Stories from 27 January 2012
Slovakia: Competition to Re-Design the National Gallery's Site
In response to the 25,000-euro “minimalist” website design of the Slovak National Gallery, zajtra.sk started its own competition [sk] for the website's re-design, offering 100 euro to the winner. Authors...
Cuba: The Cardinal Rule
In the context of the country's upcoming papal visit, Angel Santiesteban writes: “What we Cubans have to achieve won’t come from anyone’s visit, nor from the ‘peace concert’, although it...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Value of Seniors
kid5rivers takes the Port of Spain mayor to task for his disagreement with a proposal to offer offer free utilities and transport to senior citizens, asking, tongue firmly in cheek:...
Cuba: Playwright Passes On
Havana Times acknowledges the passing of “Cuban writer, playwright and theater director Humberto Arenal”, who passed away yesterday.
Trinidad & Tobago: Child Abuse
Guanaguanare hopes that the story of Josiah Governor, the child who was beaten to death, will “motivate us to be more humane in the way we treat our children”, while...
Jamaica: Gully versus Gaza
Jamaica Salt considers “how Jamaican music superstars, Vybz Kartel and Mavado have taken their different paths”, suggesting: “Kartel [is] more real in a way but when it comes to survival...
Brazil: A View from Aboard on Pinheirinho Eviction
Jimmy Greer, an activist and sustainability consultant for I-See Global based in London, writes about “the brutal eviction” of Pinheirinho, in Brazil as “another example of a skewed approach to...
Brazil: Indigenous Leader Criticizes “Developmentism” Policies
Brazilian blogger Julio Carignano, from the blog Sítio Coletivo, interviewed [pt] a former indigenous Guarani chief, Teodoro Tupã, who criticizes the policies of progress and “developmentism” towards indigenous peoples –...
Brazil: Military Police Asks “Understanding” on Pinheirinho Eviction by E-mail
Brazilian blogger Conceição Oliveira republished [pt] an e-mail sent by the Military Police of São Paulo trying to explain the actions on what became known as “Massacre of Pinheirinho“. The...
Guatemala: Former Dictator Efraín Rios Montt Questioned for Genocide
On January 26, a judge ruled that former de facto President Efraín Rios Montt will stand trial for genocide; the same day, Guatemala's Congress ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, giving Guatemalans hope that their search for transitional justice is moving in the right direction.
Côte d'Ivoire: The Story of a Cybercrime Victim
Reacting on an article about the spread of cybercrime in Côte d'Ivoire on abidjan.net , Moussa Delafontaine Coulibaly shares his own experience with cybercrime [fr]: “[I think] that these [cybercriminals] ought...
Colombia: First Reactions to #TwitterCensorship
Colombian journalist Héctor Abad (@hectorabadf) [es] is one of many Twitter users who are alarmed [es] by Twitter's decision to implement “a sort of geolocated censorship”, as Periodismo Ciudadano explains...
Singapore: Corruption Scandal in Least Corrupt Nation
The heads of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Central Narcotics Bureau are being investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau sparking plenty of conversation about corruption in a country that has been consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt in the world.
Colombia: Rector of University of Tolima Resigns
Jesus Ramon Rivera Bulla, rector of the University of Tolima, resigned after 11 years holding his position just days after journalist Daniel Condell [es] accused him [es] of nepotism in...
China: Not Worried About Twitter's Decision to Self-Censor
Twitter announced this week that, with an eye on global profits, it has decided to begin censoring content prohibited in the various markets in which the company has users. Although Twitter remains blocked in China, the site's Chinese-language users have responded to the news.
Zambia: When Wikipedia Entry “Kills” a President
On the morning of 22 January, Zambians woke up to a statement from State House rebuking news websites for spreading a rumour that President Michael Sata had been assassinated. However, it emerged later that the rumour stemmed from a Wikipedia entry about Michael Sata.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision as an Opportunity for Change in the Caucasus
Commonspace comments on news that Armenia will participate in this year's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite a still unresolved conflict between the two countries, the...
Chile: 15 Songs from 2011
Roberto Carreño recommends [es] 15 Chilean songs released during 2011.
Myanmar (Burma): Betwixt and Between
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Burmese Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi this week addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging further support from the international community in Myanmar. Such engagement will be particularly important for refugees and internally displaced people.
Taiwan: 2012 Election Sets Example for Mainland Chinese Democratization
On January 14, Taiwan held its presidential and legislative election. In the wake of the polls, netizens wonder if Taiwan can set an example for the future democratization in mainland China. I-fan Lin reports.
Singapore: ‘Ineffective’ Government Online Search
Otterman Speaks criticizes the “ineffective search tool” embedded on Singapore's government webpages
