Stories from 2 August 2011
Moldova: Attack on Journalist Causes Online Debate on “Language Issue”
An incident of violence against a Moldovan journalist has brought about active online discussions regarding the long-protracted animosities between the Moldovan majority and the small Russian minority in the country.
Brazil: The Heterossexual Pride Day is Announced
Brazilian activist Alessandra Nane (@Lessinha_nane) informs [pt] that the City Council of São Paulo has just approved the Heterosexual Pride Day, a project led by evangelical leaders, to take place on the third Sunday of December. Nane ironically wonders when the “White Awareness Day”, among others, will also be approved.
Ukraine: Ten Little Politicians
LEvko of Foreign Notes discusses whether the political class of Ukraine is starting to realize anyone might be next in line to face prosecution, were former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko to be found guilty during her ongoing trial, and what they might do to avoid this.
Poland: Anniversary of Warsaw Uprising
Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki pays hommage to the 67th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising against the Nazis during World War II and reflects upon its historical and current significance.
Estonia: Defence Ministry Finances War Veterans?
Kloty of Gedanken über Estland draws attention to [ger] information in Estonian media that the country's Defence Ministry is allegedly financing the controversial Waffen-SS war veterans’ organizations.
Iran: A new event named “Khezbazi”
Several blogs published the photos from a gathering in Tehran where several young men and women dressed as villagers for fun. The event is called “Khezbazi”.
Russia: Exodus from LiveJournal Shows the Power of Networks
The latest Distributed Denial-of-Service attack (the second this year) on the most popular Russian blogging network, LiveJournal, has prompted a mass exodus of bloggers to different platforms and is significantly re-shaping the country's blogosphere.
Mexico: ‘Vivir México’ Interviews Spanish Translation Manager About Blog Carnival
Vivir México interviewed [es] Spanish Translation Manager Juan Arellano about our current Blog Carnival: Mexico – Citizenry, Violence and Blogs.
Latin America: Migrating to Another Latin American Country
The Council on Hemispheric Affairs Blog has published its third post in a series about immigration in Latin America. This time, COHA Research Associate Alena Hontarava looks at migration between Latin American countries.
Chile: 4 Years Since Aymara Woman Detained for Losing Son
Katie Manning, a reporter for MiVoz.cl (which publishes 14 citizen journalism online newpapers in Chile), writes about Gabriela Blas, a 28-year-old Aymara woman who “spends her days locked up in the Acha Prison in Arica, a mid-sized city in the north of Chile. […] August 2, marks four years since...
Egypt: Scenes from Monday's Crackdown on Tahrir Square
The Muslim holy month Ramadan didn't begin well for Egyptians on Tahrir square in Cairo protesting for the numerous still unmet demands of the revolution. On Monday, 1 August 2011, the army evacuated them with an iron fist, leaving many injured and more than one hundred detained.
Haiti: Fair Pay Needed for Honest Work
“Eighteen months after ‘bagay la’ (‘the thing’) brought Haiti to its knees, Haiti is still on its knees”: Dying in Haiti says that “there is much work to be done in Haiti and there are many Haitians to do the work. They need to be paid fairly for their work...
Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas: True Freedom
Is Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel the “new face of freedom”? Trinidadian Attillah Springer contends that “blackness is the prison that black people fear the most”, while Bahamian Nicolette Bethel says: “For true emancipation, we need to believe in something bigger than ourselves…something like truth, or honour, or service, or...
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Flying High
Two posts in the aftermath of the Caribbean Airlines crash: Jamaica Woman Tongue on “duppy” airlines and KnowTnT.com on the “political circus of BW523.”
Caribbean: TS Emily
Tropical Storm Emily has a few regional territories on the alert: bloggers [ES] in Cuba and the U.S. Virgin Islands post updates.
Barbados, Cuba: Two Different Carnivals
Cheese-on-bread! and Havana Times write posts about their respective Carnivals: Barbados’ Crop Over and Santiago de Cuba’s “Proselytizing Carnival”.
Bermuda, Barbados: Good Governance Laws
Vexed Bermoothes and Barbados Free Press blog about their countries’ lack of anti-corruption laws.
Belarus: Interpreting the Law on Freedom of Assembly
LJ user gabblgob lets [ru] a lawyer friend, LJ user redrok, take a look at the legal implications of changes in Belarus law on freedom of assembly, which are in stark contrast with the conventional meaning of the term.
China: Chemical Vinegar
A local report has revealed that 90% of vinegar in the market is produced by glacial acetic acid rather than grain. According to the report [zh] in the First Financial Daily, the annual consumption of vinegar on average is up to 3.3 million tons and 90% is a chemical combination...
China: Chinese Shanzhai Products
Olivia from ChinaHush translates a local news story with photos comparing shanzhai or counterfeiting products with the genuine ones.
Syria: Can Tweets Prevent a Massacre?
Following the worst day of violence Syria has seen since protests broke out across the country in February, Syrian opposition and their supporters around the world have begun an attempt to raise global awareness of events in the country, utilizing a hashtag, #RamadanMassacre, that was started on Sunday to keep track of reports from the city of Hama.
