Stories from 9 November 2011
Czech Republic: Open Source Initiative to Visualize State Budget
KohoVolit‘s Michal Škop and Centrum Cyfrowe [pl] from Poland announced that the open source application Raw Salad [pl] used to hack the Polish state budget will also be used in the Czech Republic. Besides publishing the budget data using this new way, Czechs will also create a dedicated portal with...
Colombia: Online Petition Calls for Resignation of Minister of Education
With widespread opposition to the Colombian government's reform to higher education, Pilar Sáenz (@Mapisaro) tweets a link [es] and shares that she signed an online petition [es] that calls for the resignation of the current Minister of Education, María Fernanda Campo [es]. A Senator [es] has been promoting this measure....
Colombia: President Santos Proposes Removal of Reform to Law 30 if Students Lift Strike
Seconds after President Juan Manuel Santos announced [es] that if students lifted their strike he would remove the project to reform higher education Law 30 from Congress, ‘Presidente Juan Manuel Santos’ [es] and ‘Santos‘ [es] became local Trending Topics on Twitter. This occurs on the eve of a protest scheduled...
Liberia: For the Liberiaphiles
A post for the Liberiaphiles from Chris: “Yesterday’s vote was marred by violence the day before. It looks like badly-trained and led police are to blame, but we will see.”
Malawi: Women in Prison
Sonya Donnelly writes about the plight of Malawian women in prison: “Prison is often a very expensive way of making vulnerable women’s life situations much worse. Once a woman is incarcerated miles from her home, sometimes for months or years without the case progressing, she may lose her home, her...
Guinea-Bissau: Community Radio Launches a New Blog
The community radio Voz de Queléle (Voice of Quelélé) [pt], from the Quelélé neighborhood in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, launched a new blog in October 2011. The radio was created in 1994 and has played an important role especially in providing public health information to the community.
Cuba: Segregation Sail
Reinaldo Escobar and his wife Yoani Sanchez get kicked off a yacht tour reserved for tourists; he recounts the experience here.
Haiti: Cholera Vaccine?
Dying in Haiti links to an article which suggests that it would cost 40 million dollars to vaccinate everyone in Haiti against cholera and says: “That seems like a good deal. We need to remember that the UN costs 60 million dollars per MONTH to keep them in Haiti. Which...
Grenada: On Self-Publishing
Tobias Buckell is “seriously getting tired of prominent self publishers” and explains why, here.
Ghana: Shame and Praise Service Providers
Have any companies driven you to the wall lately to the point where you felt like burning down their premises? Kuzima is your answer. Kuzima is “A platform that allows anyone to SHAME and PRAISE service providers. Comments eventually end up with the companies’ customer service departments, so, you don't...
Trinidad & Tobago: Final Bailout Formula
Afra Raymond comments on the new bailout formula which was recently approved by Parliament: “Whatever one thinks of the actual [CL Financial] bailout, which I maintain is a perversion of our Treasury, there are valuable lessons to be learned from all this. The main lesson for me is the Power...
Cuba: Encounter with a Fumigator
“Many people in Cuba fail to understand the gap between social and private space,” writes Daisy Valera, whose run-in with an official fumigator left her with “the feeling of being overwhelmed and without rights, even within the four walls of where I live.”
Global: Replacing Moreno Ocampo at the International Criminal Court
Luis Moreno Ocampo's term as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is coming to an end and elections for judges are scheduled for December. The discussions taking place regarding the potential candidates to replace Moreno Ocampo are highlighted here by Evan Fleischer.
South Korea: Online Political Satire Show Draws Millions of Downloads
A hilarious political satire talk show, ‘Na-Ggom-su’, has gone viral in South Korea. The show, which is only available online, is filled with wild jokes and expletives, and mocks the country’s President, Lee Myung-bak and the ruling Grand National party.
Nicaragua: Protesters Denounce Election Fraud
Opponents to Daniel Ortega's reelection protested on November 8 denouncing electoral fraud in the November 6 elections, as reported by El Nuevo Diario [es]. The blog Política Mente Incorrecto [es] shares links to articles, pictures, and several citizen videos of the protest.
Mexico: Global Voices Contributor Receives Praise for Her Poems and Her Tweets
Global Voices contributor Issa Villarreal is recognized in the UNAM's (National Autonomous University of Mexico) ‘Poetry Periodical’ [es] for her poem El cuerpo siempre pierde [es] (“The body always loses”) and her informative tweets about Monterrey. You can follow Issa on Twitter @hiperkarma.
Bolivia: The UN Development Program's Video Series on Inequality
The United Nations Development Program has produced a series of videos focusing on inequality in Bolivia [es]. Blogger Pablo Andrés Rivero -who appears in two videos- posts the series [es] in his personal blog.
Global Campaigns in Solidarity with Syria Keep Growing
There has been a global outpouring of initiatives in solidarity with the Syrian people. Social media and older technologies, like the telephone, are being used to let Syrians know that they have not been forgotten, especially during the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha.
Egypt: Global Online Protest Against Military Planned Today
A global online protest is being held today to protest against the unjust imprisonment of thousands of Egyptians since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution. Click here for more details.
China: On the Rise But Feeling Boxed In
China is surrounded by 85% of the political hotspots in the world, argues one prominent professor, and needs to be free to deal with those and other geopolitical problems it faces, beginning with access to the seas it borders.
Macedonia: Mobilizing Against Veles Lead Smelting Factory
The city of Veles' residents of all political persuasions are united in protest against the restarting of the lead and zinc smelting factory located within city limits, whose operation has had devastating effects on people's health. On November 9, they are organizing a massive rally.
