Stories from 23 May 2007
Human Sacrifice & the Politics of Death
At Babilown, French-Beninian author Blaise Aplognan describes the religious and political function of human sacrifice (Fr) in ancient societies: “…its goal was to channel violence toward a (sacrificed) individual, toward the sacred realm, institutionalizing violence by supervising it and practicing it according to very precise rules and rituals.”
Peru: The War Between Gisela and Magaly
Peruvian television has a colorful cast of characters. Among them are Gisela Valcárcel, the former "queen of daytime television" and wife of a top executive at one of Peru's main television stations, and Magaly Medina, who has a popular celebrity gossip program on a competing channel. They also both publish gossip magazines about Peruvian celebrities. The two women have a long-standing feud and have clashed over the years and Peruvian bloggers analyze this battle.
Egypt: Human Rights Council
Egypt's bloggers held their own online protest on the eve of the election of Egypt to the UN Human Rights Council. Bloggers Nora Younis and the Free Kareem and the Free Monem blogs all posted a video stating why the country shouldn't be on the council. Kareem was jailed for...
Japan: The Hair Police
Debito writes about the experience of a Brazilian high-school student in Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, apparently “forced by her school to dye her hair weekly because it was not as dark as her peers’”. Debito went to the school itself to talk to one of the so-called “Hair Police”, and returned...
Americas: Copa America Blog
For fans of the “beautiful game”, a new blog site dedicated to the biennual football tournament, the Copa America, will come as a welcome surprise. The Copa America 07 Blog will feature news and stories about the South American national teams and guests, that will participate in this tournament in...
Venezuela: Growing Blogosphere
ALD [ES] links with interest a recent article written by Victor Solano, who states that the Venezuelan blogosphere will be one that grows the most. ALD believes that “blogs will the medium that grows the most as the supposed repression of information increases by the government.”
Iran:What happened to an important news in BBC Persian
Harfeh Hesabi says[Fa] an article about CIA activities to destablise Iranian government disappeared from BBC Persian site in a very short time on 23th of May. The article talked about CIA ties with Jundallah,a terrorist group active in Sistan and Balouchestan province.The blogger says the article can not be found...
Iran: Iran-USA Negotiations, the Chinese Model and Expulsion of Afghans
Iran accepted a U.S. offer last Thursday for direct negotiations about conditions in Iraq. It can be viewed as a historic moment as it is the first time that Iran has agreed to bilateral talks since the United States broke diplomatic relations in 1980 after American diplomats were taken hostage in Tehran. Negotiation between these two countries becomes even more interested when we take into consideration that Iranian officials have called the USA "the Great Satan" while Washington still considers Iran to be a member of the so-called axis of evil.
Europe: Third Annual Satin Pajama Awards
Voting has just begun in the Third Annual Satin Pajama Awards over at A Fistful of Euros.
Russia: Documentary on Litvinenko at Cannes
Sean's Russia Blog writes more on the Litvinenko case – and on the documentary on the subject to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mostar
Wu Wei visits Mostar (among other things, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina) and learns what Bosnia & Herzegovina has in common with Trinidad & Tobago: “At our meeting in Mostar, we were gently chided for talking about Bosnia. ‘Here in Herzegovina, we feel like Tobago must feel, when everyone talks...
Belarus: Priest Fined for Blogging
TOL's Belarus writes about Belarusian church, politics, the history of WWII – and a priest fined for blogging.
Belarus: Students’ Rally
TOL's Belarus translates two posts – here and here – by Belarusian bloggers on a student rally against cancellation of discounts for students and war veterans.
Belarus: The Opposition's Failure
TOL's Belarus has some harsh words for the Belarusian opposition: “The opposition party leaders will make fools of us for as long as we allow it. All of them should have resigned back in 2001. They had a last chance to rehabilitate themselves in 2006. But now they have seized...
Bosnia, Belarus: UN Human Rights Council
“In a 112 to 72 vote, Bosnia defeated Belarus to join Slovenia on the UN Human Rights Council,” Bosnia Vault reports.
Bulgaria: International Museum Day
Sofia's Hidden Beauty reports on the International Museum Day celebration in Bulgaria's capital.
Bulgaria: Rainy Days
“Dusty Sofia becomes muddy Sofia,” writes Sofia's Hidden Beauty. But – “While nature is ravaging the capital and the region, politicians are suffering overheating after the end of the elections day for Bulgarian members of the European Parliament.”
Bulgaria: '80s Hair Metal Bands
Petya explains “the Bulgarian enthusiasm for '80s hair metal bands.”
Estonia: Demography and Ethnicity
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonia's demography and interethnic relationships: “Still, the reality for Estonia is, no matter what historical spin you put on it, there will be a large Russian-speaking community in Estonia for many years to come. Because of recent events in Tallinn, many are wondering what can...
Hungary: Police Rape Scandal
Pestcentric writes about the Budapest police rape scandal.
Latvia: Karlis Ulmanis
Peteris Cedrins of Marginalia writes about Karlis Ulmanis and his legacy: the man who, “seventy-three years ago, slightly over six years before Stalin destroyed [Latvian] Republic, […] destroyed [Latvian] democracy.”
