Stories about Youth from May, 2007
Japan: The Hair Police
Debito writes about the experience of a Brazilian high-school student in Japan's Shizuoka prefecture, apparently “forced by her school to dye her hair weekly because it was not as dark as her peers’”. Debito went to the school itself to talk to one of the so-called “Hair Police”, and returned...
Belarus: The Opposition's Failure
TOL's Belarus has some harsh words for the Belarusian opposition: “The opposition party leaders will make fools of us for as long as we allow it. All of them should have resigned back in 2001. They had a last chance to rehabilitate themselves in 2006. But now they have seized...
Bulgaria: '80s Hair Metal Bands
Petya explains “the Bulgarian enthusiasm for '80s hair metal bands.”
Estonia: Demography and Ethnicity
Itching for Eestimaa writes about Estonia's demography and interethnic relationships: “Still, the reality for Estonia is, no matter what historical spin you put on it, there will be a large Russian-speaking community in Estonia for many years to come. Because of recent events in Tallinn, many are wondering what can...
Serbia: Homophobia
Belgrade 2.0 writes about Serbian homophobia: “[…] Some Serbs consider being gay completely ok and there’s nothing wrong with it, but are absolutely against gays adopting kids, because kids can also become gay (which is, if you look at the beggining of the sentence, completely ok and there’s nothing wrong...
Poland: Equality Parade and “Phobo-Phobia”
the beatroot writes about the Equality Parade in Warsaw and the failed attempt to get it banned it – “this time on the feeble excuse that homosexuality was against Christianity, and the Polish Constitution [?] which apparently privileges relationships between men and women.” Then, the beatroot grows “phobo-phobic” and refers...
Ukraine: Kyiv Street Kids Video
Michelle Knisley of Greetings from Kyiv links to two CrossRoads Foundation's videos of Kyiv's street children – on YouTube, here and here.
Russia: Pioneers
The Turkish Invasion writes on the 85th anniversary of the Soviet Pioneer Organization.
Japan: Bridging the Generation Gap
What with all the news last week of beheadings, shoot-outs and baby dumping — and subsequent soul-searching on the part of Japanese bloggers, at a loss for what to make of the nation's younger generation — I felt that it would be appropriate this week to highlight a slightly more...
Congolese Youth Organization Takes President Joseph Kabila to Task
Kakaluigi posts an open letter (Fr) from COJESKI, an umbrella of Congolese youth organizations, demanding President Joseph Kabila: end the incursions and occupations of Congolese villages by foreign troops from Angola, Burundi, Congo-Brazaville, and even as far afield as Chad, the Sudan and Central African Republic; end the pillaging of...
Russia: A Tale of Two Women
Moscow-based expat blogger Laura Citron shares “A Tale of Two Russian Women” over at nEUrosis.
Which father is my real father?: Japan's 300-day rule
In early May, the Japanese government announced that it will take a special measure to recognise children born within 300 days of their mother's divorce, given that the mothers became pregnant after divorce. This announcement came after a group of divorced women with children raised the issue on the current...
Japan: Strange Confession Note
More on the story of the boy who sawed off his mother's head and brought it to the police, courtesy of Mutant Frog Travelogue: “After the crime, he went into an Internet cafe, watched a Beastie Boys DVD, and apparently wrote the following note…“
Iran:Babak Zamanian, a Student Activist in Danger
According to Inja va Aknoun[Fa],Babak Zamanian,a student activist from Amir Kabir University in Tehran,is in danger in prison. He was arrested about three weeks ago and he has heart problems.
Iran:Graffitis in Tehran
Petit has published several photos of grafittis in Tehran.The blogger says they look like New York ones!
Beheadings, Shoot-outs and Baby Dumping: Where is Japan heading?
News stories covered this week by the mainstream news media in Japan have shaken Japanese society, with many wondering where their country is heading and what has happened to the nation's youth. Most sensational among these stories is the shocking tale of a high-school boy who killed and beheaded his...
Ukraine: Kyiv Street Fashion
Inspired by the weather, Olechko takes pictures of Kyiv's “simply beautiful people, irony aside” and posts them on Flickr, in her Kyiv street fashion photo set.
Russia: Dissent and Samara Summit
Samara-based blogger Dmitri Minaev and Sean Guillory write about the EU-Russia Summit in Samara and the regime's ways of dealing with dissent.
Morocco: Fighting ignorance, injustice, and irrationality
Giving one's child a special first name should be an inalienable right, not a lengthy bureaucratic process. Hamza Daoui covers a debate stirring up over this very issue, as well as the upcoming Moroccan elections and the timeless subject of ignorance.
China: Citizen blogger treading new ground?
With all the hype and money behind web 2.0 citizen media in America, is it possible that one young Chinese vegetable farmer has been able to make more gains more quickly than any Western initiatives have?
Tanzania: Bongoland (film) update
Latest update on the Tanzanian film, Bongoland: “After watching Bongoland, the former prime minister remarked that it was a very good movie and wishes that most people in Tanzania could see it…”especially the youth”. Chemi run into the Prime Minister in Cambridge Mass. where he is pursuing studies at Harvard...
