Stories from 12 September 2011
Cuba: Rotilla Festival Canceled
Journalist, blogger and GV author Elaine Díaz has written a series on the controversial cancelation of the electronic music festival Rotilla [es].
Puerto Rico: Remembering 9/11
Anayra Santory [es], Carmen Rabell [es], and Huáscar Robles Carrasquillo write about 9/11 from different perspectives for various online publications.
Ukraine: Homemade ‘Samohon’ (Moonshine)
For The Pickle Project, Andrea Wenglowsky documents the process of making samohon – moonshine – at the apartment of her friend's grandmother in Kyiv.
Ukraine: Update on Tymoshenko's Trial
Foreign Notes posts an update on Yulia Tymoshenko's trial, which has been halted for two weeks.
Ukraine: Crimean Tatar Language on Twitter
Hirano Takaci (@hiranotakaci), a Lviv-based photographer and teacher of the Japanese language, has recently launched a Twitter bot – @ukr_crh – that posts Ukrainian words/phrases and their Crimean Tatar (Qırımca) translations. “The thing is, I've been searching but haven't found any Ukrainian-language books about the Crimean Tatar language,” he explained...
UK: Vasily Grossman's “Life and Fate” on BBC Radio 4
Sarah J. Young writes about BBC Radio 4's “adaptation of Vasily Grossman’s vast and still under-appreciated novel Life and Fate” (the first episode is scheduled to be aired on Sept. 18).
Russia: Connecting Neighbors, Saving Lives
The creators of a website that enabled Russians to help each other during wildfires in 2010 have now redesigned the site to enable citizens to assist each other in new ways - including mapping willing blood donors in locations across the country.
Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Activist on Trial
Saudi human rights activist Waleed Abu Alkhair has faced the national court in Jeddah for “insulting the judiciary”. Saudi tweeps discussed his case on Twitter to show support and criticize the way authorities function against activists.
Japan: Anti-nuclear power demonstration on 911
Buddhika Weerasinghe has posted photos of the anti-nuclear power demonstration held in central Tokyo on September 11th. Several thousand people joined the demo, as can be seen in this video footage [ja] and 12 people were arrested. See also the official site [ja] for the demonstration.
Iran: The flamingos return to Lake Urmia
Nama Jafari has published a 70's film showing the flamingos in Lake Urmia (Rezayieh). There were several demonstrations in recent weeks to save this dying lake. The blogger says that this lake 30 years ago was a tourist attraction and now a dying one.
Japan: Most rational, least traditional country?
Hashi at Tofugu blogs about the World Values Survey results that show that Japan is “one of the most rational, least ‘traditional’ countries out there” and tops the list of countries as having the strongest secular-rational values.
Iran: “Prince of Persia” launched his own blog
Reza Pahlavi, the older son of the late Shah of Iran, launched a blog in Persian. He says he wants to be in touch with the Iranian young generation. He named his blog:” a word with you”.
Madagascar: The Lemur King Swan Song
Erik Patel's documentary of the Sifaka in the rain forest of Madagascar describes how this particular species of lemurs is now on the brink of extinction. Patel explains that the Sifaka's habitat has been destroyed by illegal logging of rosewood trees in the Marojejy Park.
Haiti: Waste Management by Troops
mediahacker looks at the issue of UN troops and waste management in Haiti, asking, tongue firmly in cheek, “Does this only become a big deal if it causes an outbreak of deadly disease? Or is living with swarms of mosquitoes and an overpowering stench in the area an acceptable level...
U.S. Virgin Islands: Tropical Storm Maria Loses Strength
U.S. Virgin Islands bloggers report that Tropical Storm Maria, the center of which was projected to pass over St. John early Sunday morning, thankfully lost momentum.
Trinidad & Tobago: Sylvia Hunt's Legacy
“Even as a young child I was attracted to her warm, charismatic persona and soothing voice. She had a way of making every dish seem undaunting, approachable, and effortless. Unfortunately no reruns of her shows appear, nor do any substantial photos or citations exist online. A shameful gap in our...
Kenya: “One of Africa's Biggest Slums is My Home”
On the ActionAid blog Bollocks to Poverty, citizen journalist and Activista blogger Collins Odhiambo explains what it's like to come from one of Africa's largest slums, Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. “Just because I’m from Kibera doesn’t mean I’m lesser,” he writes.
Barbados: Pirating Scandal via Wikileaks
Barbados Free Press draws attention to another Wikileaks cable which suggests that two years prior to a police sergeant being “arrested and charged with taking bribes to allow a counterfeit DVD ‘pirate’ to operate, a US Embassy cable lamented the fact that he and the Barbados Police were unsuccessful in...
Caribbean: Remembering 9/11
Regional and diaspora bloggers shared their thoughts yesterday on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Shenzhen population statistics, 1979 – 2011
Mary Ann O'Donnell created a chart of Shenzhen population statistics from 1979-2011, showing the dual citizenship structure – those who enjoy full citizen rights though household registration system and those who do not – in the city.
Bangladesh: The Maritime Arbitration With Myanmar
The New Horizon posts updates on the ongoing maritime arbitration of Bangladesh with Myanmar at the International Tribunal For The Law Of The Sea.
