29 February 2012

Stories from 29 February 2012

Bermuda: Economic Debate

  29 February 2012

“This Friday parliamentarians will hold the annual economic debate against the backdrop of a sustained global recession and two competing views about how to get out of it”: Respice Finem debates the value of austerity measures as opposed to economic stimulus.

Cuba: Worry about Hunger Striker

  29 February 2012

Uncommon Sense hopes that political prisoner Ernesto Borges’ fate will not go the way of so many other hunger strikers, saying: “He needs you to learn his story and to spread it so that his life can be saved.”

Jamaica: Nicknames

  29 February 2012

Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac blogs about Jamaicans and their nicknames, explaining that it's an eccentricity with “meaning and real origins that mark a key characteristic of a person or their background.”

Russia: Great Lent Has Begun

RuNet Echo  29 February 2012

Citizen media outlets have captured the multidimensional essence of the Russian Orthodox Lenten season, which began on Monday, including issues such the religiosity of post-USSR Russia, the liturgical calendar, the peculiarities of the Orthodox traditions and fasting rituals compared to those observed in the West, and the public statements made by prominent church officials.

Slovakia: Chuck Norris Bridge

  29 February 2012

In the situation when the U.S. action film star Chuck Norris leads in the public vote for the name of the bridge across the Morava River into Austria [en], blogger Ondrej Horváth recommends [sk] asking Mr. Norris before making the final decision, because otherwise it is possible that the bridge...

Chile: The Role of Public Libraries in Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

  29 February 2012

Several Chilean bloggers are sharing their thoughts on the second anniversary of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on February 27, 2010. Enzo Abbagliati [es] looks at how public libraries can help people “rebuild their lives.” He argues that restoring or building people's deep bond with reading is “probably the...

Paraguay: An Interview on the Land Conflict in Alto Parana

  29 February 2012

Landowners are opposing review of land titles in the department of Alto Paraná “to determine if the lands are ‘ill-gotten,’ whose title deeds could be forged or faked or simply seized from the times of the Stroessner dictatorship” Ignacio Cirio explains. Upside Down World published a translation of Cirio's interview...

Costa Rica: Turning to Facebook to Fund TV Show

  29 February 2012

Sürrealista is a media producer in Costa Rica that has worked with many local bands. Now they want to have a 30 minute TV Show and to make that happen[es], they are asking for people to watch their pilot show online, give it a “like” on facebook and share it.

Trinidad & Tobago: Battle with Media

  29 February 2012

Afra Raymond outlines what he believes is a “sinister pattern” towards the media in Trinidad & Tobago, since the People's Partnership has been in government. According to Raymond, who elaborated on his views in an accompanying webcast, “…given the boundless nature of the new technology, we are going to see...

Puerto Rico: March Against the Pipeline

  29 February 2012

Hundreds of people joined the "National March: Puerto Rico stands firm against the Pipeline" led by the organization Casa Pueblo. Photojournalist Ricardo Alcaraz shares some of his pictures of the protest in San Juan.

Thailand: Facebook Blamed for Teen Pregnancies

  29 February 2012

Netizens in Thailand react to the report of the National Economic and Social Development Board that popular social networking site Facebook is partly to blame for the unwanted teen pregnancies in the country. Thailand has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies in the world.

Taiwan: Say No to Ractopamine Tainted American Meat

  29 February 2012

Ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing feed additive, is banned in Taiwan and more than 150 other countries. However, under pressure from the US government, the newly elected Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is now considering lifting the ban.

Armenia: Sumgait Pogrom Anniversary

  29 February 2012

The Armenian Observer posts the harrowing details of at least 26 ethnic Armenian victims of the Sumgait pogrom which took place on 27 February 1988 and which seriously escalated the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Six Azerbaijanis were also killed in the inter-ethnic...

Azerbaijan: Khojaly Massacre Anniversary

  29 February 2012

As Azerbaijanis worldwide, as well as Turks in Istanbul, commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, the most serious during the fighting with Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh during the early 1990s which left 613 civilians dead, Tamada Tales comments on the release of the full transcript of an interview...