Stories from Quick Reads from January, 2014
Kenya Blog Awards 2014 Open for Submissions
The 2014 BAKE Kenyan Blog awards is now accepting submissions until February 10, 2014. Users can vote online from March 1 to April 30, 2014 for their favorite blogs in 17 different categories, including the new additions of Best Health Blog and Best County Blog. The Kenyan Blog Awards, an initiative of the Bloggers Association...
South Korea: ‘Less is More’, Net Users Turn Sour on Typical Movie Poster
A massive Disney hit movie, Frozen is rapidly gaining traction also in South Korea. However, more young Koreans are turning sour on typical Korean-style movie poster, which has long been criticized for being either too confusing or overly interrupted [ko] by extra-bold text dropping names or media/net users’ reviews ridden with cliche [ko]....
Sri Lanka's Best Bus Terminal
Freelance writer, translator and blogger Nandasiri Wanninayaka writes about the multi-purpose bus terminal-cum shopping and entertainment complex in the resort town of Negombo: You wouldn’t expect a bus stand in Sri Lanka to be like a mini airport. But if you happen to go to Negombo Bus Stand, renamed as...
INNOVATION: Containers as Student Housing at European Universities
In order to alleviate the lack of student housing available across Europe, a few universities in Denmark, Germany, France (Le Havre) [fr] and Spain have tried to turn containers into student dorms. Containers appear to be the structure of choice because they are less costly and readily adaptable to include the necessary amenities....
Critical Cybersecurity Issues for the Caribbean
ICT Pulse names the three cybersecurity resolutions it thinks Caribbean organisations should make this year.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: Trip to the Dying Aral Sea
The Aral Sea lying between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once one of the world's four largest lakes. Over the last five decades, however, the sea has lost over 90 percent of its original size, mainly as a result of disastrous irrigation projects which diverted rivers feeding it. On the Caravanistan travel...
Fairy Tales in the 21st Century
On the column Breviario [es] from the website El MalPensante [es], Argentinian author Hernán Casciari [es] concludes that many timeless fairy tales that are part of children's imagination and many other stories would have never taken place had their main characters had access to the current technology: What happens with...
Anonymous Acts of Kindness
The blog BuzzFeed shares a series of images that portray simple acts of kindness by ordinary people that might have huge effects on those who receive them: “35 Pictures That Prove The World Isn’t Such A Bad Place.“
Qaraqalpaqstan, the ‘Forgotten Stan’ of Central Asia
Qaraqalpaqstan (or Karakalpakstan) is one of the least-known “stans” of Central Asia. Part of Uzbekistan, this region is a true gem for a curious traveler. On the Caravanistan blog, Steven writes about this “forgotten stan”: …Living under the shadow cast by the desiccation of the Aral Sea, this little-known stan has gotten...
Trinidad & Tobago: Evading Exercise
Diaspora blogger Afrobella lists “the dumbest excuses we make to avoid exercising.”
Malaysia: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World
The winner of the ‘most beautiful sound in the world’ competition is ‘Dusk by the Frog Pond’ by ‘Wild Ambience’ recorded in a Sarawak swamp in Borneo, Malaysia.
Teaching Art During Vietnam War
The British Library blog features several art works made during the Vietnam War era. It also quotes Nguyễn Toan Thi, a guerilla artist during the war: Art classes were held outside in the forest until our schools were bombed: classes were then held underground. Art teachers and students shared the...
Best Dresses of Kazakhstan Selected
On January 23, 2014, an international jury named the winners of the ‘Best Dress of Kazakhstan’ contest, a competition for young fashion designers in the country. Ten designers competed in the event, showcasing one or two of their best dresses. The three winners of the contest will represent Kazakhstan at...
“There Are No Other Problems” in Tajikistan Besides Name Games
More than a week after Tajikistan's Prosecutor General made a controversial statement about “unpatriotic” surnames, Internet users in the country continue debating whether the ending of one's surname is a good measure of the person's level of patriotism. Many netizens, however, are angry about the fact that the Prosecutor General...
Iran: A Facebook Administrator Arrested
Iran's cyberpolice say they have arrested administrator of a Facebook page called “Sherarat” (meaning villainy”). Iranian police added this Facebook page used to publish stories and photos about thugs and made publicity about their actions.
What Does Climate Change Mean to You? Documentary Competition
Young filmmakers from all over the world are invited to produce and submit a 1-12 minute video documentary telling a story about climate change. What the #Action4Climate video challenge wants to know is: How is climate change impacting your community? What are you doing about it? What needs to be done to...
Nicaraguan Micro-Fiction by Alberto Sánchez Arguello
Blogger Mildred Largaespada of 1001 Trópicos [es] writes about Alberto Sánchez Arguello, a Nicaraguan writer who shares his micro-stories through his Twitter account @7tojil [es]. “He is definitely an outstanding representative of Central American writers 2.0 who use new formats and genres”, she writes. Mildred also shares two micro-stories written...
Journalism, Cuban Style
Iván's File Cabinet shares some of the must-haves if you want to be a journalist in Cuba.
Jamaicans Deserve Details About Proposed Logistics Hub
You are being manipulated. Jamaicans are effectively begging and paying their government for vital information about their country. How can we accept this? Talk of developing an environmentally protected area of Jamaica as a major logistics hub has Cucumber Juice up in arms, as she says key information is not...
Outdoor Air pollution in Bhopal
Proloy Bagchi reports that outdoor air pollution in Bhopal, the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, has risen to an alarming proportion mainly from the emission of the transports. The blogger slams at the inaction of the state government and stresses the importance of reducing this pollution. According...
The Other Side of Social Media
That’s Twitter – it makes a joke out of serious issues and takes jokes seriously. - comments blogger Purba Ray while discussing Sunanda Pushkar’s sudden death who underwent a Twitter spat with a Pakistani journalist. The unusual death of the wife of Indian minister Shashi Tharoor has created a lot...
