Stories about Ideas from August, 2010
Trinidad & Tobago: Not Yet
On the occasion of Trinidad and Tobago's anniversary of independence, Plain Talk says: “Forty eight years ago we may have left ‘Massa’, but we kept the shackles of our minds firmly intact. Looked at honestly, we are no where near independence yet.”
Peru: Site Uses Crowdsourcing to Report Thefts
Juan Arellano writes [es] about quenoteroben.pe [es], a site that allows users to report thefts in Lima using Google Maps technology. The post includes two video interviews with the site managers, Gabriela Quevedo and Rudy Jordán.
Vietnam: Helping people with disabilities
Hold the Future is a Hanoi-based based charitable organization in Vietnam that offers vocational training and handicraft production to young people with disabilities.
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Welectricity
Abeni wants you to vote Welectricity, “the brainchild of Vincentian energy consultant Herbert A (Haz) Samuel”, which delivers energy efficiency through social networking and is in contention for the GE Ecomagination Challenge.
Cuba: Interrogation
Luis Felipe Rojas blogs about his detainment by the Cuban authorities and says: “I think about the path that has brought this country the totalitarian power that is eating away at itself. What will be my next punishment?”
Japan: Web Startups Present at WISH 2010
The second edition of the web industry event WISH was held on August 28th, and hundreds gathered to hear a panel discussion by industry leaders and 14 presentations by startup services.
Taiwan: Learn Wing Chun with blog
Meow Asks Taipei(妙問台北) constantly shares her experiences[zht] of learning and practicing Wing Chun(詠春), a martial art originated from southern China, with detailed human figures and graphs drawn by herself.
Russia: Online Cooperation as an Alternative for Government?
Gregory Asmolov analyzes causes of the highly successful cooperation within the Russian online community during the recent wildfires crisis and examines whether online collaboration can provide a sustainable alternative for the government in the future.
Bahrain: Freej Al Fadhel before Iftar
bint battuta in bahrain takes us to Freej Al Fadhel, Al Fadhel neighbourhood in the capital Manama, for a glimpse into daily life 10 minutes before the call for prayers which signal the end of the fasting day this Ramadan.
Trinidad & Tobago: Educating the Ministry
“Somebody needs to go to the Ministry of Education…and screech loudly to the folks in there: ‘MoE, we have a problem!'”: KnowTnT.com explains, here and here.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime & Punishment
“I am listening to the current calls from all sections of society that a resumption of hangings is part of the answer to crime”: KnowTnT.com suggests that “it is time to review our laws and let the punishments fit the crime.”
Guyana: Wonders of Blogging
“I sit here with the whole world in me home. I feast on exotic food, art, music; on me travels, I delve into strange thoughts and ideas”: Guyana-Gyal remembers how she discovered blogging.
China: Prostitution, Reality, Hypocrisy and Human Lives
What good does punishing women involved in the sex trade do when the gangs, corporations, and clients are left largely untouched?
Brazil: Competition Turns Blogs into Books
The idea is to turn the best Brazilian blogs to books, and the competition [pt] is open until September 12th. The participants can vote and apply through fifteen different categories, including Ecology & Environment, Religion and, a special topic for 2010, Sports.
Taiwan: Who Needs A Founding Father?
Does Dr. Sun Yat-sen deserve the title of “the Founding Father of Republic of China (R.O.C)”? Is he really a flawless idealistic political leader and the hero behind the revolution that overthrew Qing Dynasty? The myth around Dr. Sun has been under scrutiny in Taiwan where people largely do not identify themselves as “Chinese” anymore.
Bolivia: Waste Management in El Alto
Mario R. Duran considers [es] waste management options for El Alto, Bolivia, and analyzes the possibility and consequences of installing a plant that would turn waste into diesel fuel.
Barbados: CARICOM Pappyshow?
As the Secretary General of CARICOM takes his leave, B.C. Pires is more convinced than ever that “the whole enterprise is one big pappy-show, an elaborate skulls that mocks integration of a people while enriching the lifestyles of a few persons…”
India: Why Rahul Gandhi Is Not Appropriate For The Prime Minister Position
Management Guru lists some points to explain why Rahul Gandhi is not appropriate for the Prime Minister of India post.
France: Discrimination Against Roma People, Labeled as “Thieves”
While the expulsions of Roma people are in full throttle with the silent approbation of the majority of the public opinion, some doubts start to creep in about the fairness of the measures. Some bloggers express their outrage at the measures that target the most vulnerable and the libel of an entire community as "thieves".
Japan: Lost generation
Tanaka Hidetomi reflects [ja] on the meaning of lost generation (失われた世代) and the origin of such phenomenon.
East Timor: Raging debate on “culture”
Blog Timor News Network has republished a Facebook debate which was kicked off in late July by Augusto da Silva who posted a well-crafted essay by Fidelis Maglhães, challenging Timorese usage of “culture”. Magalhães was responding to a photo of the people of a mountain town carrying the PM.
