Stories about Ideas from July, 2009
Barbados: Corruption Legislation Needed
“It doesn’t matter how many tens of millions of dollars are missing at the end of a major project, no one ever goes to jail”: Barbados Free Press suggests that part of the problem is that “Barbados lacks the laws and the codified standards necessary to prosecute public officials for...
Colombia: Hiperbarrio Featured at Periodismo Ciudadano
The citizen media project HiperBarrio from Medellín, Colombia continues to receive worldwide attention. They were recently featured in a series of videos created by the Spanish website Periodismo Ciudadano.
Trinidad & Tobago: PM vs. the Media
As the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago declares that the media is against him, KnowProSE.com says: “My olive branch for the Prime Minister would be, ‘You fix the government, we'll fix the media.’ But the point is that he isn't fixing the government…”, while This Beach Called Life sums...
India: Advertising Prop Used In Real Life Situation
News Views And Analysis informs (with pictures) that an advertising prop, a raft was taken off the hoarding and used as a real life rescue tool when Mumbai submerged under flush flood due to heavy rain.
Bermuda, Haiti: Standing Up
“In the 1980s Bermudians participated in the global anti-Apartheid anti-imperialist movement”: Catch a fire thinks “it is time that our new generation continue this tradition and pick up the mantle of fighting injustices” such the ones in Haiti.
Jamaica: On Writing
More on what makes a writer, from Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp.
Trinidad & Tobago: Mother Earth
“It’s not how many tractors you have or how much oil you drill or how many smelters you build. But the humanity and the humility of what you do with your knowledge and your resources”: Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer fears that we will pay for the “gross and sloppy mishandling...
Peru: The “Sport” of Dog Poisoning
Barbara Drake, an ex-pat from the United States, who writes at the blog An American in Lima posts about the risks a dog faces by simply the fact of living in the Peruvian capital city. Her post is titled The Sport of Dog Poisoning in Peru and there she tells...
Caribbean: On Henry Gates Jr.
Caribbean bloggers are still abuzz about the Henry Gates arrest: Jamaican diaspora blogger Pamela Mordecai, 21 Square and Catch a fire from Bermuda and Weblog Bahamas.
Cuba: Light & Shadow
“This was the speech of the ‘shadow’ because light is something the authoritarians cannot tame…Raúl Castro is right: we can no longer see him, because the twilight he represents lacks…any kind of luminosity”: Cuba's Generation Y blogs about her impressions of this year's July 26th speech.
Malaysia: “Where is democracy?”
Malaysia's Prime Minister celebrated his 100th day in office two weeks ago. But many of his constituents chose to mark the event by launching the “Where is democracy?” campaign. The 711whereisdemocracy blog was set-up encouraging Malaysian bloggers to support the internet protest.
Palestine: No Security
In the West Bank, activist Hannah Mermelstein writes: “A friend of mine here once told me that she never feels safe, so safety is not a consideration for her in making decisions. As much as I may try, I cannot truly imagine this lack of control.”
Palestine: A Gazan Haircut
From Gaza, Erin Cunningham writes on Twitter: “just had my hair cut by a wonderfully gay Gazan stylist whose salon has been firebombed several times by extremists. resilience = good hair.”
Jamaica, U.S.A.: Fatherly Advice
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp considers the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. from a father's perspective: “I want my son to be a man who has enough self confidence to think that he can overcome any obstacle and that he will not permit any kind...
Trinidad & Tobago: Building Authenticity
Build an authentic community and “the worship thing will come”: Trinidad and Tobago's gspottt attends a talk “about faith and sexuality, pain and healing, abuse and inclusion by the Christian church.”
Bermuda: Crime & Punishment
Bermuda's 21 Square takes a look at the country's crime statistics and concludes: “We should be focusing more on improving the justice system rather than worrying about the effectiveness of policing.”
Latin America: Vendors Aboard City Buses
The following scene may take place in any number of large cities across Latin America. A person, of any age, man or woman, steps aboard a city bus, provides a brief introduction, thanks the driver for granting permission to board, and then begins to pitch a product to the passengers along for the ride.
Trinidad & Tobago: Journalistic Integrity
Trinidad and Tobago blogger KnowProSE.com says that “no preconditions leads to better interviews…and that's where journalism sells out – and social media is beginning to.”
Barbados: Where's the Culture?
Barbados Underground suggests that when it comes to Crop Over, “culture issues have taken a backseat in recent years at the expense of running the festival as a business”.
Japan: Cat mania
The spreading of communities of people with same interests and hobbies is not new in the internet society. Netizens often exchange news, suggestions and picture on things and activities they share a common interest on. In Japan that is not only limited to hobbies, however, also love for pets is...
Trinidad & Tobago: Media Responsibility
Attillah Springer considers the role of the local media in light of a comment by the Prime Minister: “It’s a time-honoured tradition in Trinidad now for Prime Ministers to have suspicion and contempt for the media. Papa Patos is right this time though. The media aren’t playing their role properly....
