February, 2011

Stories from February, 2011

Macedonia: Ruined Monuments

  28 February 2011

Partikopolis‘ photos document vandalism against monuments [MKD] in Strumica: “…if this was a multi-ethnic community, then the ‘others’ would be blamed. Since it is not – nobody cares…”

Peru: Ex-Minister Asked US Embassy to Help Contain Opponent's Presidential Campaign

  28 February 2011

On February 19th, Spanish newspaper El Pais released a cable stating that "Fernando Rospigliosi, former Minister of the Interior in the government of Alejandro Toledo, asked the assistance of the United States Embassy to carry a campaign against Ollanta Humala." Peruvian bloggers and Twitter users quickly reacted to the cable that rocked the local political environment during an election year.

Honduras: Taxi Drivers and Teachers Strike

  28 February 2011

“La Gringa” blogs about a strike led by teachers and taxi drivers in La Ceiba on February 21. “This was the third national strike of the school year, which only began on Monday, February 14,” she writes.

France: New Right-Leaning Website Enters the Fray

  28 February 2011

Atlantico.fr, a new right-leaning website in French modeled on several American web successes (including The Atlantic and Politico) is quickly earning notoriety in France in expectation of what role it may play in upcoming national elections.

Haiti: Preventable Suffering

  28 February 2011

“The earthquake did not kill people. Bad buildings killed people. Lack of medical care killed people. Lack of infrastructure killed people. Lack of caring government officials kill[s] people”: Dying in Haiti is convinced that “most Haitian suffering is not necessary and is preventable in the first place.”

Bahamas: The Right to Speak Out

  28 February 2011

“I always have and always will speak up when my rights as a homeowner, a citizen and a human being are being threatened”: Womanish Words believes that her voice is the most powerful tool she has.

Caribbean: Bocas Announces Longlist

  28 February 2011

“The OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature — which will be awarded for the first time this year — has announced its 2011 longlist of ten books”: Caribbean bloggers discuss.

Trinidad & Tobago: The Death Penalty

  28 February 2011

“Faced with a major problem with serious crime in Trinidad & Tobago, the current government is ( rather predictably) pushing for the reimplementation of the death penalty”: Globewriter is heartened by “a few young activists who are…speaking out” against the move.

Cuba: Watching from Within

  28 February 2011

“There has not [been] enough coverage or information to even begin to address the complexity of these events and the numberless perspectives interpreting them”: Graham Sowa blogs at Havana Times about watching the Middle East protests from Cuba.

Trinidad & Tobago: Saving by Sou Sou

  28 February 2011

“A sou sou is structured where one person will be in charge of collecting monies from a group of people. All the monies collected will be given to one person in the group, on selected dates, and it rotates that way until each person has received what they call, a...