Stories from Quick Reads from May, 2013
VIDEO: Journalist Who Fled Mexico Speaks
“I abandoned my investigative work. I will never go back to investigative reporting because of the lack of protection by the Mexican state, which should guarantee my family’s safety and my freedom of expression. Unfortunately, many journalists live with fear as they work.”
Shock Over Chinese Teen's Graffiti in Egypt
Chinese netizen “Kongyou Wuyi” who took a trip to Egypt recently, posted on his Weibo a picture of a fraction of a wall at Egypt’s Luxor Temple. On the wall, there goes “Ding Jinhao was here.” (Check the picture below) The post soon went viral. Many Chinese netizens felt shocked and...
Brazil: Petition for Slander-Accused Journalist
There is a petition out, in the Brazilian federal state of Bahia, in support of the journalist Emiliano José. Accused of slander by the preacher Átila Brandão for reporting the preach involvement with torture against students during the military dictatorship in Brazil, José published a text in the press in...
VIDEO: Impromptu Georgian Chorus at Kyiv Airport
On May 21, YouTube user Yevgeni Melnik shared this video of a group of four anonymous Georgian men doing an impromptu performance of traditional Georgian singing and dancing at Terminal F of Kiev Boryspil International Airport. The video has gone viral among Ukrainian Internet users: as of May 28, it...
Why Parastatals Have Failed in Zambia
Elias Munshya, a Zambian lawyer and paster, explains why parastatals have failed in Zambia since independence: Parastatals have never made a profit since 1964. Parastatals have been run not on a business model but on a political model. Parastatals have not had professionals running the boards but they have been...
Botswana: Stealing of the ‘Bushman's Secrets’
MyWeku reviews a documentary about stealing of the San “Bushman's secrets”: This dcoumentary [sic] paints a sad picture of how Unilever, a company that markets itself as “ the world’s largest ice cream manufacturer,” is now ironically stripping bare the Bushman’s secrets to market as a weight loss product.
British Actor Russell Brand on Woolwich
That bloke is a nut. A nut who happens to be Muslim. Blaming Muslims for this is like blaming Hitler’s moustache for the Holocaust.
Trinidad Startup Weekend
Left & Right: “It was so clear, at that moment, that I had joined a community in a way that can only be described as becoming part of a family.”
Alphabets Bring Joy and Sadness to Bulgaria
[…] One of the purest and most sacred holidays in Bulgaria! It's a celebration that makes us proud to have given something to the world! It's a holiday which is not related to any rebels, battles or violence, although it fills us with patriotism and joy. […] When you walk...
Amnesty Publishes 2013 Report on Angola
Amnesty International annual report on Angola is available online. The NGO highlights cases such as the problem of police repression against the opposition parties during the presidential election last year, the abduction of the activists who organized protests demanding the payment of salaries and pensions to former war veterans in...
Demanding Transparency is Not a Crime
A number of citizen right advocates issued a public statement demanding the release of 10 citizens who were arrested for demanding officials to publicly disclose their personal assets. Seeing Red in China has translated the joint statement into English.
China: Constitutionalism is for Capitalists
The use of constitutionalism is but a new way to force China to adopt Western political systems.
Attacking China's “Dishonest Americans” Newspaper Series
State-controlled media outlet, the People's Daily, has recently published a series of editorials on Dishonest Americans. Like many other propaganda pieces, social media users attack its hypocrisy with questions like “Why do our officials keep sending their wives and sons to this immoral and dishonest country?” More from Beijing Cream.
Indonesia: Gamelan DJ Musical App
Developed by Yogyakarta-based Kowplink Studio, the Gamelan DJ mobile application “mix and mash tight beats, harmonies and melodies of saron.” In addition, “by touching beats pad mix with acapella & making lead with saron gamelan.” The app is listed one of the best start-ups in Indonesia. Gamelan is Indonesian musical...
‘Illegal” Libraries in Myanmar
The Irrawaddy interviews Ye Htet Oo who has launched four mobile libraries in Myanmar. To avoid censorship and acquire license during the military regime, library owners pretended to operate bookstores. Aside from sharing his experience, Ye Htet Oo also discussed the reading culture in Myanmar.
President of Mozambique's Medical Association Under Arrest
After a week-long strike by medical professionals in Mozambique, Dr. Jorge Arroz, the President of Associação Médica de Moçambique, was arrested on Sunday night, May 26, 2013, under accusation of “sedition” (incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government). On Twitter and Facebook, @verdademz, @canal_moz and other netizens report.
Activists Protest Monsanto Offices in Tokyo
Activists in Tokyo demonstrated against agricultural giant Monsanto in front of their local offices, joining 279,723 protesters in 57 other countries around the world for March Against Monsanto day on May 25, 2013. Project 99% [ja], an anti-nuclear power and anti-Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement [so called TPP] coalition of activists and groups in Japan...
South Koreans Petition to Throw out Active X
Over 6,200 South Koreans have joined a online petition calling [ko] on the government to stop employing Active X control. A long-term monopoly of Active X and digital certificate-based authentication system have been accused for meddling with the user's privacy setting and making the entire nation vulnerable to hacking attacks.
