Stories from 9 February 2012
Sri Lanka: Social Media Success Stories
Amitha Amarasinghe discusses the use of social media by the corporates in Sri Lanka and ponders whether there are any social media success stories in Sri Lanka.
Brazil: Is the Weather Wacky?
Talking about the weather may be mere elevator chit-chat but, come rain or shine, there is no honest conversation that does not make some reference to the weather. Obviously the online community could not remain silent on the issue. Especially not in the face of Brazil's readying for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20.
Maldives: Marred by Violence
The political crisis in the Maldives took an ugly turn Wednesday when the police brutally beat and injured supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Nasheed as they protested against what they claimed to be a coup that removed the island nation's first democratically elected president from power.
Cuba: Collapsing Capital?
“For Rogelio, 49, the need for housing is stronger than his fear of losing his life due to a collapse”: Iván's File Cabinet discusses the conundrum many inhabitants of Havana face.
Trinidad & Tobago: Seeing Siparia
MEP Publishers visits Siparia, a vibrant community that has had a fascinating part to play in the island's history.
Puerto Rico: Extraordinary Decisions
“What do you say when you meet someone you think is extraordinary? You should say ‘Hi!’ and then start a conversation,” says Gil the Jenius, who profiles the extraordinary Andrea Pérez, a speaker at the recently held TEDx San Juan.
Cuba: Pollan's Family Owed Apology
Iván García writes about the late leader of Las Damas de Blanco, Laura Pollan, recounting a violent assault on the group days before her death and saying: “If they have anything left of humanism and dignity, her assaulters owe a public apology to the family of Laura Pollan Toledo.” Pedazos...
Trinidad & Tobago: Cocoyea Craftiness
The cocoyea (pronounced Ko-ki-ye) is “the mid rib of the coconut leaf that is stripped with a knife” and has many uses, from bird-catching to kite-flying; in this post, Simply Trini Cooking explains how to make a broom out of it, which he calls “an integral part of our culture.”
Russia: DDoS Attack Puts Down Several Political Websites As Cyberwar Escalates
On February 9, 2012, following the widely-discussed leaks of pro-Kremlin mailboxes, LiveJournal, where the leaks were published, became temporarily unavailable, Lenta.ru reported [ru]. Russian representative of Anonymous group @OP_Russia, suggested [ru] that it was a DDoS attack to hide the evidence of massive wrongdoings (including corruption, thievery, political provocations, and cybercrime) [ru] by...
Cambodia: Demolition of Houses in Borei Keila
Forced evictions and land grabbing are getting worse in Cambodia. But the case which grabbed global attention involves the violent demolition of an urban poor community in Borei Keila located in central Phnom Penh. This is the story of the residents' struggle for their land and housing rights.
El Salvador: The Family Agriculture Plan
Colleen O'Brien from the blog Locavore del Mundo writes about The Family Agriculture Plan (PAF) in El Salvador, “a new act that was implemented in 2011 by the Ministry of Agriculture that aims to reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural production in order to revitalize the economy in the countryside.”
Russia: Three Conversations With Parents of Young Neo-Nazis
At OpenDemocracy.net, Olesya Gerasimenko talks to the parents of three young neo-Nazi men who were convicted of race murders: “One has adopted the views of their only child and says that violence is necessary. One blames the politicians that have incited adolescents to street fighting. One cries, convinced of the...
Spain: The Rebel Grandparents of the 15M
The majority of them far exceed the age of 60, they're retired, they're "iaios" (grandparents in Catalan) and they're veterans of activism. Lali Sandiumenge interviews some members of the “Iaioflautas”, a collective that emerged in Barcelona last October in the camp out at Plaza Catalunya.
Macedonia: Pondering Future Consequences of ACTA
While the authorities in Macedonia remain silent on the country's stance on the ACTA, bloggers, such as Airborne, emphasize the need to gain more knowledge [mk], as the traditional media mostly ignore the issue: “Maybe, one of these days, we'll just simply wake up in the ACTA-ruled world.” The new...
Mexico, USA: Journalist and Author Sam Quinones Starts Blogging
Author and journalist Sam Quinones has started a blog about “Los Angeles, Mexico, migrants, culture, drugs, neighborhoods, border, and good storytelling.” You can also follow him on Twitter: @samquinones7.
South Africa: Virgin Active Caught in Racism Row
South African newspapers ran a story recently about a South African woman who was racially abused in public at the Virgin Active gym in Morningside, Johannesburg. The story has caused a public outcry on social media which resulted in Virgin Active re-opening the investigation into the incident.
Argentina: Musician Luis Alberto Spinetta Dies
Luis Alberto Spinetta, "El Flaco", one of the most influential rock musicians in Argentina, died on February 8 from illness; Spinetta had lung cancer, diagnosed in July, 2011. The Twitter hashtag #ChauFlaco quickly started trending, bringing together the tweets of those wanting to express their emotions on the news of the death of one of the most legendary Argentine rock stars.
Sahel Region: 1.6 Million Children at Risk of Malnutrition
Afrik.com reports that [fr]: ” because of the low harvest and an increase of 60 to 80 % in cereal pricing, 10 millions people across Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad will be affected by food security issues, including 1.6 million children.”
South Korea: Activist Indicted for Retweeting North Korean Messages
South Korean prosecutors indicted a photographer last week for retweeting messages posted by the North Korean government's Twitter account. This case has sparked another round of debate on the country's controversial national security law which prohibits "acts benefiting the enemy" without specifying what constitutes such acts.
China: Another Grassroots Uprising in the North
Follow Wukan Uprising, Panhe Village in Zhejiang province is also revolting against local government and developer who are colluded to grab away villagers’ land. David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation has the story.
Malaysia: Organization Advocates for Human Rights Through Video
KOMAS is a Malaysian organisation that uses video production as a tool to educate and advocate for human rights in the areas of non-discrimination, citizenship, voter education and documentary filmmaking.
