Stories from Quick Reads from December, 2012
All About Grassroots Change Movements
Gaurav Mishra analyzes the dynamics of grassroots change movements and how they work to make an impact in the mainstream using social media.
Dhaka Will Soon Have A Crowdsourced Bus Map
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and home to millions, but the megacity doesn’t have a bus map.
An Open Letter to President Hugo Chavez, from El Salvador
From El Salvador, Paolo Lüers, the blogger on Columna transversal, posts an open letter [es] to Venezuelan President, Mr Hugo Chavez, and tells him “something that the few ones who have access to you don't dare to tell you, or aren't interested in telling you”, and ends up his letter...
Costa Rica: Of Mills and a New Year
There were days when I felt the mill go slowly, too slowly, desperately slowly. Other days, I felt the mill spinning vertiginously, so I couldn't take a breathe and just wanted to get off the mill and run away. Heidy, from Mi mundo mágico (My magic world) draws a parallel...
“Bogotá's Traffic Jams Are Horrific Now? Well, Just Wait!”
Mike's Bogota Blog rants about traffic jams in Colombian capital city, Bogotá, and foresees the situation can only get worse: Congress, in all its wisdom, has included in the tax reform bill which it just passed and Pres. Santos will sign, a cut in gasoline prices. Colombians will cheer and...
“Nobody Gets Mad on the Last Day”
Remembering his school days, Tomas Bradanovic [es] writes on his self-named blog “at elementary school, the last day of school year was the occasion for commiting any kind of mischievousness because there was no point for us to be sent to the principal's office”. Then, he reviews his own 2012...
Top Five Moments for Argentina in 2012
Javier, the blogger of Fin del Capitalismo ¿Salvaje? (End of wild? Capitalism), lists the five top moments [es] in Argentina in 2012.
Bolivia: Nationalization and football
From Bolivia, blogger Eduardo Bowles refers to the nationalization of Spanish company Iberdrola [es]: […] amidst a severe credibility crisis and when the bumpings with Chile weren't enough for “beating around the bush”, MAS regime has ordered the nationalization of four branches of Spanish multinational Iberdrola, thus putting an end...
Cambodia: Major Events of 2012
Albeiro Rodas reviews the major events and issues in Cambodia in the year 2012. He mentions the passing away of King Norodom Sihanouk as the most important event in Cambodia in the past year.
Cambodia: Timeline of Human Rights Violations
Sithi provides a timeline of human rights violations in Cambodia from 1993 up to the present. This documentation project also highlights the rise of human right abuses involving land ownership.
Thailand's ‘Skype Doctors’
“Virtual ER”, launched in 2011, serves as a direct means of communication between BNH Hospital's Emergency Room and patients via Skype…Patients or helpers can speak to and see the nurses in the ER from wherever they are with simple tools including internet connection, a computer, a tablet PC or a...
A Memorable 2012 for Myanmar
Burma has experienced a lot of political and social turbulence throughout the past year. Like a dilapidated taxi driving in torrential rain, the country is still moving forward but things looks risky. We can only hope that 2013 sees better weather ahead. Writing for The Irrawaddy, Kyaw Zwa Moe reviews...
Sri Lanka's Judiciary-Executive clash
Law and Other Things has updates on the proceedings that were initiated in the Sri Lankan Parliament to impeach the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Dr Shirani Bandaranayake.
China's Biggest Criminal Cases of 2012
Barry van Wyk from Danwei has written a round-up summary of the top ten biggest criminal cases in China in 2012.
MENA: Acclaimed Authors’ Favorites of 2012
M. Lynx Qualey, blogger, who is interested in Arab and Arabic literature, wrote a series of posts introducing acclaimed Arab poets, novelists, and short-story writers’ favorite Arab reads of 2012. She started with a list of nonfiction books, then followed by a list for poetry [En] and fiction [En].
Kenya: Teaching Ethnic Tolerance Through Science Fiction
Kenyan children are taught ethnic tolerance through science fiction: “Attack of the Shidas:AKAs Save the Planet” is the story of three communities who live in a desert town which depends on a lone borehole for all their water. But the people are threatened when they discover that the water is...
South Africa: Local Device for Selling Prepaid Mobile Services
Zafir Khan shows how cloud computing is enabling entrepreneurship in Africa: “Nomanini, a startup based in South Africa, built a device that enables local entrepreneurs like Vuyile to sell prepaid mobile services in their communities. The Lula (which means “easy” in colloquial Zulu), is a portable voucher sales terminal that...
Earthling – Sexuality in a British Somali Family
Sokari writes about Earthling, a short story by Diriye Osman: “Set in Peckkahm south London, Diriye explores sexuality and sister to sister relationships in a British Somali family where desires to be married and to live out of the closet are set against each other. Mental illness and death, two...
2015 is the Year of Oil and Gas in Lebanon
The year 2015 will be the Lebanese year for oil and gas exploration according to a timeline, which is supposed to be approved by the cabinet, and which is posted by the Lebanon Spring Blog.
Lebanon's National Football Team Scandal
“If it’s true that there are many players involved in match-fixing, of which 9 players are in the National Team, then you can kiss Football goodbye in Lebanon.” This is how Blog Baladi summed up his response to reports about the match-fixing scandal that has been going on for years and...
30 Brilliant African Tech Startups
Ventureburn present a sampling of African talent in this list of 30 brilliant tech startups.
