Stories from 22 December 2011
Russia: Phone Hacking Case Unites Opposition
The leaking of private phone conversations of a prominent Russian opposition leader to the media has given rise to many issues and left a lot of questions unanswered. Dmitry Davidov reports.
Bermuda: military mess?
The United States maintained a military base in Bermuda for 50 years, finally departing in 1995. Who should clean up the pollution that got left behind, asks Catch a Fire? “The Americans … shouldn’t need to be told what to do…. They have no right to come and pollute our...
Guyana: politics and egg-pelting
Guyana-Gyal gives a wry account of a recent political protest in Guyana, involving an egg-pelting incident. “No-bady, noooobady can do politics like Turd Whirl people. We should call it Frolitics.”
Jamaica: election language
With a general election swiftly approaching in Jamaica, OwenSoft shares an online tool for comparing the frequency of words and phrases in the official election manifestos of the country's main political parties.
Peru: Mass Graves Reported by Locals in Ayahuanco
In the blog Memory in Latin America, Lillie Langtry writes about the recent finding of “14 graves containing about 100 bodies, assumed to be victims of the Peruvian conflict of the 1980s,” in the district of Ayahuanco. She explains that “local people are generally well aware of the location of...
Chile's New Safe Driving Campaign
Eileen Smith, in her blog Bearshapedshpere, praises a new safe driving campaign in Chile, which she says “feels like a Chile-specific message, something home-grown and applicable here, not borrowed from some bigger and better-funded country.”
Italy, Senegal: Strong Reactions Follow Murder of 2 Senegalese Men in Florence
On December 13, Gianluca Casseri opened fired on a group of Senegalese in two outdoor markets in Florence. The horrific event resulted in the death of two street vendors from Senegal, as well as the perpetrator. Abdoulaye Bah reports on the country's reactions.
Iran: Blogger May Face Death Penalty
Several bloggers and news sites reported [fa] that Mohammad Reza Pour Shajari, a jailed blogger , may face charge of ‘Waging War Against God’ (moharebeh). A death sentence can be pronounced in this case. He criticized Islam and Islamic Republic in his blog, Iran Land's Report.
Armenia: Activists Demand Controversial Governor's Dismissal
Surik Khachatryan, the governor of Armenia's southern Syunik province, has been making headlines in the last month for all the wrong reasons. No stranger to controversy, activists are now demanding his dismissal.
Brazil: Titan Kids and Surfing as Hope
‘Titan Kids’ is a documentary about the kids of Titanzinho, a slum in the city of Fortaleza, Brazil. Birthplace of professional surfers, surfing is perceived as hope in face of “drugs, prostitution, and extreme violence”. Directors Lee-Ann Curren and André Silva (himself a surfer and former resident) released a teaser...
Kazakhstan: Reactions to Strike Crackdown as Police Brutality Video Emerges
Clashes in the town of Zhanaozen, Kazakhstan, on December 16-17, 2011, when a labour strike suddenly broke out in violence, looting and arson leaving at least 14 dead and hundreds of civilians and policemen injured, have caused considerable debate online. Adil Nurmakov reports.
Brazil: Blogging on the Archives of the Dictatorship
Journalist Niara de Oliveira published quotes [pt] from a selection of blogs that participated in the fourth blogging carnival #DesarquivandoBR (Unarchiving Brazil), that took place on December 14, on opening the archives of the Brazilian Dictatorship (1964 to 1985).
Brazil: Proposal for the Legalization of Abortion Approved in Conference
Journalist Maíra Kubik Mano comments on the approval of a proposal to legalize abortion in Brazil, during the Third National Conference on Women, in Brasília. She finalizes wondering “what the government will do if the proposed policy becomes part of the next Plan of National Policies for Women”.
Japan: Life Decisions in the Face of Radiation Fear
The decision to move away differs from the more reactive evacuations that occurred this spring after the initial nuclear disasters. A blogger who decided to stay calls for a more logical understanding of the nuanced undercurrents of our emotional struggles.
South Korean President's Vocal Critic Sentenced to Jail Term
Jeong Bong-ju, a vocal critic of the President and a show host of the nation's most popular satirical podcast, Naggomsu, was sentenced a jail term for raising allegations of BBK stock price manipulation against the current President. Some citizens have posted this poster on a subway to show signs of support for Jeong.
CEE: More on Václav Havel and His Legacy
More posts on Václav Havel and his legacy from around the region's Anglophone blogosphere: Richard Byrne of Balkans via Bohemia; CzechFolks.com; Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word – here and here; Jeremy Druker of TOL's East of Center; Tjebbe van Tijen and Mary Kaldor for OpenDemocracy.net; Giustino of Itching...
Kuwait: Online Advocacy for the Stateless Bidoun
Since hundreds of Kuwait's 100,000 strong Bidoun were attacked by police for protesting in support of others detained earlier in the year, a number of bloggers and international organizations have been stepping up their support for the stateless people in the hope of drawing attention to their plight.
Czech Republic: A Tribute to Václav Havel
A tribute to Václav Havel, by Luboš Motl of The Reference Frame: “[…] Havel has been an unusually strong moral autority that has influenced even people such as me who ultimately found out that they disagree with him about many pretty fundamental things. He's been proposed for a peace Nobel...
