· July, 2014

Stories from Quick Reads from July, 2014

“Very Difficult to Care about Madagascar”

  31 July 2014

Thomas Friedman recently traveled to Madagascar and posits that Americans need to pay more attention to the economic and ecological disaster that threatens the island. Some of his readers did not quite agree, like Deosinon in Philadelphia, who argues that Madagascar is too far removed from his needs : I...

Honduras Generates Employment with Community Activities

  30 July 2014

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandes launched the program “Desarrollemos Honduras” (Let's Develop Honduras) alongside civil servants and community members. Hernandes explained that if a house has a damaged or a dirt floor, it should be replaced with a cement floor; or prioritize according to the family needs, and: Cambiar los...

Highway Africa 2014 Extends Deadline for Registration

  29 July 2014

The deadline for registration for the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014: Due to the influx of interest in the 18th annual Highway Africa Conference, the deadline for registration has been extended to Friday, 08 August 2014. The world’s largest annual gathering of...

Reasons to Take a Trip Once in a While

  29 July 2014

On her blog Historias de una mujer lobo (Stories of a female werewolf), Natalia Cartolini reflects on the reasons why a trip can be beneficial as, in her opinion, “the fact of visiting new places or meeting new people from another perspective is important at any moment. It doesn't matter...

PHOTO: Crowds Outside a Cairo Liquor Store

A photograph showing crowds outside a popular Cairo liquor store is making the rounds online. On Twitter, Tom Gara shares it with his 27.9K followers: Pic doing the rounds on FB of the scene at Drinkies, a popular Cairo liquor store, now that Ramadan is over. pic.twitter.com/VMsbiNtInH — Tom Gara...

Massive Amounts Paid Out in Trinidad & Tobago's LifeSport Programme

  28 July 2014

As more details come out about the corrupt LifeSport programme in Trinidad and Tobago, Wired868 focuses its satirical energies on Adolphus Daniell, a contractor who was reportedly paid TT$34 million (just under US$5.5 million) for doing nothing – and says he won't pay back the money: The people now under...

Victory Speech of Indonesia's New President

  27 July 2014

Indonesia's President-elect Joko Widodo or Jokowi delivered a victory speech recognizing the spirit of voluntarism among citizens: This presidential election has sparked new optimism for us, for this nation. Free souls and political responsibilities blossom within the souls of the new generation. The long-lost voluntarism is now back with a...

“Shrinking Democratic Space” in Myanmar

  27 July 2014

The new United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has concluded a visit in the country and issued an initial report about Myanmar's human rights situation: The opening up of democratic space for people to exercise their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to freedom of assembly...

What Owen Arthur's Resignation Says About Barbados’ Politics

  27 July 2014

Owen Arthur has resigned from the political party he led for 14 years – a move which Barbados Underground thinks should give Barbadians pause: The incapacity of a former Prime Minister…to carve out an effective role to serve his political party in the twilight of his career leaves a sour...

PHOTO: Palestinians Teach Life

Palestinian Sayel tweets to his 1,800 plus followers on Twitter the following photograph of Gazans planting flowers in Israeli shells. He notes: Palestinians from the Gaza planting flowers in Israeli shells being thrown at their houses.We teach life,Sir! #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/V04x0nVXTa — صايل (@Falestinianism) July 26, 2014 Today is Day 19...

Venezuela Suspends -and Brings Back- Flights to Netherlands Antilles

  26 July 2014

On Friday June 25, 2015, Venezuela government announced the suspension of all flights between Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Curazao, Bonaire, Saint Marteen and other islands). According to Venezuelan newspaper El Universal, the action would be a consequence of the detention of Venezuelan Army general Hugo Carvajal –former director...

Being A Black West Indian in Britain

  26 July 2014

Jamaican author Kei Miller's blog post about “the anxieties of being a black poet in Britain” draws from several personal experiences, leading him to the conclusion that “the act of writing certain black experiences has to be one of translation – as surely as we translate from one language into...

Trinidad & Tobago Minister Passes the Buck with Failed LifeSport Programme

  26 July 2014

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister has shut down the controversial Life Sport programme following the results of an audit, which uncovered the ministry's inability to account for millions of dollars in taxpayers’ money. The programme was originally intended to provide disenfranchised youth with options to a life a crime through...

Spanish Congress Comission Approves AEDE Tax or Google Tax

  26 July 2014

The Spanish Congress’ Commission of Culture approved the so called AEDE Tax (for the Spanish name of the Association of Editors of Spanish Newspapers), also known as Google Tax as part of the draft bill of the Law of Intellectual Property. GurusBlog explains what is this tax about: A tax...

Colombian Sentenced to Prision and Fined for Comments Online

  26 July 2014

On a judicial ruling that sets a dangerous precedent in Colombia, the Supreme Court of Justice refused to reconsider an appeal taken on the verdict that orders 18 months of imprisonment and a 9,5 milon pesos fine (about US$5,1000) for netizen Gonzalo López for comments published on El País newspaper...

Photo: Watching Rockets Fly Over Gaza from Space

From outer space, astronaut Alexander Gerst watches as Gaza erupts in flames. He tweets: My saddest photo yet. From #ISS we can actually see explosions and rockets flying over #Gaza & #Israel pic.twitter.com/jNGWxHilSy — Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) July 23, 2014 This photograph has been retweeted 33K times so far.

Timeline of Israeli Air Attacks on Gaza in 2014

CrowdVoice, a user-powered service that tracks voices of protest from around the world, lists a timeline of Israeli air attacks on Gaza in 2014. Here's an excerpt from their “explore the backstory” section: A series of abductions and murders has inflamed age-old tensions and sparked armed unrest in Gaza. It...

Cuba's Customs Clamps Down in “Illegal Imports”

  24 July 2014

On September 1, 2014 the Customs Service of the Republic of Cuba will begin enforcing new regulations intended to combat illegal trafficking of merchandise by relatives, friends and ‘mules’ (a slang term for couriers of goods from overseas through airports and port facilities). Iván's File Cabinet considers this “one more...