Stories from 17 November 2010
Russia: Siberian Light's Weekly Blog Roundup
Weekly Russia Blog Roundup at Siberian Light covers the week of Nov. 13.
Russia: One-Year Anniversary of Magnitsky's Death
On the one-year anniversary of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky's death, Robert Amsterdam writes: “No one has ever been held accountable for Magnitsky's death: no charges, no arrests, no trials, and no justice, despite the mountains of evidence and even the names of the ‘untouchables’ made public. Instead, with a familiar Russian...
Russia: Notes on the “Spygate” Scandal
Robert Amsterdam, Streetwise Professor, In Moscow's Shadows, and The Power Vertical weigh in on Russia's “spygate” scandal.
Russia: A Selection of Kashin's Blog Posts Translated
More on journalist Oleg Kashin's case from the Anglophone Russia blogosphere: on OpenDemocracy.net, Mumin Shakirov translates and analyzes a selection of Kashin's blog posts; Sean's Russia Blog writes that Kashin “has become yet another assault weapon in a much larger political battle.”
Tunisia: Launch a Blog Campaign Kicks Off
After a seven-month lull in blogging activities, thanks to a crackdown by authorities which resulted in the blockage of more than 100 blogs, Tunisian bloggers are joining forces to encourage even more people to start sharing their thoughts and experiences online. Launch a Blog campaign has just been launched with the aim of attracting new bloggers to fight back censorship.
Russia: Cartoons and Public Diplomacy
Global Chaos writes about the potential impact that the Soviet and Russian cartoons in public diplomacy: “They can even help overcome long-held preconceptions and stereotypes about the other, thus creating the space for further openness to meaningful communication and information processing.”
Iran: Online Rage against Lebanese Hezbollah Leader
Several Iranian bloggers have reacted to an online video where Lebanese Hezbollah Leader, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, makes the controversial claims that Iran does not have any Persian civilisation and that the Islamic Republic's founder was of Arab ancestry.
Chile: Protests Against Mining Industry
The Latin Americanist writes about recent protests targeting the government and the mining industry: “Chile’s mining industry has come under increased scrutiny since the mine collapse that left the 33 miners trapped underground for about seventy days. Unfortunately the reform promised by President Sebastian Pinera has been slow to materialize.”
Dominican Republic: Girls Must Be Protected
Blogger María Isabel Soldevila [es] writes:”In a country in which gender violence is still considered a ‘passion’ crime, where the body and sexuality are being regulated without considering that girls suffer the worst abuses and neglect, the Millennium Objectives will never be reached. We have to wake up. It's urgent”.
Russia: Controversy as Cyrillic Domains Hit the Open Market
This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet. On November 11, 2010, registration for Internet domains in Cyrillic script, the writing system used by Russian and other Eastern European and Asian languages, went on the open market. Prior to this, Cyrillic domains could be registered only...
The Nicaragua-Costa Rica Conflict, Revisited: Part I
In a prior post, Global Voices began to cover a border dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The situation has become more complex. In this first part we review two moments of this crisis as seen from Nicaraguan and Costa Rican blogs: "Google's error", and the role of Edén Pastora, the presidential delegate for the dredging of the Rio San Juan, as a main character in the conflict.
Mexico: How Can Mexico Help Migrants?
Gancho writes: “Amnesty [International] says that 20,000 immigrants per year are kidnapped in Mexico. With all the other security problems in Mexico, it's going to be hard to make threats to poor Hondurans and Guatemalans a major focus without periodic massacres, but Mexico can do a lot to alleviate this...
USA: Hunger Strike of Border Women at White House Ends
Eleven women from the organization La Mujer Obrera (Working Women) who advocate for community-led economic development along the United States-Mexico border, ended a ten-day hunger strike in front of the White House in Washington, D.C today.
Kazakhstan: Livejournal Unblocked After 2 Years of Filtering
Livejournal, the most popular blogging platform in the Russian-language segment of the world wide web, was blocked by the national operator – and subsequently by other Internet service providers in Kazakhstan – in fall 2008. No explanations were provided by the authorities or the ISPs, except for the highly controversial...
Chile: Staying Informed Through Twitter
Sigrid Huenchunir [es] wrote a post for El Quinto Poder [es] on how Twitter has become one of the main (and fastest) ways for her to stay informed on what is happening in Chile while she is away studying. She says that through Twitter she learns about things the Chilean...
Latin America: Music Blog “Club Fonograma” Reviews Latin American Music in English
Club Fonograma: We are Sudamerican Pop! is a music blog, written in English, that reviews Latin American music. Blog posts include audio or video of the band or singer being reviewed. They are on Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, and My Space.
Angola: The Unique Sound of Luanda 1965 – 1976
Janne Oinonen reviews Angola Soundtrack: Covering an era ranging from post-independence optimism to the horror of the opening stages of what was to be a near-30 year civil war in the former Portuguese colony, this ninth release from the justifiably celebrated Analog Africa is a testament to music’s ability to...
Angola: Luanda Nightlife
Luanda-Nightlife is a blog that presents you the best bars, clubs and restaurants in Luanda with photos and location details. Luanda is the capital city of Angola.
Africa: The 7th Pan-African Reading for All Conference
FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS [Deadline Dec 31, 2010] for THE 7TH PAN-AFRICAN READING FOR ALL CONFERENCE, Gaborone, Botswana 11th – 14th July 2011.
Dominican Republic: Retail Stores use the Internet
Joan Guerrero comments on how retails stores [es] in the Dominican Republic are using social media.
Puerto Rico: The Caribbean Aesthetic in “El Juidero”
Dalila Rodríguez Saavedra interviews [es] filmmaker Noelia Quintero Herencia about her process directing Dominican singer-songwriter Rita Indiana's most recent video “El Juidero.”