August, 2010
Stories from August, 2010
21 August 2010
Bulgaria: Discovery of John the Baptist's Relics Causes Political Scandal
The discovery of what's believed to be St. John the Baptist's remains last month caused a political scandal and gave rise to a passionate debate in the Bulgarian community. Ruslan Trad translates a selection of bloggers' views.
MENA: The Bigger Picture Behind Eden Abergil's Facebook Photos
When ex-Israeli soldier Eden Abergil's Facebook photo album "IDF-the best days of my life" was revealed to contain pictures of her posing mockingly alongside blindfolded Palestinian detainees, the blogosphere was outraged. In this post, Katharine Ganly takes a look at some of the different reactions from the MENA region.
Morocco: When Sarkozy “Proposes” a French Version of Ramadan
When Ahmed wrote his satirical blog post about a completely fictional announcement by president Nicolas Sarkozy intending to impose a French version of Islam on French Muslims, he never imagined his "story" would make the headlines of newspapers and mainstream media websites, not as the innocent prank he initially intended but as factual news.
20 August 2010
Sao Tome & Principe: Revolt Against Water Diverted from Hospital
In the past few months, a heated discussion animated the blogosphere of Sao Tome and Principe, on a public health problem that apparently has already been solved. Until last week, there was no water running from the taps of Ayres de Menezes Hospital, but its director now assures that the issue has been taken care of.
Venezuela: Rapper Defies New Ban Against Violent Images
Venezuelan rapper OneChot is using social media to distribute his video criticizing the violence in Venezuela in days after president Chavez declared a month long ban on media's use of violent images, triggering an investigation surrounding the video's release.
Russia: Bloggers Expose Death Rate Increase

Until the emergence of Web 2.0, the Russian government had enjoyed a monopoly on death rate information and could manipulate it. Gregory Asmolov investigates how the Russian bloggers have changed the situation.































I think the reason it stuck with me is that I was fired from my first real job--teaching at a...