Stories from 21 December 2007
Russia: Kozlovsky's Forced Conscription
Robert Amsterdam's blog follows the story of a Russian youth movement leader's forced conscription to army – here, here and here.
Russia: “Espionage Obsessed State”
James of Robert Amsterdam's blog posts a translation of a Russian article on “the social reality of an espionage obsessed state.” The article's last line is: “Having lost vigilance, Russia may not only not notice the beginning of a new cold war, but may even fail to notice its transition...
Russia: More on Putin the Person of the Year
Further discussion of Time Magazine's Person of the Year pick – at Sean's Russia Blog (27 comments) and Scraps of Moscow (22 comments).
Russia: Robert Amsterdam's Alternative Person of the Year
Robert Amsterdam insists that “TIME’s choice is a great thing for Russia and her people, as we can all take a much closer look now at what is going on (and what’s going wrong) in this great nation.” He also picks his blog's own Person of the Year: The Russian...
Russia: Time Magazine's “Successful Ploy”
Perspectives on the New Russia writes that Time Magazine's decision to name Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year is “a successful ploy serving the interests of both political and media elites on both side of the Russia-US divide. Whether it serves the interests of the Russian people or the...
Ukraine, Russia: On Tymoshenko, Yanukovych and Putin
Foreign Notes writes about Yulia Tymoshenko's TV address and Viktor Yanukovych's “shadow opposition government” – as well as Vladimir Putin's misrepresentation of Ukraine's Russophone population in his Time Magazine interview and a subsequent reaction of the head of Donetsk region, who “emphasized that the Russian-speaking population of his oblast, which...
Ukraine: PM Tymoshenko, Pro & Con
Kiev Blogger believes “Tymoshenko as PM is probably the worst thing that could happen to Ukraine at the moment”: “The only positive thing about it (and it's only positive from a very strategic point of view), is that Ukraine really does have real political competition, backed up by the competition...
Ukraine, France: Prank Protest at Charles de Gaulle
Orange Ukraine writes about the brief arrest of two Ukrainian journalists at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris – for what seems like an exhausted transit passengers’ prank.
Ukraine: New Government
Orange Ukraine writes about priorities of Yulia Tymoshenko's cabinet and about the transfer of power from the old government to the new.
Colombia: Comparing Rates of Kidnapping
Nicolás París of Machete [es] compares the rates of kidnapping in Colombia and Venezuela.
Russia: “Nashi” and Feminism
Natalia Antonova writes about Nashi pro-Putin youth movement – and about feminism in the former Soviet Union: “So is there feminism in Russia today? Yes. Only in many instances, it doesn’t go by that name. And perhaps never will. Is there feminism among Nashi members? I don’t believe the members...
Chile: Anniversary of Massacre in Santa María of Iquique
Enzo Abbagliati of Cadaunadas [es] commemorates the 100 year anniversary of the massacre of Santa María of Iquique in Chile, where depending on the reports up to 195 striking mineral workers were killed by soldiers.
Serbia: Kosovo Roma
TOL's Romantic writes about about Kosovo's Roma and a new blog about this minority group.
Chile: Eliminating Violence in the Stadiums
Chuqui provides a couple of suggestions on how to eliminate violence in the football stadiums in Chile [es].
Environment: Conflict continues in DRC
The Gorilla Protection blog updates that “The armed conflict is still right next to the Gorillas – literally bullets are flying, army and rebel positions are constantly moving, and if there are any civilians left, they are fleeing.”
Environment: How would Green Tax in SA be implemented?
Carl of Greencars asks ‘South Africa’s Green Tax – how’s it going to be implemented?’, saying “Government needs to apply the carrot AND the stick when persuading car buyers to purchase cleaner cars.”
Environment: The story of Stuff
Black looks posts a video showing the story of stuff, she notes “90% of the stuff consumed in the US is trashed within six months – now that is truly scary”
Bahrain: Celebrations, commemorations, and demonstrations
Bahrain is approaching the end of a ten-day holiday to celebrate both its National Day and Eid Al Adha, which has seen tragedy as well as joy. December 16 is Bahrain’s National Day, and the following day celebrates the King’s accession to the throne (عيد الجلوس), but it is also a day on which the opposition mark ‘Martyrs’ Day’, commemorating the people who died during the 1990s while fighting for political reform. During demonstrations this year one man died, creating another 'martyr', and increasing tension on the streets of the kingdom.
Armenia: Action Puts Bloggers In Media Spotlight
In countries such as Armenia where the mainstream broadcast media is firmly under the control of government-connected businessmen and/or officials, while the traditional print and online media largely reflects the opposition in the country, there is no doubt that blogs have an important role to play in the dissemination of...
Dominica: Posh Christmas
Living Dominica decks the halls with her “gratitude tree” and gets ready for Christmas.
Iran:A poor musician in photos
Mohammad Tajik,blogger and photographer, has pusblished several photos of a poor musician in Tehran.It seems the musician is suffering from leprosy.
