Stories about English from January, 2012
Trinidad & Tobago: Reviving Capital Punishment?
Plain Talk comments on the issue of capital punishment: “The sad reality is that this pantomime only continues because the people are starved for choice, so every now and then...
Cuba: No Political Reforms
Cuban bloggers discuss the national Communist Party conference, which took place this past weekend.
Jamaica: Types of Racism
“Racists in Jamaica come in at least two varieties: upfront and down-low”: Jamaica Woman Tongue explains.
US, Russia: The Flying Balalaika Brothers Bridge Cultural Gaps in Texas
Like many of their compatriots, musicians Zhenya Kolykhanov and Sergey Vaschenko emigrated from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and have since established themselves in Austin, Texas. Through their band, The Flying Balalaika Brothers, and a non-profit called Musical Connections, they work to bridge cultural gaps by exposing Texans to international art.
Malaysia: Temiar Blockade and Indigenous Rights
Eight indigenous peoples were arrested in Malaysia for attempting to set up a blockade and prevent loggers from entering their village. The villagers are against the agricultural project of the government which would require the cutting down of forest trees in their ancestral land. Human rights lawyers, activists and netizens react .
India: Videocast on Pongal Celebrations
Kamla Bhatt features Dr. Geeta Vasudevan of Chennai, who describes the significance of Pongal (harvest festival) celebrations in Pondicherry & Chennai in a videocast.
India, Bangladesh: Cattle Trade And Border Killings
The New Horizon thinks that cattle trade is the major root cause behind the regular border killings at India-Bangladesh border.
India: Tiny Travel Tales Contest
Clay, the travel and holiday blog of Club Mahindra, is organizing a short story contest on travel. The last date of submission of posts is February 5, 2012.
India: Jaipur Literature Fest Fashion
Jaipur Literature Festival, the largest literary festival in Asia-Pacific, has recently ended. Wearabout blog posts some pictures of festival fashion among the eclectic mix of men from all over; artists,...
Sri Lanka: Kala Pola (Art Mart) Sunday
The 17th annual Kala Pola (Art Mart), the biggest open air gallery for paintings in Colombo, took place on Sunday, January 29, 2012. Dee and Indi shared their experiences and...
India: New Challenges to Fight Tuberculosis Worldwide
India’s media sphere exploded last week with reports from Mumbai of a tuberculosis strain (TDR-TB) completely resistant to all known treatment. As the World Health Organization released a statement refuting the term TDR-TB, the blogosphere erupted to remind whatever they call it, they should do something about it.
UK: #TwitterKurds Organize First Social Media Gathering in London
A group of Kurdish Internet activists that have been organizing around the #TwitterKurds hashtag on Twitter have come together for the first Kurdish Social Media Gathering earlier this month in London. The event was live streamed and joined in via Skype and YouTube by those who could not be there physically, although there were participants who had traveled from as far as Australia to participate.
Slovakia: Protesting Corruption, Protesting “Gorilla”
The Economist's Eastern Approaches blog writes about Slovakia's corruption scandal caused by the leaked info from the 2005-06 wiretapping operation codenamed “Gorilla” (more – here). On Friday, Jan. 27, an...
Brazil: ‘Vale’ is Elected the World's Worst Corporation
Researcher Telma Monteiro wrote on her blog [pt] about the election of the Brazilian mining company Vale as the world's worst corporation of 2011, with over 25,000 votes on the...
Australia Day: Fury Follows Aboriginal Tent Embassy Protest
Australia Day ceremonies are usually the dullest of events. But not when Australia’s political leaders are together just walking distance from a gathering at the contentious Aboriginal Tent Embassy. Kevin Rennie reports.
Indonesia: Promoting E-Commerce Among Small Businesses
Google partners with Indonesian private and government sectors to bring 100,000 Indonesian small and medium businesses online by the end of 2012. The initiative is called Bisnis Lokal Go Online
Singapore: Greening Initiative
Singapore Sojourn mentions the programs of the government and initiatives from the private sector to make Singapore a greener city.
South Sudan: Urgent Steps Needed to Counter Inter-Communal Violence
Urgent steps are needed to counter inter-communal violence in South Sudan: “Inter-communal violence in Jonglei and throughout South Sudan, while traditionally cyclical in nature, is not inevitable. The causes of...
Equatorial Guinea: A Story Idea for Journalists Covering the Africa Cup of Nations
Shelby Grossman shares a story idea for journalists covering the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea: ” There is a fear among those who have been in the country...
Ethiopia: Standing With Ethiopia's Tenacious Blogger
Standing with Ethiopia's jailed blogger: “It would be hard to find a better symbol of media repression in Africa than Eskinder Nega. The veteran Ethiopian journalist and dissident blogger has...
Africa: How Africa Tweets
Young people Tweeting from mobile devices are driving the growth of Twitter in Africa, according to How Africa Tweets, new research launched by Portland: “In the first ever attempt to...
