Stories from 6 September 2011
Video: Nyan Cat Costa Rican style
A Costa Rican version of the Nyan cat has hit the social networks. In this new incarnation, a cat with a tamale body wearing a folkloric hat leaves behind a Costa Rican flag trail while jumping over an overcast city inhabited by miniskirt wearing overweight women. The description on the...
Brazil: Road to World Cup and Olympics Paved with Forced Evictions
In the run up to Brazil's World Cup 2014 and Olympics 2016, thousands of people are being forcefully evicted from their homes to make room for office buildings, stadiums and roads. Video activists are making a stand, producing documentaries to raise awareness, inform and empower communities at risk of eviction.
Burkina Faso and Niger: Haven for Gaddafi ?
René Dassié reports that Gaddafi and a heavily armed convoy might be headed to Burkina Faso via Niger [fr]. Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaoré has yet to confirm that he offered refuge to the deposed Libyan leader.
Trinidad & Tobago: Ramifications of “Granny Quila”
Of the controversial “Granny Quila” video, Mark Lyndersay says: “It’s clear that for many locals, Facebook and to a lesser extent other Internet based media such as blogs and Twitter have become a kind of virtual Woodford Square for airing opinions…Unfortunately, unlike a hotheaded argument in the square, posts and...
Haiti: How News of Alleged Assault Spread
mediahacker explains how he obtained the video of “the apparent assault by Uruguayan UN troops on Johnny Jean. The answer is simple: The video is circulating on cell phones in Port Salut.”
Egypt: Scuffles Break Out Inside and Outside Mubarak Trial
Ex-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stood trial yesterday for the killing of protesters in the revolution. This is the third hearing and lasted for 10 hours, with scuffles reported both inside the court and outside, where Mubarak's supporters clashed with the families of martyrs.
Latin America: Tragic Times for Journalists
The Latin Americanist lists recent incidents that validate the claim made by Robert Rivard -head of an Inter American Press Association (IAPA) commission- that “2011 is the ‘most tragic year in the last two decades’ for Latin American journalists.”
Costa Rica: Bloggers Discuss Present and Future of Blogs in ‘BloggeandoCR’
Alonso Castro [es] and Laura Muñoz [es] write about ‘BloggeandoCR‘, an event held on September 3 where Costa Rican bloggers discussed the present and future of blogs.
Uruguay Looks at Monitoring Social Networks After Teen's Death
Sixteen year old Álvaro Froste died after he was shot in the chest during a gang fight which was allegedly incited through Facebook. Pablo Gutiérrez at FayerWayer reports [es] that as a result of Álvaro's death the Uruguayan government is looking into monitoring social networks.
Cuba: Two Views of the Church
Babalu maintains that “the shepherd appointed by the Vatican to care for and protect the flock in Cuba has instead chosen to care for and protect the wolves that slaughter the sheep”; in contrast, Havana Times says: “The Catholic Church seems to be expecting a rise in religious sentiment among...
Bahamas: Identification System to deal with Immigration?
On the introduction of a national identification system, Weblog Bahamas’ Rick Lowe asks: “Can't you see the territory being staked out in a new fiefdom that would remove even more of our freedoms already?”
Trinidad & Tobago: True Freedom
Attillah Springer blogs about this year's (post-riot) Notting Hill Carnival and compares the experience with Trinidad and Tobago's current State of Emergency: “The State, whether British or ‘Trinbagonian,’ cannot control the desire for freedom. With fear or guns or cameras. The desire for freedom will win out ultimately.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Suspension of Human Rights?
Tattoo takes a look at the issue of human rights in the context of Trinidad and Tobago's extended State of Emergency.
Guinea-Bissau: Unique Footage from 1969-74
Pierre Fargeas, a former aircraft technician from France, shared a unique film footage of daily life in Guinea Bissau from 1969-74 on Youtube.
Brazil: Amazon Defender Under Threats Requests Protection
The Brazilian rainforest defender Raimundo Belmiro urges the authorities for protection after death threats “for his activism against the destruction of the Amazon jungle”. The message is spreading in both Brazilian and international blogosphere.
Mexico: Hero Reports, Mapping Acts of Kindness
Heroreports is a non-profit project dedicated to crowdsourcing and mapping reports of citizen courage and positive social behavior. It started in Ciudad Juárez, México as an initiative of the MIT Center for Civic Media. Ernesto Priego reports.
China: Nazi Chic Cosplay
ChinaSMACK has a post about about the Nazi Chic cosplay culture in China and translated Chinese netizens’ reactions to a set of Nazi Chic photos.
Chile: Netizens Pay Tribute to Plane Crash Victims
The disappearance of an airplane near the Juan Fernandez archipelago has stirred social networks in Chile: among the 21 passengers and crew were members of the NGO Levantemos Chile, and five employees of Chile National Television, including famous presenter Felipe Camiroaga.
