Stories about Arts & Culture from June, 2008
Israel: New National Bird Good for a Laugh
Embarrassed about your country's national bird? Don't be. Israel has one far more comical. Comedy Central's hit television show “The Colbert Report” cites Israel's choice of the long-billed hoopoe as evidence that, “Countries don't make passes at birds that wear glasses.” Isrealli, who has the video clip, says: Last night,...
Ukraine: Paul McCartney in Kyiv
Ukrainiana writes about and posts photos and video from Paul McCartney's concert in Kyiv.
Serbia: Aleksandra Stratimirović Daggfeldt
Sandra Draskovic of Demystifying Serbian Design writes about the work of Belgrade- and Stockholm-based artist Aleksandra Stratimirović Daggfeldt.
Europe: Ideas for Cold War Museum
The Economist's Ceratin Ideas of Europe blog welcomes exhibit ideas for a Cold War museum that may be built “on a site near the old ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ border-crossing point in Berlin.” One reader suggests “a section on anti-communist humour.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: R.I.P. Roy Ralph
Abeni bids farewell to the late Roy Ralph, “the man who…epitomises Carnival” in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Jordan: Online Initiative to Support Art
Palestinian Sugar Cubes draws our attention to JoCr8 – a new online initiative to support art and connect creative people in Jordan.
Pakistan: Truck painting
All Things Pakistan on the fascinating art of truck painting.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Biggest Bosnian Coffee Pot
A picture of “the world's biggest Bosnian coffee pot” – “cheesy tourist fun! :)” – at YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett.
China: Olympic mascots from the past
Raider_dad at Fark.com forums posts a link to a list of all Olympic mascots dating back to 1968. Seeing Amik the Montreal beaver, reader Visceral Realist quips: “1976 looks nothing like the beavers I've seen.” See if you recognize (or remember) the rest here.
China: A glimpse at Olympic garden sculptures
Safin at FunEnclave posts a series of photos of artistic garden sculptures done in Chinese and Socialist style in preparation for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.
Togolese singer Vanessa Worou
Kangi Alem writes of Togolese singer Vanessa Worou [Fr]: “at times a little reminiscent of [Angelique] Kidjo, but on the whole, confidently sung and with a simple, effective orchestration.”
Jamaica: Reggae Sumfest
After the recent sponsorship controversy surrounding Jamaica's Reggae Sumfest festival, Montego Bay Day By Day is happy to report that “the show shall indeed go on…which is a good thing for the local businesses…”
China: Kungfu Panda
Heicaitou blogs some photos of a demonstration demanding the China SARFT to ban the movie “Kungfu Panda”.
Argentina: Restoration of Recoleta Cemetery
The Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina continues with its restoration projects on various crypts and vaults writes AfterLife.
Poland: The Language
According to Polandian, Polish language isn't hard.
Bahamas: Microwaveable Minds
Blogger Nicolette Bethel is “operating in a state of low-grade anger”: “The thing that makes me angriest these days is the fundamental disrespect that we offer ourselves as Bahamians…the conviction that far too many of our leaders seem to have that we are really second-rate people.”
Slovakia: Bratislava Castle
The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia writes about the ongoing reconstruction of Bratislava Castle.
Guatemala: Activism Helps Remember the Disappeared
Guatemala's recent dark history includes approximately 40,000 citizens who disappeared during the armed conflict. Many bloggers keep their memory alive by discussing recent performance art exhibits and activism that helped end the annual military parades.
Nigeria: The Nigeria Entertainment Awards
Ladybrille writes about the Nigeria Entertainment Awards: “The Nigeria Entertainment Awards [NEA], established only three years ago and held in New York City, each year, is one such event that is highly anticipated. The event which showcases the contributions of Nigerian Artists to the world, struggled, in its infancy, to...
Kuwait: $10,000 Car Treat!
Would you spend $10,000 getting your car waxed? I know I wouldn't - but Lebanese blogger Mark, who lives in Kuwait, draws our attention to someone who did just that.
Kyrgyzstan: A Nation Is Grieving for Chingiz Aitmatov
Ben Paarmann writes in honor of Kyrgyzstan author Chingiz Aitmatov who died on Tuesday this week, at the age of 79. "Thanks to Chingiz Aitmatov, Central Asian traditions, lifestyles, myths - but most importantly - a transcendental Central Asian "feeling" became part of Soviet culture, known and celebrated beyond the borders of the former empire." writes Paarmann.
