Stories from Quick Reads from August, 2014
The Heroic Everyday Work of Lab Scientists in the Fight Against Ebola in Liberia
During the current crisis of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), many reports showcased stories about patients, medical staff, vaccines and the consequences of the disease on the affected countries. But rare are the reports about the daily work of laboratory technicians and of those who care for their daily needs. In...
Iranian Photojournalist Arrested Alongside Washington Post Reporter Is Released
An unidentified female Iranian-American photojournalist was released on Thursday, Aug. 21 after being held in police custody at an unidentified location since July 22. The photojournalist had official accreditation from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and was arrested alongside her husband and on the same day that Iranian-American...
Beatriz’s War: East Timor's First Feature Film
A Guerra da Beatriz (Beatriz’s War) is the first feature film from East Timor. It is about Indonesia's occupation of East Timor from 1975 to 1999 and its impact on the Timorese society. According to the producers of the film, it was “made guerrilla style by the men and women...
Words From a Patient Who Got a Second Chance
Some months ago, on her blog Anchas Alamedas, blogger Solentiname started to share the different stages she's gone through, since the moment she found a lump in her breast. On her latest blogpost, she writes to someone she calls Mimí and she tells her how she felt after the surgery...
Bahamian Women Battling for Equal Rights
You would think that a nation which spent so much of the 20th century doggedly pursing equality would be united today over equal rights for women to pass on citizenship to their children and spouses. You would think that a constitutional provision to prevent discrimination against more than half the...
Cubans Join Authorised Users of Google Chrome
Google Chrome finally becomes “legal” in Cuba and blogger Yoani Sanchez says that she gleans great satisfaction from “knowing that the opinions of citizens interested in the free flow of information and technology influenced the elimination of this prohibition.”
Crisis Data at Your Fingertips
CrisisNET is a Ushahidi initiative that puts crisis data at your fingertips: CrisisNET finds, formats and exposes crisis data in a simple, intuitive structure that’s accessible anywhere. Now developers, journalists and analysts can skip the days of tedious data processing and get to work in minutes with only a few...
Movement Calls for Review of Imprisonment of Cameroon's Former Chief of Staff
Marafa Watch is: A U.S.-based, grassroots movement for appropriate international review of the politically motivated conviction and corresponding imprisonment of former Secretary-General (Chief of Staff) at the Presidency, Mr. Marafa Hamidou Yaya of the Republic of Cameroon. Marafa Hamidou Yaya was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2012 on...
Demanding Gender Equality in the Bahamas
Lynn Sweeting, blogging at Womanish Words, wants equality for women in the Bahamas and pens a poem in that regard.
Safety Measures Against Ebola in Cuba
Thus far, no-one in Cuba has contracted the deadly Ebola virus and the government wants to keep it that way. Havana Times reports on “increased control measures to prevent the possible introduction of Ebola into Cuba”, adding that The Ministry of Public Health and other supporting agencies are being extra...
Clashes After an Attempted Theft of 450 Cattle Leaves 15 Dead in Madagascar
#LeMonde #Afropages Madagascar : des affrontements entre voleurs de zébus et gendar… http://t.co/S0hKDuSvKJ pic.twitter.com/GbzjNjCTzz — Afropages (@Afropages) August 18, 2014 Armed forces and dahalos (highwaymen in Malagasy) clashed in Amboasary Sud in the southern region of Madagascar on Aug. 15 over a theft of humped cattle (Zebus), a type of domestic cattle with...
Sex, Censorship, and the Internet: Take the EROTICS Survey
The Association for Progressive Communications is asking LGBT activists, women's rights activists, queer bloggers and anyone with an active voice on issues of gender and sexuality on the Internet to participate in their 2014 EROTICS survey. APC explains that the survey seeks to help advocates “understand how sexual rights activists (from a variety of...
How the Merger of Two of its Largest Providers May Transform the French Telco Market
The recent merger between French telcos SFR and Numericable is but another example of the broader trend that dominates today’s telecommunications market: operators are seeking to integrate their products in order to respond to their business clients’ growing desire for streamlined communications solutions. This merger also threatens the dominance of...
Should Women Starve Their Babies for Fear of Public Breastfeeding?
Olivia Kidula explains why breastfeeding in public should not stop: A friend of mine recently gave birth to her first baby girl and is still getting the hang of motherhood. I began to notice she breastfeeds only when no men (besides her husband or father are around) and when she...
Zed Blog Social Media Awards
Zed Blog Social Media Awards identify and celebrate the best in blogging and social media in Zambia: Meet our Judges| Bwalya Chileya or @MissBwalya as she is known by most is founder of the twitter based chats ‘Insaka’ which can be described as targeted at discussing cultural and societal issues...
VIDEO: Is the IDF Glorifying Its Air Bombings of Gaza?
Israeli blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov challenges the IDF to make an English version of a video it had released in Hebrew, which she describes as “glorifying air bombings of Gaza.” She tweets: Hey, @IDFSpokesperson, why didn't you make an English version of this snazzy video glorifying air bombings of Gaza? http://t.co/R651aWr0uC...
Derailed Train Exposed Inefficient Philippine Mass Transport System
Scores were injured when a train overshot its stop at a busy intersection in south Manila. The crash ignited an intense discussion about the weak and inefficient mass transportation system in the Philippines. Authorities vowed to improve train service amid rising public anger over the incident.
Yasmine: Brunei's First Feature Film
The film Yasmine is notable because it is Brunei's first feature film. It is about a young woman who wanted to be a champion of silat, an indigenous martial arts from Brunei. The film has been well-received in various international film festivals.
12 Deaths and 27,000 Displaced Nigeriens Because of Floods
Heavy rains and flooding in Niger have killed 12 people and left thousands without homes. Rivers in Niamey and the extended regions have risen and destroyed thousands of houses. In the region, land degradation and cultivation of marginal land increase the risk that extreme events can develop into natural disasters. Some solutions...
Trinidad & Tobago: Is Education Really About Learning?
Why, oh why, did I fail what is clearly a basic english class? The easy answer – I didn’t try hard enough […] The more complicated answer lies in a system so rigid that I am required to take freshman english despite all proof and indications to the contrary. Trinidad...
Jamaica: #Ferguson & #Gaza
Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul republishes a compilation of tweets that show the similarities between the standoff in #Gaza and in #Ferguson, where yet another unarmed black man was gunned down by the police. The response to the resulting protests by U.S. law enforcement has been so brutal that netizens are...
