Stories from 23 March 2011
Macedonia: QR Campaign to Aid Japan
It.com.mk noted [MKD] that Kalina Zografska, Kristijan Ivanovski and Iva Dujak started an independent campaign using QR codes containing Japanese proverbs, quotes and links, to promote the humanitarian concert “Heart for Japan” [MKD] (#srcejp) and remind Skopje's citizens of the legacy of Kenzo Tange, a Japanese architect who helped rebuild...
Iran:Google, Yahoo, Skype targeted
According to Cnet a malicious attacker that appears to be the Iranian government managed to obtain supposedly secure digital certificates that can be used to impersonate Google, Yahoo, Skype, and other major Web sites.
Syria: Citizen Videos Show Horror in Daraa
As the crackdown on protests in Daraa continues and reports pour in of more deaths, citizen reporters in the town are capturing video and uploading it to YouTube, which was only recently unblocked in Syria. The videos in this post show the extent of the violent crackdown in Daraa.
Arab World: The Arab Tyrant Manual
The Arab Tyrant Manual is out, and is being tweeted as I type. On Twitter, Iyad Elbaghdadi is repeating all the excuses we have heard from the governments of Arab countries which have had protests calling for regime change and reforms since the Tunisian uprising at the end of 2010. Although they sound like one liners from a comic strip, they still get support from people on the ground.
Pakistan Day Celebrations: A Victory And A Sign Of Hope
Today marks the 71st anniversary of the Pakistan Resolution. Although the nation is struggling with insurgency and plethora of issues there is still a lot to celebrate - like today Pakistan made it to the Cricket World Cup Semifinals beating West-indies.
Russia: Friendship Relations Between LiveJournal Blogs Analyzed
Habrahabr-user RomanL published [ru] a detailed analysis of Russian LiveJournal blogs. According to the analysis, Russian-speaking LiveJournal blogosphere (active audience of around 170,000 users) can be divided into 4 distinctive clusters (apolitical, political, creative, and general). Only 55 bloggers have the audience of more than 10,000 friends, while the vast...
Syria: Horror Mounts as 150 Protesters Reportedly Dead in Daraa
Alarming news from Syria has dominated my Twitter timeline, with reports of up to 150 people allegedly killed by security forces in Daraa, in southern Syria, where anti-regime protests continue. Earlier estimates of six people killed as Syrian police attacked Al Omari mosque to disperse protesters are now being questioned, as reports of more doom and gloom start to seep out of the town, where communications, including phone and Internet, have been cut off.
Paraguay: Photo Blog Reveals Dangers of Childbirth
Most Paraguayans are not aware of the high rates of death from childbirth and abortion in the country. These issues are rarely reported on mainstream media. This is why running into Rodrigo Alfaro’s photo blog post on death from childbirth in Paraguay is horrifying and shocking --even for a Paraguayan.
Syria: Reports of Mass Killings, and a Blogger and a Journalist Disappear
The crackdown on protesters in Daraa, Syria continues. At dawn, a special army unit reportedly killed at least six people during an attack on Al Omari Mosque to disperse protesters using the mosque as a gathering place. At least one blogger has been arrested, while another is missing. Anas Qtiesh has the story.
Kenya: Kenya Film Commission Animation Expo
Moses attends Kenya Film Commission’s Animation Expo in Nairobi: “I was surprised on entering the Expo that there we’re far more companies than I had imagined who offer Animation services locally in Kenya. One definitely got a sense of a burgeoning industry that is much larger than what it looked...
Africa: Africans want an African solution
Rosebell Kagumire's reaction to Uganda's president's criticism of military intervention in Libya: “Africans want an African solution but current leaders like President Museveni who stifle freedoms in their own borders will not deliver us the much needed African solution. And that’s what North Africa has realized and therefore moved to...
Kenya: Learn about Dealfish Kenya
Moses posts his presentation on Dealfish Kenya that he gave at the monthly meetup of MobileMonday Kenya: “The mobile channel is incredibly important for Dealfish in Kenya since up to 50% of our users access our web site via the mobile web.”
Haiti: Developing Aid
“The agenda of development aid should not be set by people so far removed from the uncertainty of life that has dominated human existence for the majority of time”: Throwing Down the Water wants to get everyone speaking the same language.
Trinidad & Tobago, Dominica: Position on Gender Equity
Globewriter on the UN Joint Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: “The English Caribbean (including T&T which continues to betray its alleged commitment to human rights) was notably absent except for Dominica. I can only surmise that the normally homophobic Dominica either had a coup or someone pushed the...
Aruba, Curacao: Eloquent Arguments
The lawyer as orator? Karel's Legal Blog discusses “a sensitive subject.”
Cuba: The “Nays” Have It?
Iván's File Cabinet says that he will “believe in the Socialist democracy, as advocated by the regime in Havana, when you see a negative vote.”
Côte d'Ivoire: “Why is no one intervening in Ivory Coast?”
Violence continues in Ivory Coast. Charles Blé Goudé has called for the Young Patriots, supporters of the outgoing president, Laurent Gbagbo, to enlist in the army. Now thousands of young men have turned up at the headquarters of the Ivorian Army in the capital Abidjan. Having seen how the United Nations agreed on a military intervention in Libya, some Ivorian netizens are wondering how far the situation is going to degenerate before the international community intervenes.
Venezuela: Learning to Play the Cuatro on the Web 2.0
The cuatro - an instrument in the guitar family - is the principal icon of traditional Venezuelan music. A love for the cuatro has also reached citizen media, where songs are shared, and its history, musicians and even how to play the instrument, are widely discussed.
Brazil: Obama's Visit Marked by Protests, Repression and Criticism
Intended to be a party, US President Obama's first visit to Brazil was marked by the controversial decision for his country to intervene militarily in Libya, in addition to the "covering up" of the favelas and protests followed by violent police repression.
Macedonia, Japan: Anime vs. Reality
poljaff, a contributor to Japan@MK blog, compared [MKD] the experiences of learning about Japanese culture and disaster response by watching the award-winning anime Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 a year ago, and intensely following the aftermath of the March 11 catastrophe. According to her, reality is much scarier, but the Japanese people...
Armenia: Opposition rivalry
With the opposition in Armenia divided between parties in parliament and those outside, Unzipped comments on the rivalry between two specific political forces in the country and the populist rhetoric used to attack and discredit each other following popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia as well as prior to the...
