Most Authoritarian Countries in the world, 2013 - Maps on the Web
From mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com - December 11, 2014
Most Authoritarian Countries in the world, 2013 (Most Authoritarian Countries in the world, 2013http://t.co/fhUYfa8he4)

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Vladimir Putin hires Boyz II Men to boost the Russian birth rate. Authoritarians know how to have fun – Telegraph Blogs
From blogs.telegraph.co.uk -December 11, 2014
One thing you can’t take away from authoritarian regimes is their sense of pizzazz. Every policy problem is approached with a mix of seriousness and show business, elevating even the most mundane issue in to high art. Therefore it’s no great surprise to read that Vladimir Putin’s solution to Russia’s demographic challenge is to hire 1990s vocal group Boyz II Men to promote increased fertility. Why Boyz II Men? I can only guess that East 17 are busy promoting fallout shelters in North Korea.

The story comes from the Moscow Times, which writes: “The stylish trio of Boyz II Men, the most successful R&B group of all time, is coming to Moscow on Feb 6. The group will perform a selection of their classic and new romantic ballads, hopefully giving Russian men some inspiration ahead of St. Valentine's Day.” The Times insists that the band will be lending their “powerful voices” to Putin’s fertility campaign. Whether or not the Russian kingpin personally got on the phone, tracked down their agent and demanded that they “do the show right here” is pure speculation on the newspaper’s part. It’s a little hard to believe … but it’s also not impossible to imagine. 
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Turkey & Twitter: Erdogan, A Networked Authoritarian?
From alobserver.wordpress.com - December 11, 2014
How Turkey’s active networked society has created a ‘dictator’s dilemma’ that has seen Erdogan utilise both traditional and modern methods of control, drawing from ‘first, second and third generation’ strategies of communication censorship.

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Hungary: Halfway To Authoritarianism - Creative Time Reports
From creativetimereports.org - December 11, 2014
Creative Time Reports Hungary: Halfway To Authoritarianism Creative Time Reports First, it changed the 1989 constitution ten times within a year. It attacked ...

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Egyptians fear return to authoritarianism
From www.bbc.co.uk - December 11, 2014
There is growing concern about a return to authoritarianism in Egypt, where the military-installed authorities have cracked down on freedom of speech, stifled protests, and arrested activists. Almost three years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the BBC's Orla Guerin looks at what has become of the revolution.
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Thai junta propaganda film stuns with Hitler scene
From www.dailymail.co.uk - December 10, 2014
An officially sanctioned propaganda film commissioned by Thailand's junta has caused outrage and bafflement after viewers noticed it used imagery of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

The short film -- one of a series commissioned by Thai generals to promote "Twelve Values" it wants the kingdom's youth to adopt -- told the seemingly innocuous story of two schoolboys who learn to accept that winning and losing is part of life.

But viewers were left shocked by the animated opening sequence which clearly showed one of the boys in a classroom completing a portrait of the Nazi chief standing in front of a large swastika.

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Protecting Citizens Or Silencing Them -- Is Spain Returning To Authoritarianism?
From www.mintpressnews.com - December 11, 2014
The proposed law has outraged leftists and civil rights activists who consider the draft law “an attack on one of the pillars of Spain’s democracy.”