Stories from 13 December 2010
Azerbaijan: Looking in from the outside
For those living in a particular country, many things can sometimes be taken for granted. But when others from outside discover it for the first time, often experiencing new colors and traditions, a fresh insight is often the result.
Costa Rica: The History of a Village in Calypso Songs
Walter "Gavitt" Ferguson, said to be the last remaining Calypsonian, has become the memory keeper of Cahuita in Costa Rica's Caribbean south. He sings about his life and the history of his town; from Cacao plantation, to banana republic and finally, to national park and touristic destination.
Azerbaijan: Adnan and Emin are back… and say thank you
In Mutatione Fortitudo posts the first YouTube video by Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli since their release. In the video, the two video blogging youth activists in Azerbaijan say thank you to all those who followed their case and contributed to international pressure calling for their release. From world leaders...
Sri Lanka: Tamil Version Of The National Anthem Scrapped
Raja Basu at Potpourri informs that “the Sri Lankan government has scrapped the Tamil version of the island nation’s national anthem – ‘Sri Lanka Matha'”.
Maldives: The Political Stunt Backfired
Hassan Ziayu describes the unfortunate course of events that followed the resignation of the whole cabinet of Maldives at the same time on 29th of June, 2010.
Russia: Google Launches Search of Russian Blogs
Google launches blogsearch.google.ru, Russian-language blog search service. One of it's functions – to display the most discussed news of the Russian blogosphere. Almost a year ago, Yandex.ru, Russia's most popular search engine, closed a similar blog rating. Yandex claimed that the blog search and rating of blog entries wasn't efficient. Political...
Russia: A New Initiative to Release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Few days before the court will announce its verdict on the second trial of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a new online initiative suggests to promise president Medvedev electoral support in exchange of Khodorkovsky's release. Led by Mikhail Gurevich, executive director of Russian media corporation RBC Group, the project launched a Facebook group [RUS]...
South Africa: Media pluralism is bigger priority than press ownership
Guy Berger maintains that Pluralism is a bigger priority than press ownership: “There's renewed focus on newspaper ownership by the ANC, even as the ruling party is becoming less hardline about the Media Appeals Tribunal and the Secrecy Bill.”
South Africa: Wikileaks lessons for South Africa's Secrecy Bill
WikiLeaks lessons for South Africa as the South African Parliament considers passing the draconian Protection of Information Bill (POIB): “Governments which mire themselves in secrecy can quickly become enemies to their own people.”
Tanzania: The promising future of social media
Proches Tairo is the founder of Bongoline, a new online community for Tanzanians. I conducted an interview with him about the use of social media in Tanzania with particular reference to 2010 Tanzania General Elections. He contends that although the majority of Tanzanians are not currently using social media, the future looks promising.
Nicaragua-Costa Rica Conflict, Revisited: Part II
This is the second part of a walk-through of the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican blogospheres discussing the recent border dispute between the countries. The conflict, which started November 2nd, has become more complex. In this second part, we cover three parts of the crisis: Nationalism in the media, "the X word", and self-assessment and analysis from Nicaragua.
Haiti: More Than Politics
As the wrangling continues after Haiti's controversial elections, prophet N asks: “How will these political solutions fix something that has become about so much more than politics?”
Russia: President Medvedev Argues with a Fake Lawmaker's Twitter
President Medvedev had a Twitter clash with a fake Twitter account of Alexander Khinshtein, Russian lawmaker. The clash was about Medvedev's relations with the Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko. Surprisingly, real Khinshtein apologized for the fake accounts’ critique. According to RT, “fake top official's accounts flood RuNet.”
Puerto Rico: Police Occupies the University of Puerto Rico
After the conclusion of a two day walk out organized by students, the Police has occupied the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico for the first time since 1981 in anticipation of a possible student strike on December 14. The blogosphere and social media networks are buzzing with reactions.
Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica: Celebrating Christmas
TriniGourmet.com says that “in Trinidad, Christmas is Parang”, while Dominica Weekly blogs about seasonal celebrations in the Nature Isle.
Barbados: Recession Christmas
Cheese-on-bread! acknowledges that this Christmas “feels a bit different because, well, let's face it, we're in a recession”, and offers a few ways to “enjoy the holidays and not break the bank.”
Jamaica: Celebrated Journalist Dies
Distinguished Jamaican journalist John Maxwell has passed away; The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog pays him tribute, while Geoffrey Philp adds: “In this time of Wiki Leaks and other journalistic scandals, his ethics, wisdom, and courage are surely needed…”
Bangladesh: The Real Crowd
Jerome at Bangladesh, Canada And Beyond explains with pictures what is meant as “crowd” in Bangladesh.
Guyana: Sun/Rain Love
Guyana-Gyal blogs beautifully about the relationship between sun and rain.
Digital historical archive Japan Air Raids
Cary Karacas and Bret Fisk [ja] run the digital historical archive Japan Air Raids. The site, available in English and Japanese, is “an ongoing project to build a digital archive dedicated to the international dissemination of information about the World War II air raids against Japan”.
Brazil: Recognition of the Palestinian State
On December 3, 2010 Brazil officially recognized [pt] the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. The Brazilian blogsphere reaction is an analysis of the meaning of the recognition for the Brazilian government and it's practical effects.
