Stories about Ideas from January, 2007
Trinidad & Tobago: A nation unravels
“How do you take back a country that at independence failed to take real responsibility for itself, whose fabric has been slowly unravelling ever since, and which now equates modernisation with a frantic rush towards industrialisation and “developed country status by 2020″?” asks Jeremy Taylor of his country, Trinidad and...
Egypt: The History of Nimrod
Blogger Tom Gara gives us a brief history of Nimrod and Zionism following a brief research after the funny looks he got on the metro while singing to himself.
Morocco: Too Many Policemen at Airport
Adil, a Moroccan blogger who lives in Washington DC, US, says there was far too many policemen at the King Mohammed the Fifth Airport. “I believe that airport is overstaffed with police. Passengers need more service oriented ppl to guide them through the arrival than a policeman with a moustache...
Arabisc: Egyptian Bloggers Tie the Knot
Like in Egyptian movies, there is a thin line between imagination and reality in Egypt, where two politically active bloggers get close to each other at an anti-government rally, then fall in love and finally get married. Blogger Albara Ashraf reports this happy story, without failing to conjure some of...
Lebanon: Photoshop War on Political Opponents
Lebanese blogger Mustafa says using Photoshop is the best way to discredit any political opponents. He welcomes con artists to “express your talents here in The Beirut Spring. Forgery is serious matter in the real-world.”
Libya: To Return or not to Return?
The last weeks saw a variety of activities on Libyan blogs. It was the ‘end of term’ exams in Libyan schools and Khadijateri has devoted several posts to that. On the other hand, a hot topic was introduced by Nura on Ly-Hub. Ly-Hub is a blog connecting Libyan bloggers or...
China: year of the pig
The lunar new year of pig is approaching, Hayford at China History group blog writes about the meaning of pig in different cultures.
Turkey is Typing….a Follow-up on the Death of Hrant Dink
Today marks a first, well for me at least! Today's article is written in direct response to your wishes, dear reader. Last week, Turkey is Typing focuses on the Death of Hrant Dink by using both Turkish and Armenian sources, and sparked an avid debate on the comments section. Many...
A Week Goes by in Kuwait
A couple of Kuwaitis have just participated in Gulfrun, an event which Kthekuwaiti attended, and which he described as: ” GulfRun is a yearly ‘rally’ that starts off in Kuwait with the cars going to Bahrain and back for the weekend (think mini-Gumball). The F1 circuit has been reserved for...
Cambodia: Paying Fair Wages
Diana at Cambodia Calling compares her life in her former home Singapore to her current home Cambodia. The blogger also describes why her company, a garment manufacturing unit, believes in paying fare wages to the workers.
Yazan: Arabs have an Identity Crisis
Syrian blogger Yazan thinks Arabs suffer from an identity crisis dictated by a ‘superior’ past which is crushed by an ‘inferior’ present. “A superiority, that soon begins a never-ending fight with another complex. A complex of inferiority, towards a winner West a brutally developed and civilized West,” he explains.
Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados: Post-independence
Geoffrey Philp takes on the subject of post-Independence literature in the Caribbean, noting the particular significance of the work of poets Kamau Braithwaite, Derek Walcott and Mervyn Morris.
Turkey is Typing…the Death of Hrant Dink
While normally this column focuses on what only Turkish bloggers are saying, sometimes events happen that warrant the voices of not only Turkish points-of-views but others as well. The Death of Hrant Dink is one of those moments. As a bit of background- Hrant Dink was a Turkish-Armenian journalist and...
Jamaica, Colombia: Identity etc
In response to some questions posed to him in December, Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp writes an open letter recounting a visit to a Colombian restaurant in Florida with his (part-Colombian) family: “Of course, I’ve chosen to blog about it and this is one way about talking about your questions, which...
Philippines: Getting a Loved One to Stop Smoking
Touched by an Angel has a post on how she helped her daughter to stop smoking. “Our children need to be taught how to help themselves. They need our love and guidance. They need consistent enforcement of boundaries, once we’ve established limits. They need a supportive nurturing environment in which...
Bahamas: Junkanoo and music
Nicolette Bethel presents a thoughtful essay deconstructing of some of the changes taking place on the musical front of in the Bahamas’ Junkanoo festival.
Iran:Iranian bloggers as pollsters
Jordan shares in Sounds Iranian blog, the idea that it is possible to use bloggers as pollsters. The blogger says I think the idea behind this sort of ‘on-the-street’ methodology is to use the blogosphere to provide a more accurate sampling of the (urban) Iranian population as a whole, rather...
Latin America: “National” Blogospheres in a Dialogic Society
“Latin American blogs resemble their counterparts in the rest of the world but have a particular feature that deserves some attention. They tend to gather themselves around some sites that function as phone catalogue listings, where authors can find themselves and other bloggers under country categories, regional and even gender...
China: blog advertisement
Keso has some comments about blog advertisement and wins much echoes from other bloggers and readers: blogging will lose its fun when it is for direct income.(zh)
Libya blogs : First week of 2007
While the blogosphere is still in grips over the execution of Saddam Hussein and whether the death penalty is OK, the Libyan bloggers have moved on to different subjects. Khadijateri in facts writes about the new year resolutions .”If I was going to make any resolutions it would have to...
East Timor: Movie Reflections
Tumbleweed in Timor Lorosae reflects on the diamond industry after watching the latest hollywood movie that talks about conflict diamonds. The violence scenes in the movie also reminds her of the real-life violence that took place in East Timor last year.
