Stories from 19 January 2011
Macedonia: Recognition by Bolivia and Zimbabwe
Within the context of the Macedonia name dispute with Greece, I, Macedonian thanks * Bolivia and Zimbabwe for recognizing Macedonia under its constitutional name.
Middle East: A Closer Look at Tunisia's Uprising
As Tunisians continue to grapple with the fast paced events of the few previous days which saw the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his escape, Arab bloggers continue to share their thoughts and reflections on the Tunisian uprising and what it spells for the rest of the region.
Haiti: About “Baby Doc”
“Préval, who will complete his mandate which runs from 2006 to 2011, has betrayed the aspirations of the Haitian people. Now he organizes the return of a dictator who should be judged for his crimes”: The Haitian Blogger translates a French blog post that opines about the return of Duvalier...
Bahamas: Fixing the Nation
“Something is wrong with us”: Weblog Bahamas‘ Edward Hutcheson says that Bahamians must make hard choices if things are to improve.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Effects of Lifting Travel Limits
“President Barack Obama's decision to loosen limits on travel and remittances from the United States to Cuba is a gift the Castro dictatorship has not earned”: Uncommon Sense links to an article which makes him surmise that “as a result, Cubans will have to wait even longer for freedom.”
Jamaica: No More Calabash
Regional bloggers continue to say their farewells to Jamaica's beloved annual Calabash International Literary Festival, which has come to an end after ten years.
Nigeria: Discussion with Nigerian fantasy-sci-fi writer
Bunmi posts a link to a video of an hour long discussion with Nigerian fantasy-sci-fi writer Nnedi Okorafor: “Here she touches on race, paralysis and plant worlds.”
Sudan: Southern Sudan Referendum: Africa (Dis)United?
In our latest roundup of Southern Sudan Referendum 2011, Dr. James Okuk offers his “advance billion congratulation” to the people of Southern Sudan for choosing to form a new nation while Leon Nyerere, a Sudanese based in Canada, believes that there is no rational justification for the separation of Southern Sudan. The quest for separation, Leon argues, was informed by emotions than rational thinking.
Puerto Rico: First Mobile News Service Launched
The first exclusively digital and mobile news outlet in Puerto Rico has just been launched: Noticel [es]. Reporters will be covering breaking news and features.
Mexico: A blog by and for female football fans
Pamboleras [es] is a Mexican blog written by and for women who love “the most beautiful sport on earth”: football [soccer].
Puerto Rico: A Blog for Local Talents
The blog El Faktor [es] has a mission: to interview and display the work of talented people who are under the radar.
Puerto Rico: Arrests for Acts of Civil Disobedience
Dozens of students of the University of Puerto Rico and other activists have been arrested today while participating in acts of civil disobedience at the main campus in Río Piedras against the imposition of a special tuition fee. The student blog Desde Adentro [es] and the student radio station Radio...
Angola: Listing blogs that talk about the country
Jota Cê Carranca calls all netcitizens to help him reach the number 500 in a list of “Blogs that Talk about Angola” [pt]. Until today he has gathered 443.
Guinea-Bissau: Construction Works meet Public Health
Guineense, from the blog Made in Bissau [pt], shares two videos from construction works taking place in the main avenue of Guinea Bissau's capital, while describing the poor respiratory conditions of the ones who pass by due to the dirt on the air.
Poland: Initial Reactions to Russian Report on Polish Air Force One Plane Crash
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on the crash of TU-154M airplane near Smolensk on April 10, 2010, has generated an outburst of strong opinions about the validity and objectivity of the document, as well as the effect it might have on the Polish politics in 2011. Most discussions in various social media are highly negative of the document's content, but gradually bloggers are beginning to elaborate on the topic.
Russia: Toxic River Caused by Sochi Olympics Development
YouTube-user Volf1959 posted a video [RUS] of a small river Dzyhra next to Sochi that is now covered with toxic layer because of the development of one of the infrastructure for the Sochi 2014 Olympics .
Azerbaijan: Remembering Hrant Dink
The Önər Blog [AZ] remembers Hrant Dink, the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor and human rights activist who was murdered in Istanbul four years ago today. The post is also available in Armenian. 1+1=3 [AZ], another Azerbaijani blog, also posts an entry in memory of a figure who stood for reconciliation...
Korea: Twitter Launches Korean Service
Twitter is available in Korean language starting from today. Korean Tweeters have welcomed the news. Twitter's co-founder, Evan Williams introduced Korean Twitter via twitter(@ev). It was available only in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Japanese, prompting some Korean Tweeters to use Twtkr or Twit Bird.
Taiwan: Don't be a lousy traveler
Blogger Mochadango(抹茶糰子) who lives in Kyoto, Japan, condemns the ignorance and nearly-criminal acts(zht) of a Taiwanese traveler who recently took photos and videos of other travelers while taking a hot spring bath during his tour in Japan, though he claimed to have permission. The traveler(screen name:we5376301) uploaded the photos and...
China: Mapping labor unrest
Cornell PhD student Manfred Elfstrom has started a website to map instances of labor unrest across China on the Ushahidi platform.
Indonesia threatens to close down Blackberry
Through his twitter account, Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Information accused Blackberry Research In Motion of being unresponsive to the demand of the government to filter pornographic content. If the company doesn't comply with the demand by January 21, the government will block Blackberry's browser
