Stories from Quick Reads and Ireland
Ireland's Cricket World Cup Win Against West Indies No Laughing Matter
Irish satirical website Waterford Whispers News certainly enjoyed the Ireland cricket teams’ victory over the West Indies on 16 February in Nelson, New Zealand: THERE were concerns this morning among the Irish Cricket Union after the success of the Ireland team at the World Cup caused massive strain on the...
European Citizens Call for the Protection of Media Pluralism
“European institutions should safeguard the right to free, independent and pluralistic information”. The quote, from the Media Initiative website, summarizes the main idea behind a pan-European campaign that aims at urging the European Commission to draft a Directive to protect Media Pluralism and Press Freedom. The Media Initiative is running a European Citizens’ Initiative – a tool...
Ireland to Cancer Patients: Not Dying? No Financial Aid.
The anonymous Irish blogger behind the blog “Pieces of me” sends an open letter to the Irish minister of Health after the ministry decided to cut off medical reimbursements for cancer treatments, “unless their diagnosis is terminal.” As a cancer survivor, the blogger writes a poignant pamphlet: My “not such a bad diagnosis at all”, brought me...
Parallels Between Religious and Copyright Wars
Rick Falkvinge, the founder of Pirate Party, reinterprets the wars of religion that devastated Western Europe in the XVI and XVII centuries in terms of the current struggle to control information through overbearing legislation related to copyright and freedom of expression: The religious wars were never about religion as such....
Nigeria: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Declines WTO High Post
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy is not interested in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) top job. Pascal Lamy will retire soon and there's been speculations that Okonjo-Iweala may seek to replace him.
Greece: Photo ‘Road Trip’ Around Europe Debt Crisis
‘We Are The Pigs‘ – in reference to the derogatory PIGS acronym – is a crowdfunded photojournalism ‘road trip’ venture, to collect people's stories from European countries affected by the debt crisis. The project, started by two young Central European women journalists frustrated with the stereotypical hyperbole and abuse levelled in the media...
Armenia: The Bambir in Ireland
CHEWYOUROWNFAT reviews Beezzy, a new song by one of Armenia's most well known rock bands, The Bambir. The independent music blog says that the group, now relocated to Ireland, defines original and is definitely an act to catch live.
Georgia: Allegations made online against billionaire opposition politician
As parliamentary elections approach this year in Georgia, to be followed by a presidential vote in 2013, allegations against Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire opposition politician, have appeared on the Internet. The alleged exposé of life in the Ivanishvili household by American teacher Patrick Downey, formerly employed by the businessman turned...
Europe: Radio Documentary to Chronicle Long-Term Effects of Crisis
Chronicles of a European Winter is a radio documentary series project focused on the actual effects of austerity measures amongst the populations of different European countries. It will be shot and edited between December 2011 and May 2012 in Greece, Ireland and Spain, and episodes will be licensed under Creative...
Armenia: Royal visit to Ireland as an example for the Caucasus
Writing on his official blog, Charles Lonsdale comments on this week's historic visit by the Queen to the Republic of Ireland. The Ambassador to Armenia for the United Kingdom says that even if the conflicts in the South Caucasus are different, the visit shows that “even long-running and seemingly intractable...
Kenya: Kenya against Ireland in Intercontinental Cup
Kenya Cricket writes about Kenya's Intercontinental Cup match against Ireland: “Ireland yesterday (Sun) seized six points through a first innings lead of 73 after Kenya's last four wickets added 92 to their Saturday overnight score of 239 for 6, thereby avoiding the follow-on. Vice-captain Jimmy Kamande batted sensibly to make...
Belarus, Ireland: “Minsk, Russia” at Dublin Airport
Andrei Khrapavitski re-posts a photo taken by LJ user barilotti (BEL) at the Dublin Airport: an info poster there lists Minsk, the capital of Belarus, as part of Russia. “How about hanging a map of Europe with Ireland marked as part of the United Kingdom?” comments Khrapavitski.
Europe: Entropa
Belatedly, links to some posts on Entropa: Margarete of The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia believes “it should be taken down”; Kosmopolito thinks that “the debate around the project is also part of the installation”; BBC's Mark Mardell writes that “the fact that it is a hoax does not...
Serbia: Coverage Critique
Belgraded critiques a story on the political and social situation in Serbia that appeared in the Irish Tribune.
Sweden: Immigration
Certain Ideas of Europe writes: “Not all of those Polish plumbers leaving Britain and Ireland as the economies slow are necessarily going straight home. Sweden has seen immigration surge to record levels this year.”
Europe: Football and Politics
Desmond McGrath of A Fistful of Euros writes about football and politics: “Part of the fun of football is the way in which it overturns the international order of power politics.”
Czech Republic: Lisbon Treaty and Plan ‘B’
BBC's Mark Mardell writes about the fate of the Lisbon Treaty – and “Plan ‘B'” that's currently “kept under wraps in Prague.”
Iran: Chris de Burgh and Aryan Band
Chris de Burgh,famous Irish singer, has performed a song with Aryan band from Iran.
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Name Dispute
More on the Macedonia-Greece name dispute – at Halfway Down the Danube and Foreign Policy Blog.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Songs
Bosnia Blog writes about a song about Bosnia by the Cranberries’ – and another one, by an Italian rock band.
Poland, Ireland: Politics Comparison
Our Man in Gdansk compares “Polish politics and normal, Irish politics.”
