Stories from 14 December 2009
Canada said what? Phishing Spoof at Climate Change Summit
The Canadian government supposedly released an angry statement today, denouncing a spoof that supposedly made it as far as the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Canada had shifted its policy and would be agreeing to greenhouse gas reduction targets.
Sierra Leone: Money, ATMS, financial institutions in Sierra Leone
The 2010 Sweet Sierra Leone list of money, ATMs and financial institutions in Sierra Leone.
Kenya: Photos of Maasai Mara
Beautiful photos of the Maasai Mara in Kenya at Stood in the Maasai Mara.
Guatemala: Stories and Artisan Crafts from The Ixil Triangle
Towns Santa María Nebaj, San Juan Cotzal and San Gaspar Chajul form the Ixil Triangle, located north of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. Because of its traditional hand-crafted clothing, the Chancol cheese, and its collection of myths and legends from the region, the place is one of the favorite destinations of hikers in Guatemala.
Colombia: Children Dying of Hunger
There have been 100 indigenous children who have died this year of hunger in Colombia, and Valentina Díaz Gómez of Realidades Colombianas [es] writes that the president must do more to address this serious situation.
Dominican Republic: The Cost of a .do Domain
The cost of $50 USD for a .do domain offered by the Pontifical Catholic University [es] in the Dominican Republic is too expensive writes José Rafael Sosa.
Africa: My African experiences
A health worker from New York, USA, writes about his experience in Africa: “That first stint, a new kind of logic came fast and furious. I learned how the line between urban and beyond is blurred. I discovered that in Swahili umepotea (you have been lost) is what you tell...
Caribbean: New Media & Celebrity Fascination
The fascination with celebrities has always been at a fever pitch, but in the current age of new media and consumer-generated content, it’s at an all-time high. While Caribbean bloggers do not tend to overly focus on gossip, they often tune in on the current story at hand.
Dominica: Copenhagen Expectations
“The proposal from the United States and China, by far the world’s largest per capita contributors to the global greenhouse gas build-up, has been nothing short of apathetic”: Dominica Weekly thinks there is still lot of work to be done at the Copenhagen Climate Change talks.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Plastic Pollution
“Take a walk along any beach in Barbados – and you’ll see the plastic rubbish washed up on the shore”: Barbados Free Press asks whether the sale of plastic water bottles should be restricted, while Trinidadian Keith Francis is also concerned about global plastic pollution.
St. Lucia: Considering the Blind
As new technology makes e-books accessible for the blind, St. Lucia's Caribbean Book Blog says: “It remains to be seen how the Caribbean will be able to justify the blind among us being left behind in the global quest for economic empowerment and basic human dignity.”
Cuba: Say What?
Repeating Islands reports on the Pope's statements that “there are growing signs of religious freedom in Cuba”, while El Cafe Cubano says: “As a practicing Catholic I am troubled and saddened that the Pope…would laud Cuba for openness? Dr. Biscet is currently in prison serving 25 years simply for speaking...
Tunisia: Student Jailed for Media Interview
Tunisian activists have started a Facebook group and a blog in support of Mohamed Soudani, 24, who disappeared on October 22, 2009, in Tunisia, after giving interviews to Radio Monte Carlo International and Radio France International. Friends have since learned he was detained and tortured.
South Korea: An Open Letter to Steve Jobs on Iphone
The Metropolitician wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs addressing the situation that foreign residents could not register for I-phone because of local foreign resident policy.
China: Another elite's suicide – the story of Yang Yuanyuan
YANG Yuanyuan, a 30-year-old postgraduate at Shanghai Maritime University, hanged herself in her bathroom on November 25. She told her mother that knowledge cannot change destiny on the day before she committed suicide. Recent years have seen an increasing number of suicides committed by Chinese university students, in particular among postgraduates...
Americas: Internet velocity in the Continent
Jorge Oyhenard compares in his personal blog the Internet velocity in America [es]: Uruguay, Peru and Paraguay are among the countries with the lowest capacity to download and upload content to the web.
Greece: Riots and Police Brutality Commemorate Teenager's Death
Riots broke out in Athens and Thessaloniki during memorial gatherings for a 15-year old named Alexandros Grigoropoulos who was shot dead by police on December 6, 2008. Ample citizen media evidence of police brutality forced the government to make promises of police reform yet again.
ICT4D: Past mistakes, future wisdom
What makes an ICT4D project fizzle out? What are the common mistakes that donors, planners and implementers make when trying to run an ICT4D project? Practitioners discuss in a public Twitter chat.
Nepal: When Politicians milk death threats
Maila Baje of Nepali Netbook is frustrated on seeing political leaders in Nepal, such as the Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal, gain mileage by harping time and gain on the possible threat to their lives.
Dispatch from Copenhagen: Demands for Climate Justice
Saffah Faroog is one of four Global Voices Authors in Copenhagen during the United Nations Climate Change Summit covering the lively conversations occurring in the blogosphere surrounding COP15.
Sri Lanka: On making choices
Sri Lankan blogger Mindwind ponders on the philosophical questions surrounding choice and predetermination
