Stories from 13 April 2012
Argentina: “I Don't Believe in Schools but I do Believe in Education”
Educacion Viva (Live Education) has released the first of their videos challenging traditional education systems, titled I Don't Believe in Schools but I do Believe in Education. In the subtitled video, more than 20 men and women read aloud a poem on the educational system and how it is different from what they believe education is.
Bangladesh: Welcoming Pahela Baisakh
Tomorrow is Pahela Baisakh (first day of summer, Bengali news year), the favorite festival of the Bengalis. Every year Bengalis celebrate their new year with galore. Wherever there are Bengalis in the world, they celebrate this day with different events.
Russia: Proposed NATO Hub in Ulyanovsk Sparks Protests
A wave of online indignation has since spread to the streets, leading to hunger strikes and anti-NATO marches in Ulyanovsk and Moscow, in response to a transport hub that will be based on an airfield in Ulyanovsk, a medium sized city on the Volga River, and the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin.
Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?
In the city of Omsk, a local activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates, in order to nominate one for the city's June mayoral election. Popular Muscovite photoblogger Ilya Varlamov has emerged as the contest's front runner, but what impact could his candidacy have on regional politics?
Perspectives on North Korea's Unsuccessful Rocket Launch
North Korea launched a rocket on April 12, despite international warnings of censure and further isolation. But to its embarrassment, the rocket disintegrated right after the launch and its remnants fell into the sea. This incident stirred up numerous debates in the South Korean Internet.
Cuba: Camila Vallejo and Yoani Sánchez
During her visit to Cuba this week, for a meeting of the Union of Communist Youth, Chilean Student Federation leader Camila Vallejo declined an invitation to meet with acclaimed Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez. Vallejo generated much controversy on Twitter when she told CNN that she saw this as neither “necessary...
Cuba: The Visit of Camila Vallejo
David Vásquez Abella blogs at La Pupila Insomne [es] about Chilean student and communist youth leader Camila Vallejo‘s visit to Cuba this week for a meeting of Cuba's Union of Communist Youth. A leading member of the Confederation of Chilean Students, a group that has led massive demonstrations advocating for equal access to quality...
Cuba: Cyberfeminism in Havana
At En 2310 y 8225 [es] Cuba-based blogger Yasmín Portales writes of an upcoming academic symposium in Havana on ciberfeminismo, or “cyberfeminism.” Though glad to be participating, Portales questions the definition of the term, and the value of hypertext in relationship to analogue literature.
China: Social Mediascape
Michael Hurwitz of ChinesePod gave a very clear introduction of the Chinese social mediascape to encourage foreigners to interact with Chinese netizens. (via Tea Leaf Nation)
Guinea-Bissau: Coup d'Etat and the Angolan Military Mission
At nightfall on April 12, the military started yet another coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau. In recent weeks, allegations of "generalized fraud" in the presidential elections, and the announcement of the withdrawal of the Angolan military mission in the country, had raised the tension levels in the military and political arenas.
Internet Campaigns Invite Tourists to Visit Latin America
There are many web pages and blogs used to promote tourism in Latin America. We provide links to some of these pages here, and share a conversation with Global Voices author Jorge Gobbi, who is a specialist blogger on the subject of tourism.
China: Firmly support CCP Central Committee
Alia from Offbeat China explains the political background of the new Internet meme “Firmly support CCP Central Committee”.
Tunisia: Relief at Lifting of Protest Ban
Tunisian netizens have expressed their relief at the lifting of the ban on protesting on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, but some have vowed not to let the matter rest. Salah Almhamdi reports.
Pakistan: Incessant Violence in Karachi
The bloodshed in Karachi, which has killed more than 300 people in the last three months, hasn't come to a halt. The common people of the city are extremely dejected by the present conditions of the city. The million dollar question is, ‘why does violence always returns in Karachi?'
Kazakhstan: Hockey Star's Wife Leaves Her Mark on the Kaznet
Stacy Dallman, wife of former NHL hockey player Kevin Dallman, is likely to be remembered in Kazakhstan for a long time to come. Chris Rickleton explains why.
Peru: What Is Killing the Dolphins?
The news that 3,000 dolphins have been found dead along the coastline of north Peru so far this year has shocked the world. Citizens and activists are using social networking sites to provide information and make people aware of these deaths so that the cause can be investigated.
Colombia: Photo Exhibit Creator Denounces Attack on Freedom of Expression
In the blog El Salmón [es], Carlos Alberto Castaño denounces [es] the confiscation by Bogotá police of his photo exhibition, “Realities, because the eye and the lens do not lie.” Castaño writes about violation of freedom of expression and political persecution due to the content of the gallery, where he denounces “the...
Italy: Netizens Ponder the April 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake
In the third anniversary of the tragic event, citizens came together in the streets and online, creating web-pages, posts and Twitter hashtags to share memories, comments and broader hope for a still lagging reconstruction.
