Stories from 24 December 2010
Dominican Republic: Demanding 4% of National Budget for Education
In the Dominican Republic there is a heated debate about the quality of education that focuses on the fact that the General Law of Education establishes that annual public funding on education must reach at least 4% of the GDP. Actually, only around 2% is destined to education. The Internet and social media networks have become important spaces for grassroots campaigns and communication.
Caribbean: Defining Moments of 2010
Many landmark events happened in the Caribbean this year, prompting reactions from the regional blogosphere. Here's a look back at some of the most important stories of 2010...
Peru: Book About Social Conflicts in Peru
Silvio Rendón from GranComboClub analyzed [es] the book “Between economic growth and social dissatisfaction. Social protests in contemporary Peru” [es] by Romeo Grompone and Martin Tanaka. Aside from reviewing the interesting material on the case studies presented, Silvio thinks the conclusions the book reaches try to distort the social conflicts...
South Africa: Corrective rape is a hate crime
Corrective rape is a criminal practice, whereby men rape lesbian women, purportedly as a means of “curing” the woman of her sexual orientation. Despite South Africa being the first nation on earth to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage and the world’s first republic to guarantee LGBT citizens equal rights in all realms of life (including adoption and military service), cases of corrective rape have been on the rise.
Venezuela: Police Repression During Protest Over University Law
Miguel Octavio in The Devil's Excrement says that students faced severe police repression during a protest against a new law that gives the government more control over universities. Furthermore, in Venezuela News and Views Daniel Duquenal reports that an AFP journalist was hurt while taking pictures of the protest.
Trinidad & Tobago: A Vote vs. Human Rights
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers are upset about their country's abstention on a UN vote regarding an amendment to a resolution “condemning extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions” which “restores a reference to sexual orientation in the list of groups of people particularly targeted in extrajudicial killings.”
Cuba: A Cuban Christmas
Iván's File Cabinet says that “although the city does not have a Christmas atmosphere…in their way, Cubans celebrate Christmas.”
Barbados: Fave Christmas Carols
Ever wondered which Christmas songs put Barbadians in the festive spirit? Cheese-on-bread! lists the Top 25 faves of her countrymen.
Jamaica: Honouring Huie
The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog is thrilled to be honouring the late modern art pioneer Albert Huie “on the eve of what would have been [his] ninetieth birthday.”
Guyana: Inner Beauty
The Guyana Groove is convinced that true beauty comes from within.
Taiwan: Cycling used to construct culture
Taiwan in Cycles looks at an article from CommonWealth magazine and discusses how cycling and leisure activities are used to construct culture and promote an ideology of Chinese nationalism in Taiwan.
Sri Lanka: Six Predictions For Social Media In 2011
Sr Lankan blogger Ami Sampath lists his six predictions for Social Media in 2011.
Brazil: Act in support of WikiLeaks
The video of a debate in support of WikiLeaks, with the participation of its Brazilian representative, Natália Viana, and many cyberactivists, is available at the blog Maria Frô [pt]. The event was promoted by Intervozes [pt] – an organization advocating for freedom of expression and the democratization of communication.
Cyber Scout: Thailand’s internet police?
The government of Thailand is recruiting young people to join the ‘cyber scout’ program which is tasked to defend the royal institution in the internet. Is it an initiative to bridge the digital divide as the government claims or is it a censorship tool?
India: November 2010 Killings in Assam
Aruni Kashyap discusses about the recent killings by the Bodo militants in Assam.
Philippines: ‘Unliking’ the Facebook page of the President
The Four-eyed Journal from the Philippines explains why he ‘unliked’ the Facebook page of President Noynoy Aquino.
Laos: New banknotes
Lao has introduced a new 100,000-kip (US$12.45) banknote and several coins to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the capital, Vientiane. Oliver Tappe, writing for New Mandala, analyzes the design of the banknote.
Laos: Center of tiger trading
Lao Bumpkin writes about a village he visited in Laos which he described as the “center of the international trade in tigers, leopards and other endangered species.”
Laos: New Prime Minister
After accepting the resignation of Bouasone Bouphavanh, the National Assembly of Laos unanimously voted Thongsing Thammavong as the country's new Prime Minister
Myanmar's person of the year
Kyaw Zwa Moe of The Irrawaddy names Snr-Gen Than Shwe as Myanmar's person of the year. Than Shwe is the junta leader of Myanmar.
Global: New ‘Digital Rights Watch’ Wiki
Digital RIghts Watch is a new wiki for mapping legal issues like censorship, surveillance and intellectual property around the world.
