Stories from 9 November 2012
The Bahamas: U.S. Election Result Sign of a Global Shift?
The recently-concluded U.S. election captured the interest of the entire world. Post-election, a couple of bloggers from the Caribbean territory that is geographically closest to the United States - the Bahamas - shared their thoughts about the outcome.
Argentina Lowers Voting Age to 16
The possibility to vote at age 16 was passed on the first of November. Although the vote for minors who are 16 and 17 years of age is optional, this change presents a new challenge for Argentinian politicians with respect to the legislative elections of 2013. Here we share some opinions of young new voters.
Jamaica: The Gay Man is Somebody's Son
Referring to the recent gay bashing at a Jamaican university, Active Voice republishes a poem by Tanya Shirley as “a timely intervention into the barbarism threatening to drown us.”
Brazil, France: Agroecology Helps Reduce Poverty
Respecting the soil is fundemental to us. It is where we get our food from and how we will provide for our children Suelia explains [fr] how the agroecology approach (bringing ecological principles to bear in agroecosystems) has helped many in her community grow a sustainable business model by diversifying...
Guyana: Women are not Objects
[It is] a racist, sexist colonial throwback which draws on a long history of the sexualisation, commodification and thingification of the brown woman’s body. Code Red is trying to raise awareness of the dangers of sexist advertising.
Football Game in Tajikistan Ends in Massive Brawl
A football match in the northern Tajik town of Istaravshan had to be abandoned after a massive brawl broke out on the pitch. This post rounds up netizen reactions to the incident.
Ecuador Battles Violence in Sports
Ecuador begins the fight against sports violence after the death of George Murillo León, a 20 year old who was killed in a clash between supporters of football teams Barcelona and Emelec. "No Sports Violence in Guayaquil" is the first campaign to be undertaken by the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sports, Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF), the National Assembly, and the Emelec and Barcelona teams.
U.S. Policy Toward Latin America After the Election
How will Barack Obama's re-election affect U.S. policy toward Latin America? The realistic answer is that policy will not be affected greatly, and the change that occurs will be related more to domestic constituencies than foreign ones. […] In short, at this point we don't have any reason to believe...
Israeli Netizens Celebrate Romney's Defeat
Israeli netizens closely followed the elections in the United States, many of them staying up until the early morning hours to find out who of the candidates crossed the 270 electoral vote threshold. The Israeli social media and blogosphere scene is dominated by people who lean to the Left and thus most hoped that Obama would be re-elected. Liberal Israelis are generally disappointed with Obama's inaction regarding the peace process and human rights violations inside Israel, but Romney is seen as the worst of the two.
Russia's Volunteer Aid Capacity, On Vivid Display in Krymsk, Is Absent in Dagestan
In the aftermath of flood in Krymsk, Russia saw an outpouring of volunteer efforts, with civil society and representatives of different political fractions coming together to aid Krymsk's citizens. Perhaps the indifference about Derbent's suffering lies in the fact that Dagestan is a republic plagued by radical Islamist insurgency, where violence and death occurs daily.
Being Pregnant in Kyrgyzstan
On Ivory Pomegranate, an expat blogger shares her experience of being pregnant in Kyrgyzstan. She writes that seven months of prenatal care in a good clinic in Bishkek costs about 10 times less than a single check-up in US. But in Kyrgyzstan, one needs to understand that many medications prescribed by...
