Stories from Quick Reads from March, 2013
Analysis: North Korea Behind Hack Attack?
A cyber attack hit South Korea's major broadcaster and bank websites. North Korea Tech blog tells more on the attack pattern and the possibility of North Korea's involvement.
A Peek Into Uzbek Pop Music Scene
Uzbek Music Friday is a (rare) feature in which I post a pop music video from an artist in Uzbekistan. It could be catchy, annoying, funny, insightful, brilliant, awful, or anything in between. It’s what’s playing on the radio, what all the cool kids are listening to these days... [It] gives you a glimpse into how pop music is done on this side of the world.
Kazakhstan's ‘Moribund Opposition’
For anybody that has ever wondered whether Kazakhstan even has a political opposition, the answer is that it does, but not a very useful one.
Nowruz as Tajikistan's Official New Year?
If we want Nowruz to serve the goal of the [cultural] revival of our nation, the holiday should mark the official beginning of a new year in the country...
Google Myanmar is Now Online
Google Myanmar is now available in local domain at www.google.com.mm a few days before the arrival of Google CEO Eric Schmidt in Myanmar. Google play store which is inaccessible in Myanmar also seems to have been unblocked for now.
VIDEO: Tokyo Gives Harlem Shake a Whirl
Popular Internet video meme the Harlem Shake [en] has hit Tokyo. A verison organized by a Latino under the pseudonym Saw was filmed on March 17, 2013 in Shibuya, the heart of Japan's youth culture, and the video was uploaded on YouTube a few days later. Portal Mie [pt], an online portal that serves Portuguese-speaking foreigners in Japan, has...
Colombia's Indigenous Set Development Goals
1) the protection of indigenous territory; 2) indigenous self-government; 3) the self-development of indigenous communities on the basis of equilibrium and harmony; 4) free, prior and informed consent as a condition for developments on indigenous land; and 5) the ‘institutional redesign’ of the state in its relations with indigenous peoples....
São Tomé and Príncipe: 12 Reasons to Return
Carmen Alvarez Vilas, founder of the NGO Cooperación Bierzo Sur, posted on her Facebook page an album titled “12 Reasons to go back to Sao Tome and Principe”. Each image selected – from a set of photos taken when she and her team volunteered in the country in the summer of...
African Presidents Active on Social Media
Dapa Arnaud gives a list of the 10 most active african presidents [fr] on social media. At the top of the list is president Paul Kagame in Rwanda: In place since 2003, the president of Rwanda is the most active on the internet. According to the Ecofin agency, Paul Kagame interacts...
Guinea-Bissau is Second Worst Democracy
The Democracy Index 2012 from The Economist Intelligence Unit, published on March 19, 2013, places Guinea-Bissau second to last in the ranking, just before North Korea. The same day a coalition of civil society organizations released a roadmap with concrete proposals for the restoration of constitutional order following the military...
US Rape Case Resonates in France
The ramification of the Steubeunville rape case has had an impact beyond the US borders. Following the sentencing of the perpetrators for rape of a minor, CrêpeGeorgette [fr] tries to unpack the rape culture [fr] that has sneaked in in today's society. The fact is that we are living in societies that find excuses,...
Happy Nowruz from Central Asia!
How do people in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan celebrate Nowruz today? NewEurasia.net bloggers have produced a video that gives you an idea.
Nowruz on Uzbekistan's Tower of Silence
About 20 countries and communities almost all over the world celebrate Nowruz today. Commonly known as the ‘Persian New Year,’ Nowruz has its origins in the ancient religion Zoroastrianism. Don Croner celebrates the holiday on the ruins of the so-called ‘Zoroastrian Tower of Silence’ in Uzbekistan. The blogger writes about...
Cuba: A Pope from the Americas
How do Cubans feel about the new pope? Iván's File Cabinet gives us an idea.
30 Films That Inspire Activism
30 documentary films from around the world have been nominated for the Social Impact Media Awards.
Photos: Day One in Trial of Former Guatemalan Dictator
Documentary photographer James Rodriguez shares a photo essay with “images from the first day of the historic trial against former de facto dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and former Intelligence Director José Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez. Ríos Montt and Rodriguez Sanchez are charged with Genocide and crimes against humanity during the civil war...
Religious Hatred on Facebook in Tajikistan
The shattered system of primary and secondary education, corrupt and rotten system of higher education, the official clergy which has lost [people's] trust, the absence of state-controlled religious education, weak and will-less intellectuals, the presence of a large number of uncontrolled websites with extremist and jihadist content - these are the major reasons why an increasing number of young individuals in our country become extremists.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime & Punishment
Right now the war is on for the soul of our country and if we’re not, every last one of us, actively engaged and prepared to battle, then what is the point? A must-read post by Tillah Willah about crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
Brides Traded In India As Sex Commodities
The blog on India's Gendercide posts a video which shows shocking stats of bride trafficking, the Indian version of domestic sex-trafficking.
