Stories from 20 April 2010
Bangladesh: Let Language Be Free
The Bangla blogosphere and Bangladeshi Facebook users are angry with protests as 'Avro', a freeware and one of the popular and widely used Bangla input systems, was accused as a pirated version of another proprietary Bangla input system 'Bijoy' and the Avro team was mentioned as hackers.
Costa Rica: Clashes Over Autonomy on UCR Campus
On April 12, 2010, Costa Rican police officers arrived to the University of Costa Rica to detain a campus transit officer, accused of corruption. However, members of the university community said that this attempted arrest goes against the university's status of autonomy, which led to clashes.
Brazil: Blogging Against ACTA
Brazilian cyber-activist João Carlos Caribé calls on bloggers [pt] for a mass blogging against the ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement). According to the EFF, the ACTA text will be made public this Wednesday, April 21.
Bahamas: Stranded in Belfast
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel is “one of the million or more ‘ash refugees’ around the world.”
Dominica: Trois Pitons
Dominica Weekly highlights three must-see attractions of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park.
Trinidad & Tobago: Making it Happen
“How dare you squander the resources by giving so much lip service and not doing much of anything…Shucks, did you think I was talking about the PNM/ UNC/COP?”: 5am at Mango Media Caribbean has a message for the voting population of Trinidad and Tobago.
Cuba: Hunger Strikers
El Cafe Cubano links to a story which claims that imprisoned hunger striker Guillermo Fariñas is close to death, while Uncommon Sense reports that yet another Cuban political prisoner has started a hunger strike.
Guyana: Roasted Eggplant
Peter Sam contributes a one-of-a-kind story to Signifyin’ Guyana that deals with “the usefulness of the eggplant”.
Peru: Lima Residents Run to Raise Awareness for Water Issues
On April 18, 2010, residents of Lima participated in the Dow Live Earth Run for Water, a 6-km run/walk, which represents the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water and raised awareness about the serious water issues facing Peru.
Bangladesh: National HR Policy for White Collars
Bangladesh Corporate Blog advocates for a ‘National HR Policy for White Collars’ in Bangladesh because, there is no specific Law for employees in the private sector.
India: Bizu 2010 celebrated by Chakmas in Delhi
Paritosh Chakma at Musings of a Chakma reports with photos that on the 13th April 2010, three social organizations organized “Bizu 2010” (Chakma new year) celebrations in New Delhi, India.
Kenya: Flying toilets and poop
Kenyan Pundit on Kibera, flying toilets and poop: “I have been wanting to write this for a while now. Especially after I read about Peepoo: a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world. Inspired by the ever ubiquitous Kibera flying toilets.”
Sudan: On buying and selling of votes
Hafiz discusses corruption in Sudan Elections 2010: “There is one very important issue which has not been raised by anyone, as I have listened to all reports from the election observers , until now , that is the buying and selling of votes and loyalty.”
Korean Pop
Ask a Korean! introduces the history and development of Korean Pop song.
Uganda: Can the opposition defeat Museveni in 2011?
Can Uganda's opposition defeat Museveni in 2011?, asks Rosebell Kagumire: “As Uganda heads into general elections early next year, what can especially the opposition learn from one of the greatest propagandist, USSR’s Vladimir Lenin? At the beginning of the 20th century, Lenin, while organising in the Soviet Union on his...
China: Myths and truths about Chinese criminal law
Chinese Law Prof discusses various characteristics of Chinese criminal law and its implementation by looking into an interesting criminal court case.
Egypt: Let's Shoot those Protesters!
In a debate on recurrent demonstrations, Egyptian ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) members of Parliament lashed out during a verbal battle with Muslim Brotherhood MPs over protesters in the country and said Egyptian pro-democracy demonstrators “should be shot” by police. Bloggers react in this post by Marwa Rakha.
Venezuela: Community Theater Addresses Urban Realities
Nuevo Circo Artístico is a Venezuelan project that uses community theater to engage youth in Caracas to explore the realities of their urban surroundings.
Nicaragua: The Uses of Twitter
Juan Ortega is launching a survey to examine how Nicaraguans use Twitter [es].
Azerbaijan: Act of revenge against bloggers
Following news that imprisoned video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli have been moved to separate prisons, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines says that one media outlet reports that the two prisons are among the worst in the country and alleges the move is nothing more than an...