Stories from 9 April 2012
Pakistan: Stop Dumping On Us
Pakistan has become a dumping ground of plastic and medical wastes in the past decades. The people of the country had been exposed too long to harmful diseases due to lack of vigilance. Faisal Kapadia shares netizens' reactions.
Guatemala: Photos of Holy Week in Antigua
AntiguaDailyPhoto posts a slideshow with photos of Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala taken by Leonel [Nelo] Mijangos.
One Day on Earth: Worldwide Collaborative Music Video Released
A new music video has been released in preparation for the worldwide screening of the Global Collaborative film One Day on Earth, which will take place in locations all around the planet on Earth Day (22 April, 2012). The video features musicians, poets and dancers captured on film all during the same 24 hour period in 10 October, 2012, artfully recut and remixed by Cut Chemist.
Greece: #Police_Victims
Following the serious injury of photojournalist Marios Lolos at Thursday evening's demonstrations in Athens, Greece, in memory of 77-year-old #Dimitris_Christoulas who committed suicide in Syntagma Square on April 4, Greek netizens have been posting the names of people who have suffered, been injured or killed by Greek police under the hashtag #police_victims.
Thailand: Internet Freedom Threats and Violations
Aim Sinpeng reports that internet censorship has continued in Thailand despite the victory of the opposition in the last elections. The government continues to block thousands of websites for violating the local laws. Several bloggers were also arrested for allegedly insulting the Royal Family.
El Salvador: Photos of Holy Week Carpets
Hunnapuh shares photos [es] of the carpets (“alfombras” in Spanish) made for this year's Holy Week in El Salvador. Tim explained more about these carpets in his blog back in 2008: “The alfombras are made by families, groups or organizations with salt and sand and make intricate, and temporary, works...
Cuba: Unholy Actions
Pedazos de la Isla reports on the “wave of terror” that plagued the island's dissidents over Holy Week, here and here.
Trinidad & Tobago: Madness in the Ministry
The curious case of Cheryl Miller, an employee of the Ministry of Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development who reportedly got into an argument with a senior official and, as a result, found herself being taken from her place of work to the St. Ann's Psychiatric Hospital, has caused a commotion in the Trinidad and Tobago blogosphere, with netizens insisting that the issue is not Miller's mental health but whether her employers breached human rights and industrial relations codes.
Uruguay: Documentary on Jewish Immigration in Uruguay
A documentary [es] on the development of Jewish Town in Montevideo, Uruguay was shared by the Latin Americanist in honor of the recently celebrated Passover.
Kenya: Young Man Invents Wooden Extension Cable
Kenyan young man invents wooden extension cable, AfriGadget reports: “A young man from Kiandutu slums in Thika had always wanted to be an electrical engineer, but lack of fees denied him a chance to further his studies. And yet this has not dampen his resolve to put his mark on...
Grenada, Barbados: The Fallout over Journalist's Firing
Rawle Titus -veteran journalist and president of the Media Workers Association of Grenada since 2008- was dismissed from his post as editor of the Grenada Advocate after he refused to retract or apologize for a front-page story. As yet another regional journalist pays the price for standing by his story, bloggers are wondering about the state of press freedom in the Caribbean.
Portugal: Police Prevents Workers From Writing a Banner for the General Strike
Francisco da Silva, on his blog Artigo 58, shares a video [pt] that shows a group of domestic workers in Lisbon preparing a banner for the general strike (March 24, 2012). The police enter the scene and put an end to the freedom of expression in a public square, preventing...
Brazil: Contemporary Slavery and Proposals to Fight the Practice
Although the practice of exercising the right of property over other human beings was abolished in Brazil in 1888 with the signing of the Golden Law, in practice, exploitation of slave labour continues on Brazilian territory, both in rural and urban areas, in the form of contemporary servitude.
Overseas Chinese Students Bring Changes to China?
Ali from Offbeat China discussed the impact of overseas Chinese students to China upon their return. The discussion in major overseas Chinese student web forums indicate that rather than the assumption that these students would be exposed to fundamental value changes and help China to develop political reform, many take...
Iran: Electronic Curtain in Animation
Here is a video cartoon, portraying what Iranian users face in Iran for connecting to the Internet. The video invites online users around the world to follow #ConnectIran tag on twitter.
Worldwide Concern Over Critical State of Bahraini Activist
Netizens around the world have expressed their great concern over the deteriorating state of Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi Alkhawaja. The Bahraini authorities sentenced him to life imprisonment last year, and he has been on hunger strike since February 8, 2012 to draw attention to his detention.
Myanmar: Continuing Press Freedom Violations
The International Freedom of Expression Exchange lists five concerns that highlight the continuing press freedom violations in Myanmar
China: The Uyghur Human Rights Project
A new blog Xianjiang Source interviewed Henryk Szadziewski about the Uyghur Human Rights Project, which aims at promoting human rights and democracy for Uyghurs and others living in East Turkestan.
China: Struggle to Remember Fang Lizhi
Chinese intellectual Fang Lizhi, who inspired a whole generation of student activists during the 1980s, passed away on April 6, 2012 in the United States, at the age of 76. Authorities were quick to ban the news from the Internet and Chinese netizens now have to struggle with web censors to remember Fang.
Overview of Buddhism in Vietnam
tomosaigon provides a brief introduction of the various Buddhist sects in Vietnam.
Vietnam: Videos About Hanoi
Travelfish recommends several YouTube videos about Hanoi, Vietnam. The list includes videos about Hanoi tourism, music, and food
