Stories about Arts & Culture from August, 2010
Is Taiwan Whitewashing Sino-Tibetan History?
Angry Chinese Blogger explains the recent controversy regarding an exhibition in the Taipei's National Palace Museum on “Tibet: Treasures From the Roof of the World”. The exhibition was hailed as...
East Timor: (Un)Dignified Sculptures of Women in Shangai World Expo 2010
In response to recent statements by a Timorese deputy, who reportedly implied that the statues of naked women at the Timor Leste Pavillion in Shanghai World Expo 2010 are not...
Algeria: Bloggers Denounce the Exclusion of Egypt from the Algiers Book Fair
Following the tensions from a football match in Cairo between the Egyptian and Algerian football teams, Algiers Book Fair (SILA) decided to exclude Egyptian books from the event. The decision did not sit well with many Algerian bloggers.
Russia: Bono Sings Together with Opposition Musician
Bono's (U2) visit to Russia [EN] turned out to be a highly politicized event. Some complain [RUS], Bono didn't tell Medvedev about the Khimki Forest Park, some admire his joint...
Russia: Noize MC's New Song
RFE/RL's The Power Vertical writes about rapper Noize MC's new song: “After spending 10 days in jail for performing a song mocking police at a music festival in Volgograd, the...
Russia: “Where's Your Rabbi?”
Oleg Klimov posts two photos from Birobidzhan in Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region – and shares this short conversation (RUS) with a guard at the local synagogue: “‘Where's your rabbi?’ –...
Northern Cyprus: Rihanna's Concert
Greater Surbiton writes about the controversy surrounding Rihanna's upcoming concert in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Hungary: St. Stephen
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the history of the cult of St. Stephen, the first king of the Hungarians, who was canonized on Aug. 20, 1083.
Venezuela: Former Miss Universe and the Flag With Seven Stars
“…the two issues that are pressing us are 1) how come Miss Venezuela was not in the last 15 finalist of the Miss Universe competition last Sunday and 2) what...
Russia: Soviet History and Tetris
Siberian Light shares “A Complete History of the Soviet Union, Arranged to the Melody of Tetris” video, found via Global Dashboard.
India: Celebrating Raksha Bandhan
Yesterday, on 24th August 2010, India celebrated Raksha Bandhan - a festival that celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. Netizens expressed their feelings about this age old ritual.
Hungary: Skateboarding priest gets adepts
Videos of Catholic priests doing good don't usually go viral, but this one featuring a Hungarian priest has made it's way around the world. What is he doing different? He's...
Trinidad & Tobago: The Game
Underground Trini Artiste posts a video that has been all the rage on Facebook and YouTube, about “people who are stuck in a university for years and just can't leave...
South Korea: Kim Yuna, the Star Figure Skater Parted Ways With Her Coach
South Korea's figure skating queen and the gold medalist Kim Yuna split from her longtime coach. However, it seems like not a clean breakup. Suspicions are intensified as Yuna twitted...
Brazil: Competition Turns Blogs into Books
The idea is to turn the best Brazilian blogs to books, and the competition [pt] is open until September 12th. The participants can vote and apply through fifteen different categories,...
Taiwan: Who Needs A Founding Father?
Does Dr. Sun Yat-sen deserve the title of “the Founding Father of Republic of China (R.O.C)”? Is he really a flawless idealistic political leader and the hero behind the revolution that overthrew Qing Dynasty? The myth around Dr. Sun has been under scrutiny in Taiwan where people largely do not identify themselves as “Chinese” anymore.
Uruguay: The Night of Nostalgia
Ana Rita Franco writes [es] in her blog about The Night of Nostalgia (in Spanish, La Noche de la Nostalgia), a night when Uruguayans dance to old songs and remember...
India: Onathallu Festival
Maddy writes about the Onathallu or Kayyankali festival which is celebrated by the Nairs of Pallassana Desham in the Chittur Thaluk in Palakkad district, in the southernmost state of Kerala,...
Mexico: Miss Universe 2010 Gets All the Attention on Twitter
Miss Mexico 2010, Jimena Navarrete, won this year's Miss Universe contest. Mexican Twitter users expressed enthusiasm for Navarrete's victory; however, some criticized the amount of attention the event was getting compared to other, more important issues. Navarrete also tweeted, thanking everyone for their support.
Global: Spreading Peace Through Images
Recently, a group of young entrepreneurs and photographers came upon the idea of spreading humanity, good will and positivity through images. On Aug. 16, their project - International Guild of Visual Peacemakers (IGVP) - came alive on-line. Danica Radisic interviews IGVP's co-founder and president Mario Mattei.
Armenia: Suicide soldier
Following the recent suicide of an officer in the Armenian army who is believed to have suffered from victimization and intimidation from fellow soldiers, Unzipped posts a photograph of graffiti...
