February 03, 2012

YOU CAN'T DO THIS ON TWITTER

Twitter is in the spotlight because of its new and controversial per-country blocking system--the power for governments to censor and withhold public tweets that violate local laws. Although the specifics are a bit murky, according to Foreign Policy magazine, here are 5 things that you can't/shouldn't do on Twitter in the United States, for they can lead to some serious legal trouble: Cyberbullying, pranking police, coordinating unlawful behavior, threatening violence and not removing tweets by request. Check out the full implications of each here and stay out of Twitter trouble!

Twitter

QUESTION BRIDGE

The Question Bridge is a transmedia art project that seeks to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. Through video mediated question and answer exchange, diverse members of this "demographic" bridge economic, political, geographic, and generational divisions. The project is in full swing and expanding into a a travelling series, educational curriculum and even a smartphone app! Have a look at their introductory video to see how it all works:

Questionbridge

Anyone in the New York City area this weekend should head on over to the Brooklyn Museum's: Target First Saturdays event. As part of their Black Males Defying Stereotypes theme, the creative team behind Question Bridge will be available to discuss their work. Stop by!

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052

January 31, 2012

WIKILEAKS TV SERIES

Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, has announced plans for an upcoming television series. The show will focus on thinkers, revolutionaries and and political players from around the world. Its premise, according to the bold activist, is to create dialogue about the future and where the world is headed. Here's some of what the official press release details for the show:

Assange will draw together controversial voices from across the political spectrum – iconoclasts, visionaries and power insiders – each to offer a window on the world tomorrow and their ideas on how to secure a brighter future. 

Assange

January 25, 2012

WAR ON PHOTOGRAPHY

American lawyer, Mickey H. Osterreicher, wants the public to know that ever since 9/11 besides, terror, there has been an ever-increasing "War On Photography." According to the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) attorney, U.S. authorities on federal and local fronts have been clamping down on the First Amendment rights of photo journalists and civilians alike by interfering with, detaining, and even arresting them on the basis of anti-terrorism. Mr. Osterreicher wants to bring light to the injustice by writing about it--particularly issues concerning photography and the law. Interested readers can check out more information via his column on JPG Mag, his Twitter account, or the NPPA blog. Get informed!

Photographer

January 20, 2012

ANONYMOUS DEFENDS MEGAUPLOAD

Hacker group Anonymous sprang into action yesterday afternoon by causing havoc and taking down a slew of targeted websites including the U.S. Department Of Justice, U.S. Copyright Office, Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), Motion Picture Association Of America (MPAA) and Universal Music Group. The move comes in response to the recent indictment of download website, Megaupload. Authorities argue that the site was once the 13th most-visited website on the internet and responsible for the distribution of loads of pirated television shows, software and games. All this comes in light of the recent Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) currently making their rounds among U.S. lawmakers.

Anon

Mega

January 17, 2012

WIKIPEDIA BLACKOUT

Wikipedia and founder Jimmy Wales will be protesting the U.S. Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) today. The English version of the online user-based encyclopedia will not be greeting visitors with the usual search bar and information. Instead, those that log on can expect to read the company's stance on the bills and information on how to take action against them. Online news link service, Reddit will also join Wikipedia in the 24-hour blackout. Fight the power!

Wiki

Wales

January 13, 2012

WYCLEF AND THE QUAKE

The following is a makeshift documentary of the devastation that took place during the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Musician and producer, Wyclef Jean, and his associates dived head-first into the mayhem to capture what the world had yet to see. It's been two years since and the effects of the quake have rendered the country helpless still. The end of the video lists the harsh reality in numbers: 316K people perished, 300K injured, 1M orphaned children, and 1.2M homeless. Wyclef's foundation, Yelé, continues to do what it can to offer releif. Don't forget to support!

Wyclef

December 30, 2011

RACISM IN MEXICAN CHILDREN

A video for an anti-racism campaign sponsored by the Mexican government is raising all kinds of eyebrows, and hopefully, awareness about the deep-rooted social issue. The almost four minute long piece captures a handful of responses from Mexican children that are asked to differentiate between a white doll and a black doll. When asked loaded questions like which doll is ugly, bad, good, trustworthy, etc., the children almost always attributed the negative qualities to the black doll. Ricardo Bucio Mujica, President of The National Council To Prevent Discrimination, points out that the experiment is meant to highlight some very real social stigmas and perceptions:

What we are tying to show here, is that in Mexico we associate the whiteness of the skin with beauty, with advantages in life and success, it’s the desirable stereotype.

Mex3

Mex

Mex2

December 28, 2011

GOVERNMENT ON TWITTER

Advocacy group the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has issued the United States Department of Homeland Security a lawsuit. The reason? They claim that the government is monitoring blogs, message boards, and social media platforms like Twitter without the public's consent. The scrutiny is said to go so far as to pinpoint specific flag words that, in turn, trigger the agency to track and monitor a user's online activity. Hmm, you don't say?

Cia

Watching

December 23, 2011

THE RE-EDUCATION OF INDONESIA

In an attempt to reclaim "lost" youth and restore "moral values," authorities in Indonesia are corralling dozens of punk teens and forcing them to give up their rebellious ways. The effort includes shaving the heads of many of the detainees, ridding them of their punk attire, and forcing them into a strict regimen of religion and military drills. Despite the clamp down, The Guardian reports, many of the teens are still rebelling and sticking to their punk ethics.

Punk

Punk2

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The República Update is a lifestyle destination that delivers quality and relevant information to its community of readers. We cover events, pop culture, branding, trends, technology, the arts and social issues from a multicultural perspective.