Stories from 1 April 2010
Global Voices Unofficial Mascot Feared Lost
Unidentified sources have questioned whether a certain furry yellow creature will make an appearance at the Global Voices Summit in Santiago, or whether the neon creature has in fact been lost and replaced with an look-alike impostor.
Bangladesh: The Cost Of The Truth
“It costs the efforts of many to deliver a piece of truth to the masses,” comments Mehedi Rahman on the recent verdict of the Bangladesh supreme court to reopen the censored photo exhibition titled “crossfire“, which depicts the extra-judicial killings in the country.
Bahamas: Building Art
“The artists will convert 15 buildings on the current eyesore list into splashes of color depicting Bahamian themes”: Repeating Islands reports that the Bahamas will be transforming “more than a dozen historic and prominent downtown buildings into vibrant works of art.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: The Law is an Ass?
“I was pleasantly surprised to learn that over the weekend a ‘Donkey Wedding’ was held in a North Leeward village…the groom was forced to make an honest ‘lady’ of the buxom donkey with whom he allegedly had sexual relations. Some friends have scoffed at it calling it village silliness”: St....
El Salvador: National Campaign Against Dengue Fever
Tim Muth writes about the national campaign against dengue fever in El Salvador, where 1965 cases have been reported during the first 70 days of the 2010.
Dominican Republic: Safety Messages Doubling as Political Propaganda
Accidents during Holy Week in the Dominican Republic traditionally have increased, and Aneudy Santos of Duarte 101 [es] notices that some politicians provide safety recommendations in public service announcements, which double as political campaigning.
Costa Rica: Examining State's Relationship With Church Amidst Controversy
Amidst the global controversy in the Roman Catholic Church involving child sexual abuse by priests, Costa Rican bloggers are examining the relationships their government has with the Church, in a country where Catholicism is the official State religion.
Trinidad & Tobago: Zoo Lander
“I am always hesitant to go to a zoo, since I always feel that animals should be kept on reserves if not in their natural habitat. That being said, I liked the way that this zoo used the natural landscape, working around the trees and hills to create the enclosures...
Guyana, U.S.A.: Identity
Diaspora blogger Signifyin’ Guyana has a message for the U.S. Census Bureau – she's “G-U-Y-A-N-A-A-F-R-O-C-A-R-I-B-B-E-A-N!”
Morocco: Naoufel's Experience with Censorship Across Borders
One would expect that a dissenting voice is mainly threatened by local power's systems of censorship, but Naoufel, a talented Moroccan blogger was surprised to find out that his blog was actually banned outside of his country's frontiers.
Qatar: Expats outraged by plans to scrap visa-on-arrival policy
Effective May 1, Qatar plans to scrap its visa-on-arrival policy for dozens of nations currently exercising the option. Dismayed expats worry about seeing their families and predict that the additional paperwork will deter tourists from visiting the tiny Gulf country.
Lebanon: First Threatened Voice
Lebanon has been known and envied in the MENA region for its free cyberspace. Well not any more since March has marked Lebanon's first cyber censhorship incident. Layal Al Khatib has more details in this post.
China: Corruption Museum Seeking Nominations
A museum of corruption is planned in the southwest province of Sichuan, China Daily reported, citing from a local paper. The museum is seeking nominations from netizens of the 100 most corrupt officials in the last century. The project is first suggested on the microblog of Fan Jianchuan, founder of...
Laos: Morning Market in Vientiane
Sao Darly posts pictures of bargain products for sale at Talat Sao or Morning Market in Vientiane, Laos.
Vietnam: Online attacks vs critics
Google and McAfee reported that cyberattacks targeting critics of bauxite mining in Vietnam could be coming from forces which are close to the government of Vietnam.
Lebanon: Internet speed up soon
Lebanese Inner Circle reports on the news that fiber optics will soon be utilized in Lebanon to provide easier international calls as well as an increase in internet speeds by 10 to 20 per cent.
Lebanon: Culture of Racism and Discrimination
“Culture of Racism and Discrimination in Lebanon” is a new blog which aims to break the traditional ways in which research has been presented about racism and discrimination by being an online journal and by incorporating the use of social media tools.
Lebanon: Organizing Blogging
Hanibaael posts an article in Arabic in which the blogger gives a short account of the history of blogging in Lebanon and the current attempt to organize Lebanese bloggers into formal group called “Lebloggers”.
Lebanon: The Lebanese Experiment
Ibrahim Arab writes an Arabic post in which he recounts his warning to an Iraqi television program that replicating the Lebanese type of elections and power sharing in Iraq is not good at all.
Lebanon: Paganism and Occultism
Hanibaael writes a lengthy Arabic post, with testimonies, about the belief and practice of paganism and occultism in Lebanon.
Lebanon: Salwa against sexual harassment
Lebanese Liliane reports on IndyACT's launching of a new comic campaign – “The Adventures of Salwa” – which aims to combat all forms of sexual harassment and abuse against children, girls, and women, especially after incidence have increased drastically.