Stories from 13 March 2010
South Africa: inappropriate content in the classroom stage
Rochele Ardesher published a video taken during a South African elementary school class of what she calls inappropriate content where the teacher berates the students for improper bathroom usage.
Taiwan: Inequality in Baseball Game
Los Angeles Dodgers was invited to Taiwan to play with CPBL‘s best players this week. However, after the first game on March 12, media and baseball fans found that all the budget(2.8m TWD) for improving Tianmu Baseball Stadium was used only on Dodgers’ side. Baseball blogger Kenmy argues that “the games...
China: Journalists unite to demand governor's resignation
Following the incident last week in which Hubei province governor Li Hongzhong berated a reporter and confiscated her recording equipment, growing demand for an apology and Li's subsequent refusal have led academics and media workers to petition for his resignation. Also up: mouthpiece media and reporting privilege.
China: GFW history
Damon from interlocals.net posts a video on the history of China's Great Firewall – a filter that covers the whole country and filters and blocks away illegal and politically sensitive content.
Serbia: Writers and Politics
Richard Byrne of Balkans via Bohemia pays tribute to Serbian writer Mihajlo Mijhajlov, “a prominent former dissident to both Titoism and nationalism,” who died recently at the age of 76. Sladjana Lazic of A Slice Of Serbian Politics muses on whether “the political engagement of artists can degrade their work,”...
Ukraine: New SBU Chief and Declassified Soviet Archives
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about the insights he gained while working with the recently declassified Soviet secret police archives – and about Ukraine's new State Security Service chief, who appears likely to limit public access to the archives again: “‘The special service’s main concern is the protection of...
Ukraine: New Coalition, New PM
Tammy Lynch of Jamestown Foundation Blog posts an update on Ukraine's new ruling coalition and the new PM.
Ukraine: “Democratic”
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about one of the Ukrainian definitions of “democratic” – and about the “undemocratic” Ukrainian VIPs.
The Balkans: Byzantine Nostalgia
Similar to Yugo-nostalgia, the nostalgia for the common Byzantine past can sometimes transcend some of the barriers erected through modern nationalism and racism in the Balkans.
