· December, 2008

Stories about Women & Gender from December, 2008

Serbia: Blogger Krugolina Borup Wins Disruption Prize

  30 December 2008

On Dec. 18, Sinisa Boljanovic wrote about Serbian blogger Krugolina Borup and her "Mother Courage" initiative. A few days later, Krugolina Borup (whose real name is Branka Stamenkovic) became the fifth laureate of the Disruption Prize, which Luna TBWA Agency has been awarding to individuals or organizations from Serbia for social liability and changing of social conventions.

The Death of Ai Iijima, the End of an Era

  28 December 2008

For many men in Taiwan, this Christmas Eve was a day of regret and disappointment. It is not because that at this eve some of us would need to spend a significant amount money to please our lovers--thanks to the endless bombing from merchants and commercials. And neither it is because that others would be upset due to lack of lovers for the holiday--yes, for most people, Christmas in Taiwan is more like Valentine's Day--perhaps the forth or the fifth one. It is that in the era of closure on any discussion of sex issues, an ex-AV porno Japanese actress who accompanied us during much of our private time, and later successfully transformed into an entertainer in show business, was found dead in the afternoon at her house in Shibuya, Tokyo: her name is Ai Iijima.

Global Health: 2008 Blogs In Review

  27 December 2008

Bloggers in 2008 showed all the ways in which global health is interconnected with other issues, by covering health stories that touched on everything from poverty and women's rights to the environment and economics. They shared stories such as the prohibition of cannabis in Japan, how ads for children's food...

Brazil: Against Illegal Abortion or Against Women?

  20 December 2008

Abortion is a very complex issue in Brazil, just like almost everywhere else in Latin America, where it is considered a crime. Despite this, over 1,000,000 clandestine abortions take place in Brazil and over 70,000 women die of complications from clandestine abortion attempts every year. Daniel Duende takes a look at the new moves in the clash between pro-life and pro-choice movements.

Egyptian Spinsters

  20 December 2008

The outcasts of the Egyptian society – the spinsters – are raising their voices in an attempt to change how society views them. Khokha – the anonymous author of The daily diaries of a sinister spinister - says: انا عشت حبة كل ما اقول رأى ولا كلمة … يردوا فى...

Looking at Egypt's First Female Mayor

  20 December 2008

Eva Habil, a 53 year-old Christian lawyer, became Egypt’s first female mayor on December 14, representing Komboha, a rural town in conservative Upper Egypt with a Coptic majority community. Yusra of Muslimah Media Watch wrote: Habil, whose father was mayor of Komboha, beat out five male candidates, including her younger...

Cuba: The Crowing Rooster

  18 December 2008

In response to Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez's question, Mariela Castro calls her the equivalent of a “cocky hen”, prompting Sanchez to ask: “Does she believe that I do the work of a man because I demand rights and claim respect for political preferences? If to be a very delicate hen...

South Korea: Riot Police Suppressed Comfort Women Protest

  16 December 2008

Michael Solis from Ohmynews! reported (with a video) about the Korean comfort women protest on 10 of December, 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the government sent riot police to suppress the peaceful protest.

Russia: December History Highlights

  15 December 2008

Some of the Russian/Soviet history December highlights at De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis: Birobidzhan demographics; Cherubina de Gabriak and the duel between Maximilian Voloshin and Nikolay Gumilyov; Vladimir Gilyarovsky; the Soviet war in Afghanistan; and a cookbook by Elena Molokhovets.

Japan: Controversy over Imperial Succession

  14 December 2008

On the 1st of December, the seventh birthday of Princess Aiko (official title: 敬宮愛子内親王殿下, Toshi no miya Aiko naishinnō denka) [en], while the mainstream media in Japan were busy reporting that the princess had a cold and could not attend a birthday party organized in her honour, some bloggers were...