Ivory Coast: humanitarian aid via Twitter

Ivory Coast: humanitarian aid via Twitter

It has become extremely difficult to obtain access to medical care in Abidjan… Doctors without Borders are sounding the alarm bells on their web site, saying that their teams are blocked in a hospital in Abobo, in the north of Ivory Coast’s economic capital. The NGO stresses that it is highly dangerous to go out into the city which has been the scene of violent clashes in recent days.

In view of this situation, web users are trying to get aid to civilians who are caught in the crossfire. A Twitter thread called “#CIVsocial” has been set up on Twitter to help broadcast information on which chemist shops are open for example or relay telephone numbers of doctors in Abidjan and also appeals for help.

On Tuesday, Twitter user Cartunelo relayed an SOS message from a young man who had been hit in the neck by a random bullet in the Marcory neighbourhood in the southern part of the city. Thanks to the messages he was able to receive treatment from a surgeon.

Akendewa, a local NGO, promptly set up a call center based in Ghana, financed by donations from web users. Objective: centralize calls for help posted on Twitter and seek out relevant parties by telephone.

It is indeed difficult for people from Abidjan to make their own calls. Because of the safety issues, it is impossible to go out and buy prepaid mobile phone cards. So web users are appealing to the main operators in the country to offer free calls.

Obama declares himself candidate for re-election

It’s official, Barack Obama will stand for re-election in 2012. On Monday, the American president submitted the official papers to the Federal Election Committee. He was keen to share this news with web users.

Because, as was the case in 2008, Barack Obama will be making great use of the Internet to mobilize support and win over voters. He announced his candidacy via an email, in which he asks supporters to take part in widespread campaigning for the Presidential Election in November 2012. The announcement was also relayed on social networks and on his official Facebook and Twitter accounts in particular.

The President’s web site "Barackobama.com" has also taken on the 2012 theme. The first campaign video can be viewed on the site; the Head of State does not appear in this clip which only features campaigners. We are reminded that Obama must continue the reform agenda and can only do so with the backing of a massive network of supporters, ready to campaign for his re-election.

His critics, and members of the Republican Party in particular, are far from happy with his candidacy. They have uploaded this fake campaign video online which denounces the outcome of the President’s first mandate, considered as catastrophic for the economy and American workers. Obama is depicted as a man who is more interested in his hobbies than in the needs of the people.

The site "Stop Mr Obama" expresses a similar sentiment and says the former Senator from Illinois did not honour his campaign promises and plunged the United States into an unprecedented financial crisis. Unemployment rate close to 10 %, constant rising fuel prices, and also unmonitored border locations, these are just some of the reproaches made on this site which is asking web users to do everything in their power to stop Obama being re-elected in 2012.

100 years of set locations

Edmund Helmer is a cinema and statistics enthusiast and has created this online map which catalogues set locations from a little over 2 000 films made over the past one hundred years. When web users click on a location, a box containing information on the film is revealed. Film buffs can take a look at the map on the site "Boxofficequant.com".

Yoga dogs and kittens

Cats and dogs in Yoga positions… this is the wacky and original online project set up by artist Daniel Borris. These amusing pictures might inspire some pet owners to sign up their own four legged friends for Yoga lessos…

Video of the day

Dr. James Porter, Medical Director of Robotic Surgery at Swedish hospital in Seattle, made this video to illustrate the amazing precision of his robot, used in particular for urological, gynecological and also thoracic surgeries. In this impressive demonstration we see him fold a tiny piece of paper into a paper airplane, hardly bigger than a one centime coin.