Stories from 19 August 2010
Haiti: Student Visas
The Caribbean Camera reports that the Haitian community is concerned about the relatively low number of Canadian student visas being granted since the January 12 earthquake, saying: “This problem comes just as Haiti needs international education as much as investment to get back on its feet.”
The Real India
Radio Open source is producing a series of articles and podcasts on the theme ‘Real India’.
Pakistan: Step Up For Relief Efforts
Teeth Maestro writes about a second relief mission of OffroadPakistan and MotorSports Club of Pakistan and asks other Pakistanis to step up their efforts as they simply cannot wait for the state of flood victims get worse.
Bhutan's New Dream Town
Bhutan's well planned and executed development of Bajo Town is going to make it a dream town for many Bhutanese and foreign tourists, according to Passu Diary.
Mauritania: Floods Impact Aggravated by Disrupted Roads, Sewer Systems
Kal writes that the severe floods in Mauritania have cut off communication between many cities, impeding the transport of critical food supplies. He adds that the limited number of sewer systems has resulted in destruction of ancient mosques. Here are photos of the flood damages [Ar].
Tech and Transparency in MENA: A Long Way to Go
Technology for transparency activists are making headway in the Middle East and North Africa, but greater access to both technology tools and skills and legal assistance is needed in order to maximize their potential.
Azerbaijan: Reflections on Ramadan
Aaron in Azerbaijan, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) blog, reflects on how Ramadan is observed in Azerbaijan. Although a secular republic, with many people not observing fasting, the blog says it is nonetheless impressed by the dedication of those that do. Meanwhile, another PCV blog, From the Land of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Big River
My Chutney Garden visits Grande Riviere, “a small fishing village that is best known for attracting nesting leatherback turtles.”
Honduras: Police Brutality Toward Resistance Group
Juan Carlos Rivera in Mirada de Halcón provides a personal account [es] (including photographs) of what he calls a police “attack” on a bridge blockade by the Resistance Front (Frente de Resistencia). Juan Carlos says he had to run away to avoid tear gas from police and bullets from civilians;...
Japan: Lost generation
Tanaka Hidetomi reflects [ja] on the meaning of lost generation (失われた世代) and the origin of such phenomenon.
Ghana: Leave the judges alone
Nana Sarpong wants the National Chairman of the Ghanaian ruling party to leave judges alone after he called on the Chief Justice of Ghana to ‘clean up’ the judiciary.
Cuba: Youth in Prison
Iván's File Cabinet blogs about the majority of “common (non-political) prisoners in Cuba [being] black or mestizo”, saying: “The environment in which these youths grow up is fertile ground for delinquency. The worst part [is] that the Cuban State doesn’t have a solution for the problem of a society that...
Africa: A Pan-African Social Media Brand
Munashe writes about Sowambe, a Pan-African social media brand: “Loy Okezie the blogger/writer and Francis Oghuma the co-founder of Naijaborn and Camerborn recently partnered to form create Sowambe.”
Nigeria: Around Nigeria in 20 days
Nigeria at 50, The Land of Our Fathers, Our Beloved Motherland: Around Nigeria in 20 days.
Africa: The new direction for Maneno blogging platform
Miquel discusses new direction for multilingual blogging platform, Maneno: “…we will be stepping back from the active social media promotion of articles and content that people have been writing on Maneno. Additionally, we are also going to gradually stop hosting blogs on the system as well as not accept any...
Africa: African Wedding Songs Playlist
Chale's African wedding songs playlist:”I already have a good idea what will be played at my wedding. Unless, my partner comes up with some recipe of her own. My list is African songs only.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Thoughts on the Mosque
Jamaican diaspora blogger Dennis Jones weighs in on “the subject of plans to build a mosque near what is called Ground Zero.”
Barbados: How Many More?
“Fortunately no one died in Tuesday’s bus crash in Christ Church but 22 people were injured”: Barbados Free Press thinks it's high time the country introduced breathalyzer laws.
Armenia: Homophobic radio station rewarded?
Having already warned against increasing levels of homophobia in society, including that recently shown by a local radio station in a project ostensibly meant to promote European integration and values, Unzipped: Gay Armenia is shocked to discover that international bodies continue to work with those it feels should be blacklisted...
North Korea: A North Korean Jet Fighter Crashed
North Korea has confirmed today that a North Korean jet fighter crashed in Liaoning Province, China Tuesday. South Korean experts assume that the pilot sought to defect the North with his airplane South Korea’s Donga reported.
China: The use of Documentary in Chinese Civil Rights Movements
Florence from interlocals.net has translated an article written by human rights lawyer, Tengbiao, on the use of documentary video in Chinese civil rights movement.
