Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from December, 2009
Azerbaijan: Education, free thought and development
Following a previous post from Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines on European concerns with the situation of freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, and especially following the imprisonment of video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, the blog comments on remarks made by the country's Minister of Education. The...
Armenia: Embracing multiculturalism
Ianyan hosts a guest post responding to nationalist perceptions of identity, culture and language. The entry concludes that all nations and ethnic groups absorb other influences, benefiting from such a reality greatly while also evolving into something with their own unique peculiarities.
Armenia: Music Awards
Ianyan covers the 10th annual Armenian Music Awards in Los Angeles. The blog also live tweeted the event on her Twitter account.
Armenia: 21st Anniversary of the 1988 Earthquake
Monday marked the 21st anniversary of the 1988 earthquake which devastated many areas in northern Armenia leaving around 25,000 dead and many more homeless. Bloggers examine conditions in the region more than two decades later.
Kazakhstan: Taking the blogosphere’s pulse for the month
Bloggers continue to share their opinions on current events, from questions of government and regional development in the republic, to musings on the interrelatedness between social behavior and consumer priorities.
Kazakhstan: Big city lights, gerontocracy and Photoshop
Kazakhstan’s bloggers continue to monitor the state’s traditionally non-transparent politics and comment on the news. Among their concerns is the government’s announcement that due to the economic crisis, wage increases for state employees, pensioners and students on stipend, scheduled for the beginning of 2010, would have to be postponed for...
Armenia: Human Rights Irony?
The Armenian Observer comments on a human rights conference to be held this week in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, and questions the participation of one of the invited speakers. Before falling from grace with the current authorities, former Military Prosecutor Gagik Jahangirian was accused of violating the human rights of...
Ukraine, Afghanistan: Mayors and Corruption
Petro's Jotter praises Kabul residents for having their mayor sentenced for corruption and misappropriation of $16,000 – and offers a Ukrainian perspective: “Imagine how full the Kyiv jails would be if the corruption bar was dropped to a paltry USD 16,000 — wouldn't even cover ONE of the Oligarch's watches.”
Azerbaijan: Culinary Blogging
Leyla's Room interviews Farida Sadikhova Buyuran, the blogger behind AZ Cookbook. Posting recipes, backgrounds and photographs of traditional Azeri cuisine, as well as other dishes, the interview details Farida's passion for food and cooking and says a book is on the horizon.
Mongolia: Climate Change Affecting Nomadic Way of Life
Climate change is affecting the way of life of Mongolian nomadic families, as rangeland for their grazing animals has been reduced in size and the availability of fresh water has become scarcer.