Stories from Quick Reads and U.S.A.
Palestinian writer Randa Jarrar dragged out of PEN America event for protesting
Palestinian American author Randa Jarrar was forcibly removed for disrupting ceasefire opponent Mayim Bialik by reading the names of Palestinian writers killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Gay penguin parenthood stories ruffle some conservative feathers
From Australia to United States, some conservatives are blocking the inclusion of gay penguin stories in schools and libraries.
Armenia and Azerbaijan take one step forward, three steps back in mending relations
Since active fighting ceased between Armenia and Azerbaijan in November 2020, following the 44-day war, there have been numerous attempts to normalize ties and relations between the two neighbors.
Could Using a Cell Phone in Iran Put You in Business with “Terrorists”?
Could using a cell phone in Iran entangle you with ”terrorists”? This might be the case if Iran's Revolutionary Guards who control the country's telecommunications monopoly are designated as “terrorists”. This is a possibility being discussed as U.S. politicians and lawmakers consider how stringently to impose economic sanctions on Iran once the sanctions related to the...
Do You Know These 10 Afro-Puerto Ricans?
The reclaiming of history as an ally of marginalized groups is key to their very survival. This is especially true in a colonial context such as Puerto Rico, where history has been and continues to be used as a means to justify inequalities and deny visibility. In the spirit of...
Trials of Being an African Musician in New York
Osekre, the leader of New York based Afro-punk band Osekre and The Lucky Bastards, reveals the trials and tribulations of being an African musician in New York: I wish I received a heads up by friends in the real world about the reality of being a musician in New York City....
A Chilean Real-Time Video App Launches at the Boston Marathon
The application RhinoBirdTV, developed by the Chilean Felipe Heusser, who founded the NGO Ciudadano Inteligente, allows users to share video experiences in real time. The makers of RhinoBirdTV hope their product will help facilitate a more democratic world by breaking down boundaries and connecting people through simple-to-distribute live videos. RhinoBirdTV chose to launch its Android version on...
How a Celebrity's Facebook Check-In Brought Down a Brigade in Taiwan
After the photos of the unauthorized tour to Apache helicopters AH-64E were posted on Facebook, 18 militant officials were disciplined.
Open Letter to 60 Minutes Regarding Its Reporting on Africa
Scholars, writers, journalists and researchers write an open letter to 60 Minutes producer about the misrepresentation of Africa by the Tv program: Dear Jeff Fager, Executive Producer of CBS 60 Minutes, We, the undersigned, are writing to express our grave concern about the frequent and recurring misrepresentation of the African...
Macedonian Journalist Describes How It Feels to Be Subject of State Surveillance
Prominent investigative journalist Meri Jordanovska wrote a testimony about her experience on receiving evidence that she was one of allegedly twenty thousand individuals who have been subjected to state surveillance in Macedonia. In an op-ed on Balkan Insight, Jordanovska explains: Each report on one of my wiretapped conversations was true:...
Protecting Native American Sacred Sites
An original post published on January 29, 2014, on the US Department of Agriculture blog was republished in several websites about Native Americans. It refers to analysis and protection of historical findings at holy grounds of the Lacota tribe and the efforts of Department of Agriculture to cooperate with local leaders and learn from...
U.S.A.: Migratory Reform, An Incomplete Solution
President Barack Obama's announcement regarding migratory reform, introduced via executive action, generates, on one hand, relief within the Latino community. On the other hand, however, there are voices expressing discontent. Sonia Tejada explains that, although the measure grants undocumented migrants three-year working permits, that will benefiit five million people, it...
Telling Puerto Rican Stories on the Web
Esta Vida Boricua [This Boricua Life] is a digital storytelling project which explores the past and present of Puerto Rico through the collection of experiences of people from all walks of life and all ages. At its most basic level, it is “a place to share stories,” as explained in...
U.S. Authorities Seek Data on Indymedia Athens
On September 5, the U.S. Department of Justice issued to the organization and Web hosting provider May First an inquiry about one of its members, Greece-based Center for Independent Media Athens, also known as Indymedia Athens. Founded in 2005, May First is a non-profit organization dedicated to provide cooperative Internet services, such as...
Covert Surveillance ‘Project Speargun’ Fires Up New Zealand Election
ANNA MAJAVU of Pacific Media Watch reports for The Daily Blog on an extraordinary event in Auckland on 15 September 2014: NEW ZEALAND Prime Minister John Key has been accused of allowing the secret installation of equipment that would enable spooks to tap into New Zealand’s undersea fibre optic cable...
Migrant Children from Central America Are Not Mere Statistics
In an opinion piece for the American newspaper Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Global Voices contributor Jamie Stark wonders, “What kind of parent would pay $10,000 for a stranger to bring a child 1,400 miles through gangland and hostile border crossings? A good parent, perhaps.” As a concerned citizen about the crisis of...
An Election Film Week in Lebanon to Say #NoToExtension of Parliament Term
What better than the seventh art to mobilize? In another effort to push for Elections in Lebanon and prevent an extension of the Parliamentary term #NoToExtension, Lebanese NGO Nahwa Al Muwatiniya (meaning Towards Citizenship) held an “Election Film Week”. Six works from Chile, Iran, China, Ghana and the US, varying between documentaries...
Eerie Similarities in Deaths Provoked by Police Brutality in Staten Island and Paris
Eric Garner was a 44-year-old African-American man who died following an attempted arrest by the NY Police Department. On July 17, 2014, when police officers attempted to arrest Garner, he had broken up a fight. Garner who suffered from asthma was wrestled to the ground. Medical examiners concluded chokehold and...
How Kenyans Can Lead a Double Life in the US
Danstan Obara shows how Kenyans can lead a double life in the US: The American double life starts by making sure that your social security card does not have the stamp that says “Valid for work only with INS authorization”. The things that people do to get rid of this...
A Documentary That Allows Transgender People's Voices to Be Heard
Though gays and lesbians are gradually gaining more acceptance in Puerto Rico, the same cannot be said yet of transgender people. That is why a film like Mala Mala, a documentary in which trans people speak freely about their stories, is so important. The film, directed by Dan Sickles (@dan_sickles) and...
What We Take With Us
From Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, Madame Gumbeaux tells she will return to live in the United States in a few weeks, and lists what she will miss… and other things she won't: I will miss…. 1. the guy on the motorbike who rides through the ‘hood twice a day,...