Stories from 2 June 2009
Mexico: Young Graffiti Writers Arrested in Monterrey
Thirteen boys from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, city at the North of México, were sent to prison after of 300 young graffiti “writers” made an “attack” to an overpass in one of the busiest avenues in the city, using Fotolog and websites as their main way of organization. The incident raised questions whether or not the punishment was excessive and about the role of grafitti in urban art.
Kurdistance: Launching the Arab Association for Kurdish Rights
On June 1st a new initiative was launched by the Alliance for Kurdish Rights, the Arab Association for Kurdish Rights. The Alliance for Kurdish Rights is a project of the activists at Mideast Youth, and today Deborah Dilley chatted with its Director, Esra’a Al Shafei, about this new venture.
South Korea: Roh Moo-Hyun, 1946-2009
Ask a Korean! wrote a very informative article on former president Roh Moo-Hyun (1946-2009), his life and contribution in Korea history.
Taiwan: Restaurant bans Chinese traitors
Michael Turton translated an article from the Liberty Times (自由時報) about a restaurant in Kaohsiung that refuses to serve “Chinese and Taiwanese Traitors”. The article attracted many comments from people who reacted with a mix of support and disagreement.
Republic of Congo: Nguesso's reelection campaign
Congopage [Fr] announces Dennis Sassou Nguesso‘s reelection campaign team. Nguesso has been president of the Republic of Congo (more or less) since 1979. Readers lament another sham election.
Ecuador: Evaluating Public School Teachers
The reform of the educational system in Ecuador has been a goal of the current government, and now it has its sights on the performance of the public school teachers across the country. The executive branch has signed a new law requiring all teachers to be evaluated. However, the National Teacher's Union is resisting and has openly defied the order saying that it is not clear whether or not such testing is legal. It has opened up discussion about how to make sure that the children are getting the best quality education from the nation's teachers.
