· March, 2011

Stories about Western Europe from March, 2011

Japan: The Tsunami, God and Man

  31 March 2011

A few days after the disaster that killed more than ten thousand people, Italian vice-president of the National Research Council (CNR) Roberto De Mattei and Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara left the Italian and the Japanese blogosphere astounded when they declared that the catastrophe occurred as a manifestation of God’s will. Both in Japan and in Italy bloggers reacted and demanded their resignation.

Greece: Thessaloniki Documentary Festival Succeeds in Hard Times

  29 March 2011

The week-long 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival presented a line up of approximately 220 films from around the world from 11-30 March, 2011, in Thessaloniki, Greece. Themes included regional retrospectives (this year focusing on the Middle East and Africa) and tributes to Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa and Czech Helena Trestikova.

Côte d'Ivoire: Where Are the African Personalities When They Are Needed?

  27 March 2011

A few months ago,  Marième Jamme asked Bono and Bob Geldof to take less prominent roles as speakers for Africa in the media and leave space for Africans to speak for themselves. Today on the Africa Rising blog,  bloggers  wonder where have the African personalities gone when they are actually needed to get the world's...

Spanish-Speaking Bloggers React to Earthquake in Japan

  27 March 2011

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake which shook Japan on March 11th has provoked reactions from Spanish-speaking bloggers from all over the world. After reviewing news of various disasters around the world and most recently in Japan, the question which arises is: faced with a disaster, would you abandon your home?

Portugal: Esoteric analysis to Prime Minister's resignation

  25 March 2011

The astrologer and author of the blog Cova do Urso (Bear's Cave), Antonio Rosa, frames the political crisis in Portugal – triggered by the resignation of Prime Minister Jose Socrates on March 24 – through the analysis of his astrological chart [pt].

Portugal: Is there still Government?

  24 March 2011

In order to aggregate the latest tweets on the political crisis in Portugal, Rui Ramos created the website aindahagoverno.com (Is there still Government?) [pt]. The Prime Minister Jose Socrates resigned on March 24, after the Parliament rejected the government's latest proposal for an austerity package aimed at avoiding an economical...

France: Worry and Hope in the Japanese Community

  21 March 2011

In France as elsewhere, the terrifying pictures of the tsunami and earthquake have had Japanese expatriates worried by the magnitude of the disaster. Many of them spent all day on Friday, March 11, 2011, trying to contact their loved ones through the Internet, and since then have been working to bring their compatriots some emotional relief.

Portugal: Scraping By But Making Noise

  13 March 2011

Yesterday's protest of the Geração à Rasca (“Scraping By” Generation) in Portugal drew 150.000 to the streets, in a burst of non-partisan, non-branded, authentic citizen power. Flickr is brimming with photos from the Azores to Porto, to Lisbon.

Portugal: A Protest Generation, Foolish and Scraping By

  12 March 2011

Hostilities have commenced: today the “Scraping-by Generation” goes to the streets in Portugal and beyond, protesting that 23% of young people are unemployed and hundreds of thousands are underemployed or in precarious work situations. With an anthem and some anti-conformism, is this Generation foolish?

Libya: Group Occupies London Mansion Owned by Gaddafi's Son

After long-serving and corrupt rulers and their families leave office, new governments strive to regain state monies lost to dishonesty, cheating and fraud. Often to little success. But a group of squatters under the name 'Topple the Tyrants' now occupy a house in London owned by one of Muammar Al Gaddafi's sons. They want to ensure the money is returned to the Libyan people.

Hollaback! Mobile Technology Against Street Harassment

  8 March 2011

Based on the premise that "the explosion of mobile technology has given us an unprecedented opportunity to end street harassment," Hollaback! is encouraging women around the world to use the tools available to them to share their stories and geo-locate incidents and reports.

Russia: “Tutor/Nanny/Friend/Plaything”

English Man In Moscow, who seeks to be hired as a tutor by an affluent Russian family with kids, writes about a recent 3-hour “‘trial’ lesson” that he gave to a 9-year-old for $43/26 GBP/1,250 rubles per hour. (“Not a fortune, but at the low end of pay for private...

Lebanon: Web Documentary About Young Lebanese Artists

  2 March 2011

The Libalel Project [fr] highlights the diversity of contemporary Lebanese art through web documentary. Their blog publishes analyses, biographies, interviews, videos and photos: “The Lebanese scene is a true laboratory of artistic experimentation attuned with a distinctive political context rich with deep questioning. The Libalel project endeavours to decipher this...