Stories about Migration & Immigration from March, 2011
Haiti: Election Threats
The long-awaited Haitian election is finally scheduled to take place on March 20; the most recent political controversy involves presidential candidate Michel Martelly's threats to the media, accompanied by general references to grabbing power via “the streets”. Netizens are keeping a close check on developments…
Cuba, U.S.A.: Gross Sentence
Bloggers discuss the sentence handed down to U.S. citizen Alan Gross, who was convicted “of distributing equipment to connect to the Internet.”
Cuba: Letter to Dr. Biscet
“Your release is rightfully considered a victory for all who fight for a free Cuba and most of all, for you and your family”: Uncommon Sense writes an open letter to Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet.
Ukraine, Japan: Fukushima Discussion at Pripyat.com
Forum users of Pripyat.com (RUS), a portal devoted to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, are examining news reports and discussing the technical aspects of the situation at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and the response to it on the ground, pointing out some of the differences between the current disaster and...
Belarus: Petition to Move 2014 Ice Hockey Championship Elsewhere
Pyotr Kuznetsov posts a petition (RUS, ENG) to the International Ice Hockey Federation, drafted by Lithuania-based Belarusian opposition activists, in which they are proposing “to change the location of the [2014 ice hockey championship] from Belarus to another country” – because “[t]he atmosphere in Belarus and the actions of Mr....
Libya: Sub-Saharan Africans in Serious Danger
The crisis in Libya since the uprisings against Colonel Mouammar Gaddafi has not only had dramatic consequences for Libyans, but also for Sub-Saharan African citizens residing in Libya. Thousands of refugees are exposed to terrible conditions on journeys to the nearest borders, and numerous black Africans currently do not dare to leave their homes.
Cuba: The Release List
The Cuban Triangle has the list of the most recent Cuban prisoner releases.
Cuba: Brother of Hunger Striker Detained
“The joy of the announcement Thursday evening that Cuban prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet was about to be released from jail, was tempered by the news that another dissident, Rolando Rodríguez Lobaina had been arrested”: Uncommon Sense has the details.
Japan: Tweets From Lviv, Ukraine
Ukraine-based @hiranotakaci (Hirano Takaci) tweeted this (UKR) and this (UKR) a while ago: “As for the earthquake in Japan, it's chaos in my feeds now. No gas and electricity, fill bathtubs with water, metro trains aren't running. Don't go to the coast. […] Announcements that trains and metro won't be...
Japan: Russian Twitterers Report the Earthquake
The attention of Russian twitter-o-sphere is riveted on six Russian-speaking Twitterers that are currently reporting from Japan (all of them situated in different locations of the country): @msvetov, @japanreports, @mig22k, @sanmai, @touzoku, and @harunoko.
Cuba: Hunger Striker
“Just like Sisyphus forced to push his stone uphill for eternity, Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina is enduring his latest arbitrary incarceration as a punishment for his unwavering commitment to civil disobedience”: Crossing the Barbed Wire fears that another Cuban hunger striker may be close to death.
Trinidad & Tobago: 2011 Carnival Winners
Bloggers report on the big winners of this year's Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, here and here.
Jamaica: On Lent
“My view on Lent is that it is really meant to be a time for personal renewal”: Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac considers ways in which he can best honour the Lenten season.
The Forgotten Palestinian Refugees of Libya
More than 10 percent of Libya's inhabitants are immigrants and among them there are reportedly up to 70,000 Palestinian refugee settlers. As they flee violence in the country, the Palestinian Authority has tried to coordinate their evacuation, but lack of identity cards has seen them turned away from a border crossing in Egypt.
Russia: “Tutor/Nanny/Friend/Plaything”
English Man In Moscow, who seeks to be hired as a tutor by an affluent Russian family with kids, writes about a recent 3-hour “‘trial’ lesson” that he gave to a 9-year-old for $43/26 GBP/1,250 rubles per hour. (“Not a fortune, but at the low end of pay for private...
Macedonia: What About the Census?
A number of Balkan countries were scheduled to run a census this spring: Macedonia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Filip Stojanovski reviews what Macedonian bloggers are writing about the political aspects of the procedure.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Death Penalty Debate
“Rather than focus on trying to remove the perceived barriers to implementing the death penalty, the government should be focused on other things that don't need Opposition support for implementation”: KnowTnT.com blogs about the proposed re-institution of the death penalty.
Libya: The African Mercenary Question (Videos)
One of the more distressing sub-plots in the ongoing two-week uprising against Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi in Libya has been reports of the Libyan leader's alleged use of "foreign" or “African mercenaries” to prop up his falling regime, meaning "Sub-Saharan African" and “Black.” Why put a Black face on the mercenary story?
Cuba: Discussing the Crackdowns
Bloggers continue to discuss the crackdown on the Ladies in White and other dissidents, following the first anniversary of the death of prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo.
