20 June 2011

Stories from 20 June 2011

Chile: ‘Riding the Ramal’, a Photo Essay

  20 June 2011

Margaret Snook in Cachando Chile posts a photo essay of a the ‘Ramal’, a “rural branch-line train that runs 80 km (50 mi) from Talca to Constitución, from the foothills of the Andes to the shores of the Pacific.”

Honduras: Guns, Drugs and a Family Feud

  20 June 2011

“Today I witnessed a scene right out of a Pablo Escobar film. There were at least ten guys just a block from my house standing guard at one of the houses known to be involved in narco-trafficking”: writes Blogging Honduras in a post that summarizes a ‘family fued’ tied to...

Kazakhstan: Fighting Internet Piracy

Kazakhstan is undergoing a new scandalous development with regards the Internet – this time about regulation of copyright online. On 29 April, 2011, a special roundtable that brought together lawyers, industry representatives and state bodies took place, where the “three strikes method” of fighting piracy was presented.

Puerto Rico: Indignation and Action

  20 June 2011

The online publication El Punto Es reports about an incipient social movement in Puerto Rico [es] that is following the example set by protesters in Spain, who denounced unemployment, corruption, and called for the renewal of democratic ideals. Netizens can follow this new movement through @IndignAccion.

Syria: Protests Break Out Following Assad Speech

Syrian president Bashar Al Assad gave a speech today outlining reform plans, which include forming a committee to form a committee to study reforms and the need for national dialogue. On Twitter, reactions continued to flow as Assad spoke. Assad's promises were met with more protests across the country, calling for him to leave power.

Caribbean: Thanks, Dad!

  20 June 2011

Father's Day, that worldwide celebration honouring dads and their important role in the family dynamic, is marked in the Caribbean on the third Sunday of June and regional bloggers posted en masse yesterday for the occasion. From the eloquent to the irreverent, here's what they had to say…

North Korea: Women Forced into Prostitution

  20 June 2011

A Seoul-based aid organization, Good Friends, released an English version of its weekly report. According to North Korean defectors’ testimonies, not a few North Korean women are forced into prostitution in order to make ends meet.

North Korea's Meth Export

  20 June 2011

Chinese authorities recently conducted a crackdown on drug in Chinese region bordering North Korea. Although it’s hard to trace the origin of methamphetamine, residents and experts believe that much of the meth consumed in the region is manufactured in North Korea. Robert Neff wrote about it in the Marmot's Hole...

Haiti: Preserving Architectural History

  20 June 2011

Throwing Down the Water is concerned that “the historical houses of Haiti are mostly being left to rot, to fall into disrepair or – worse – to be lived in happily and well, until some landlord comes along and decides that a cement box would look better in their place...

U.S.V.I.: The National Park on St. John

  20 June 2011

A Nation or Nobody blogs about a report on National Parks, Tourism, and Local Development, written 30 years ago, which he feels “should be required reading for every student in the US Virgin Islands…it [also] has the power to speak to a much larger audience on issues of development, government...

Trinidad & Tobago: Defending Our Dialect

  20 June 2011

“I doh know bout alyuh, but I love to talk Trinidadian Creole English all de time”: Karel Mc Intosh suggests that “an educational approach to Creole must start by raising the level of awareness of what Creole languages are, how they came into being, who speaks them and what their...

Bermuda: Responding to Corruption

  20 June 2011

“Corruption happens in every country around the world,” says Politics.bm, adding: “What shows your character and values is how you respond to it, not how you respond to those who want to root it out.”

Jamaica: Court Date Set for “Dudus”

  20 June 2011

Jamaica Salt notes that a trial date has finally been set for Christopher “Dudus” Coke, and takes a look at “how are things on the outside in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston” since his extradition to the United States on drug and arms trafficking charges.

Ghana: Let Them Be Gay

  20 June 2011

The Bureau of National Investigations in Ghana has begun investigations into the growing rate of homosexuality in the Western and Central regions. About eight thousand homosexuals have been registered by a non-governmental organization in the Western and Central regions. This has prompted a heated debate in the Ghanaian blogosphere about homosexuality.

South Sudan/Eritrea: Eritreans Thriving in Juba

  20 June 2011

A blogger visiting Juba, Southern Sudan, reports that Eritreans are thriving in the city: “The Eritreans I observed there were cliquish, befriended the SPLM generals, pay bribes generously (so I was told), smuggle in young Eritrean girls and so forth…At one stage I saw over one thousand youngsters at one...