· June, 2013

Stories from Quick Reads from June, 2013

Hacker Attacks on South and North Korea

  25 June 2013

Hacker collective Anonymous previously announced they will attack North Korean sites on June 25. But it took an unexpected turn as several major South Korean sites, including the website of South Korea's presidential office and those of media organizations, have been temporarily suspended. North Korea Tech explains in detail.

Protesters’ Open Letter to Brazil's President

  25 June 2013

The Free Fare Movement (Movimento Passe Livre) sent a open letter [pt] to the President Dilma Rousseff on Monday, June 24, 2013. They wrote that free public transport is a social right and criticized the violence of the Brazilian police and State during recent demonstrations led by social movements as...

Mozambique's First Civic Hackathons

  25 June 2013

Mozambique's Ministry of Science and Technology is sponsoring the country's first civic hackathons, with the support of Sweden and Finland. The second, slated for the end of June, will focus on mobile apps in natural disaster management and flooding scenarios, frequent in the country. First prize is worth €2,000.

The ‘Penis Class’ is on China's State Media

  25 June 2013

Ministry of Tofu explains the term “Diaosi”, a online buzzwords to describe a social class in China. The literal meaning of diaosi is “the fan of Penis”, it refers to the self-proclaimed Chinese underdogs who wallow in self-pity and self-mockery and the vulgar term has been adopted by state-run media.

Trinidad & Tobago: Tourists Charged

  24 June 2013

This is a country where tourism is a big portion of the nation’s income, yet tourists are clearly not valued, even just enough to answer a simple question. tzen project blogs about her family's travel nightmare in Trinidad and Tobago.

Senegalese to France: Dignity Before Visa

  24 June 2013

I decided to decline using my entry visa to France [..] I am waiving it off on behalf of the thousands of Senegalese citizens who deserve respect, a respect that they are often denied at the French consulate. Those are the words written by Bousso Dramé in an open letter...

China: Keywords Unblocked in Weibo

  24 June 2013

Jason Ng from Tea Leaf Nation reviewed the recent unblocking of several politically sensitive words in Weibo, Chinese biggest social media platform and pointed out that the unblocking is not a victory against censorship because there are yet many ways to screen out politically sensitive messages.

Hundreds Banned from Hong Kong Website

  24 June 2013

HKGolden, a forum of great cultural and political influence in Hong Kong recently has banned more than 300 user accounts. While the website administrator explained that the move was in reaction to defamatory charge, some believe that it is a political purge as many of removed account users like to...

UFO Sighting in Kerala, India reported

  22 June 2013

Sans Serif reports that two south Indian newspapers carried out a story that an unidentified flying object (UFO) was sighted in Kannur district in Kerala, India. A commenter on the post reminds that there is an app available in Google Play which lets one add UFOs to the pictures taken...

The Beauty Of Mount Everest At Night

  22 June 2013

Elia Saikaly's short movie catches the majestic beauty of Mount Everest at night in time-lapse. He shares in his blog the experience of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest for the second time.

Brazil: Protest Posters Turned into Song

  22 June 2013

“I turned Facebook off / to show how to be tough / There is so much stuff / that one poster is not enough”. This is the translation of the chorus of the song “Brasil em Cartaz” (Brazil in Posters), a kind of collective song and video clip made ​​from phrases on...

Counseling Service for Mental Health In India

  21 June 2013

Ugich Konitari introduces iCALL (initiating Concern for All), a counseling service for Indians via email and telephone. At this social venture of Tata Institute of Social Sciences, qualified psychologists are waiting to listen talk, and give people helpful information, guidance and encouragement.

South Koreans Protest Electioneering

  21 June 2013

College students and civic groups took action against the National Intelligence Service (NIS)'s illegal interference with the lastest presidential election. Major universities in South Korea have released statements condemning the secret agency, the ruling party and the police. Net users have gathered 95 thousand signatures in the second round [ko] of online petition. Several protests are...

Haiti: Model Camp Morphed into Slum

  21 June 2013

Three years after its star-studded launch, the model camp for Haiti’s 2010 earthquake victims has helped give birth to what might become the country’s most expansive – and most expensive – slum. Haiti Grassroots Watch explains.

PR Jingle Becomes Brazil Protest Hymn

  21 June 2013

A video showing scenes of police violence against the protests that took to the streets of Sao Paulo in the first week of June with the song “Vem Pra Rua” (Take to the Streets) in the voice of Brazilian reggae/rock band O Rappa‘s Marcelo Falcão is going viral [pt]. With...

Uzbek Photography's ‘Orientalist Flavour’

Alex Ulko on NewEurasia.net explains where the “Orientalist flavour discernible in the works of many [Uzbek] artists” comes from. His well-informed comments about contemporary Uzbek photography are accompanied by beautiful photos (also here, here, here, here, here, and here).

China's Undercover ‘Street Vender’ Sting Exposed

  21 June 2013

Urban management officers, also known as Chengguan, have been under much media scrutiny lately. A recent story of a Chengguan going undercover as a street vendor at night went viral online. The seeming PR campaign drew wide skepticism among netizens. Offbeat China explains.

Malaysia Launches Dengue Web Portal

  20 June 2013

To fight dengue, Malaysia's Ministry of Health launched a GIS-based web portal called I-Dengue, “which aims to provide the public with the latest information on dengue hotspots and preventive measures on how citizens can avoid getting the disease.” Dengue is a tropical virus with no known cure that is carried...