· May, 2006

Stories about Ideas from May, 2006

Indonesia: Quake Proof Housing

  31 May 2006

SarapanEkonomi wants the Indonesia government to make people aware of the importance of building earthquake proof houses. The blogger also asks the government to encourage people in quake-prone area to buy disaster insurance by giving them tax breaks.

Singapore: All Talk, No Action

  31 May 2006

Lionel is irritated with armchair politicians – the people who find it easy to complain but shy away when it comes to doing something. “I'm sure you have encountered your fair share of the Singapore armchair politician: standing on a pedestal on an ivory tower and espousing nuggets of information...

China: Where is Bart Simpson?

  31 May 2006

Not Only Movies blogger Raymond Zhou has a post today which articulates a need for more Bart Simpson types in China: cynical youth willing to consider that sometimes authorities and elders can be wrong. “What we sorely need,” Zhou writes in ‘Youth facing dilemma of role models‘, “is a culture...

Tokyo: Creative rehearsal space

  31 May 2006

Lee at Tokyo Times has a suggestion, photographic explanation included, for Tokyo musicians hard up for rehearsal space and who risk eviction by practicing at home.

Taiwan: History of Chinese

  31 May 2006

China's political turbulence for the larger part of the twentieth century had much more impact on the Chinese language than a mere move from traditional to simplified characters. A growing resource guide from Mark Swofford at Pinyin News aims to set the record straight on just where the language has...

Japan: Net user surveys

  30 May 2006

Two recent surveys from Ken Y-N at What Japan Thinks reveal some facts about Japanese netizens: that net-based telephony service Skype is not making inroads there, and that ninety percent of the democratic nation's bloggers write anonymously.

China: IP rights lacking

  29 May 2006

In ‘China Ponders Propaganda Role for Non-Red Parties,’ China Confidential‘s Confidential Reporter sees the combined 500,000 members of China's non-Communist political parties—contrasted by 70 million Communist Party members—more as propaganda tools than a sign of democratization, and observes a lack of commitment from the Chinese government in upholding intellectual property...

Senegal: Conversations on Drowned Migrants

  28 May 2006

Senegalese blogger Seckasysteme has been keeping a close eye on thousands of migrants from Senegal who have attempted to reach Europe on clandestine rafts since the beginning of the year. Last week the blogger explained that 23 migrant hopefuls had been intercepted by Senegalese authorities on their way to the...

China: Migrant laborer shortage

  25 May 2006

The change of the labor market is one of the subjects China-based blogger-correspondent Fons Tuinstra tracks regularly at China Herald, and a post today looks at a newly-released study which offers, if not new insights, at least a wealth of useful demographics.

China: Gays have it better

  24 May 2006

Laowiseass‘ Lalaoshi looks back on his former life as a columnist for China's English-language weekly 21st Century and being banned then from mentioning homosexuality. “Over the past year,” he writes, “other columns in the same paper have mentioned the topic. It looks like the letter writers and the columnists can...

Senegal: Forum on Cheikh Anta Diop

  24 May 2006

Semett announces (Fr) an upcoming forum taking place from May 25 to May 28 in Dakar entitled “20 years Later: the Intellectual and Scientific Legacy of Cheikh Anta Diop and the Challenge of the Building of Africa in the 21st Century.”

East Timor: People Whisperer

  23 May 2006

Tumbleweed has found the solution for recurring strife in East Timor. “Remember that Robert Redford movie “The Horse Whisperer” about a guy who tamed wild horses by connecting with them and gaining their trust? Perhaps we now need a few “People whisperer” here in this country – not the police,...

China: A multi-colored country?

  22 May 2006

Stories this week from China Herald blogger-journalist Fons Tuinstra include a public protest against the Cultural Revolution in downtown Shanghai, wage raises and indicators, a review of a book on leading Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo and a Dutch academic's thoughts on how best to describe politically today's China in colors:...

China: Legal reference lists

  22 May 2006

Among several tips for better investing in China and a post—For Your Eyes Only—on the Ernst & Young estimation—since retracted—earlier this week of China's $900 billion in bad debts from Dan Harris at China Law Blog comes a list of even more Chinese law research guides.

Chad: What is France doing there?

  17 May 2006

Generation Consciente, Une Autre Afrique asks (Fr) “What is France doing in Chad? In Africa?” and answers: “The day before yesterday, they waved the communist threat to explain France's presence in Africa. Yesterday Anglo-American jolts justified the need to stay. Today Islamist regimes peak their heads in and explain our...

China: Textbook reform urged

  17 May 2006

As a pan-Asian consensus seems to have been reached on changes to a revisionist Japanese history textbook, a translation from Joel Martinsen at Danwei of historian Ye Yonglie's essay Textbook Problem suggests Chinese textbooks should be next.

Japan: Signs of nationalism?

  17 May 2006

Of prefect officials in Japan's Fukui city ordering one library to cease stocking a list of 150 books, Tokyo Times‘ Lee sees the move as “all in all a rather unsavoury affair, although as an isolated incident it’s hardly indicative of a return to ‘the bad old days.’ No, surely...