Stories from 13 January 2012
Global: Pictures Not for Free
Edmond Terakopian, one of the UK's leading press photographers, comments on the tendency for some publications to expect photojournalists to supply images for free or for a token payment. The ethnic-Armenian World Press Photo Award winner is also using a Twitter hashtag, #picturesnotfree.
Puerto Rico: Reflection on Violence
Angel Javier reflects on the year 2011, the most violent year in Puerto Rico's history [es] with over 1,100 murders.
Cuba: Prison Conditions
Pedazos de la Isla posts a letter by dissident Ivonne Malleza who, along with her husband and another citizen, have been imprisoned for over a month, ever since being arrested during a protest.
Puerto Rico: #Esoez Awards
The deadline to vote for the best blogs in Puerto Rico at Esoez [es] is January 17.
Russia: Social Networks Mobilise Society
Facebook, the possibility to calculate numbers of protest participants, slogans from the Internet, a wide variety of gadgets - these are four new important factors in the analysis of demonstrations in Russia. Marina Litvinovich reports.
Trinidad & Tobago: Myomectomy, Explained
“Make a child and the cramps could get better. Could. If that was the sort of reason people were having children for then no wonder the country’s in such a state of hot messiness”: Suszanna.com shares her reasons for choosing to have a myomectomy.
Puerto Rico: Controversial “Joke” about Puerto Ricans
Ed Morales analyzes the recent outrage after the character played by Puerto Rican actor Amaury Nolasco in the ABC program “Work It” said: “I’m Puerto Rican. I’ll be great at selling drugs.”
Cuba: Dramatists Pass Away
Havana Times says that the Cuban theater world is in mourning, having lost, “only day’s apart, two of its finest exponents: Ramiro Herrero Beaton and Vicente Revuelta Planas.”
Puerto Rico: Bloggers Make It to the Supreme Court
Controversy has ensued after a Supreme Court judge cited posts written by legal scholars Erika Fontánez and Esther Vicente [es] in a dissident opinion of a ruling that left a victim of domestic violence without legal protection.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Time for a Slutwalk?
CODE RED calls the comments of the deputy Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines “particularly dangerous in the context of such high levels of violence against women and murders of women…for the millionth time, clothing does not invite nor excuse violence against women.”
Africa: Good Development Blog
Good Developments is a blog about African politics, development aid, peace and conflict. The blog is run by Katrin Eder and Peter Dörrie.
South Korea: National Security Law Draws Intense Criticism
North Korea Tech wrote a blog post on South Korea’s controversial National Security Law that bans display and distribution of North Korean material. Recently, several citizens were arrested under this law for posting seemingly benign North Korean songs or news clips.
Kenya, Somalia: Twitter War – Kenyan Army Versus Al Shabaab
Kenya's military incursion into Somalia against the militant group Al Shabaab dubbed “Operation Linda Nchi” (Swahili for “Operation Defend the Country”) has found a new battleground: Twitter.
Puerto Rico: Mima and Balún in Concert
Music blog Puerto Rico Indie reviews the concert held by two of the most beloved independent artists [es] of the Island: Mima and Balún.
Puerto Rico: Beautiful Old San Juan
Blogger Yésica Isabel offers her readers another beautiful photo-essay of her neighborhood: Old San Juan.
Puerto Rico: A Legendary Bar
The music blog Mala Vida, Buena Música publishes an ode to the legendary bari El Batey [es] in Old San Juan.
North Korea Punishing People Who Did Not Mourn Enough for Kim Jong Il
A news report came out saying North Korean authorities have begun to punish citizens who did not display enough sadness at Kim Jong Il's funeral. Bloggers have already raised suspicions that the hysterical mourning may not be genuine. Net user kmarko posted sample photos of citizens who seem indifferent.
Occupy Nigeria: From Cyberspace to Face-to-Face
Occupy Nigeria is a national protest in Nigeria which started as a response to the fuel subsidy removal by the federal governmnet. The protest has been fueled by the democratization of information as personified by young Nigerians through their use of social media.
Syria: Emergency Refugees
With large scale violence in Syria, the exodus towards neighboring countries is increasing continuously (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey). As per Islamic Relief [it] non-profit organisation, at least 650 Syrian families (mostly from the high risk areas of Homs and Hama) are in urgent need of food, sanitation and other assistance. Currently different activities such as fundraising and other initiatives are taking place, details here....
Ukraine: Gas and Budget
Odessablog's Blog discusses Ukraine's new state budget and how eventually what may be afforded for the country's public sector will be decided not by state incomes but by the price of Russian gas.
Belarus: Before and After Chernobyl
English Russia posts pictures taken before and after the 1986 Chernobyl accident from a village in the nuclear contaminated part of Belarus to show how little has changed as people live on as usual despite the radiation hazard.
