Stories from 13 July 2010
Costa Rica: The Power of Blogs
H3dicho from ticoblogger.com writes [es] about the power of blogs, ending with an analysis of blogging in Costa Rica: “In Costa Rica blogs have become so important that traditional media and the politicians that govern us are constantly monitoring what we write.”
Paraguay: The president's alleged tweets
FERNANDO LUGO, the president of Paraguay, denies writing messages to an opposition senator on Twitter. This raises two questions: How easy is it to confirm an identity on a social network, and how plausible is the president’s denial?
Mozambique: Fallout from US blacklisting
Last month, the US Treasury listed Mozambican businessman Mohamed Bachir for alleged links to drug trade, freezing some of his assets. Roughly 700 other people are listed worldwide. Bachir owns Maputo Shopping Center and is politically well connected. Blog Ma-shamba analyzes the impacts [Pt]. Rapper Azagaia recorded “Arrrrri!” in response, and has...
Uruguay: La Celeste is Received by Multitude in Montevideo
On Tuesday July 13, the Uruguayan football team traveled on a bus around Montevideo as fans took over the streets to congratulate and wave to the soccer stars which ended 4th in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Agarrate Montevideo [es] posts a couple of pictures of the event, and links...
Colombia: Uproar After Former FARC Hostage Íngrid Betancourt Seeks Compensation
Rescued two years ago after being kidnapped by FARC in 2002, French-Colombian citizen Íngrid Betancourt is now claiming millions in government compensation for her 6-year captivity. The uproar caused by the news was reflected on Twitter and the blogosphere.
Europe, U.S.A.: Poll on Burqa Ban Shows Opposite Viewpoints
The blog EU-logos about European affairs reflects (fr) on a recent poll by the Pew Research Center that shows a widespread support in European countries for a burqa ban whereas such proposal would be rejected by 65% of voters in the U.S [Fr]. The blog suggests that such transatlantic polls...
Iran: Sounds and Silence
Mana Neyestani, a leading Iranian cartoonist, has published another cartoon about persecuted political prisoners:Sounds and Silence.
Iran: Strike in Bazaar
Several bloggers such as unity4iran reported that a strike in Tehran's main bazaar in protest against higher taxes has entered its second week. You can see photos of closed shops here.
Mexico: Technology Changing the Spanish Language
Jesus analyzes [es] how Internet users have modified the Spanish language to fit new technologies; for example, referring to a person that uses Twitter as a “twittero,” or Spanish-speaking users writing “lol” when they chat.
Brazil: Jokes and the World Cup Octopus
Many Brazilian bloggers started making jokes with the ability of an octopus named Paul to “predict” the results of many matches of the 2010 FIFA Wolrd Cup, incluiding the one of the final match. The funny images can be found here, here, here and here and a website was also...
Brazil: Medium Image represents the FIFA World Cup 2014?
Pierre Lucena comments on his blog Acerto de Contas [Getting even, pt] that there are similarities between the logo of the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the image of the famous Brazilian spiritist medium Chico Xavier.
India: Multitasking And Lackluster Performance
Being Cynical at Desicritics question Indian's love of multitasking in every field and failure to achieve excellence in consequence.
Russia: Picnic at Putin's dacha
LJ user na6ludatelb tells about [RUS] a visit to Putin's old dacha outside of St. Petersburg, forming into a crowd of local dacha owners using their right to public property, and posts plenty of commemorative pictures.
Pakistan: Iranian Scientist Seeks Refuge in Pakistani Embassy
Faheem Haider at Pakistan Foreign Policy Blog reacts on the recent incident of an Iranian scientist seeking refuge in Pakistani Embassy, USA.
Bangladesh: Coming Home
Rawi at Alternarrative writes about what it feels like coming home to one’s desher bari (native village or hometown) in Bangladesh.
Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan: Customising customs
The Pipeline writes about remaining unclarities about the customs’ union that Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan recently entered into.
Cameroon: The Death of Pius Njawé, a Freedom of Speech Pioneer
Blogger Allain Jules gives a vibrant homage to Pius Njawé, a legendary Cameroonian journalist who passed away on July 12th [Fr].
Bahrain: Stubbing it Out!
With the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan (month of fasting) fast approaching, Bahraini blogger Tawfeeq Al Rayash is hitting two birds with one stone. He is fasting for three months and kicking off smoking after a wake up call from his daughter.
Global: A Contest to Promote Youth-Driven Media in The Francophone Regions
Radio France International (RFI) has launched a contest, Mondoblog, that will short list 100 young francophone bloggers to become the “Ambassadors of their City on the web” [fr]. Registration will close on July 30th; aspiring bloggers who do not have easy access to ICT training are specifically encouraged to participate.
Cuba: Remembering the Massacre
Uncommon Sense remembers the '13 de marzo’ tugboat massacre.
Cuba: True Freedom
Uncommon Sense applauds the political prisoners who “refuse ‘freedom’ if it means having to leave Cuba” saying: “They are the ones who are truly free.”
