Stories from Quick Reads from December, 2013
Dishing on Sino-American Relations
Chinese food culture constitutes a significant part in the Chinese language. Below is a part of an online fictional story on a conversation between Obama and Xi Jinping on Sino American relation explained and translated by Mary Ann O'Donnell: With respect to the importance of Sino-American relations, we will eat...
Accenting the Positive on the Russian Internet
BestPozitiv.ru, also known as “Tol'ko Pozitiv” (Only the Positive), is a Russian website that promises to “fill you with positivity every day” by bringing its viewers “the most interesting” videos, GIFs, photographs, lists, and other multimedia “that the Internet has to offer.” The site aggregates everything, from memes of cute...
Debate on the Translation of Christmas into Chinese
Ann O'Donnell explains the debate about the translation of Christmas, whether it should be “holy birth festival” or “Jesus birth festival”. For those advocating for the rectification of the Chinese translation, believe that the expression “holy birth festival”, which also means “the Sage’s birth festival” should designate Confucius’ birthday.
Victim of China's One-Child-Policy, 7-year-old Boy Plans Revenge
As a result of one-child policy, many children do not have proper government-issued identification and documentation and are deprived of rights to free education and other social services. A recent report on the problem of undocumented children included an interview with a 7-year-old boy who said when he grows up...
#askPussyRiot Wants Your Questions
After almost two years in federal custody, Pussy Riot's two most famous members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, will hold their first post-prison press conference [ru]. The event will be hosted by the online TV station Dozhd and take place on Friday, December 27, 2013, beginning at 2:00 PM Moscow time (5:00 AM...
Impact Of Social Media In The Delhi Elections
Prior to the Delhi Legislative Assembly election (4 December 2013) the Delhi Election Commission vowed to monitor the social media for political campaigns looking for breach of model code of conduct by the candidates. However the commission later said that there were loopholes in monitoring and it is virtually “impossible”...
“Dekh Le” – Reminding How Men Look at Women In Public Places
Whistling Woods International (WWI), an institute for studies in film, media and fashion, released a YouTube video on December 16, 2013, exactly a year after the much talked about rape case in Delhi to aware people to think, reflect & act on violence against women. Vinaya Naidu at Lighthouse Insights...
Chinese University Professor’s Resignation Letter Censored
One day after professor Chen Hongguo posted his resignation letter on Weibo that has triggered hot discussion on academic freedom in China on December 23, 2013, his letter was deleted. A search on professor Chen's name on Sina Weibo shows the following message: 根据相关法律法规和政策，“谌洪果”搜索结果未予显示。 According to relevant regulations and policies, search results...
Pussy Riot Free to Tweet at Last!
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are already micro-blogging up a storm.
‘Round the Christmas Tree in Trinidad & Tobago
Tattoo captures the Christmas spirit by posting a video of one of Trinidad and Tobago's most beloved seasonal songs.
Guyana: Family Ties
At this time of year, Guyana-Gyal considers the true meaning of family.
South Korean Military Bans ‘Arirang’, Country's Iconic and Beloved Song
South Korean Military is infamous for banning books, films and songs which they find ‘controversial’ or ‘subversive’ and their recent decision to ban the nation's most beloved and historically important songs, ‘Arirang’ (which even has the famed nickname of ‘unofficial national anthem of Korea‘) met with fierce backlash. The military explains it...
Podcast: Contemporary Art in China
Sinica podcast discusses contemporary art scene in China, including what it means to be a Chinese artist in today's China and how different things have changed in the past 20 years.
China’s Environmental News in 2013
chinadialogue looks back at the major Chinese environmental news stories from 2013: toxic water in China's northern city Handan, thousands of dead pigs in Shanghai River, and the severe air pollution. They also explored why the year of 2013 is an environmental disaster for China.
Video:Mo Money, Mo Fazhan
Laowai Style's Jesse Appell addresses the question about China's economic development with his new rap song “Mo Money, Mo Fazhan(Development)”. The rap cover topics ranging from urbanization, to hukou reform, SOEs, and tainted milk powder. Watch the video below.
Jon Stewart's Satire on China's Moon Landing Causes a Sensation
Jon Stewart mocked China’s space race, suggesting it was outdated and pointless on “The Daily Show” on Dec. 16. Chinese netizens and news agencies shared the video on the Twitter-like Weibo, quickly attracting numerous netizens watching and commenting. The majority of commenters find the funny and the host is nicknamed as...
Search Engine Suggests Kazakhstan is a “Satan's Den”
Popular web search engines often have bizarre autocomplete suggestions. Kazakhstani blogger Fyodor Kovalyov writes [ru]: Сейчас решил узнать о наиболее значимых событиях уходящего года, произошедших в разных городах Казахстана, и пришёл в тихий ужас – если верить поисковой системе Yandex.kz, то мы живём, как минимум, в логове сатаны! I have just...
Iran: Calligraphy Art
Farrah Joon tweeted about Iranian female artist,Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi.You can see her calligraphic oil paintings of Arabic lettering here. Calligraphy art by #Iran-ian artist Azra Aghighi Bakhshayeshi http://t.co/d2EusaVUxn pic.twitter.com/IHPosjGCXh — Farrah Joon (@Farrah_Joon) December 23, 2013
Iran: Revolutionary Guards “Hacked” Opposition Sites
Revolutionary Guards in Kerman province claims its cyber forces hacked nine opposition sites. A few weeks ago, several netizens were arrested in Kerman,accused of acting against national security and collaborating with foreign networks, providing content for counter-revolutionary sites.
Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko Officially Supports #Euromaidan Movement
According to her official website, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has officially joined the Maidan Civil Movement, a newly formed civilian organization stemming from the Euromaidan movement, just as the protest that began in Ukraine in November 2013 enters its second month. Tymoshenko, jailed in 2011 for allegedly “exceeding...
River Yamuna Needs Its Own Manifesto
Yamuna, the only major river flowing through Delhi is deteriorating in health over the decades. In the recent Delhi Assembly elections major political parties mentioned Yamuna saving plan in their election manifesto. South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (sandrp) blog analyzes these manifestos and suggests that the parties...
