· April, 2011

Stories about North America from April, 2011

Egypt: Gigi Ibrahim on The Daily Show

The appearance of Egyptian political activist Gigi Ibrahim on The Daily Show brought a wave of support and protests from fellow tweeps, who covered the Egyptian revolution. Gigi spoke about the Egyptian revolution and how she was introduced to politics, mocking hypocritical US foreign policy towards the Middle Eastern uprisings and how Egyptians and Arabs are perceived in the media. Here are some reactions from Twitter.

Examining Africa's Growth

  24 April 2011

While the African Development Bank announced three days ago that it will downgrade its forecast for growth in Africa as a result of the turmoil in various regions of the continent, the rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing regions. Bloggers are unpacking the reasons behind the growth.

Egypt: Gene Sharp Taught Us How To Revolt!

Last February, The New York Times wrote an article about the political science professor, Gene Sharp, whose ideas were credited as being an inspiration for the Egyptian revolution, as well as many other uprisings in the region. Egyptian netizens respond to the claim with the hashtag on Twitter.

Puerto Rico: Performance and Roots

  13 April 2011

Music scholar, musician and blogger Raquel Z. Rivera interviews [es] the Puerto Rican dancer and choreographer Noemí Segarra about her latest piece, “de rumbo de rumba.”

Azerbaijan: Overbearing Landlords

  11 April 2011

Aaron in Azerbaijan recounts two upsetting experiences with renting apartments in Azerbaijan. The blog notes how irritating  it can be when landlords appear anytime they want without notice or reason and even decide to stay overnight or impose their own way of keeping things in order.

Mexico: News of US Clandestine Operation Draws “Fast and Furious” Response

  8 April 2011

Mexican netizens take to their blogs and Twitter accounts as an interview with a former head of the ATF (the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) in Mexico makes public "Operation Fast and Furious," under which ATF officers secretly monitored - without intervening - as more than 2,000 weapons were purchased at outlets in Arizona and transported over the border into Mexico.

Ecuador Tells US Ambassador to Leave Over Leaked Cable

  5 April 2011

The Latin Americanist reports that Ecuador has requested U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges leave the country: “The main gripe against Hodges has to do with a cable uncovered by Wikileaks where she alleged that corruption was entrenched in Ecuador’s national police […] She also claimed that President Rafael Correa was aware...

Yemen: Crackdown on Protestors Continues

On Monday, the Yemeni cities of Taiz and Hudaida were the scene of bloody crackdown by security forces on peaceful anti-government protestors. Once again, Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president for the past 32 years, responded with force and live bullets to protestors calling for his immediate removal.

Cuba: US Contractor Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

  4 April 2011

According to the Cuban daily newspaper Granma, US citizen Alan Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Cuba on March 12, 2011, upon being convicted of illegally distributing information technology equipment to Cubans. Under the court ruling in Cuba, this constituted an “[act] against the independence or territorial integrity of the state.”

Japan: JPRI Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund

  2 April 2011

An Italian student at the University of San Francisco produced a video [ita, en] to help the victims of the Tohoku earthquake. In the video Caterina explains how to make donations through the JPRI Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.