Stories about Western Europe from September, 2011
Greece: “Europe, come be in my shoes, before judging me”
Global Voices in Greek translator Margie Lazou posts an open and unvarnished account of her daily struggles as a single mother in crisis-ridden Greece on her personal blog: “All those people out there in Europe, please, come live here, be in my shoes for some time before judging me.”
New Caledonia: From Paris to Nouméa in a Microlight Plane
Two French microlight planes enthusiasts, aboard the microlight Spirit of Noumea, are planning to re-live French aviators Paul Klein and Henri Martinet's groundbreaking 1939 plane journey from Nouméa, New Caledonia, to Paris. Their journey can be followed on this map and is also documented via their diary [fr] on the project's site.
Spain: Police “Welcome” 15M Protesters in Paris
The "march of the indignant people" that left from various cities in Spain and France to cross Europe, was welcomed by the police in Paris. One hundred people who were heading to the French Parliament were dragged, sprayed with pepper spray and detained. Chris Moya reports.
Global: Interview on NATO's Evolution
We Magazine‘s Ulrike Reinhard interviews NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Stefanie Babst on video about the “we” in their work, and how NATO has evolved over time as an organization – touching on globalization, gender equality, multi-national defense spending, political leadership and communication.
Spain: Crowdsourcing Democracy
The website 100 medidas (100 measures) [es] is a crowdsourcing project that is collecting citizen's recommendations on how to improve the government. People will vote for the best 100 measures, which will be sent to the government elected on the November 20, 2011 general elections.
Global: Online Dialogue on Technology for Transparency
The Technology for Transparency Initiative, together with New Tactics in Human Rights, invites you to join an online dialogue on 'Using Technology to Promote Transparency'. Join us to discuss new ideas, challenges, risks, and opportunities.
Videos: Homeless But Not Voiceless
We explore different initiatives that aim to bring to the foreground the plight of those who are forgotten: children, indigenous people, immigrants and the transgender community.
Ukraine: Geopolitics in Crimea
Odessablog writes that “the macro-geopolitical battle over Ukraine between the EU and Russia” is at its most intense in Crimea.
Ukraine, EU: Visa Regime “Like Modern Berlin Wall”
Anatoliy Martsynovski of BlogActiv.eu writes that the visa regime is one of the most important and most sensitive issues in the EU-Ukraine relations: “It is quite true that for us current visa regime very often is something like modern Berlin Wall.”
France, Africa: Suitcases Filled with Cash Expose the Françafrique Connection
In the wake of the Dominique Strauss Kahn scandal, a new furore is now rocking France and the upcoming 2012 French presidential campaign. Robert Bourgi, a shady lawyer and advisor for "African affairs" has confessed to acting as a go-between for French politicians and Francophone Africa heads of state.
All-Day Virtual Event in Spanish for Bloggers
Día del Blog will hold a virtual event on Saturday September 17 [es] with several discussions broadcast through live streaming [es] with speakers from Spain, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. Spanish Translation Manager Juan Arellano will participate in a panel discussion [es] about “Revolution on social networks: cyber-activism, citizen mobilization and political participation”.
Comoros: Reactions of the Comoran Community to Minister's Accusation
After the French Interior Ministry stated that Comorian Community is to blame for some of the violence in Marseille[fr], the governing body of the Comoros Union is denouncing such stigmatization of their community[fr], it encourages Comoran to stay calm and fight back violence only via legal means.
Macedonia: Celebrating Basketball Win Over Lithuania
The celebration of the Macedonian entry in the semifinals of the European basketball championship has spilled over from the country's streets, balconies and town squares into the blogosphere. Filip Stojanovski reports.
India: Open Letter to The British Parliament On Kashmir
After decades the British Parliament is going to discuss Kashmir tomorrow. Al Haqu Murun writes an open letter to Mr Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, and the British Parliament asking to increase pressure to Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Denmark: Turkish Flag on Right-Wing Candidate's “Sharia-Land” Ad
Amila Bosnae re-posts a parliamentary election campaign ad of “a candidate for the xenophobic (and powerful) Danish People’s Party” and explains: “The caption on top reads ‘Sharia-land or Sjælland?’ – Sjælland is Zealand, the big island in the eastern part of Denmark with the capital Copenhagen. For some reason they...
UK: Vasily Grossman's “Life and Fate” on BBC Radio 4
Sarah J. Young writes about BBC Radio 4's “adaptation of Vasily Grossman’s vast and still under-appreciated novel Life and Fate” (the first episode is scheduled to be aired on Sept. 18).
Denmark: No Voting Rights for Danes Abroad
Since many Danish citizens living abroad are not eligible to vote in the upcoming election in Denmark on September 15, 2011 the Danes Abroad Business Group Online (DAGBO) hosted an informal online election poll for their members. Seventy percent of those questioned said loss of voting rights negatively affects their...
Russia, Italy: Andrei Tarkovsky's Polaroids
Jana writes [sr] about Instant Light, a collection of 60 Polaroid photographs by film director Andrei Tarkovsky, and posts some sample photos from the book.
Spain: Intense Political and Social Debate on the Constitutional Reform
Political and social debate in Spain has been intense these past few months. The latest news that has once again caused thousands to take to the streets in protest has been the changes to the Spanish Constitution less than three months before the general elections.
Portugal: Citizens Ask Icelanders About Democracy
Portuguese bloggers and activists are getting inspired by Iceland's practice of direct democracy in response to the crisis that the country has faced. Sara Moreira reports.
Guinea: Nadine Bari's Fight to Reduce Poverty in Guinea
Nadine Bari is a French citizen who has created one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in Guinea, Guinée-Solidarité. With donations from Europe they have helped supply schools, hospitals, and helped homeless, orphaned and disabled children to receive an education.
