Stories about Western Europe from August, 2010
Western Europe: A journey through tech for transparency projects
Sylwia Presley takes us on a tour of technology for transparency projects in Western Europe.
Latin America: Blogging at Los Superdemokraticos
Coinciding with several Bicentennial Independence celebrations in Latin America, from June to October 2010 German and Latin American bloggers [es] will be writing for Los Superdemokraticos about their “daily lifes [sic] in international political contexts.” Posts are published in German and Spanish; five texts are translated into English each month.
Northern Cyprus: Rihanna's Concert
Greater Surbiton writes about the controversy surrounding Rihanna's upcoming concert in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Ghana: Is Mario Balotelli Italian or Ghanaian?
Is Mario Balotelli Ghanaian or Italian? That's the question that has created a heated debate online. Mario Barwuah Balotelli is a football striker playing for Manchester City and Italian national team. He was born to Ghanaian immigrants in Italy.
France: An Imaginary Dialogue between Sarkozy and Berlusconi
The Bienvenue chez les Rroms blog (“rroms” is the spelling of Roma in Romani language) imagines [Fr] a satirical conversation in which French President Nicolas Sarkozy seeks comfort and advice with his friend Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, after being unexpectedly victimized of his own suggestion that some categories of offenders should...
Syria: A Muslim should be like a jar of honey
Syrian blogger Maysaloon reflects on a conversation that took place following the Tarawih prayers, after meeting Sheikh Abu Salem in a mosque in London.
Global: The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 23rd is The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. A series of events are organized around the world by various organisations to help inscribe the tragic memory of the slave trade promote human rights.
Cape Verde: Debates on Youth and Politics Happening in Portugal
There is a group of Cape Verdean citizens who occasionally organize meetings in Lisbon to discuss the relations between youth and politics, as Suzano Costa explains in a video [pt] republished by Amilcar Tavares. In their blog – Tertúlia Crioula [pt] – one can read the notes taken from “Cape Verde in...
France: Discrimination Against Roma People, Labeled as “Thieves”
While the expulsions of Roma people are in full throttle with the silent approbation of the majority of the public opinion, some doubts start to creep in about the fairness of the measures. Some bloggers express their outrage at the measures that target the most vulnerable and the libel of an entire community as "thieves".
France: Learn More about the Itinerant Community
Around the hot topic of the “gens du voyage” in France – the itinerant community – Léa Charles from suite101.fr, gives a few definitions to sport out any confusion; Les actualités du droit outlines the details of the law as they ought to be applied on this issue, Yann Savidan interviews...
Portugal: Online Conversation on Poliamory
PolyPortugal blog [pt] is an online community that discusses poliamory in Portugal and supports sexual diversity in general.
Morocco: When Sarkozy “Proposes” a French Version of Ramadan
When Ahmed wrote his satirical blog post about a completely fictional announcement by president Nicolas Sarkozy intending to impose a French version of Islam on French Muslims, he never imagined his "story" would make the headlines of newspapers and mainstream media websites, not as the innocent prank he initially intended but as factual news.
France: Racism and Politics
Following a speech from French president Sarkozy that France ought to consider stripping delinquents of their citizenship and the planned expulsion of groups of Roma people back to Rumania and Bulgaria, the UN Comittee on the Elimination of Racial dDiscrimination (CERD) denounced a "recrudescence of racism and xenophobia" in France. Bloggers weigh in on the tense social scene in France.
Bangladesh made boat reaches France
Bangladesh Watchdog informs that an ‘unsinkable eco-friendly’ boat made of jute fibre has reached the coast of La Ciotat, South of France after an eight month long journey from Bangladesh. The mission of the sail was to highlight the problems Bangladeshi fishermen are facing due to global warming.
France: Expulsions of Roma people from Camp Sites Stir Feelings of Shame
As Roma people are expelled from campsites by security forces under the supervision of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, Club de l'Europe blog [Fr] links to a video entitled “How many hens did we steal from you this year?“. “We shot these images in march 2003. Now the same people...
Serbia: Banking Group Turns Well-Intentioned Suggestion Into PR Disaster
The lack of understanding that major corporations still have for what's being said online may not come as a shock. Intesa SanPaolo, Italy's largest banking group, however, has recently demonstrated plain poor business sense and a complete disregard for basic PR in a breaking story on the Serbian market.
Portugal: Blogging Against Military Action
Blog Anti-Nato Portugal [pt, es] denounces that the United States has denied making available, in the aid effort to Pakistan, the 19 helicopters destined to the war in Afghanistan. Bloggers cite a military high official, who in a press conference, confirmed that the decision was up to Washington and that the...
Global: Ramadan Memes
Every year, web-savvy Muslims around the world share images with each other to celebrate Ramadan. While most images of the sort are solemn, there is often plenty of humor to go around as well, writes Jillian C. York, who shares some of the fun.
Europe: Stranger Festival Film Submissions
The Stranger Film Festival is looking for creative short documentaries by youth (younger than 30) from European and neighboring countries in a variety of topics regarding European narratives. Submission deadline is on September 1st. via
China: Visa tales
With all the economic growth in China over the past few decades and a growing number of global travelers to match, have visa requirements for Chinese citizens been adapting in step? Well-heeled journalist Chen Zikun shares his experiences, see if or how any of them compare to yours.
Caribbean: Notting Hill Carnival
“The Notting Hill Carnival is arguably London’s most exciting annual event”: Repeating Islands has details about the upcoming celebrations.
