Stories from 3 November 2010
Russia: Rebranding of the Police
Masha Egupova analyzes online reactions to the police reform. Skeptics say it's meaningless, while officials argue this is an important law that will improve the security system in Russia.
Maldives: Mocking Culture
Mohamed Saeed criticizes the culture of bullying by the Maldivians.
Russia: Mapping North-Caucasian Blogosphere
LJ-user timag82 together with a_sult_h and pcnariman analyzed [RUS] North Caucasian blogs. Thorough research of 528 blogs is divided into regional blogospheres. Discussion of the research is here [RUS]. Daghestani bloggers lead the North-Caucasian blogosphere, notes Paul Goble, which can be explained by the higher level of freedom in the republic compared...
Russia: Opposition Blogger Has to Leave LiveJournal
Opposition blogger pilgrim_67 (GV covered one of his investigations) has been suspended in LiveJournal (After posting a link to the video against child pornography – full story here) and had to move to Blogspot and lj.rossia.org. The case indicated insecurity of LiveJournal as platform for opposition bloggers. LJ currently hosts...
Russia: Peaceful and Violent Protest Trends
Oleg Kozlovski, an opposition activist and a prominent blogger, posts theses of the presentation “Peaceful and Violent Protest Trends in Russia.” Kozlovski writes that success stories of non-violent protests are seldom while “there is a significant chance of more violent outbreaks in the near future”. There are more and more...
Philippines: Labor attaché earns Filipino migrant community's ire
Instead of helping a victim of illegal termination, the Philippine labor attaché scolded a migrant worker when the latter sought help from the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong. Unfortunately for the attaché, the worker was able to record her traumatic encounter and posted this in YouTube.
Tanzania: Tanzania thrives on Nyerere's legacy
Tanzania thrives on Mwalimu Nyerere's legacy: “On Sunday, 31st October 2010 Tanzania voted for president and legislative members. The East African country’s elections have passed relatively unnoticed, this is untypical of many African elections.”
Tanzania: Another victory for yellow
Victory for yellow in Tanzania: “Last year I observed, using an African example, that in the realm of branding, yellow may be the colour of victory (in the tropics, if nowhere else).”
Tanzania: Swahili Fashion Week
Haki Ngowi writes about Swahili Fashion Week 2010 in Tanzania: “Swahili Fashion week is a platform for designers – both fashion and accessory – from Swahili speaking countries to showcase their creativity, market their art and network with their clientele. This is all aimed at promoting fashion as an income...
Eritrea: Regional Aggressor or Regional Scapegoat?
Is Eritrea a regional aggressor?: “Eritrea is often labeled by journalists and governments as a regional aggressor (here and here). The most often cited evidence for this designation is that Eritrea has been engaged in conflict with each of its contiguous neighbors as well as an overseas state.”
Cote d'Ivoire: Campaign Against Child Soldiers Through Music
Fighting against child soldiers in coThe Zoblazo and Voila string star is back with his latest album 1000% M20. Mamadou & Bineta, which is on the album, was offered to the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP) actively campaigning for not using child soldiers in conflicts.
Zimbabwe: Racist grade 7 exam question
A strange grade 7 exam question in Zimbabwe: 15. Before Independence, blacks and whites failed to live together peacefully because: A. The whites had guns B. The blacks liked to strike C. The whites did not like blacks D. All the blacks wanted to live in towns
Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Update
Sokari's Uganda anti-homosexuality update: “After months of relative silence and following the outing of 100 LGBTI individuals in the Ugandan Rolling Stone “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos”, a few weeks ago, the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill is once again being discussed.”
Paraguay: Reactions to Alfredo Stroessner's Birthday
E'a collected [es] reactions to Alfredo Stroessner's birthday: “for some it is a happy time […] but for others November 3 represents a grim reminder of our history.” Wikipedia explains that Stroessner was “a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989. His lengthy rule was the 12th-longest ever...
Costa Rica: Video Seeks to Raise Awareness on Negative Consequences of Mining
Conejitos Suicidas [es] shares a video called, “Say no to mining,” which seeks to raise awareness on the negative consequences of mining and calls on viewers to defend their rights to a healthy environment.
Venezuela: Citizens Use Twitter to Report Problems in Caracas Subway
The Devil's Excrement writes about the subway system in Caracas and mentions the Twitter account @caracasmetro, “a bunch of students who have taken it upon themselves not only to keep people who used the Caracas subway informed, but also to report problems, lack of maintenance and why not? The mistreatment...
Guyana: Simple Joys
Guyana-Gyal manages to squeeze the sublime out of the ordinary.
Azerbaijan: Defaced election posters
With the 7 November parliamentary election just four days away, Dadashov's Blog [AZ] posts a slideshow of images showing defaced election posters on one street in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital. The blog sarcastically notes that only the post of one candidate, the Rector of Baku State University running for the...
Azerbaijan: flash mob fuss among the masses
Scary Azeri [ENG], a blog popular for its acerbic humor and opinion, comments on what it sees as a flashmob epidemic among youth in Azerbaijan. While it appreciates flashmobs aimed at raising issues of importance such as the environment, it wonders whether those youth involved in such actions are simply...
Bangladesh: Bringing Order To Traffic
Photoblogger Ershad Ahmed posts some photos depicting the efforts of Bangladesh police to bring order to the chaotic traffic and stop unauthorized jaywalking in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
China: Another case of self-immolation against demolition
A youtube video posted by MrTingpan showing an old man at Mishan city in Heilongjiang setting himself on fire to protest against force demolition of his home.
