Stories about Arts & Culture from January, 2010
Ukraine: Salo
The Pickle Project writes about salo, “the adored raw pork fat enjoyed on its own and in many of timeless Ukrainian dishes.”
Russia: Miss Virtual Yakutia 2010
eYakutia posts an update on the ongoing Miss Virtual Yakutia 2010 contest.
Serbia, Russia: Author Awarded for Book on Ratko Mladić
A Slice Of Serbian Politics reports on the award given by the Union of Russian Writers to Ljiljana Bulatović for her book “Report to the General”: “Ljiljana was awarded in the ‘Slav Fraternity’ category with the ‘Imperial Culture’ award for, as it is stated, ‘her courage, commitment, and unswerving dedication...
Kazakhstan: “Kelin” Shortlisted for Oscar
Mursya writes that the Kazakh film “Kelin” (“The Daughter-in-Law,” directed by Ermek Tursunov) was shortlisted with 8 others for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Russia: Vladimir Vysotsky
St Petersblurb and Leopolis pay tribute to Vladimir Vysotsky, who would have turned 72 on January 25.
Iran: Green Tune to Support Protest Movement
A ring tone for a song which motivated young Iranians to go to the front and fight during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s is making the rounds again in solidarity with the opposition. Hamid Tehrani reviews the reactions of bloggers to the 'Ey Iran' song.
Syria: A Short Story
Medad blog published a sarcastic short story [ar] depicting a Muslim cleric and a Christian cleric passionately discussing virtue and interfaith understanding as each of them tries to claim a spot that allows them to peep through a crack in the wall of a women's bathhouse.
Malawi's President to formally declare new love on Valentine's Day
Malawians are digesting news that the country's president Dr Bingu wa Mutharika will engage his former tourism minister Callister Chimombo on Valenetine's Day 14 February. A couple of bloggers have wished the president well in his new found love following the death of his wife Ethel three years ago.
Japan: Micro-gardens
Palmsundae from Tokyo Green Space blogs about the micro-gardening practice in old Tokyo neighborhood.
South Korea: Why do Koreans like cute things?
Ask a Korean! tries to answer the question on why Koreans like cute things.
Haiti, Poland: “Lost Polish Tribe on Haiti”
“Poland and Haiti – who would have thought…?” Raf Uzar writes about “the most intriguing group of people among Poland’s huge diaspora” – the “Poles of Haiti.”
Russia: How To Dress In Yakutia In Winter
AskYakutia.com explains “how to dress in Yakutia in the middle of winter.”
Hungary, Slovakia: Open Borders, Assimilation, Nationalism
Hungarian Spectrum writes about nationalism, assimilation, open borders, Hungary's minorities and the Hungarian diaspora in the neighboring countries.
Russia: Book Written Using Collective Efforts Online
Russian writer Evgeny Popov decided to create his new book using online input from readers of his blog. The author publishes every chapter of the book [RUS] online with several questions at the end. The readers’ answers and feedback shape the next chapter. Popov plans to publish the book along...
MENA: Breaking the veils
AltMuslimah reviews the exhibition Breaking the veils: Women artists from the Islamic World, which contains art and literature from women in over 20 countries, including Palestine, Yemen and Morocco. The exhibition, which stated in Jordan, is now touring the US. The review can be read here.
South Asia: The Dream Of Visa-less, Peaceful Coexistence
Pakistani blogger Raza Rumi attended the SAARC folklore festival held in Chandigarh, India and commented: “It will take years, perhaps decades, but the dream for a visa-less, peacefully coexistent countries of South Asia will be realized. We will wait, but not give up.”
Korea: Translating The Tweets Of Novelist Lee Oisoo
Lee Oisoo is a Korean novelist and artist who has been described as "an eccentric, a genius and a lunatic". When he set up a Twitter account last year he quickly amassed thousands of followers. Now his tweets are being translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. But how did a Bahraini blogger get involved?
Russia: Lyudmila Alexeyeva; “Zhivago's Children”
IZO links to a New York Times’ profile of the 82-year-old Russian dissident Lyudmila Alexeyeva (who blogs in Russian at http://lm-alexeeva.livejournal.com/) – and to a review of Vladislav Zubok's Zhivago's Children: The Last Russian Intelligentsia, posted at Languagehat.
Peru: The Loss of Local Rock Radio Stations
Peruvian radio stations catering to fans of rock music are being taken off the air, with business reasons often cited as the reason. However, many bloggers say there is still a market for the music.
Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Again
“Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. Anyone can play”: My Chutney Garden is gearing up for the national festival.
Japan: Pokemon in Japanese Style Paintings
Mari from Watashi to Tokyo links to a pageful of illustrations of Pokemon done in ancient Japanese style.
