Stories from 3 August 2008
Blogger of the week: Hanako Tokita
In this week's installment of the Blogger of the Week series we talked to Hanako Tokita, the editor of the Global Voices Lingua site in Japanese and author for Japan, about blogging, the perception of Japan and of course her involvement with Global Voices.
Russia: Excerpts of the Political Year
LJ user Krylov comments on (RUS) Nezavisimoe Politicheskoe Obozrenie’‘s survey “excerpts of the political year” and especially on “the phrase of the year.”
Poland: Anniversary of 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Polandian writes about and posts pictures illustrating the 64th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw uprising against the German Nazi occupiers.
Latvia: Ecliptic Referendum
Marginalia comments on Latvia's failed referendum, on changing the constitution to enable the people to initiate the dissolution of Parliament, which coincided with a solar eclipse on the hottest day of the year. Baltic presents a background to the referendum.
Hungary: Coverage of Gay Pride and Right-Wing Opposition at Hungarian Spectrum
One year after she launched Hungarian Spectrum, blogger Eva S. Balogh explained that her primary motivation had been dissatisfaction "with political information available in English about Hungary." Many of the posts on Hungarian Spectrum are devoted to the politics of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union, the country's largest opposition party, and its supporters. Below is a roundup of some of the recent entries.
Mozambique: Breast-feeding should not be the only choice
Paulo Granjo [pt] criticizes a redundant local campaign in Mozambique to motivate woman to breast-feed, already a popular habit, which can have disastrous consequences in a country plaged by AIDS. “The most basic common sense is to detect HIV in pregnant women as early as possible, to provide them with...
Iran:British Embassy denies Visa to a Patient
Kamangir, an Iranian blogger, reports that a girl is denied entry to the UK despite the fact that she needs urgent care to save her eye. Read an open letter to Jeffrey Adams, the British Ambassador to Tehran.
Iran:The “art” of not shaking hands with women
Faryadbiseda, an Iranian blogger, has published several photos of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ‘s meeting with women. Each time he refuses shaking their hands. It seems religion forbids him and many other Iranians shaking hands with women.
Korea: National Duty vs Conscience
A young man who is serving his military service as police decided not to go back to his military unit after vacation and announced the declaration of conscience. The reason was that he felt guilty after suppressing civilians who attended candlelight vigils. There have been a lot of responses to...
Armenia: Weak Opposition
Notes from Hairenik comments on Friday's rally by the extra-parliamentary opposition led by Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Noting the low turnout at the unsanctioned rally, the blog says that the opposition remains weak and unable to mobilize a critical mass of people large enough to challenge the status quo.
Bulgaria, Romania: Corruption and the EU
Every six months, the European Commission issues reports “on progress with judicial reform, the fight against corruption and, concerning Bulgaria, the fight against organised crime.” According to the latest progress reports, Bulgaria and Romania “have made genuine efforts, particularly in judicial reform, and […] progress has been made. But more work is needed.” Below are some of the views from the blogosphere.
