Stories from 22 September 2011
Ukraine: Vitaly Portnikov's “Winter Time”
Foreign Notes posts a loose translation of Vitaly Portnikov's latest analytical piece [ru] on the political situation in Ukraine.
Latvia: Talk Show Host Fired for “Breach of Good Taste”
Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that a Latvian-American talk show host has been fired from LTV for calling certain politicians “whores.”
Ukraine: Chernobyl Trip Reports
At Desolation Travel, Jane Keeler and Derek Kedziora write about their trip to Chernobyl this past summer.
Poland: “Hot Autumn in Politics”
Politics, Economy, Society writes about the upcoming Oct. 9 parliamentary elections in Poland.
Armenia: Punishing homophobia
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a regional tour company has announced that it will not be sponsoring or advertising on Radio Van, a local radio station accused of spreading hate-speech and homophobia in the country.
Russia: Jokes and Xenophobia
Donna Welles writes about Russian jokes (and a blog that translates Russian and Ukrainian jokes into English) – and about xenophobia.
Bolivia: Police Block Indigenous Territory Anti-Highway March
Protests have continued by indigenous marchers to stop the building of a highway through the Indigenous Territory National Park Isiboro Sécure in Bolivia. Police recently blocked the march, raising tensions in the conflict.
Chile: Twitter Reports on March for Education Reform
El Dínamo has put together a Storify post [es] with reports, pictures, and reactions to today's march for education reform. You can read more tweets about the march by following the hashtags #yomarchoel22 (“I march on the 22nd”) and #yoapoyoalosestudiantes (“I support the students”).
Mexico: Twitter Users Accused of “Terrorism” are Released
Two Twitter users who faced jail over “terrorism and sabotage” for spreading rumors of narco-related violence on social networks have been released. Bloggings by boz explains: “The local government created a new regulation against ‘disturbing the peace’ that might be used for future cases, but said the two released Twitter...
Uruguay: Economic Growth and Happiness
According to a forecast by the Intentional Monetary Fund, Uruguay's economy will expand 6% in 2011. Rosario Queirolo in Razones y personas: repensando Uruguay (“Reasons and people: rethinking Uruguay”) comments on the relationship between economic growth and general satisfaction in Uruguay.
Cuba: Image of a Free Woman
Rebeca Monzo examines the new image of the Cuban woman, saying: “In official spheres they speak of the revolutionary woman, mother, comrade, worker, housewife. But what’s certain is that, more and more, our women suffer transformations that are detrimental to their appearance and self-esteem.”
Cuba: Officers Sentenced
Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about three officials of the National Revolutionary Police who will be serving prison terms “presumptively [for] overrul[ing] charges (in exchange for gifts) against a truck driver who ran over a woman on a public road more than a year ago.”
U.S. Virgin Islands: Where's the Improvement?
News of St. John says it just “doesn't seem right…that budget allocations to the St. John Capital Improvement Fund never seem to be earmarked to help improve St. John's streets, parking lots, curbs, sidewalks…and this year apparently will be no different.”
CEE: Top 10 Worldwide Download Speed
Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that, according to a 6-month study of 27 million downloads by 20 million computers in 224 countries conducted by Pando Networks, Romania (1,909KBps), Bulgaria (1,611KBps), Lithuania (1,462KBps) and Latvia (1,377KBps) have the second, third, fourth and fifth highest download speeds in the world, while Ukraine has been...
Cuba: Parents Detained; What Happens to Child?
Uncommon Sense calls the “countless number of children [who] have been separated from their families…one of the regime’s more unforgivable sins” and goes on to highlight the plight of a two-year-old boy whose parents are allegedly “in jail because of their active opposition to the Castro dictatorship.”
Cuba: “Green Collar” Criminals
Generation Y says that “the latest episode of moral corruption in the business sector is related to the highly publicized fiber optic cable connecting us to Venezuela.”
Ukraine: Euro 2012 “Travel Advisory”
“Travel advisory for Ukraine and EURO-2012” from uaMuzik's Vasyl – “short and sweet”: “Travel there with extreme caution – levels of barbarity and disrespect for human life by law enforcement officials is at intolerable levels by international standards. They claim that there will be law enforcement officials that speak your...
Global Voices Seeks Administration and Finance Manager
Global Voices seeks a Finance and Administration Manager to support our operations on a daily basis. To express your interest, please send a cover letter and CV to “job AT globalvoicesonline DOT org” by no later than October 17, 2011.
China: A water calligraphy dot matrix printer
Danwei has produced a video interview with Nicholas Hanna, a media artist who has built a tricycle that can paint Chinese characters with water on the ground as it moves. The machine is inspired by Beijingers who practice Chinese calligraphy with water brushes on the ground in parks.
Azerbaijan: Peace Corps Reflections
Aaron in Azerbaijan comments on a Global Voices post on the U.S. Peace Corps in Turkmenistan and reflects on the situation as a volunteer in Azerbaijan.
Uganda: Anti-Museveni Author Freed After Five Days
The Ugandan government has freed the author of a book who was imprisoned for five days without access to his lawyers or family. Vincent Nzaramba’s little known book 'People Power, Battle the Mighty General' called for a coup and a revolution in the country, thrusting the little known activist into the spotlight.
