Stories from 8 April 2009
Jamaica: Learning from Adveristy
“Adversity and being a writer, especially one from the Caribbean, are synonymous”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp shares what he has learned.
Georgia: April 9 protest coverage
As part of an online project, the GIPA Journalism School Blog will be covering tomorrow's planned opposition protest in Tbilisi. In the first post, Sako's Blog says that most residents of the Georgian capital are unhappy with the president, Mikhail Saakashvili, but will not necessarily participate in the protests.
Italy: citizens provide news and reflections on the earthquake in L'Aquila
More than 250 people dead, about 1,000 injured and over 25,000 displaced: Italy's worst earthquake in three decades. While the situation on the ground is still unfolding, people are widely using online tools to offer updates, commentaries, and help.
Azerbaijan: The view from Baku
Following U.S. President Barack Obama's speech in Ankara on Armenian-Turkish relations and the need to resolve the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines sums up and comments on the view from Baku.
India: The Advent of Citizen-Driven Election Monitoring
A group of Indian bloggers and activists has recently launched Vote Report India, which is a collaborative citizen-powered election monitoring platform for the upcoming 2009 Indian parliamentary elections. This platform is based on the award winning crisis reporting platform Ushahidi ('witness' in Swahili) and will display reports of violation of election codes, violence and sabotage during elections. Many Indians will be able to send these information using SMS or web and those will be displayed in a geospatial archive of events for easy access of the masses.
India: BJP's IT Vision And Poverty
Atanu Dey takes a look at the $80 billion dollar IT vision plan of the Indian political party BJP and comments that: “there is not even the slightest indication of whether the massive spending will result in any benefits to the poor who need help.”
Japan: The best remedies for hay fever
id: Fromdusktildawn sums up [ja] the best items and treatments against hay fever (花粉症, kafunsho). The blogger illustrates the pollen structure and the allergens that cause the hay fever through graphs and microscope images, and accurately reports on the different masks, vacuum cleaners and air filters purchasable in Japan.
DRC: Unpaid Soldiers Pillage Civilian Homes
Last week, Radio Okapi reported that members of the FARDC, the Democratic Republic of Congo's military, pillaged several homes in Kirumba, 200 kilometers north of Goma. The soldiers, who have not been paid in three months, stole cash, telephones, and electronics.
Azerbaijan: Reflections on Obama visit
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines hails Obama's recent visit to Turkey as a success and says that despite threats from Azerbaijan, a country still effective at war with Armenia, no retaliatory actions have been taken yet. The blog concludes that the visit could yet spell real change for the Caucasus.
Nicaragua: Failure in the Use of ICTs
Even though Nicaragua was the 2nd Latin American country to get the internet, a recent 406 page study shows that it has failed to take advantage of the use of ICTs. Juan Ortega writes that Nicaraguans themselves are to blame, but provides some suggestions for initiatives for how to improve...
China: Psychiatry with Chinese characteristics
Peking University Law Professor specialized in forensics, Sun Dongdong, told China News Weekly on March 23 that 99% of China's petitioners (zh) are mentally ill and that he support for forced hospitalization of them. Update (April 8, 2009 @ 8:00): Internet monitor center issued a notice to webmasters of portals...
El Salvador: The Death Penalty as the Only Solution
The only solution to halt the wave of violent crime in El Salvador is to restore the death penalty writes MPITES [es] and does not think that human rights groups have a right to provide their opinion because they are not the ones caught in the middle of “the daily...
Ecuador: Cell Phone Robberies in Quito
The younger brother of Andrés Rodríguez of Modestamente Humano [es]
Colombia: Humanitarian Minga Recovers Bodies of Awá Indigenous
A group of 470 Colombian indigenous participated in a humanitarian minga, which is a collective mission towards a common goal, to recover the bodies of members of the Awá indigenous communities that were killed by the FARC, who accused them of cooperating with the army. The blog from the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) provided regular updates on the progress of the minga, as well as the situation that led to the action.
Ecuador: Blogs, Twitts and Beef Get-together
iPab [es] announces the Blogs, Twitts and Beef get-together in Quito, Ecuador scheduled for April 18.
Moldova: “Grape Revolution” / “Twitter Revolution”
Peaceful protests that took place in Moldova's capital Chisinau on Monday, following the victory of the ruling Communist Party in the April 5 election, turned violent on Tuesday, as protesters stormed and set fire to the parliament building. While it's too early to speak of the outcome of the post-election uprising, one thing is sure: the impact of social media on facilitation and coverage of the protests in Moldova - which is known as "the poorest country in Europe" - has been outstanding.
China: 2.3 Billion Earthquake Museum
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated netizens’ comments on government's plan to spend 2.3 billion yuan on the construction of Beichuan National Earthquake Ruins Museum.
