Stories from 17 December 2010
Haiti: Ballots Video
prophet N posts a video which, “according to unconfirmed sources…was filmed by UN peacekeepers in Cite Soleil” and may point to inconsistencies with regard to electoral ballots.
Jamaica: Documentary on Police Abuse
Repeating Islands reports on the launch of a documentary which chronicles instances of police injustice and debuted “to a crowd of more than 300 to commemorate International Human Rights Day.”
Dominica: Authentic Craft
Dominica Weekly is proud of its craftspeople, saying: “Dominica is ahead of the game when it comes to authentic art and craft.”
Cuba: Economic Crisis
Iván's File Cabinet says that the “times of crisis” that the country is facing is affecting everyone – even the prostitutes.
Cuba: Top 10 Cubans
Uncommon Sense begins his Top Ten List of Cubans who made a difference in 2010.
Sudan: Southern Sudanese to vote in eight countries
Southern Sudanese in eight countries around the world will be able to participate in Southern Sudan Independence Referendum: “The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) is organizing “Out of Country Voting” in eight countries, so that Southern Sudan’s undeniably far-flung (think Australia to California to the UK) diaspora population.”
D.R. of Congo: Conflict minerals guidelines and murder of bishop's wife
Stories to watch from the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Bishop Levy Mbala, the head of the Church of Christ in the Congo – one of the largest protestant church groups in the country – was wounded and his wife killed in an attack on their house in Goma on Monday....
Cote d'Ivoire: Massacre in Abidjan
Alex Angwete discusses the volatile political situation in Cote d'Ivoire: “Yesterday, northern politicians Alassane Draman Ouattara and his PM-designate Guillaume Soro sent their “unarmed” supporters in the streets to attempt and seize the buildings of the national television station…The death toll was quite staggering: 30 dead demonstrators and bystanders.”
Africa: Banana leaf packaging for street food
Banana leaf packaging for street food in Africa: “…banana leaves are a packaging solution that has existed for thousands of years, still exists today, and that could benefit the environment by simply expanding their use to new areas”
Ethiopia/US: Soul Food: Mike-e's Afroflow
Negrita writes about Mike-e, an American artist born in Ethiopia: “his album afroflow ii pays tribute to the fact that hip-hop flows from africa and his music is heavily influenced by the sounds of africa, in general and ethiopia in particular.”
Africa: The African immigrant experience in New York City
Short videos from students at The New School, USA, about the African immigrant experiences in New York City.
Africa: Corrective rape testimonies from around Africa
Rose highlights corrective rape testimonies from around Africa: “it’s really important to point out how the increasing incidences of violence against gay people in Africa include the grotesque practice of corrective rape, where women are raped, and in some cases, infected with HIV and/or made pregnant.”
Vietnam: BarCamp and EduCamp Saigon 2010
Around 500 participants attended Barcamp Saigon 2010 this week in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Saigon Educamp was also held where participants discussed technology as well as teaching and learning. Here are blog and twitter reactions
Lebanon: Israeli espionage devices disabled
“Lebanese Army moved to locate and disable various espionage devices planted by Israeli agents in Lebanese mountainous areas,” reports As'ad AbuKhalil here.
Lebanon: Billboards After the Storm
Beirut Drive-by Shooting, a blog specialized in photographing billboards around Lebanon, has images of the devastating effect that the storm which hit Lebanon last week had on some billboards.
Lebanon: Wikileaks for Children
“Don't worry, you do resemble your mom. She's just been plucked, bleached, and had a lot of plastic surgery,” says Says Sareen, in one of her four witty comics entitled “Wiki-leaks for Children.”
India: What the Telecom Scam Revealed
Rajesh Jain of Emergic, in a series of posts, opines that the recent telecom scam in India exposed how deeply corruption has penetrated the Indian society – impacting economic growth and corroding trust.
India: The Mystery of the Advertised Armpits
Dilip D'Souza at Death Ends Fun finds out that advertising that show brazen flaunting of armpits is a reflection of India's confidence that ‘our time has come’.
Bangladesh: Marginalizing the Benarasi Weavers
Tithe Farhana, in a guest post in Pickled Politics, highlights the problems of the Benarasi weaving industry in Bangladesh and points out that the Benarasi Weavers continue to be seen as stranded Pakistanis.
Sri Lanka: Diaspora Dilemmas
V V Ganeshananthan at Sepia Mutiny analyses the present and future role of the various Sri Lankan diasporas in influencing the Nation's future. Should their role be limited to economic contributions only?
Laos: Rural electrification program
Alfredo Bano Leal blogs about the rural electrification program in Laos
