Stories from 27 November 2009
Suriname: Seamlessness
“There is a way that Caribbean music or musical interests create a seamlessness between locations”: Blogging at Paramaribo SPAN, Chris Cozier ruminates on seamless spaces created by sound.
Haiti: Lavalas Banned From Elections
Repeating Islands reports that “Haiti’s electoral council has banned the influential party of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from next year’s legislative elections.”
Trinidad & Tobago: The Queen & the PM
B.C. Pires pokes fun at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which kicked off in Trinidad and Tobago today.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: ‘No’ It Is
Vincentian bloggers discuss the fact that the citizenry recently voted ‘No’ to “the current manifestation of a proposed constitution for this country.”
Cuba: Call to Respect Human Rights
As four Cuban dissidents are reportedly arrested in Havana, Uncommon Sense profiles political prisoner Oscar Biscet's call for his compatriots “to join an international campaign set for next month to demand that the Castro dictatorship respect human rights.”
USA: Native American Heritage Day
A new National Native American National Heritage day is being honored in the United States on November 27, the day after most people there celebrated Thanksgiving. Native Americans rejoice - online and elsewhere.
Russia: Official Government Web sites Will Be Regulated By Law
A new law “On Ensuring Access to Information about Activities of Government Bodies and Municipal Authorities” [RUS] will require, among other things, creating public Internet terminals all around Russia. But netizens question [RUS] the feasibility of the law.
Pakistan: Take Back The Tech Campaign
In Pakistan, P@SH@ (Pakistan Software Houses Association) is pushing the Take Back The Tech initiative forward to take control of technology to end violence against women. They have already launched the campaign on various online platforms.
Nepal: Machine Readable Passport
“I wouldn’t want to cancel my trips due to the the failure of the government to issue passport,” says Xnepali while discussing whether the Nepali government will be able to meet the deadline of producing machine readable passports (MRP) for the Nepalis within four months (April 1, 2010).
Pakistan: A Letter To The Neighbors
To mark the anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks, Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House writes a letter to the Indians: “let this day signify an awakening on both sides that (says) enough with this ‘geo-strategic thinking’ of one-upping each other.”
South Asia: Mass Murder Of Animals
Dipen Bhattacharya at Mukto Mona criticizes the rituals of sacrifices – be it during Kali Puja for Hindus or Eid-ul-Adha sacrifices for Muslims. “Man might need to eat meat, but mass murder of helpless animals using brutal methods cannot be considered self-sacrifice,” he opines.
India Should Wake Up On Climate Issues
Supriyo Chaudhuri at Sunday Posts discusses why India must wake up on climate change issues.
India: On Liberation Of Women
“For me the strongest drag force working against my desire to return home is my experience of life as a woman in India,” confesses Heartcrossings while discussing about the lack of freedom, independence and safety of Indian women.
USA: Conflict Cell Phones
Rima Abdelkader reports from New York about ‘conflict cell phones’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo on her CUNY University journalism blog.
Ecuador: Recent Protest Against President Correa
Danny Ayala Hinojosa of El Federalista [es] has photos of a recent protest against Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.
Peru: Belief in the Pishtaco
In light of the recent arrest of a Peruvian gang accused of killing their victims to sell their body fat and whose actions closely resemble that of the mythical character the “Pishtaco,” J. Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] writes that many people in the Andes region still believe in...
Costa Rica: Science Fiction Anthology called Possible Futures
Costa Rican writer Antonio Chamu writes that
Venezuela: Independent Film The Devil's Faces
Las Caras del Diablo (The Devil's Faces) is an independent film from Venezuelan director Carlos Malavé and Carlos Caridad-Montero of Blogacine [es] writes that it follows the local trend of producing film “with a small budget, taking advantage of the latest technological advances.”
Mexico: Viewing Mexican Streets with Google
On November 9th, Mexicans welcomed Google Street View and its digital maps with street level photographs for Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and other 5 cities, making Mexico the first Latin American country to join Google's service.
Russia: Social Networks Help Find Debtors
Court enforcement officers in Russia actively use social networks to gather information on debtors and their properties, Russian news agency Prime-TASS reports [RUS].
China: Dwelling Narrowness
A popular Chinese drama “Dwelling Narrowness” was “re-scheduled” without explanation recently. ESWN translated various reports and discussions about the drama. A recent development of the drama is that one of the main characters becomes the mistress of a government official in order to help repay her older sister's mortgage.
