Stories about Photos from August, 2012
Kazakhstan: Olympic Veterans and New Champions
Team Kazakhstan's 13 medals, including seven golds, taken at the London Olympics were nothing short of triumph. Vox Populi posts [ru] photos of Kazakhstani athletes who triumphed in London and adds [ru] images of the country's celebrated Olympic champions from decades past.
Ghana: President's Funeral in Pictures
Nana Kofi Acquah shares photos of the funeral of Ghanaian President: “I promised to update my blog with more pictures from today's funeral and here they are.”
Spain: Expropriation of Food for the Most Needy
Politicians and labor unionists have expropriated food from supermarkets in order to give it to the most needy in times in which Spain is experiencing a serious socioeconomic crisis. Chris Moya writes about the action that has caused a commotion in the country.
Morocco: Students Demand Education Reform
In July, a group of Moroccan students launched a Facebook page called "The Union of Moroccan Students to Change the Education System". In less than a month, it attracted unprecedented support using social media.
Tajikistan: Female Boxer Fights Odds, Wins Olympic Bronze
"I hope Chorieva will become a motivation for other Tajik girls and women, and we will have more female champions in future. It doesn't matter whether she wins or loses, she has already broken a social stereotype."
Puerto Rico: “Ateorizar” Takes Atheism Online
Finding an absence of online projects in Spanish about atheism, Puerto Rican blogger Manolo Matos started "Ateorizar." The podcast will be going to its third season next October, and the blog has received over 150,000 visits. Matos talks to Global Voices about his project.
Dominican Republic: Pride and Celebration of Félix Sánchez's Gold
Dominican Republic celebrates the gold and silver medals of Félix Sánchez and Luguelín Santos respectively. This marks the first time the country takes home two medals in Olympic Athletics events. Domincan netizens express their happiness and pride on Twitter.
Historic Photos Commemorate 1988 Myanmar Uprising Anniversary
August 8, 2012, marks the 24th anniversary of the largest uprising in Myanmar's political history - the 1988 pro-democracy protests. A Facebook page known as Myanmar Political Review was created in July and gathered 1,000+ fans in few days, shared several rare photos of the 1988 uprising.
Philippines: Criticism of Government's Response to Major Flooding
"Ultimately, the Aquino administration reveals its true ‘bosses’: not the Filipino working class and the millions of other hard-working Filipinos, but the greedy corporations and capitalists."
Puerto Rico: Racist Tweets Against Obama Cause Outrage
Heidi Wys Toro, one of the advisors of the current speaker of Puerto Rico's House of Representatives Jennifer González, posted some racist comments about the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle on Twitter. This is not the first time that Wys, who favors that Puerto Rico becomes a state of the United States, used this network to insult president Obama.
Georgia: War Photography
Just before today's fourth anniversary of the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War, Georgian Photographers features a post accompanied by photos from George Tsagareli on documenting conflict in the Caucasus.
Brazil: Prisoners Get Four Days Off Sentence Per Book Read
Recently, the government of Brazil launched a new initiative whereby reading books related to classic national literature, science or philosophy can reduce prisoners' jail sentences. However, according to a 2006 report 8% of the country's inmates were illiterate and 70% hadn't completed primary education.
Puerto Rico: Javier Culson Wins Historic Bronze Medal
The athlete Javier Culson won Puerto Rico's first ever medal in athletics. This medal takes the count to 7 medals in the country's history: 5 bronze and 1 silver in boxing, and 1 bronze in athletics. This is the first Olympic medal for the country since 1996. Puerto Rican netizens celebrated this historic achievement.
Philippines: Floods Hit Metro Manila and Nearby Provinces
Strong rains caused huge floods in many parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in the Luzon Island of the Philippines. Manila-based Global Voices editor Mong Palatino gathers photos from social media platforms which show the extent of flooding in the country's capital
Armenia: Conan O'Brien's Yerevan T-Shirt
Ianyan curates responses to the appearance on air of U.S. TV host Conan O'Brien wearing a T-Shirt sporting the name of Armenia's capital, Yerevan. The Storify post also details how the garment came into the television celebrity's possession.
Iraq: Six Months Before the US Invasion
Blogger Maryam Monalisa Gharavi posts some photographs on her blog South/South of Iraq six months before the US invasion.
Puerto Rico: Celebrating Javier Culson's Success in London 2012 Olympics
Puerto Rican netizens are brimming with pride and support after the athlete, Javier Culson, reached the semifinals in the 400m hurdles. Culson is considered to have a strong chance of bringing home Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold medal in its history.
Puerto Rico: Blogger's Book Doesn't Shy Away From a Good Brawl
"Reyerta TV" (Brawl TV) is a short story collection written by Puerto Rican writer and blogger Juanluis Ramos. It is a wonderful collection of grainy, technicolored, pop-culture inspired windows into fully realized worlds that revel in television's classic tropes.
Georgia: Civil Society Mobilizes After Armenia-Azerbaijan Clashes
With tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the rise, civil society activists and journalists from both countries last month convened in a small ethnic Azeri village in neighboring Georgia.
Costa Rica: ‘We Are All Karina’ Campaign for Dismissed Vice-Minister
Men and women are getting their picture taken with hand-written signs saying, "We are all Karina" to show support for Vice-Minister Karina Bolaños, who was dismissed after a video surfaced where she appeared in underwear speaking to a lover. Karina was black-mailed for years regarding the video, and once she stopped paying, the video was distributed to media and social networks, leading to her dismissal by President Laura Chinchilla.
Sao Tome and Principe: Deforestation of an Area of Unique Biodiversity
“In the distance a bulldozer was relentlessly doing its work while the whole landscape seemed to be mourning the destruction.” denounced [pt] João Pedro Pio, a biologist living in Sao Tome and Principe, after visiting a former forest known for its unique biodiversity. The area – mapped on his photopost –...