· December, 2011

Stories about Ideas from December, 2011

Pakistan: Childhood Joys – Then and Now

Rabia Tirmizey at The Paradigm House points out that the meaning of joy and happiness has changed tremendously for kids in Pakistan and even the bar for happiness has risen....

29 December 2011

Morocco: The Tale of the February 20 Movement in 20 Videos

A look back at how the Moroccan pro-democracy movement "February 20" has used videos, as very powerful and viral social media tool to get its message across. Hisham Almiraat shares a selection of the 20 most popular and viral videos that marked the course of the February 20 Movement over the past 10 months.

27 December 2011

China: Only Talking About a Revolution

Han Han, supposedly the world's most-read blogger, has succeeded in getting netizens to debate the possibilities (or lack thereof) for greater political freedoms and democracy in China through three new controversial blog posts. Public figures and intellectuals have joined in, many challenging Han's somewhat pro-government stance.

26 December 2011

Chile's New Safe Driving Campaign

Eileen Smith, in her blog Bearshapedshpere, praises a new safe driving campaign in Chile, which she says “feels like a Chile-specific message, something home-grown and applicable here, not borrowed from...

22 December 2011

Japan: Life Decisions in the Face of Radiation Fear

The decision to move away differs from the more reactive evacuations that occurred this spring after the initial nuclear disasters. A blogger who decided to stay calls for a more logical understanding of the nuanced undercurrents of our emotional struggles.

22 December 2011

Cuba: thinking about the film festival

Havana Times asks whether the Havana Film Festival has strayed from its original ideals — “Much has happened since its inception in 1978, since which time its revolutionary and emancipatory...

21 December 2011

Palestine: Planning a Virtual Funeral

It is extremely difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to visit Israel, and for political reasons it is impossible for most other Arabs to do so. At the same time, Palestinian citizens of Israel are unable to travel to much of the Arab world, because they have Israeli passports. Rasha Hilwi has been reflecting on how these restrictions on movement will affect her – after she dies.

20 December 2011

Jamaica: when poets join academia

UK-based Jamaican writer Kei Miller muses on the consequences of poets joining the academic world. “Poetry is certainly not known for its plain-spoken-ness and in fact is accused, just as...

20 December 2011

Barbados: remembering “Hitch”

Barbados-based B.C. Pires posts his reflections on the death of writer Christopher Hitchens: “for all his flaws … worth a few hundred pastors and priests to me, perhaps a few...

19 December 2011

Kobe, Japan: Running Through a City Once Devastated

Kobe City was hit with a 7.3-magnitude earthquake on January 17, 1995. On November 20, 2011, the city held their first ever official marathon event, where more than 20,000 runners completed the 42.195km distance. Among them were 641 runners who came from the Tohoku region, which had been devastated by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake this March.

18 December 2011

India: The INK Conference Concludes

The second INK (Innovation and Knowledge) conference was held during 8-12 December in Jaipur, India. BlogAdda posts a detailed roundup of the conference.

17 December 2011

Vietnam: What’s New at Barcamp Saigon?

More than 550 people registered and participated in the fifth Barcamp Saigon last week in RMIT International University, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The attendance surpassed the record number of participants in the last Barcamp Saigon which was held just five months ago.

16 December 2011

Cuba: The Living Dead

Generation Y sees parallels between the film “Juan of the Dead” and life in Cuba: “More than gazing on a story of beings taken from our worst nightmares, the public...

16 December 2011

Cuba: Defining “Vulgarity”

Without Evasion continues to share her thoughts about the outcry over the “vulgarity” of a popular reggaeton song, saying: “The confusion lies, then, in properly ascertaining the limits of vulgarity...

14 December 2011