· 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.

27 April 2011

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.

24 April 2011

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.

15 April 2011

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...

11 April 2011

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.

8 April 2011

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.

5 April 2011

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.”

4 April 2011