20 December 2011

Stories from 20 December 2011

Armenia: Policing Christmas

  20 December 2011

Unzipped comments on a new festive advert for the Armenian police. A recent Transparency International report on policing placed the force among some of the worst in the world, but the blog nonetheless welcomes the move and hopes that the image promoted will become reality.

Russia: Alexey Navalny Released From Jail

RuNet Echo  20 December 2011

“Everyone's waiting for Navalny ) 5 more minutes! pic.twitter.com/3BRHiuGa,” tweeted [ru] @varlamov a short while ago, posting a picture of the crowd waiting outside a Moscow prison for activist Alexey Navalny‘s release. @plushev tweeted [ru]: “Absolutely fantastic numbers. In the middle of the night, some 5,000 people are viewing [the...

Cuba: succession fears

  20 December 2011

The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the succession of his son prompts Generation Y to think about the Cuban government's own succession plans. “The dauphin over there is named Kim Jong-un; perhaps soon they will communicate to us that over here ours will be Alejandro Castro Espin.”

Cuba: owing obsolete rubles

  20 December 2011

Cuba has a longstanding debt to Russia of 20 million Soviet rubles — a currency that no longer exists. Machetera asks: “how and when do you decide what a vanished currency is really worth?”

Palestine: Planning a Virtual Funeral

  20 December 2011

It is extremely difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to visit Israel, and for political reasons it is impossible for most other Arabs to do so. At the same time, Palestinian citizens of Israel are unable to travel to much of the Arab world, because they have Israeli passports. Rasha Hilwi has been reflecting on how these restrictions on movement will affect her – after she dies.

Jamaica: when poets join academia

  20 December 2011

UK-based Jamaican writer Kei Miller muses on the consequences of poets joining the academic world. “Poetry is certainly not known for its plain-spoken-ness and in fact is accused, just as much as the academy, for its obscurity and its pretensions. And this is as it should be!”

Barbados: tribute to Desmond Bourne

  20 December 2011

The Bajan Reporter posts a tribute to his late father, the journalist and adman Desmond Bourne. “It was not that my father never stood on convention, he acknowledged where he felt it was expected – such as Diplomats and & Ceremony – but for the most part he ignored it….”

Barbados: prime minister's quandary

  20 December 2011

Barbados Underground offers an analysis of the “headache” created for Prime Minister Freundel Stuart by a now notorious leaked letter allegedly demonstrating his party's doubts about the PM's leadership. “Whatever he does must positively feed public perception that he is in charge of his men. The question is: will it...

Africa: New Blog: See Africa

  20 December 2011

See Africa is a new blog focusing on Africa: “Every week, I will be updating this blog with beautiful images of Africa which many people have not seen. I admit that Africa faces a lot of challenges but the blog will not be reporting on those because I believe the...

Mexico: The Results of a Racism Experiment with Children

  20 December 2011

The video by 11.11 Social Change is simple: Mexican children sit in front of two dolls identical save for two things: one is light skinned and blue-eyed and the other is dark skinned and brown eyed. Then they are asked to pick which one of the dolls is ugly, nice,...

Egypt: Women Rally for Dignity

  20 December 2011

Thousands of Egyptian women took to the streets of Cairo today to protest for their dignity, after women were beaten up by soldiers during running battles between the army and protesters in and around Tahrir Square since December 16.

Global Voices: Donate Today

  20 December 2011

2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our contributors reporting from around the world.

Arab World: Global Voices Bridges on Twitter

  20 December 2011

As a part of our end-of-year coverage we in the Middle East and North Africa region look back at some of the major events we covered during 2011. The following post highlights the role of the Global Voices Online community in spreading information on Twitter during the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.

Brazil: How Many Lives Does the Guarani-Kaiowá's Land Cost?

  20 December 2011

Last November, 42 gunmen attacked an indigenous reserve in Mato Grosso do Sul, executing Nísio Gomes, 59, chief of the Guaraní Kaiowá and several other villagers. These attacks take place at the same time as Brazil consolidates its position as one of the leading exporters of agricultural goods and biofuels in the world, and Mato Grosso do Sul one of its most productive states.

Chile: Twitter User Organizes Christmas Giving Event in Iquique

  20 December 2011

Cristian Nuñez (@HombredeRadio), using the hashtag #Navidad140Iqq [es], invites Twitter users from Iquique (in northern Chile) to gather at 1:30 am on December 25 to hand out Christmas presents to the homeless and to children living in vulnerable situations. He shares more details in online citizen newspaper El Boyaldía [es].

Pakistan: Journalists Are Intimidated Not To Report

  20 December 2011

Referring to Pakistan Army's propaganda war in 1971, The Terrorland comments: “Pakistani generals have never learned from the past! Today, they are repeating the same criminal strategy in Balochistan as journalists from other parts of the country can’t go in that province for reporting.”