Stories from 22 January 2014
Traditional Puerto Rican Saint Sebastian Street Festival Fills Every Corner of Old San Juan
The festival has lost much of its religious character, and has transformed more into a city festivity that attracts more than 300,000 people annually.
Who Bears the Cost of Russia's Olympics?
Accusations of corruption continue to plague Sochi Olympic preparations.
How Protecting the Environment and Fighting Poverty Are Linked in Madagascar
Madagascar's disappearing ecosystem cannot sustain its population any longer. But solutions do exist.
Online Petition to Stop Torture in Tajikistan
An increasing number of social media users in Tajikistan are calling on their friends and followers to sign an online petition [ru] to pressure the country's authorities to stop the use of torture. The petition was started following the death of an opposition party activist, 34-year old Umed Tojiev, in a Tajik prison...
Kyrgyz Scholar: Marijuana Legalization Keeps Governments in Power
As US President Barack Obama's recent comments on marijuana reignite the liberalization debate across the world, including in Kyrgyzstan, a Kyrgyz scholar offers a non-mainstream explanation for the decriminalization of marijuana in a number of countries. In a blog post on kloop.kg, Dr. Rustam Tukhvatshin claims [ru] that legalization helps governments...
Kazakh Rapper Asks Fans for Money to Finish a “Political” Song
Kazakh rapper Takezhan (Oteghaliev) has reached out to his fans to help fund the production of a new song. In a video [ru] posted on his blog, the rapper sings for his fans and asks them for financial help to finish a “political rap [song]” he is working on. Takezhan,...
The Worrisome Job Market Projection in Burkina Faso
The AFDB published its country report for Burkina Faso in which it highlights the worrisome job market trend [fr] for the next decade : Sept burkinabè sur dix ont moins de 30 ans. Le nombre de jeunes (15-24 ans), primo demandeurs d’emplois, doublera entre 2010 et 2030, passant de trois à six millions...
How the Vietnamese are Using Facebook Pages
Despite being regularly blocked by the government, Facebook continues to grow in terms of users in Vietnam. Patrick Sharbaugh of Vietmeme explains how Vietnamese are maximizing Facebook pages: …they don’t use it only for posting personal information, but often for creating temporary civil society communities and advocating for pet causes....
Rule of Law Overturned in Nauru
The government of the tiny pacific island nation of Nauru has caused a legal and political storm by getting rid of its senior judiciary.
10 Documentaries on South American Music to Watch Online
Nick MacWilliam from the blog Sounds and Colours has compiled a list of 10 documentaries, “looking at all manner of musical styles and movements from the region, with films focused on Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Venezuela.” This list makes no attempt to rank the films, nor does it...
Political Propaganda in the New Panamanian Passports?
The new electronic passports issued by Panama carry in its pages images of accomplishments by the government of Ricardo Martinelli. The move has generated irritation and reactions.
As Darkness Falls – Berlin Conference
Berlin is welcoming the digital intelligentsia to a conference this weekend (January 25-26) on “self-empowerment in the age of digital control”. Speakers at the event, As Darkness Falls, include Jacob Appelbaum, Bruce Sterling, Micah Sifry, Evgeny Morozov and from Global Voices, Asteris Masouras (@asteris). See program in English and German....
Cambodia Garment Workers Demand $160 Monthly Minimum Wage
The poster illustrates the $160 monthly minimum wage demand of Cambodia garment workers.The current standard is $80 but the government is only willing to grant a $15 increase. A nationwide strike was launched by workers last December but this was violently dispersed by the police early this month.
Trinidad & Tobago: Hair You Have It
As my hair started to emerge in all its mad curly glory I became overwhelmed by a sense of how completely we have been made to hate ourselves. Tillah Willah says farewell to her dreadlocks and explains how “your hair can teach you a lot about your own complexities.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Little Things Make a Difference
ban-d-wagonist posts a video that offers “simple suggestions on how ordinary citizens can create a better T&T.”
Major US Drug Bust Forces Trinidad & Tobago to Confront Parallel Economy
News that a cocaine shipment with a street value of US $100 million was intercepted in Virginia, has T&T netizens pondering whether the country is becoming a narco state.
