Stories from 20 July 2010
Russia: ‘Orthodoxy or Death’ to Degenerate Art?
"Orthodoxy or death!" is the war cry sounded in recent weeks as forces of religious reaction have entered into fierce battle with liberal arts, in an apparent Russian parallel to the Muhammad cartoon case. The cause of conflict is the trial and conviction of two art curators for a 2007 Moscow exhibition of contemporary art.
Azerbaijan: Caucasus Women
CauCasuSWomaN takes a look at the rights of men and women in Azerbaijan (and the Caucasus) in the context of actual attitudes to gender and says that education is key to changing existing values and perceptions.
Colombia: Twitter Reactions to the Colombian Bicentennial and its Google Doodle
On July 20, Colombia celebrates 200 years of the declaration of independence and the start of the wars which ended August 7, 1819, when the then New Granada achieved its definitive independence from Spain. Colombian Twitter users reacted to the bicentennial celebration, including the Google Doodle chosen for the day.
Colombia: Critical Views on the Bicentennial
The 200 years of the Colombian independence is the subject of posts by Jaime Restrepo on Atrabilioso [es], who criticizes the common stereotypes about Colombians and their urge to “get ahead”, and Rodrigo Sandoval on El Bayabuyiba [es], who writes about the lack of a real national project for the...
Russia-Belarus: Minsk publishes Nemtsov report
LJ user yury_zagrebnoy reports [RUS] that the Belarusian government newspaper Respublika has published excerpts [RUS] from a recent Kremlin-critical report by former Russian vice Premier Boris Nemtsov, apparently as another step in an ongoing media war between Moscow and Minsk.
Sri Lanka: Hiring People
Netpreneur at Entrepreneur Musings talks about the challenges of hiring people for a new startup in Sri Lanka.
Russia: Putting a foreigner on Russia's throne
LJ user kanalya78 proposes [RUS] that, judging from historical experience, one should try to import a foreigner to rule Russia, as they arguably have done better for the country than native rulers.
Nepal: The Never Ending Political Drama
After two weeks of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal's resignation from his post, Nepal is yet to see a new Prime Minister. Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal wonders when will this political drama end.
Palestine: A Green Home Away from Home
In this post we hear about two women with a great love of nature: a nun who has found her home in the convent garden, and a city-dwelling mother who has brought her dreams of a village garden to the balcony of her apartment.
India: Indian English
Indian tweeps are joining in large numbers to gather a lot of Indian English phrases using #indianenglish hashtag. Enjoy!
Russia-US-EU: Great game revisited
Katinka Barysch at openDemocracy publishes an extensive analysis of relations between Russia and the West in former soviet space, in a Great Game revisited.
Hungary: Royal castle in history
BudapestZIN posts historical video footage from the Buda Royal castle.
Russia: Bureaucrats go web 2.0
Svetlana Gladkova of profy reports that the Russian government has introduced its own social media network, named Gosbook.
Bangladesh: Power Crisis Blues
Mahadi Hasan Talukder describes how power crisis is spoiling the city life in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Nepal: Empowering The Youth
Sabingnawali at Nepali Blogger highlights Goreto, Nepal's nationwide youth empowerment project, which was initiated by a 19 year old Nepali youth.
Kenya: E-Tourism East Africa Conference 2010
“The E Tourism East Africa Conference will help the sector understand and leverage the online opportunities and the new technologies available in the region,” reports Muzi Mohale.
D. R. of Congo: Searching for Bonobo
Read field notes from Dr. Terese Hart, Searching for Bonobo in Congo. Bonobos great Apes falling in the same group with chimpanzees.
D.R. of Congo: What was Joseph Kabila thinking?
What was Joseph Kabila, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, thinking?: “According to local and Belgian press, he [Kabila] gave Belgian Queen Paola a diamond necklace, earrings and bracelet on the occasion of Congo's 50th anniversary celebrations. A bit of a PR catastrophe.”
South Africa: Courting Justice
Africa is a Country blogs about Courting Justice, a film is about the experiences of female, especially black female judges, in South Africa’s highest courts.
Jordan: Has Technology Killed Our Romanticism?
Computers and technology play an important role in our everyday lives. One blogger from Jordan remembers the romanticism of getting a letter in the mail and declares on her blog: "I hate electronics."
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Thoughts on the ‘other’
Global Chaos makes a guest post on Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in the context of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh as part of a series of entries using new and social media to bring the two sides closer together. The blog says that it is difficult...
