Stories from 26 July 2011
Bosnia & Herzegovina: The March of Peace
Earlier this month, Sarah Correia of Café Turco took part in the March of Peace (Marš mira), walking some “100 kilometres alongside more than 6 thousand people in tribute to the victims of genocide in Bosnia.”
Russia: Megafon/Yandex Text Message Leak
Svetlana Gladkova of Profy writes that “one of the largest Russian mobile carriers [Megafon] and the leading Russian search engine [Yandex] need to explain quite a lot of things to their users […] due to an unspeakable data leak as thousands of SMS messages sent via Megafon website got publicly...
Argentina's Chinese-Argentines
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) Blog launched a series “that will cover immigration throughout the hemisphere from a variety of different perspectives.” COHA Research Associate PoLin So kicks off the series with a post on Chinese-Argentines and their struggle to fit into Argentine society.
Chile: Mapuche Influence in Purén
In Don't Call Me Gringa Emily blogs about Purén, a town in the Araucanía Region, in an area “home to the country’s main indigenous population, the Mapuche”. Emily writes about the Mapuche history and influence in this town, illustrating her post with pictures of her trip.
Colombia: Homophobia, Beyond Religion
Homophobia might have religious roots in Colombia, writes Javier Moreno in Rango Finito [es], but Javier says that campaigns against homophobia should not focus solely on the Catholic Church, but rather on people that are homophobic because of ‘tradition’ and not necessarily religion.
China: Prominent ‘Independent Candidate’ Denounces Upcoming Elections
Nearly 100 people have now declared themselves independent candidates in upcoming legislative elections in China, but this week alone has seen one of the more prominent would-be politicians announce his withdrawal, and another accuse one city of trying to keep voters away from polls.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Beauty of Imperfection
Attillah Springer shares some “things [she discovers] from eating a mango in the morning.”
Trinidad & Tobago: A Poem for Amy
“I’ve never met Amy Winehouse. I’m not a musician. I’m not British or anything even remotely connected to her. I only discovered her music about three years ago and, honestly, there were people who were more ardent fans”: Still, Lisa Allen-Agostini was inspired to write a poem for the late...
Trinidad & Tobago: Celebrating Emancipation
“Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to commemorate the abolition of slavery with a national observance, and since that time several other countries (mostly in the Caribbean) have followed suit”: TriniGourmet.com has the lowdown on this year's Emancipation Day celebrations.
Cuba: Attacks vs. Women
Pedazos de La Isla blogs about violence against women in Cuba, here, here, here and here.
Jamaica: OCD Ghosts?
Could it be that “the world of the supernatural [is] ordered not by the rules of metaphysics, but the rules of mathematics”? Under the Saltire Flag considers the possibility by examining a common thread in Caribbean folklore.
Russia: Bloggers Find Street Shooter
Bloggers across the Russian Internet were quick to respond with posts and information after well-known photo-blogger Dmitry Ternovsky was shot at recently on a highway in the southeast of Moscow. Ashley Cleek details the story.
Republic of Congo: Is the New ‘Made In Africa’ Tablet Actually Chinese?
A new ‘made in Africa' tablet computer from the Republic of Congo was announced in June 2011 to much fanfare. While technical innovation in Africa is worth celebrating, it's worth double-checking whether the new VMK tablet is actually designed, developed and engineered in Congo as advertised.
Peru: Football, TV Ads, Mining and Social Networks
On Tuesday, July 19, while Peruvians suffered with the semifinal match between Peru-Uruguay for the Copa América, netizens who were watching the game had a reason to tweet with anger: an advertising spot aired during halftime which used the traditional rivalry between Peru and Chile to find supporters against increasing the mining windfall tax.
Slovakia: Big Money in the Tube
A few weeks ago, the Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights society (SOZA) - the country's music copyright organization - started billing web servers, typically for young music fans, which were embedding YouTube and Vimeo videos on their pages. Tibor Blazko reports on the Slovak netizens' reactions.
Azerbaijan: Fascinated by Georgia
Şüarımız GƏLƏCƏK! [AZ] travels to Georgia and becomes charmed by the beauty and “scent of democracy” the country offers in the region. The blogger notes that while his home country of Azerbaijan is considered to be the fastest growing economy in the South Caucasus it still lags behind from Georgia...
Iran: Campaign to Free Last Two Jailed American Hikers
Sarah Shourd spent 410 days in solitary confinement in Tehran, Iran, on charges of "espionage". She now calls on the world to speak up for her two friends, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, who are still in prison in Iran since all three were arrested while hiking in July 2009.
Should Singapore Nationalize its Transport System?
The petition of Singapore’s private transport operators for a fare increase has sparked a debate on whether it's time to nationalize the country's transportation system. Bloggers react to the proposal to create a National Transport Corporation
Sri Lanka: Analysis Of 2011 Local Election
Indi.ca analyzes the results of the recently concluded 2011 local government elections in Sri Lanka.
