· August, 2010

Stories about Western Europe from August, 2010

Latin America: Blogging at Los Superdemokraticos

  30 August 2010

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.

Ghana: Is Mario Balotelli Italian or Ghanaian?

  25 August 2010

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

  25 August 2010

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...

Cape Verde: Debates on Youth and Politics Happening in Portugal

  23 August 2010

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: Learn More about the Itinerant Community

  21 August 2010

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...

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

  19 August 2010

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

  18 August 2010

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

  15 August 2010

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...

Portugal: Blogging Against Military Action

  12 August 2010

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

  10 August 2010

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

  8 August 2010

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.