Stories from 7 January 2008
Japan: Changing New Year Celebrations
New Year's Day is the most important holiday for many people in Japan, where anything "first of the year" bears a special value: first day of the year, first sunrise, first dream, first sales...
Serbia: Christmas
Belgrade 2.0 writes about Christmas in Serbia.
Ukraine: Christmas
Ukrainiana writes about Christmas in Ukraine and posts a selection of videos.
Russia: Putin's Soul
Sean's Russia Blog writes comprehensively about the endless “search for Putin’s soul.”
Russia: Nikolai Marr
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis shares an extraordinary story of the life and work of Nikolay Yakovlevich Marr: “He became a great polyglot and could have become a great linguist, had it not been for the passion and obsession with his own unsubstantiated theories. He never even completed a single...
Ukraine: Tourism in the Carpathians
Olechko writes about tourism in the Ukrainian Carpathians.
Russia: January Fun
Russian Blog writes about ice palaces and other favorite January activities.
Czech Republic: TV Hackers Face Trial
The Czech Daily Word reports: “Last winter an art group from Prague hacked the broadcast of the public service television during which people can watch the snow reports from ski resorts by playing a footage of a fake nuclear blast. Now they face prosecution and they might spend three years...
Iran:Frozen Rasht
Kourosh Ziabari who lives in Rasht,in the northern part of Iran, has published several photos of frozen city and nature.
Iran:Islamic Revolutionay Guards and Hillary Clinton
Haji Washingtonwrites [Fa] if US military's claim that American ships ‘threatened’ by Iranian Revolutionary Guards without any reason,is true,then Revolutionary Guards want Clinton wins against Obama. The blogger says when Clinton voted in the senate for the recognition of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, Obama criticized her for...
Albania: Superstitions
Living in Shkoder writes about Albanian superstitions.
Albania: A Book Review
Living in Shkoder reviews M. Edith Durham's book, Albania and the Albanians.
Albania: New Year's
Albanian Blogger describes a typical Albanian New Year's celebration; Living in Shkoder illustrates it with Medi Belortaja's cartoon.
Albania, Macedonia: Visa Regime to Tighten
Albanian Blogger reports that Macedonia is tightening visa procedures for non-EU members, including Albanian.
Morocco: The Freedom to Blog
Morocco is often touted as one of the freest of the world's majority-Muslim countries. Women enjoy nearly equal rights to men, the press is comparatively liberal, few websites are banned, and now, bloggers are free to write about what the press cannot, according to a recent article published by AFP.
Iraq: US Major/Blogger Killed in Diyala
Major Andrew Olmsted, who had blogged here since May 2007, was killed in Iraq on Thursday, January 3. No official details have been released on his death, but reports say that he and a second member of his unit were killed during an enemy ambush in Diyala province, northeast of...
Puerto Rico: Epiphany Day
The celebration of Epiphany Day causes Liza Sabater to have an epiphany of her own: “The blogosphere needs more of the cowbell that is Puerto Rico.”
Georgia: Game Over
Asking Tough Questions in Tough Places analyzes the outcome of Saturday's presidential election in Georgia. Although the former head of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Azerbaijan says it looks as though Saakashvili did win “legitimately” on election day itself, there is enough reason for the West to demand that...
East Timor: Miserable shelters
Fábrica de Blogs [pt] comments on the havoc caused by the rains and the situation of those who have lost their homes in East Timor. “Is there any plausible explanation for us to understand the reasons for the abandonment that those left in miserable shelters are going through?”. See a...
Brazil: The US politics game
“If you lived in the US, which would be your position on the Iraq war, gay marriage, health care, tax policy? Play this fascinating little game and discover – and tell me after – which is your candidate for president of the United States”, tips Idelber [pt], back from holidays.
India: Women and Mumbai
A Time To Reflect on the horrifying news of two women being molested by a group of seventy men in Mumbai.
