· February, 2010

Stories about Arts & Culture from February, 2010

My Name is Khan – Cultural Politics in India

A look at the Hindi blog-posts related to the Bollywood film 'My Name Is Khan' reveals an interesting fact - that the reactions to this film have more to do with the cultural politics in India than with the aesthetic value of the film itself.

17 February 2010

Pakistan: Let The Kites Fly

A Lahore Court banned kite flying in Punjab province of Pakistan in 2005 citing it as a dangerous game and deprived many residents of the joys of Basant festivities. Some bloggers felt that strong rules and regulations instead of outright ban could decrease the risks related to kite-flying.

17 February 2010

India: Civic Sense And Liberty

Prerna at I Love Life.. So I Explore discusses about the phenomenon of the lack of civic sense of Indians inside the country as some make public nuisances completely ignoring...

16 February 2010

Korea: Lunar New Year

Ask a Korean! translated a story written by Joo Seong-Ha about Lunar New Year in North Korea.

15 February 2010

Egypt: Valentine's Day Dilemma

Forget about anything you know about the Valentine's Day, as you are going to experience so many contradicting reactions and thoughts regarding this day, after paying the Egyptian blogosphere a visit.

15 February 2010

USA: Native Cherokees Fight for Sacred Mound

Cherokee Native Americans in North Carolina are currently fighting the construction of an electrical station they say would impede the spiritual experience at Kituwah, a sacred mound that is cherished as "Mothertown".

15 February 2010

Armenia: Eurovision National Competition

Armenia tonight chose its entry for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway. Twitter users provided an online summary of the national competition televised inside the country while some blogs offered reaction to the successful entry.

14 February 2010

Cambodia: Valentine's Day Sparks Controversy

Valentine's Day was first celebrated in Cambodia in 2000. It is now a popular event in the country, especially among the youth. The government, with the help of some bloggers, use this occasion to promote sexual health and reproductive health rights among the younger generation

14 February 2010

Russia: Theater Play to “Reconstruct” Lawyer Magnitsky's Death

RuNet Echo

The death of Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year-old lawyer who spent nearly a year in jail awaiting trial, received much publicity and prompted Russian authorities to introduce some changes. The case also inspired a public discussion of prison conditions in Russia, which is now likely to move to a new level, as a Moscow theater is working on a documentary play that would "reconstruct" the horror of Magnitsky's final hours.

14 February 2010

Pakistan: The Ban On Kyte-flying

Hamza Ahmad Qureshi and Momekh at Lahore Metblogs writes on the 2005 kite-flying ban in Pakistan and discusses the silly reasons cited to justify the ban. In many parts of...

13 February 2010

Video: Mobile Libraries of the World

The mobile library has become a staple in many library systems, bringing books to those who cannot access the libraries themselves. However, in many places due to bad road conditions or lack of funding, the traditional system of rigging a bus or truck as a library is not possible. Thus, library trains, donkey libraries and motorcycle libraries have come to stay as viable options to bring books to the communities.

12 February 2010