Stories about Ideas from November, 2010
China: “Hang the Slaves of the West”
A new website that vilifies Chinese political liberals, including 2010 Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, has caught the attention of the Chinese internet for its extreme views. Why has it not been removed by censors?
Bahamas: Power & Race
“There is a core lack of confidence in the ability—or is it the right?—of Bahamians to take control of our own destiny”: Blogworld considers the merit of a thesis “on Blackness & The Presumptions of Ultimate Power.”
Brazil: Three proposals to ease Rio chaos
Bruno Cava, writing for the Amálgama blog, analyzes [pt] the current wave of violence in Rio de Janeiro's slums, and proposes three possible solutions: new policies for development and urbanization of poor areas, democratization of the criminal justice system and decriminalization of all illicit drugs.
China: Time for a new conversation about privacy invasion
With a broader and perhaps global view of more pervasive privacy issues, poet and professor Rui Shen asks: "Some people disagree with airport security measures that display people's bodies, feeling those to be an invasion of their privacy. Watching the debate on the news, though, I wonder: are these people confused or just stupid?"
Cuba: Reasons for Confiscation
Generation Y finds out that the reason copies of her book were confiscated, is because its contents “are against the general interests of the nation, since it argues that certain political and economic changes are required in Cuba so that its citizens may have more material benefits and achieve personal...
Cuba: Waiting in Vain?
“We are surrounded by a repression that does not sign papers, show its face, or place a stamp next to each act which violates its own law”: Generation Y is waiting for answers.
Lebanon: Lebneneez Calendar 2011
Artist and blogger Nadine Feghaly posts about the collaboration of 12 Lebanese artists who made a calendar out of their illustrations of their favourite Lebanese saying.
Lebanon: Blogging Lebanon – the Convention
“After its unfortunate cancellation last May due to student protests at the American University of Beirut, AUB's Online Collaborative is announcing the relaunch of AUB's First Lebanese Bloggers Convention, now renamed to Blogging Lebanon,” writes Moudz, who posts details about the event.
Cuba: Democratic Change?
“I don’t think capitalism is the model of a perfect life. But it is more logical and possible at this stage of human development”: Translating Cuba examines “the hard road to democracy”.
Jamaica: U.S. Influence?
Active Voice takes on an interesting “dot connection exercise” with “the sequence of events that preceded and followed the sensational charges recently levied against JLP Deputy Leader James Robertson”.
Ecuador: “Clean Quito” Campaign Fights Chewing Gum
Have you ever thought about how much it costs a municipality to remove chewing gum stuck to the pavement? Thousands of dollars in street cleaning are spent to fight this habit of discarding chewing gum on the ground. In Quito, the municipal government and several schools began a campaign that seeks to remove gum from the ground and make the capital cleaner.
Iran: We are all Computer Criminals
Iran's government has a law at its disposal that make it possible to label almost any Internet user a criminal. The “Law of Computer Crimes” was approved by Iran's parliament in January 2009. It has been instrumental in the prosecution and repression of several bloggers, but its articles have never received much public attention or scrutiny.
Cuba: 6th Congress
Sin Evasion and Translating Cuba both blog about the next Cuban Communist Party Congress, scheduled to take place in April next year.
Guyana: Writers’ Challenges
“I wonder…if being categorized as ‘Caribbean writer’ helps or hurts a book's promotion and sales”: The Signifyin’ Woman blogs about some of the challenges Caribbean writers face.
China: Generation 90
Maryannodonnell discusses the common stereotype of generation 90 in China.
Trinidad & Tobago: A Different View
Blogger Afra Raymond was “one of the three people ‘let go’” from a state-owned media house; he examines the controversy and asks: “How committed are we to a conversation with people who hold different views?”
Cuba: Before & After
Translating Cuba blogs about the two most over-used words in the country, adding: “There is a third reality that belies the stubborn reality: both Before and After contain everything.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Interview with Cozier
Artzpub interviews artist Christopher Cozier about his involvement in The Global Africa Project at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
Trinidad & Tobago: Global Africa Project
Alice Yard is taking part in The Global Africa Project, “documenting the physical and critical spaces of the Yard and its creative network” – watch the video, here.
S.Korea:A Boy Band's Innovative Word Describing His Roots Made To Trending List
South Korea's boy band, U-Kiss's member, Alexander has placed #Korean American and #Xandernese at Twitter's top trending list. The word ‘Xandernese’, which Alexander invented while describing his origin, is getting Twitterer's approval who had a hard time describing their multiple roots. read more on GoKPop.
Japan: “Investigations in Suburban Tokyo”
Chris Berthelsen from a-small-lab posted his slides for a workshop titled “Transforming Neighbourhoods – Tokyo/Berlin“, where he investigates the city of Tokyo for hints of “usable cities”.
