Stories from 14 May 2010
China: Is there a place in education for high culture?
Is there a place for liberal education in today’s modern society, where competition for jobs is fierce, and occupations are increasingly specialized and technical? An April issue of the Southern Metropolitan Weekend published a letter written by a Year 3 university student from Tianjin, a major metropolis in Northeast China:...
Liberia: Founder and blog manage meet for first time
Ceasefire Liberia blog has its most exciting moment recently: “The most exciting moment in the history of Ceasefire Liberia took place as the founder of the Project, Ruthie Ackerman, and the Liberian blog manager, Nat Bayjay met for the first time ever at the Global Voices Summit in the Chilean...
Niger: Saving lives with text messages
Niger is currently experiencing food crisis that threatens more than half of the country's 14 million people. The United Nations has called for urgent humanitarian action. One blogger for Concern US blogs, Amanda McClelland, reports about a program using text messages to distribute emergency cash to the most vulnerable women in 160 villages in the country.
Puerto Rico: 99 Years
Repeating Islands posts that “Juan Martínez Matos pleaded guilty yesterday in a Puerto Rican court to last year’s murder of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado” and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Cuba: Remembering Zapata
Uncommon Sense pays tribute to the late political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who would have turned 43 tomorrow, while El Cafe Cubano reports that his tomb has been desecrated.
Puerto Rico: Tensions arise at the student strike
It has been over 20 days since the students of the largest campus (in Río Piedras) of the state-run University of Puerto Rico (UPR) paralyzed the academic operations in order to protest against a $100 million budget cut and the proposed elimination of certain registration and fee waivers [EN]. Ten...
Netherlands: Twitter campaign against violation of privacy
Dutch internet users have started a campaign on Twitter (@telegraafboycot) to boycott the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf [nl] after it violated the privacy of the sole survivor of the plane crash in Tripoli by interviewing the little boy by phone. The hashtag is #telegraafboycot.
Haiti: Help or Hindrance?
The Haitian Blogger asks: “Why does a country with one of the lowest crime rates in the Western Hemisphere need 9,000+ UN troops, US troops and 4.4 million dollars for prisons?”
Trinidad & Tobago: Election Possibilities
KnowTnT.com wonders whether Trinidad and Tobago is “ready to be led by an unelected Prime Minister.”
Bermuda: Media Council
“I believe the Media Council bill is badly written, steeped in political motive, and an affront to freedom of the speech in Bermuda”: Vexed Bermoothes thinks the implementation of the proposed bill “is flawed for many reasons.”
Uzbekistan: Andijan Massacre, 5 years after
Yesterday, May 13, marked five years since Uzbek security troops killed hundreds of anti-government protesters in the city of Andijan. People were protesting against harsh socio-economic environment and repressive politics in the region. The government decided to take strong measures at the very early stage of the protests. That day...
China reconnects Xinjiang
After more than 10 months of near to complete online darkness, internet service resumed Friday in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to a notice from the Xinjiang Government News Office,. The notice was first posted at Tianshan Net, then quickly distributed to other online news services across the country. Several blogs...
Colombia: Indigenous Communities of Cauca Caught in Middle of Clashes
In Colombia, the indigenous communities of Cauca have been caught in the middle of clashes between guerrilla forces and the army, but has not received much media attention writes Albeiro Rodas of the blog Colombian Passport.
Mexico: High Temperatures in the Capital
Mexico City has been experiencing high temperatures, writes Daniel Hernández of Intersections, with some reports of 50 C temperatures inside some Metro stations.
Macedonia: Bloggers Celebrate 1945 Victory Over Fascism
Several Macedonian bloggers joined the May 9 celebration of victory over fascism in World War II.
Ukraine: Village Life
The Pickle Project posts a photo report from a village not far from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
