Stories about North America from April, 2011
Canada: Indigenous Teens Share their Values on Video Contest
Indigenous teens in four different Canadian communities share their hopes, stories and dreams in a series of short videos in "My Space. My Story" where they speak about things that matter to them as indigenous youth.
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
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.
Russia: Pullitzer prize for corruption coverage
Putin Watcher draws attention to two New York Times journalists winning the Pullitzer Prize for their coverage of Russian state corruption.
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.
Blogging Latino Literature and Technology
Valerie Russo founded a successful blog named Literanista. Five years after its inception, this Puerto Rican-Sicilian writer talks with Global Voices about her vision, achievements and future goals.
Puerto Rico: Performance and Roots
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
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.
Colombia: Finding Colombia in New York City
Elsa Tobón walks around and Roosevelt Avenue [sp] in New York City, pointing out all the details that make her believe for a moment that she is back in Medellin, Colombia.
Mexico: News of US Clandestine Operation Draws “Fast and Furious” Response
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
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
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
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.
