Stories about Digital Activism from November, 2007
Syria: Even Amazon is Blocked
Egyptian blogger Zeinobis lists some of the sites blocked in Syria – which include Amazon, hotmail, Skype, blogger and Facebook.
Slovenia: Piran; Future of Foreign Correspondents
Jennifer Dorroh posts pictures of Piran and links to her article in the American Journalism Review on how “multimedia journalists may change the definition of ‘foreign correspondent’.”
Egypt: Activist's Yahoo Account Suspended
Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas, whose YouTube account has recently been suspended, suffers a new blow (Ar) – this time from Yahoo – which has since disabled his Yahoo email account.
Egypt: Seven Years for Murder
Egyptian bloggers this week rejoice over the imprisonment of corrupt police officers, who tortured a carpenter to death. The celebration is all the more special, following the sentencing of men in uniform who tortured Emad Al Kabir. In this post, bloggers remind us that their happiness is short-lived, as abuse is rife and freedom of expression continues to be curtailed.
Puerto Rico: Jump-Starting the Economy
Dondequiera has “a list of actions, not goals” to help jump-start the Puerto Rican economy.
Cuba, Venezuela: Changing Into Cuba?
Child of the Revolution reports on the reaction to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's proposed constitutional changes: “Not surprisingly, many Venezuelans think the changes go too far – turning the oil-rich nation into ‘another Cuba'”.
Barbados: Independence Day
It's All Good and Barbados Underground wish their fellow Barbadians a Happy 41st Independence Day!
Anguilla: Invasive vs. Native
As a common beach plant threatens to take over the island of Sombrero and eliminate the remaining native species, Corruption-free Anguilla asks: “Why are they spending money sending people to invasive species workshops if we then fail to do the actual work?”
Bahrain: YouTube Wrong
Bahraini cyberactivist Esra'a reacts to the suspension of Egyptian human rights campaigner Wael Abbas‘ YouTube account here.
Russia: Video Interview With Ludmila Alekseeva
Robert Amsterdam posts a YouTube interview with human rights activist Ludmila Alekseeva (in Russian, with English subtitles).
Russia: Minor Attacks on the Opposition
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis posts another pre-election update that covers some virtual and real-life attacks on the opposition.
Brazil: Social blogging for Christmas 2007
Yassuda [pt] invites other Brazilian bloggers to join a ‘social blogging’ campaign. The idea is to get bloggers to choose a non profit organization and try to use their blogs to help it – writing about the organization and asking for donations: toys, a Christmas supper, food, clothing, or even...
Bahamas: Renewable Energy
“Since we rely heavily on tourism, we are especially vulnerable to the negative consequences of petroleum use”: Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit thinks that the island has the potential to set the renewable energy pace for the rest of the region.
Jamaica: My Jamaica
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp blogs about the land of his birth.
Haiti: Reforestation
Haiti Innovation says that “Haiti is not even in the game when it comes to preserving the environment.”
Belarus: Rock Music and the Regime
Lukashenko's regime makes Belarusian “half-prohibited” rock musicians an offer they can't refuse; TOL's Belarus writes about Belarusian bloggers’ reactions.
Russia: Pre-Election Update
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis posts another entry on the pre-election situation in Russia. Here's one of the highlights: “Kasparov's movement United Civilian Front (OGF) started a picket at the doors of the police department demanding to liberate Kasparov. The picket where only one person participates need not be preliminary...
Cuba: Human Development Index
Child of the Revolution blogs about Cuba's ranking on the United Nations’ 2007-2008 Human Development Index.
Barbados: Paying The Piper?
Cheese-on-bread! suspects that many of the latest developments in Barbados are “all part of the politics game, but I'd rather my Government admit times are tough…than lull us all into a false sense of comfort.”
Haiti: Going Solar?
Denise Green writes in to Haiti Innovation wondering “if the government ever thinks about solar thermal technology as an alternative to electrical power? We should exploit the one resource that we always have plenty of – the Sun!”
Egypt: YouTube Disables Activist's Account
A storm is brewing in the Egyptian blogosphere after video hosting site You Tube removed several videos featuring policemen torturing victims from their site. "This is by far the biggest blow to the anti-torture movement in Egypt," writes Wael Abbas, an award winning blogger, whose videos capturing the torture of victims at the hands of police were removed from You Tube. What are the other bloggers saying?
