory mean to Rwanda? Was the election free and fair? What are the real challenges facing Rwanda now that the election is over? These are some of the issues that bloggers are discussing following the release of preliminary results.

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Russia: Blogosphere Helps Man Fight Local Administration

Written by Vadim Isakov · Eastern & Central Europe

This story has everything for an unconventional blockbuster: a lonely hero facing dozens of armed bad guys, corrupt police forces, private security firm, contract killers, and... thousands of bloggers fighting the system.

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Georgia: Second anniversary of South Ossetia war

Written by Onnik Krikorian · Eastern & Central Europe, Central Asia & Caucasus

As Georgia marked the second anniversary of its August 2008 war with Russia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, online reaction has been mixed and largely polarized on geopolitical grounds.

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Palestine: The Politics Of Issuing Passports

Written by Ayesha Saldanha · Middle East & North Africa

The hostility between the Hamas government in Gaza and the Fatah government in Ramallah has manifested itself in many areas, from education to electricity. Now it is affecting the issuing of passports, and one blogger in Gaza has been caught in the middle.

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South Korea : Lost in Translation, Especially During Vacations

Written by Lee Yoo Eun · East Asia

Translation is probably one of the most grueling and painstaking works in the world. In South Korea, to add the translator's already full baggage, people are venting their stress from English-craziness to translators.

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Venezuela: Promoting Folk Art Through Blogs

Written by Laura Vidal · Translated by Eduardo Avila · Latin America

The visibility of folk art in Venezuela has been given a boost due to efforts of artists who have been using blogs to promote their work and the work of their colleagues.

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Updates from 10 August 2010

Netherlands

The Stranger Film Festival is looking for creative short documentaries by youth (younger than 30) from European and neighboring countries in a variety of topics regarding European narratives. Submission deadline is on September 1st. via

• Juliana Rincón Parra

Ideas

As lionfish continue to pose a danger to coral reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, News of St. John reports that the government's strategy to eliminating the threat is: “If you can't beat ‘em, eat ‘em.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados

Tourist arrivals are up by a small percentage; Barbados Free Press says: “Without complete information it is impossible to judge if the increase in visitors was worth the outlay or if the BTA [Barbados Tourism Authority] is performing well.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba

“I am a man who writes. Being a journalist in a closed society is the task of either an adventurer or a lunatic”: Iván García learns that he is “of interest” to Cuban State Security, buts says, “I don’t keep any secrets. I have not committed any crimes. In the meantime, I will continue informing. I am a prisoner of my labor.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad & Tobago

Nicholas Laughlin discovers a fan letter written to his grandfather, who reportedly “did what is supposed to have been the first live radio commentary on a cricket match in the West Indies, during an inter-colonial tournament at the Queen's Park Oval.”

• Janine Mendes-Franco

Pakistan

Considering the recent troubles Pakistan is in, Hasan at Chowrangi proposes that Pakistanis should celebrate the upcoming national day on the 14th August with a great sense of sacrifice, by helping the countrymen victimized by flood and war.

• Rezwan

Bangladesh

“On the fifth day, today, 10 August, I discover I don't have any water to brush my teeth, not to talk about other purposes;” thus Ekram Kabir at Kotha Chhilo (I have something to tell) blog tells the story about one of the agonies of living in Dhaka city - lack of water supply due to corruption.

• Rezwan