Stories from June, 2014
Farmers in China's Guangdong Province Are Buzzing About ‘Delicious’ Locusts
Charles Liu from Nanfang.com highlighted a new type of agriculture among farmers in Guangdong province: raising locusts to serve as a meal. Here is his suggested recipe: 1. Remove their wings; boil them in water to remove their excrement, and then deep fry them. 2. Add hot peppers, scallions and...
Confessions of an Ex-Football Fan in Chile
On the blog section of Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, Gustavo Santander writes that he doesn't like football, even though he ends up watching the matches with his friends and sharing stories so much that someone told him once: “you know a lot for someone who doesn't like football.” He explains there...
Tajikistan's GBAO Region – an Incredible Place
In the last few weeks Global Voices has published and republished several articles about the unlawful arrest of our community member Alexander Sodiqov. Those pieces are here, here, here and here. But the Pamir region (known administratively as Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO) where Alex was conducting academic research is not...
Propaganda Wars: Russian Twitter Account Takes on American “Progress” in Iraq
Someone writing in Russian has issued the latest Internet challenge to the US government, launching a Twitter account parodying Washington's "counter-propaganda" feed about events in Ukraine.
Trinidad & Tobago: Secrets of the CL Financial Bailout?
The public is being told that the CL Financial bailout is being resolved, while at the same time the Minister of Finance & the Economy is withholding the fundamental information which any prudent person would need to make a decision. Afra Raymond wonders what is being hidden.
The Clock on Bolivia's Legislative Building Now Runs Counterclockwise
The clock on top of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia in La Paz's Murillo Square stopped working and had some defects. So a decision was made to repair it along with making some changes: the old Roman numbers on the face were replaced by new natural numbers. Another change that...
Facebook and Its Terms of Use
On her blog, Andrea shares a very thorough report about Facebook and some terms of use often overlooked. First, she explains what those terms of use are: (Las condiciones de servicio) te explican cuáles son las condiciones de uso del servicio, qué pueden hacer con tus datos, tus responsabilidades y...
Jurassic Park Opening Sparks Fury In Peru Town Without Running Water
In a Peruvian dirt town without running water or a sewerage system, the construction of a dinosaur theme park is underway.
What Would Buddha Do? Not Attack Sri Lankan Muslims, Buddhists Say
Hardline Buddhist organization Bodu Bala Sena's anti-Muslim rhetoric has fueled deadly riots in Sri Lanka. The group is vocal, but Buddhists are speaking out against them on and offline.
Goethe's Faust, Between Classicism and Romanticism
It's sometimes complicated to understand or discuss terms like Classicism or Romanticism, especially for someone who is not involved in literature. But that's not the case with Mª Gemma Romero Perea, who thinks Goethe, through his Faust, shows a rare synthesis between Romanticism and Classicism. She explains: Fausto es la obra...
How a Protest to Reinstate a University Professor Relaunched Jamaica's Gay Rights Debate
Jamaica's moral compass is on overdrive ever since the dismissal of Professor Brendan Bain. The controversy continues to fuel the debate over gay rights in an infamously homophobic country.
This Film Is About the Remarkable Friendship Between a Buddhist and Muslim in Myanmar. So Why All the Hate?
A human rights festival in Myanmar cancelled a screening of the documentary "The Open Sky" after receiving threats on social media accusing the film of being a Muslim conspiracy.
This Street in Bangladesh Has a Colorful World Cup Celebration to Rival Brazil
Bangladesh didn't qualify to play in the tournament, but the country's football fans have caught World Cup fever nonetheless.
Russians See in US Government Spokesperson the “Heart of a Dog”
An unusual video clip – the latest in a series of Internet memes attacking Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the US State Department – is circulating among Russians online.
‘A Shift From Surveillance Mode to Elimination Mode’ in China
The Chinese government under the leadership of Xi Jinping has been prosecuting citizen right lawyers, activists and dissidents in past months. Prominent Chinese human right lawyer Tien Biao pointed out that the previous “stability maintenance” model of political control has transformed into elimination of dissents.
Hong Kong Is ‘Haunted’ by China's ‘One Country, Two Systems’ White Paper
Famous blogger on mainland Chinese political news, @yanghengjun, ran into a protest against the mainland Chinese official document on the practice of “one country and two systems” in Hong Kong. As the document is called the White Paper, protesters dressed in white with white papers stuffed in their mouths, like...
Trinidad & Tobago: Give Suarez a Menu
It is irrefutable now. Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez either needs a psychologist or a new dietician. Thank heavens Uruguay was not playing Chile. Wired868 sinks its teeth into a post about the behaviour of the Uruguayan footballer after he bit an opposing player in his team's World Cup...
Trinidad & Tobago: Can Brazil Win the 2014 FIFA World Cup?
Backing Brazil to win the FIFA World Cup? Trinidadian travel blogger Rishi Sankar explains why you shouldn't count on the host country taking home the trophy.
“Not All Opinions Deserve to be Respected, Some Must be Fought”
Teacher Luis María Llena León publishes regularly on his personal blog No hay mejor maestra que la vida (There is no better teacher than life; es), and wrote recently his opinion about the sensitive issue of tolerance, noting that “to respect every opinion is a fallacy”, as it has been...
Could Snowden Be Russia's Alfred Kinsey?
If Kinsey’s Big Data could show the reality of human sexual behavior, what might the total disintegration of online privacy reveal about all kinds of political behavior?
Informal WiFi Networks Have Been Dismantled in Havana
The networks are primarily used to play games, share TV shows, series, and movies.
