Stories from 27 May 2010
Jamaica: Resetting the Clock
“Jamaica's bizarre socio-economic clock cannot turn back but it can be reset”: Living in Barbados suggest the current situation “may be the spur to find ways to start dealing with that process.”
Jamaica: Latest Updates
Twitter has been buzzing with the latest developments regarding Jamaica's state of emergency. Things began to look "much better" late yesterday: wanted men were turning themselves in, one international mainstream television station was reportedly going to "apologise for [its] 'inaccurate report'" (although some tweeple were of the opinion that "an apology [was] not enough") and all seemed quiet in areas that had previously been fierce battlegrounds.
Iran: “Democracy is only the beginning”
“Democracy is only the beginning” is the name of a short film created by Franklin Pham and Arya Ghavamian. Several Iranian bloggers including Kamangir encouraged [fa] Iranians to vote for this film in Democracy Challenge site.
Zimbabwe: Members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe tortured
The two staff members of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) who were arrested on Friday have been tortured by the police in their holding cells, Amanda Atwood reports.
Brazil: Exchange Student Victim of Racism at the University
Kadija Tu, an exchange student from Guinea-Bissau, was severely beaten inside the campus of UFPB [Federal University of the State of Paraíba] on May 24th, reports Eugenio Cruz from the blog Quase nada sobre quase tudo [Almost nothing about almost everything, pt]. Witnesses say she was called ‘dog-nigger‘ (Negra-Cão) by...
Causes of Hatred in the Russian Blogosphere
Lj-user blondycandy received [RUS] more than 400 comments on the question “Why there's so much hatred in the Russian blogosphere”? Evgeny Gorny summarized [RUS] the most often suggestions: general ‘offline’ unhappiness, inferiority complex, impunity, lack of education, envy, specific ‘Russian mentality’ and so on.
Russia: Taking Children as a New Method of Pressure on Journalists
Children of Galina Dmitrieva, an oppositionary journalist and activist, were taken by Russian police after she published an investigation about Russian car manufacturer Avtovaz [EN], Anatoliy Baranov reported [RUS]. After instant blog-campaign her children were returned. Blogger Marina Litvinovich suggests [RUS] this method was used before against at least one oppositionary journalist.
China and Hong Kong: Responses to Cheonan sinking incident
The release of the international investigation report on sinking of Cheonan in May 20, 2010, concluding that the South Korean warship had been bombed by a North Korean torpedo has alleviating the tension in Northeast Asia region. South Korea suspended all trade and investment with North Korea while Pyongyang denied...
China: Hebei’s “Great Leap Forward”
More than 1000 residents of Hebei Province will be subject to forced evictions before June 5, in a government development project online opinion has dubbed a “Great Leap Forward.” Guangping County, an impoverished area in southern Hebei, will see 2 billion yuan ($293 million) invested in new building and development...
Jamaica: Situation Improving?
Four days into the state of emergency imposed on the Jamaican capital, the situation is becoming clearer - not simply in terms of statistics - but in understanding the chain of events that led to the current impasse. There are also reports that life in the capital city may slowly be returning to normal.
Russia: “Circassian Nationalism and the Internet”
At OpenDemocracy.net, Zeynel Abidin Besleney writes about “the role played by the internet as a lifeline linking otherwise isolated activists and communities and reinforcing the Circassian nationalist cause.”
Russia: Coalmine Disaster Victims’ Families vs Thugs?
Vadim Nikitin comments on “this week’s unprecedented measure to provide each widow of the [May 9] mine explosion victims with police protection to ward off attacks from organised criminals after their compensation payouts.”
Russia: Last Day of Classes in Moscow
LJ users zyalt, medar, martin-sqare and alex-i1 (RUS) team up to photograph Moscow high school seniors celebrating the last day of classes on May 25. MoscowMom posts this observation: “Most Russian eleventh graders wear Soviet school uniforms (with the skirts MUCH shorter than they ever would have been prior to...
