Stories from 9 January 2012
Cuba: Reports of Repression
babalu reports on “another wave of repression against the island's peaceful human rights activists” here and here.
Puerto Rico: A Shift in the Dialogue
Gil the Jenius is heartbroken by the fact that his inner voice is changing: “When Our inner voice changes, everything else changes as well. Mine is going from ‘adventure’ to ‘caution,’ while that of many of My Brethren is going from ‘I don't care’ to ‘I'm getting out of here.’...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Getting Tourism Right
“There is a St Vincent we love…and to our delight CNN, New York Times Travel and Travel and leisure have placed our island paradise on their top spots to visit in 2012″: But, says Abeni, “The ball is firmly in our court to create a favorable impression since we'd only...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Silk Situation
Plain Talk gives his take on “the public brouhaha that erupted over the controversial awarding of ‘Silk’ to the Chief Justice and fellow Justice Wendell Kangaloo among others…”
Cuba: Communist Party Conference
As the next Communist Party Conference approaches, Generation Y says: “The time ‘purchased’ last April during the Party Congress is about to end. The political reforms are urgent and even the system’s most faithful have begun to despair.”
Jamaica: Playing Dead
Active Voice takes notice of a story in which a man, after being shot by police, “declined to allow himself to be pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital”, saying: “I sincerely hope the media will monitor the progress of this case. Otherwise no prize for guessing what happens next....
U.S.A : Pizza Chain Employee Uses Racial Slur Against Asian Woman
A Papa John’s employee in New York city identified a Korean woman named Minhee Cho as “lady chinky eyes”. This racial slur against Asians caught the attention of local and international media as Cho tweeted a photo of the receipt.
Iran: A Court Sentences an Iranian American to death
1freedomseeker reported a court in Tehran has sentenced to death an Iranian American who was convicted of spying for the Central Intelligence Agency. The blogger adds Abolghasem Salvati, this court's judge, sentenced [fa] three people to death in 48 hours.
Iran: Khazali was arrested again
Shoorezar reports [fa] Mehdi Khazali, a blogger, publisher and son of a leading conservative cleric and former Council of Guardians member, Ayatollah Khazali, was arrested again on Monday. He was beaten up by security forces. Read more here.
D.R. of Congo: Writings From DRC
Throwing Down the Water: Writings from the DRC is a blog by Emily Cavan Lynch: “I am currently working in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where internet and roads are both quite limited; please excuse any temporary disruptions in posting, or in responding to your comments,...
Ecuador: Latest Developments in Effort to Save the Yasuni Rainforest
Emily Achtenberg, in a post entitled ‘Oil Politics in Ecuador: Saving Yasuní, Without Chevron’s Blood Money’, reports on the latest developments in the government's initiative to save the Yasuní rainforest .
Nicaragua: Life in Villa Norte
In the blog Huella Libre [es], Fernando Guzman describes the difficult living conditions of residents of a settlement in Jinotega, Nicaragua, called Villa Norte.
Uruguay: Summer in Montevideo
Lola, in 7 neuronas [es] (“7 neurons”), provides some information and links to cultural and sports events that will take place during these Summer months in Montevideo.
Côte d'Ivoire: Uproar Over Unauthorized Press Use of Blogger's Photos
For the blogger and professional photographer Audrey Carlalie, the Christmas 2011 holidays were marked by the fact that her photos of a celebratory firework display were used by certain Ivorian newspapers without her authorization. Kanigui reports.
Japan: Web and Mobile Trends in 2011
Serkan Toto rounds up key trends that shaped Japan's web, mobile, and gaming industries in 2011.
European Union: ACTA and Citizens’ Digital Rights
Greek blogger Michalis Panagiotakis writes [el] about the upcoming ratification of ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) in the European Parliament, and the issues arising with regard to the restriction of citizens’ digital rights.
Japan: Cultural Misunderstandings and the Olympus Fraud Scandal
Sophie Knight explores how business culture misunderstandings between Michael Woodford and Olympus might have played a role in the happenings around the fraud exposure.
COP17: Young Trackers Share Final Thoughts on Climate Change Talks
Adopt a Negotiator Project trackers updated their blogs daily during the two weeks of climate change talks at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, COP17, held from November 28 to December 9, 2011, in South Africa. In this post we share some of their conclusions.
South Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis in the World's Newest Country
Less than a year since declaring its independence in July 2011 to become the world's newest country, South Sudan continues to face a humanitarian crisis especially in the wake of recent tribal clashes.
Israel, Ethiopia: Ethiopian Jews and Other Black Immigrants in Israel
Sibo Kanobana wrote in the blog Afro-Europe: “I visited Israel en Palestine during the Christmas holidays and saw many things I didn’t expect to see. One of these things is the striking presence of black people in urban Israel. They represent a diverse people of whom most are Ethiopian Jews...
Greece: Traditions and Customs on the “Day of Lights”
Epiphany or Theophany is when Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. In Greece, January 6 is traditionally known as Phota ("lights"). Join us in a small virtual tour of folk traditions around Greek islands and villages.
