Stories from 23 December 2010
Christmas Recipes in Global Food Blogs
Christmas means ‘coming home’ to many people - but if this isn’t possible, preparing a magic meal can be a consolation. Bloggers of many continents have shared their favorite holiday recipes. With these you can dream yourself back home or even visit a place, you’ve never been to before. Where are you celebrating Christmas this year and what are you serving?
Caucasus: The Year in Review
With 2011 nearly upon us, the year in new and social media in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia during 2010 was surprisingly positive. So, what did the past year hold in store for the South Caucasus? Read on.
D. R. of Congo: Ben Affleck wants to make movie about Congo
Ben Affleck would like to make a movie about the Democratic Republic of Congo: “With the success of DRC Congo’s star singer Fally Ipupa during the MAMAs, now Oscar-winning screenwriter, actor, director and now Africa advocate Ben Affleck wants to make a movie about the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of...
Kenya: Remember When Former Kenyan Minister Topped Twitter List?
Do you remember when former Kenyan Minister of Education topped Twitter list?: “William Ruto was among the top three trending list with the hash tag #Rutoplaylist. Ruto is receiving a lot of attention on the social site, he comes a close third after tweets about Lil Wayne’s release from prison...
Ghana/Kenya: Ghanain Producer in Nairobi for Film Workshops
Ghanaian actor and director Ruffy Samuel is in Kenya for a series of film making workshops in a joint collaboration between the Kenya government’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and Unicef.
Sudan: My Juba Diary
This is Grains of Masala's Juba Diary. Juba is the regional capital of Southern Sudan: “Interesting ride; I love taxi drivers! They are such a great source of the most amazing stories. My driver was a Ugandan who came to Juba 4 years ago…I bully him a little, and ask...
Tunisia: Unemployed Man's Suicide Attempt Sparks Riots
An unemployed Tunisian set himself on fire in protest against his joblessness, sparking a wave of riots on the ground and solidarity and support on social networking platforms. While the fate of Mohamed Bouazizi, aged 26, from Sidi Bouzid, in southern Tunisia, remains unclear, Tunisian netizens ceased the incident to complain about the lack of jobs, corruption and deteriorating human rights conditions in their country.
Kenya: Of Drug Barons, Rogue Envoy and Poisoned ICC
Of Drug Barons, Rogue Envoy and Poisoned ICC in Kenya: “Only in Kenya do you find the title Honourable before the name of a drug baron. And the Kenyan voter love them while the Diaspora applaud the bling bling MPs as hard working. Woe unto you envious, lazy mortals for...
Cote d'Ivoire: Electoral Fiction
Koranteng writes about what he calls “electoral fiction”: I write this of course after watching events in Côte D'Ivoire over the past few weeks. The initial emotion was bemusement and indeed laughter – how can one not laugh at the spectacle of someone literally tearing up election results to prevent...
Lebanon: Where the “presidency” checks your Gmail
Lebanese blogger Mir was surprised when she was alerted by Gmail of an unusual activity in her account; where an IP mapped to presidency.gov.lb accessed her account at 3am. She shared her story and a screen shot in this post.
El Salvador: Spread of Drug Cartel Violence Feared
Commenting on a recent news report about the fear of Mexican drug cartel violence spreading to El Salvador, Tim writes: “If drug cartels were to establish greater operations in El Salvador, beyond the mere transportation of drugs, it would pose another serious threat to El Salvador's already overwhelmed police and...
Argentina: Buenos Aires Food Writers
Maria Carra from Buenos Aires Foodies provides an English and Spanish version of a list of her favorite food writers in Buenos Aires, with a brief description of each blog.
Nigeria: Stop the auction of stolen Benin mask
Help stop the auction of Stolen 16th Century Benin Mask, which were looted from the palace of the Benin King, Nigeria by the British Expeditionary Force.
Zambia: 1964 Independence Agreement Threatens to Split Nation
Zambia has in recent weeks been faced with clamours of secession by one of its regions with which it merged at independence from Britain in October 1964 to form a unitary state. The region now known as Western Province (formerly Barotseland) was an autonomous region before independence headed by the Litunga, king of the Lozi people.
Russia: List of Regional Governors’ Online Tools
“Vedomosti” newspaper, published [RUS] a detailed list of online tools of Russian regional governors. The list includes links to personal websites, blogs, Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles, and even YouTube channels.
Japan: Celebrating the Emperor's Birthday
Today is a national holiday to celebrate Emperor Akihito's birthday. Bruce Meyer-Kenny at Demotix posted some images from the celebration at the Imperial Palace. The Emperor is now 77 years old.
Michael Anti: Blogging the gap between China and Japan
GV Japan interviews Chinese journalist and activist Michael Anti.
Bangladesh: The Finance Bubble – Will it Burst?
J. Rahman at Mukti observes the sharp twists and turns of the Bangladesh stock market and comments on the country's monetory policy.
Sri Lanka: A Rational Approach to Re-settlement
Blogger Ratmale at Serendipity hopes that there will be rational and consistent approach taken in the re-settlement of the 150,000+ people currently living in Colombo, who will be re-settled as part of the Colombo Redevelopment Plan.
India: Chakrata in Pictures
Anil Yadav travels to Chakrata in Uttarakhand, India and tells a story of rural life through pictures.
Hong Kong: Class relations and the democracy movement
Hu Sunzi from China Study Group introduces and comments on sociologist HF Hung's recent writing on the class relation and democracy movement in Hong Kong. The article contextualizes the political movement in the colonial history.
