Stories from 11 April 2011
Brazil: Mapping a Traditional Music Instrument Online
Rabeca.org is an online project that aims to gather and present information about the Brazilian rabeca and Guanari rawé in a map with audio recordings, photos, texts and videos. The platform offers an opportunity to explore this fascinating instrument similar to a violin, but with a regional focus and tradition.
Russia: Hacker Explaines Why He Broke Website of “Zenith” Soccer Team
Nikita Volgin, a man who hacked the website of Russian soccer team Zenith, writes why he did it. Upset with the lack of criticism of Saint Petersburg administration in media, Volgin decided to use the website as a platform for “vox populi” against the administration.
Russian Security Forces Ready to “Crash” Internet
Radio Echo Moskvy refers to an interview in “The New Times” magazine with an officer of Federal Security Service who said that FSS was ready to “crash” the Internet in case of emergency and if it receives an official order.
Russian Silicon Valley Has Unusually Expensive Website
Users and web designers on one of the most popular collaborative blogs Habrahabr.ru discuss the unrealistically high budget cost for creating and promoting the website of “Skolkovo” Innovation Foundation (Russian Silicon Valley). The users point out that the website was done for more than 100,000 US dollars but with a...
Russian Bloggers Plan Flashmob Against Federal Tax Service
After Russian Federal Tax Service sent an audit invitation to long-deceased popular Russian writer Vasily Aksenov, bloggers planned a flashmob when people are encouraged to call the FTS and demand an explanation from its employees, radio Echo Moskvy reported.
Jamaica: Cruel Cartoon?
Jamaica Woman Tongue has her say about cartoonist Clovis Brown’s recent caricature of Vybz Kartel: “The genuine wit of the stinging editorial cartoon appears to have degenerated into little more than vulgar gutter sniping.”
Haiti: Relevance of Lavalas
In the context of Haiti's recent elections, Toussaint on Haiti considers Fanmi Lavalas‘ political future: “The answer is not to cancel the last elections to have new elections that include FL. The worst thing that FL can do is continue with the same arguments of the last 24 years. If...
Bahamas: The Play's the Thing
“It’s got the story, it’s got the characters, and it’s got the timing to make it succeed for the moment. But what it should be looking to do is to last…it’s not enough to write a play that inspires us just to laugh. What is required is the production of...
Cuba: Threat of the Internet
“In Cuba, access to the internet is restricted and very expensive for citizens, but it is also controlled by state institutions”: Laritza Diversent explains.
Guyana: Men's Issues
CODE RED weighs in on the fact that Guyana has launched a Men’s Affairs Bureau, saying: “It seems that Caribbean governments are unable to address men’s issues outside of a framework of re-inscribing male dominance…if the intention is to ensure men’s right to a good life why is men’s violence...
Russia: Bloggers Debate Military Operation in Libya
The situation in Libya, especially after the start of military operations by Western countries, has become one of the main topics of discussion in the Russian blogosphere. Marina Litvinovich analyzes the reactions and trends surrounding the issue.
Iran:TV anchors before and after revolution
Here is a film showing TV anchors before and after Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Belarus: Bombings in the Minsk Subway
Belarus twitterers share information on the latest bombings in the Minsk subway via 3 main Twitter hashtags: #minsk, #minskblast, #twiby. Notolerance-cp publishes first pictures [ru] from the scene of event (warning – some disturbing scenes).
El Salvador: Blogging About Ordinary Life in El Salvador
Tim recommends the blog El Salvador from the Inside: “Written by a ‘gringa in El Salvador,’ the blog captures great scenes of ordinary life in El Salvador. Recent posts have included tales of wandering street vendors, washing in a pila, and an old gentleman and his birds.”
Mexico: Bloggers Reflect on Elections in Peru
Tim Johnson in Mexico Unmasked and Richard Grabman in The Mex Files look at Peru's elections on Sunday, April 10 and compare them to the political climate in Mexico as the country prepares for the 2012 presidential and legislative elections.
Honduras: US State Department's Human Rights Report
Greg Weeks in Two Weeks Notice comments on the US State Department's Human Rights Report on Honduras: “On the one hand, it has 47 single-spaced pages detailing a wide variety of serious abuses–acknowledgment of these abuses is commendable. On the other, the report dances around assigning specific responsibility to anyone...
Uganda: Is It a Crime to Walk to Work?
#walk2work is a trending topic in Uganda's Twittersphere. Walk to Work is a campaign organised by the opposition in Uganda to protest high fuel and food prices.
Kenya: Netizens React to ICC Charges Against Six Kenyans
On 7 and 8 April, 2011, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed charges against six prominent Kenyan individuals whom the ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno Ocampo believes bear the most responsibility for the post election violence that rocked the country in 2008.
Russia: Environmentalist Sousveillance Project to Watch Over Water Reservoirs
Russian environmental organization “Open Shore” [ru] has launched a sousveillance map [ru] of “occupied shores of Russian water reservoirs.” Activists map properties that were built illegally close to the water reservoirs.
Russia: Analysis of the Latest DDoS Attacks By Security Expert
Andrei Soldatov, Russian security expert, analyses latest attacks on LiveJournal and other websites. According to Soldatov, “Kremlin did not have to use FSB resources to attack objectionable Web sites; it could simply steer the growing community of patriotic hackers in the right direction.”
Unimondo's Facebook campaign: “1 fan 1 albero”
“1 fan 1 tree” is the campaign launched by UniMondo, which focuses on reforestation in Kenya to balance out the C02 that we produce on a daily basis. The project is overseen by Tree is Life, a group of agroforestry youths who have already received awards for their work. Spreading...
