6 October 2011

Stories from 6 October 2011

Cameroon: Controversies Around the Electoral Campaign

  6 October 2011

The Central African Republic of Cameroon has entered the last week of the presidential campaign. While international election monitors arrived in the country to observe the elections, the electoral campaign activities failed to convince most Cameroonians of the importance of what is at stake.

Caribbean: Remembering the Genius of Steve Jobs

  6 October 2011

Steve Jobs' death has left a gaping hole in the world of technology. Caribbean bloggers took the opportunity to say “thank you” and talk about the role that Jobs - and the company he helped revolutionize - played in their lives.

Bolivia: Is Twitter Good for Democracy?

  6 October 2011

Roberto Laserna [es] blogs about the use of Twitter in Bolivia and argues that Twitter “has enormous potential to facilitate democracy and direct personal contact between citizens and the authorities, especially if authorities manage their own accounts and interact actively and honestly with citizens.”

Uruguay: Concerns About Collecting Census Data Online

  6 October 2011

The blog Uruguay: click para actualizar [es] (“click to refresh”) lays out several concerns about a website with an online questionnaire that closely resembles the official census survey. The people behind the website say they want to show that census data could be collected online rather than door-to-door.

Nicaragua: Sony Music Tells Ortega to Stop Using Song in Campaign Ad

  6 October 2011

President Daniel Ortega's campaign jingle is causing controversy abroad, as Erwin C. reports: “The use of ‘Stand by Me’ […] did not sit well with Sony Music, which reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the head of Ortega’s party in the legislature. […] The statement also claimed that...

Colombia: First National Evacuation Simulation

  6 October 2011

Fourteen Colombian cities participated in an exercise of simulating a national evacuation on October 5. The idea was to simulate an emergency (an earthquake) and build awareness of the steps people should assume in the event of an actual emergency.

Bahrain: Dr Ghassan Dhaif Tweets His Jail Experience

A Bahraini doctor is one of 20 sentenced doctors who have taken to Twitter to tell the world their story with imprisonment, torture and harassment in their own words. Mona Kareem brings us the story of Dr Ghassan Dhaif, sentenced to 15 years in prison, in this post. Bahrain has now ordered their re-trial in a civilian court.

Italy: Wikipedia Italia on strike

  6 October 2011

The homepage of Wikipedia Italia is on strike from the evening of October 4th. Its content is blocked in protest against an Italian bill on telephone interceptions that will mean that all sites and blogs must amend their contents within 48 hours of a request by any applicant who judges it...

Puerto Rico: Internet Leadership

  6 October 2011

Dondequiera says that “there is no way that Puerto Rico will ever have a chance of building an Internet startup community if we don't enjoy the same freedoms and access that are granted to other leaders on the Internet”, adding: “This isn't about status, it's about opportunity.”

Cuba: Fonseca Told to Get Lawyer

  6 October 2011

Uncommon Sense finds it interesting that jailed dissidents Sara Fonseca and her husband Julio Leon have been advised to obtain legal counsel, calling it “a suggestion that indicates the regime plans to formally prosecute the couple because of their anti-communist activism.”

Iran: A cartoon for Steve Jobs

Mana Neyestani, a leading Iranian cartoonist, has published a cartoon about Steve Jobs’ death. An old man says to the “Angel of Death” there are many dinosaurs in Iran and you go after “red apples”.

Africa: Famine is Man-made but…

  6 October 2011

Famine is man-made but….:”21st century solutions should be founded on collective responsibility. Describing famine as “man-made” is a step in the right direction, but let's not just look to foreign governments for handouts let's have the courage to call for responsibility and action from those closer to home.”

Kenya: Movie About Oldest Kenyan Primary School Pupil

  6 October 2011

Africa Expat Wife writes about The First Grader, a movie about Maruge – the oldest Kenyan primary school pupil: “I am gutted that they didn't call the movie ‘Form One’ – which would have been a lot more apt and less corny, however, it's the true story of a man...

Trinidad & Tobago: Proper Procurement Procedure

  6 October 2011

Afra Raymond blogs about the importance of proper procurement practices regarding “the development of Invader’s Bay, a 70-acre parcel of State-owned reclaimed land”, saying: “The publication of the [Request For Proposal]…give the impression that a proper procurement process is underway at Invader’s Bay. Nothing could be further from the truth.”