Stories about Ideas from August, 2011
Russia: Why We Are Leaving Our Country Behind
Recent months have seen a new spin on the topic of emigration that seems to be ever-present in the Russian online space. Several powerful blog posts written by people from different social groups have become a platform for expressing one's take on the present and future of the country and people's place in it.
Jamaica: Collaborative Documentary for Independence
“Next year both Jamaica and I turn 50″: Labrish blogs about “a fabulous idea to celebrate Jamaica's independence.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Thoughts on the SoE
Outlish puts forward four reasons “why…the state of emergency should not be extended”, while KnowTnT.com sums up the first week of the SoE “from a few different angles.”
Croatia, Serbia: A Flag of Friendship
Two young adults from Croatia and Serbia have created a mixed Serbo-Croatian flag, as a gesture of reconciliation between the two countries. Some netizens have condemned the initiative, others seem to approve of it.
Video: Women Transforming Communities
Voices of Women Worldwide brings together people from all over the world interested in promoting the voices of voiceless women, young girls and children using all the different media they have available: blog posts, audio, video and visual journalism.
Jamaica: Obama Rejects Plea for Garvey Pardon
Geoffrey Philp is surprised by the Obama administration's rejection of the request for a presidential pardon for Marcus Garvey on the grounds that “it would be ‘a waste of time...
Cuba: Oh, the Horrors!
Rebeca Monzo blogs about what she calls Cuba's architectural and monumental horrors.
U.S.V.I.: The Power of Film
“Is there any artistic medium that raises more ugly questions of representation and power than film?” In the context of this, A Nation or Nobody blogs about film and neo-colonialism.
Jamaica: Harmony with Nature
Labrish Jamaica refers to the theories of environmentalist Paul Shepard and psychiatrist Carl Jung to support “modern man’s ability to have a right relationship with the earth, even amongst the...
Global Voices Partners With Ashoka on Citizen Media Competition
Global Voices is proud to be partnering with Ashoka Changemakers on its ‘Citizen Media Innovation Competition' with Google. Four winners will be awarded US$5,000 each for citizen media projects that make the world a better place.
South Korea: Blood Type Personality Theory, How It Works
The blood type personality theory claims that people's blood type is predictive of their personality and compatibility with others. Nowhere is this belief more popular than in South Korea and Japan. Yoo Eun Lee delves deeper into the theory's history.
Trinidad & Tobago: Fork in the Road for England
“Just as there are two exits in Clapham Junction station, there are two paths for England. One takes us down the road of xenophobic, society-crushing finger pointing and name-calling. The...
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Twitter Lit Wit
Annie Paul is impressed at the “Bolt-like capacities” with which Trinidadian netizens took on the Twitter hashtag #bookswithalettermissing. Check out her post for some real gems.
Google Logos Celebrate Indian and Korean Independence Days
BuzzInTech posted about Google's celebrations of South Korean and Indian independence days on August 15 by using its special logos in their countries’ Google main search page.
Japan: How to Unplug Your Life and Save Electricity
People in Japan have been unplugging their lives as electricity-saving measures have been implemented to cope with power shortages. The effectiveness of the measures is yet to be proven but many have taken this opportunity to change their power consuming life style.
Portugal: A Guide for Digital Literacy
With the aims to “increase digital literacy and citizenship”, the Portuguese blog Sobre Literacia Digital (About Digital Literacy) [pt] by Ricardo Santos Silva, provides tips, a range of examples, and...
China Model in Two Different Cities
In the past few years, the term "China Model" has been widely discussed among intellectuals in China, and is now slowly spreading to other developing countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In short, the China Model is a system of government that is based upon economic freedom and political repression.
Jamaica: The “Performance of Gender”
“Everyone is involved in this baseless discrimination. Effeminacy is apparently extremely off-putting. The effeminate man, whether he is gay or straight, catches a whole lot of hell”: Under the Saltire...
Guyana, Dominica: Rhys’ Romantic Heroine
Guyanese litblogger Charmaine Valere takes a look at Jean Rhys’ classic tale, Wide Sargasso Sea, as part of her blog series on female Caribbean writers.
Bermuda, Jamaica: London Burning
Jamaican diaspora blogger Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac and Bermuda's Respice Finem blog about the London riots.
Haiti: Jobs Needed for Progress
Love Haiti suggests that “the hardships facing Haiti today may be compared to the Great Depression of the United States”, explaining: “The point of this analogy is simply to state...
