Stories from 24 December 2012
Macedonia: Nude Art Twitter Calendar for Charity
Twelve Macedonian women – regular Twitter users – took part in a humanitarian project organized by @IlinaBookbox, two photographers and one designer via the hashtag #ТвитерКалендар (Macedonian for ‘Twitter Calendar’). The resulting nude art calendar was donated to anti-cancer association Borka [wallpapers available via mk, mk, sq]. The original photos...
Tajikistan Blocks 130 Websites
Hurray! [Tajikistan is] ahead of the rest of the world again! Where else do they block more than 130 websites at once?
Promoting Recycling in Macedonia
Continuing the tradition that started last year (en, mk, nl, es), the Macedonian Twitter community has erected a new Christmas Tree made of plastic bottles (mk, mk, photos 1, 2, 3) in Skopje City Park in order to raise awareness of the importance of recycling. The event was again organized...
Saudi Writer Arrested for Controversial Tweets
Prominent Saudi novelist and political analyst Turki al-Hamad was reportedly arrested by the Saudi authorities for a series of controversial Tweets.
Uzbekistan's Boring TV
What's the most boring thing in the world? Waiting for a bus? Attending a philosophy class at a university? Elections in Belarus? No! The most boring thing in the world is Uzbek television!
A special Christmas gift
Peruvian blogger Cyrano [es] from Columna 17 ends his five-part series of Christmas-related posts republishing an article by Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and says [es]: I hope you all like these words as much as I did and may them be my virtual present to all of you....
It's Christmas in Bethlehem
It's Christmas in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, Palestine, the birth place of Jesus Christ. What better way than to celebrate this occasion than by sharing photographs and reactions of netizens to this event, celebrated by billions worldwide.
Animal Welfare Groups Step Up Campaign in Laos
Animal welfare groups in Laos have stepped up their campaign to promote protection of animals and public awareness about animal care. Their campaigns include better veterinary care, providing shelter to injured animals, and the stopping of illegal dog meat trading.
Iranian-Americans Seek Heros to Save a Life
Nasim, a young woman from Northern California of Iranian decent is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Several Iranian celebrities have stepped up to help spread the word to save her. They are using social media to find a hero to give a bone marrow donation.
Who Supports Russia's Ban on American Adoptions?
A slight majority of Russian internet users support the ban on adoptions by Americans. 50% do not understand the motivation for international adoptions, and 60% think that such adoptions endanger children. Who are these people, and what are they saying?
Greece: “Gods Just Got Bored Playing Dice”
German daily Handelsblatt reportedly picked Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras as politician of the year, after yet another round of austerity measures, another bailout tranche to Greece, a warning from the European Commission of more to come, and endless ‘GRexit’ speculation (on whether Greece will exit the Eurozone and default). Financial blogger Albert John offers...
Are Dynastic Politics Making a Comeback in East Asia?
First, Kin Jong-un took over North Korea after the death of his father. Then, Xi Jinping, the son of a communist politician veteran Xi Zhongxun, was announced the new leader of China. Last week, Park Guen-hye, daughter of South Korea’s longest-ruling dictator Park Chuang-Hee, was elected the new president.Chinese netizens...
