Stories from 11 June 2010
Senegal: The Fiercest Critic of President Wade's Regime
A You Tube video in Wolof criticizing president Wade's regime has become an internet sensation in Senegal. «Tassou Abdoulaye Wade» [fr] by a young street vendor who also claims to be a griot.
Puerto Rico: Decisive Moment 50 Days into the Student Strike
Students of the state-run University of Puerto Rico (UPR) have sustained a student strike that enters its 50th day today. On this decisive day, the students' National Negotiating Committee has another round of negotiations with the UPR's administration. Students have transmitted their second message to the country via the website UPR es un País [ES] in which they explain their proposals...
Global Voices: We are listening
Soon after Israel's deadly raid on a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, one post on Global Voices sparked furious critique on Twitter. Tarek Amr in Egypt summarizes the debate.
Mexico: Drug Cartel-Led Protest Paralyzes Monterrey Metropolitan Area
Last Wednesday, after the leader of drug trafficking band Los Zetas was captured, members of this drug cartel paralyzed the Monterrey Metropolitan Area with blockades in 20 different locations using their juvenile recruits who threatened bus drivers and civilians to leave their vehicles crossed through the streets.
Argentina: Twitter in Argentina
Hernan from the blog Listao [es] published a video where well-known Argentinean Twitter users talk about the use of Twitter in their country and the world.
Peru: Watching the World Cup from Afar
It’s been years since Peruvians have seen their national team playing in a FIFA World Cup; 28 years to be exact. That means 7 editions of the Football World Cup. In spite of that, football is still the king of all sports in Peru, so it is no surprise to find bloggers commenting on the event.
Brazil/Israel: Open letter to the Israeli government
“Now, after the coward attack in international waters carried out by Israeli military against the fleet of humanitarian aid to Gaza” says Maria Frô [pt], “again [the movie-maker Sílvio] Tendler manifests” in an open letter to the Israeli government.
Global: Chances Team by Team at the 2010 World Cup
Hugo Albuquerque from O Descurvo blog writes [pt] about each and every national football team that will play in the 2010 Fifa World Cup describing the pros and cons of every one of them and also a little bit of each one's history on international matches.
Guyana: Rodney's Anniversary
Repeating Islands notes that this Sunday “will mark the 30th anniversary of the 1980 assassination of Water Rodney, who was killed by a bomb in the middle of Georgetown, Guyana.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Price of “Progress”
Abeni notices the proliferation of fast food franchises in St. Vincent and the Grenadines: “As our nation gorges itself on fast food and channel surf to our leisure we get fatter and fatter placing more burden on the shaky health system.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Griffith & Antoni
The Caribbean Review of Books is “delighted that two Trinidadians have made the 2010 list” of Guggenheim Fellows.
Bhutan: Caught up in the World Cup fever
Jurmi Chhowing at “iamDrukpa” looks back with fondness at France'98 which heralded the coming of satellite dishes to Thimpu.
Pakistan: The Business of Football
S A J Shirazi at Light Within discusses how Pakistan, which once supplied ‘85% of the total world demand for high-quality hand-stitched inflatable balls’, is losing business to India and China.
Bermuda: The Flip Side
“So much of the dialogue about organised gambling in Bermuda is (purposefully) rosy”: Vexed Bermoothes foresees some negative consequences.
Jamaica: Dancing for the Don?
“Passa-Passa wasn’t just a big street dance. It was a full-on performance BY Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke for the rest of the country and the world. He showed…that he had the power to…[draw] crowds of people like moths to a flame to frolic in his personal fiefdom that is Tivoli. Smart...
Arab World: Where the Streets are Quiet During Football Games
Millions of people around the world are glued to their television screens, watching the World Cup's opening ceremony from South Africa - and the scene is not that different in the Arab World.
India: Of food tales and recipes
Food fiction and chocolate brownies – a delectable combination. Bong Mom at Bong Mom's Cookbook, pens a touching tale of a birthday entwined with some delectable sweet dish recipes.
South Korea:Tablo, A Rapper and the Obsession With Good Degrees
Tablo, South Korea's hip hop celebrity has been questioned by netizens regarding his Stanford degree. Some bloggers point out that the fuss about pop star's education background reflects Korean society's obsession with good degrees from prestigious schools.
Taiwan: Indigenous conference brings together Austronesian speakers
Life in Taiwan reports on an international conference for indigenous peoples held in Taiwan. The conference brought together people from Austronesian-speaking countries to discuss issues such as health, education and endangered languages. Austronesian languages are spoken in the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and parts of Southeast Asia.
Mexico: Two Deaths on the Border in Ten Days
The unexpected deaths of two Mexicans -a worker and a 15-year-old boy- after clashes with the United States Border Patrol in two separate incidents less than a month apart, have brought to citizen media new grounds to evaluate the actions of the government of Mexico towards the United States in terms of immigration and foreign policy.
Russia: Cyrillic Email Accounts?
Svetlana Gladkova of Profy.com writes about the Russian government's plans to provide every citizen with a Cyrillic email account, points out “the problem of the @ character” on the Cyrillic keyboard, and concludes: “But the worst part is that I have no idea why my taxes go into crazy things...
