Stories from 22 June 2011
Global Voices Co-Founder to Head MIT's Center for Civic Media
Global Voices co-founder and and long time fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Ethan Zuckerman, has been named director of MIT's Civic Media Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Congratulations Ethan!
Nepal: High Hopes For Youth Based Movement
Blogdai has high hopes for Nepal Unite, a recent youth based initiative which started online. According to the blogger it will help the average Nepali Citizen get involved in the political process and stimulate meaningful dialogue.
Bangladesh: Rumana Manzur – A Grim Reminder of Domestic Violence
On 5 June, 2011, Rumana Manzur, an Assistant Professor at the Dhaka University, became the victim of a horrific case of domestic violence when she was brutally attacked by her husband Hassan Syed. This incident has shocked the Bangladeshi society and bloggers too have lent their voice in this demand for justice, expressing anger, outrage and shock.
Bahrain: Opposition Leaders Sentenced to Jail
Opposition movements in Bahrain suffered a blow today after the military court, or National Security Court as it is called in Bahrain, sentenced 21 opposition figures to jail. Eight of them received life sentences. The sentences provoked criticism towards the regime of Bahrain because they came following calls for a national dialogue.
Zambia: Violence at Chiluba's Funeral Gathering
Zambia’s second President, Frederick Chiluba is every bit as controversial in death as he was alive. Chiluba’s funeral wake, a tradition in Zambia where mourners gather from the day a person dies up to the time of burial, has been marked with violence and political manoeuvrings.
Haiti: The Other Side of the Martelly Story
Wadner Pierre refers to a mainstream media article about Haiti's new president, saying that the story fails to mention “the illegitimacy of the way in which he was elected, and the ongoing destruction of earthquake camps that his government is helping to facilitate.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Markets & Monasteries
From “soots” to Benedictine monasteries, Chookooloonks photoblogs about a lovely day spent during her time in Trinidad.
Jamaica: Bob's Legacy
“Three decades after his death, the revolutionary Tuff Gong Rastaman is now completely made over and repackaged as the poster boy for the Jamaican tourist industry”: But Jamaica Woman Tongue thinks that “if Marley were a youth today, he would sound a lot like Capleton, Sizzla and Anthony B.”
Argentina: The Flag Day Ceremony and Cristina Fernández's Bid for Re-Election
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was the only speaker during the Flag Day ceremony in Argentina, an event celebrated every June 20; a patriotic holiday full of Argentine and political party flags. Argentines are beginning to find out who will run for president in this year's elections.
Panama: Politics, Football and Conspiracy Theories
Panamanian Global Voices author Ariel Moreno [es] blogs [es] about the government's and the national football team's tendency to come up with conspiracy theories and complain that the political opposition or the CONCACAF –respectively– are out to get them. He concludes: “We need to stop blaming others for our misfortunes,...
Guatemala: Families in Quiché Benefit from ‘Maya Food Security Programme’
Mike, in Central American Politics, writes about the Maya Food Security Programme, “an initiative designed to combat chronic malnutrition through the distribution of monthly food rations and the sponsorship of workshops, fairs and street theater on nutritional education.” He says that “over ten thousand Guatemalan families in [the] Quiché [department] benefit from this program.”
Argentina: Cristina Fernández Announces Re-Election Bid
On Tuesday, June 21, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced she will run for reelection. The Argentine Post looks at the challenges she will have to deal with if reelected, while Eliot Brockner, in Latin American Thought, says her prospects for winning “are looking good”.
Slovakia, Poland: (Mis)Understanding the Euro Experience
According to a recent poll, the majority of Poles are against joining the Eurozone. One of the reasons may be their (mis)understanding of the Slovak experience.
Cannibalism In North Korea, Smuggled Documents Reveal
GI Korea from the ROK Drop blog commented on local news report claiming that they have obtained smuggled documents confirming cannibalism in North Korea. Acts of cannibalism have long been reported by North Korean defectors, especially during the mass famine in the mid-90′s.
Korea: Blogger Touring Tense Border Area
Maggie Downs from the GirlVentures blog shared her experience in touring tense border area between the South and North Korea. Downs visited the demilitarized zone, Camp Bonifas, Panmunjom and the joint security area.
