Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from November, 2010
Azerbaijan: The media, religion & secularism
The Önər Blog [AZ] comments on calls by the Iranian Ambassador in Azerbaijan, as well as some religious citizens, to close down the ALMA newspaper after it was critical of the prophet Muhammad. The blog says that religion runs counter to democracy and freedom of expression, especially in a secular...
Azerbaijan: Defaced election posters
With the 7 November parliamentary election just four days away, Dadashov's Blog [AZ] posts a slideshow of images showing defaced election posters on one street in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital. The blog sarcastically notes that only the post of one candidate, the Rector of Baku State University running for the...
Azerbaijan: flash mob fuss among the masses
Scary Azeri [ENG], a blog popular for its acerbic humor and opinion, comments on what it sees as a flashmob epidemic among youth in Azerbaijan. While it appreciates flashmobs aimed at raising issues of importance such as the environment, it wonders whether those youth involved in such actions are simply...
Azerbaijan: Sexual intrigues ahead of parliamentary election
Fatalin's Blog comments on the pro-government media the airing of a video depicting an opposition newspaper editor having sex. The blog decries the level of journalism in the country and how black propaganda is being spread ahead of the 7 November parliamentary election.
Georgia: Reflections on Teach and Learn
Teach and Learn with Georgia (TLG) is a project established by the Georgian government aiming to recruit 1,000 native English speakers willing to teach English at local schools. Many of the first intake of teachers have also started blogging their experience to date.