Stories about Ideas from May, 2012
Syria: Curating @TweetWeekSyria
Have you heard about Rotation Curation? It is the process of rotating the spokesperson on a social media account. It was originated in December 2011, when a project called Curators of...
Belarus, Russia: An Online Charity Auction with People for Sale
The idea of auctions as a fundraising tool is not a new one in the charity world. Sometimes, there is even a market for people: dinners with celebrities and business-breakfasts are sold under the hammer, too. Now, Belorussian and Russian projects are putting this logic to use online today.
Video: Media Portrayals of Cities in the Global South
How do international media represent cities in South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East? Is it fair or helpful to development? A symposium of scholars from the London School...
Russia: Q&A with Tina Kandelaki
Tina Kandelaki is a Russian journalist, a TV celebrity and producer, a widely read blogger, and -- more recently -- a visible presence in Russian politics. Be it on the cover of Russian Maxim magazine or in her endorsement of Vladimir Putin, Kandelaki has aroused the interest and sometimes the ire of other prominent RuNet actors. Ms. Kandelaki recently spoke to GV about her public life.
Video: How Societies Work – a Look at Unconventional Arrangements
The VJ Movement has partnered with the London School of Economics to bring us videos and stories that attempt to show how societies in conflict and crisis-affected areas across the globe are facing their futures.
Video: Youth Media Organization Sign up for Mozilla Popcorn Story Camp
Mozilla will be running a free six weekly modules summer camp to empower youth to use online tools for telling compelling interactive stories. Youth organizations can sign up on behalf...
Italy: Army Evicts Art Workers from Occupied Building
The art worker's collective Macao in Milan, Italy were evicted from the second building they occupied in less than a month by army and police. The group aims to free more public space for the arts and highlight their precarious work conditions.
Elders Call on Youth to Help Lead the Way at Rio+20
A group of independent and former world leaders, The Elders, is calling on young leaders to help make a better world possible at the Rio+20 United Nations conference on sustainable development from June 20-22.
Guadeloupe: “Political Manipulation”
In a post entitled “On Kalkil Politik” [Cr], Guadeloupean blogger Gwakafwika explains his complete distrust in the recent appointment of 1 Guianese and 2 Guadeloupean-born Ministers in the new socialist...
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique: Ministers Appointed for Skills or as Tokens?
With a great majority of voters for candidate Hollande in the French presidential elections hailing from the overseas regions, French-Caribbean bloggers were impatient to see which French Guyanese, Martinican or Guadeloupean politicians would be assigned a key government ministry.
Macedonia: Graffiti Art in “Times of Revived Antiquity”
A short documentary on the Macedonian graffiti scene within the context of the state-sponsored art/construction boom, made by two female scientists and bloggers, has been shown at the renowned archeological conference Buffalo TAG 2012. Filip Stojanovski reports.
Bahamas: Bringing Balance to the “Corruption Narrative”
An interesting read on the Bahamas “Corruption Narrative”, here.
Video: Anatomy of a Good Advocacy Video by WITNESS
WITNESS, a site advocating for Human Rights Issues has produced a nice analysis of what makes a good Advocacy video, using Aristotle's’ Poetic regarding story arcs.
Greece: TEDxThessaloniki 2012, the Courage to Create
Twelve hours long, with more than 20 speakers and performers, over 700 attendees and 5.000 livestream viewers from 57 countries; on Saturday May 12, TEDx Thessaloniki 2012 provided an inspiring intermission from the agonizing climax of the financial crisis embroiling Greece.
China: Motor-Powered Breakfast Crepes
The Presurfer shares a video where we can see how the Beijing Jianbing is made. This large breakfast crepe is made possible thanks to a very steady hand and a...
Norway: Discussing Latin America at the Oslo Freedom Forum
Last week the fourth gathering of the Oslo Freedom Forum was carried out, organized by the Human Rights Foundation in the Norwegian capital. The event covered a series of topics that involved other world regions, including Latin America.
Saudi Arabia: May 7 Marked as Saudi Liberalism Day
On May 7 Saudi liberal activists gathered online to celebrate Saudi Liberalism Day, an initiative to acquire recognition and acceptance for liberal ideas.
China: Mother's Day
David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation blogs about Weibo users’ expression of love towards their mothers in May 13 mother's day.
China: In Bo Xilai Saga, Did Social Media Challenge Government?
Political struggle, murder, corruption, espionage and diplomatic conflict - the downfall of Bo Xilai from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) elite ranks has turned out to be a multi-faceted story. It is also a good example of the disruptive role that social media plays in today’s China.
Russia: Yavlinsky Stir Reveals Opposition Rift
True to Yabloko's troubled past and present, Yavlinksy's May 10 blog post criticizing protest escalations has upset many and pleased relatively few. Current developments in the opposition have widened the gap between populist dramatics and nuts-and-bolts politics.
China: Political Space of the Weibo Blogging Platform
Chicago University Sociology Professor Zhao Dingxin recently delivered a speech entitled "Weibo, Political Space and Chinese Development", which has triggered off some debate and reflections amongst Chinese netizens. Oiwan Lam reports.