· July, 2012

Below are posts about citizen media in English. Don't miss Global Voices, where Global Voices posts are translated into English! Read about our Lingua project to learn more about how Global Voices content is being translated into other languages.

Stories about English from July, 2012

Taiwan: Threat of Media Monopoly and Power Abuse

  30 July 2012

Taiwanese civil society is worried that the acquisition of cable TV services by Want Want China Times would result in political censorship, in particular on mainland China news. A recent staged scandal against a scholar leading the campaign against the acquisition has shown the public the devastating effect of media monopoly and abusive use of media power.

Bahrain: ‘Boycott the Olympics’

Many Bahrainis are calling for the Olympics to be boycotted. First, a royal, who is allegedly personally involved in the torture of athletes, is attending the games. Second, most of the Bahraini squad is made up of African athletes.

Jamaica: Campaign to Exonerate Marcus Garvey – Part 2

  29 July 2012

Jamaican diaspora blogger Geoffrey Philp has been working tirelessly to gather signatures for the online campaign to exonerate Marcus Garvey, who, in the early 1920s, was convicted and sentenced to prison on charges of mail fraud involving his Black Star Line shipping company. In this follow-up post, Geoffrey discusses why he thinks it is important for Garvey's name to be cleared and why it should be done under the Obama administration.

China: ‘Violent’ Pipeline Protest in Qidong

  29 July 2012

Violence that broke out during a protest against a pipeline construction project in China's Qidong province has split opinion online. The project would channel wastewater from a Japanese owned paper mill into the sea and has raised environmental concerns.

Thailand: Doughnuts for National Reconciliation

  29 July 2012

Supporters of Thailand’s ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is currently in exile, celebrated his 64th birthday by distributing 64,000 doughnuts to underprivileged children. The campaign is also said to be a 'gesture of national reconciliation.' But netizens have questioned the wisdom of distributing doughnuts instead of spending on the more essential needs of the poor

Laos: Participation in 2012 Olympics

  29 July 2012

Laos sent three athletes to the 2012 London Olympics. An employee of the United Nations World Food Programme in Laos also represented the country when she was invited to become an Olympic torchbearer early this month

Cambodia: Primer on Preah Vihear

  29 July 2012

Cambodia publishes a primer of Preah Vihear Temple which was listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 2008. The location of the temple became controversial in recent years because it's being claimed by Thailand.

Africa: Contemporary African Artistry Online

  28 July 2012

Usanii Afrika is a blog that showcases contemporary African artistry: “Usanii Afrika (meaning Artistry Africa in Swahili) is a blog born out of passion. Innately creative herself, blogger, Kirsty Macdonald has had a life long love affair with the arts and self expression.”

Africa: Speaking My Language

  28 July 2012

Read Ngugi wa Thiong’o's address at the 2012 Sunday Times Literary Awards in South Africa: “One of the basic, most fundamental means of individual and communal self realization is language. That’s why the right to language is a human right, like all the other rights, enshrined in the constitution. It’s...

Reasons to Boycott the Olympics?

  28 July 2012

With any major event, there are both celebrating and dissenting voices. The Olympics is no exception, and there are bloggers from across the world making their voices heard on why they will be boycotting London 2012.

Russia: Senator Wants Criminal Case Against Satirical Blogger

Novgorod Senator Dmitri Krivitskii has accused [ru] local blogger Vadim Beriashvili of violating the Russian criminal code's infamous Article 282 [en], alleging that he incited hatred against “a social group” when he wrote [ru] facetiously in April 2012 about Senator Krivitskii's suspiciously low income declaration. After local investigators questioned Beriashvili, he responded by filing...

East Asia: Flourishing Illegal Trade in ‘Captive Bred’ Exotic Birds

  28 July 2012

According to a July 2012 report from the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC), many endangered birds that are sold as captive bred have actually been caught in the wild and smuggled out of their original habitats under cruel conditions. An ID registration scheme for captive bred parrots introduced in Taiwan enables clear identification of legally saleable birds to try and combat this problem.

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