Stories about Ideas from December, 2011
Trinidad and Tobago: a lesson about strength
When Passion.Fruit sets out to rescue a trapped pigeon, a random encounter with a passing grandmother teaches her a lesson about strength, patience, and wisdom. “She cooed and comforted — nothing weak about her…. An accustomed unbinder of trapped limbs.”
Bangladesh: Suggestions for the New International Crimes Tribunal
The government of Bangladesh is planning to set up another International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to help expedite trial of war criminals of 1971. Rumi Ahmed offers some suggestions in this respect, which he feels will enable the government to avoid the controversies dogging the current tribunal.
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. Simple pleasures such as those enjoyed by children of the '70s to early '90s no longer suffice.
India:The Need to Look Beyond the Middle Class
Supriyo Chaudhury argues that in order to re-define it's future and grow to the next level, India must look beyond it's Middle Class and create a more inclusive, broad-based society.
Algeria: What Independence means
Algerian algerianna, at Patriots on Fire, asks readers to share their views on the true meaning of their country's independence.
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.
Bhutan: A Father's Letter to His Son
Jurmi Chhowing writes a lovely, heart-warming letter to his son, on the occasion of his son's birthday
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.
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 some bigger and better-funded country.”
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.
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 ideals have faded considerably” — and wonders if the festival could once more “encourage revolutionary and popular cinema (in the...
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.
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 much as the academy, for its obscurity and its pretensions. And this is as it should be!”
Chile: Twitter User Organizes Christmas Giving Event in Iquique
Cristian Nuñez (@HombredeRadio), using the hashtag #Navidad140Iqq [es], invites Twitter users from Iquique (in northern Chile) to gather at 1:30 am on December 25 to hand out Christmas presents to the homeless and to children living in vulnerable situations. He shares more details in online citizen newspaper El Boyaldía [es].
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 thousand.”
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.
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.
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.
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 wants to decipher the second reading contained in the film…such that, between laughter and shrieks, the metaphor crumbles, it is...
United Kingdom: Video from Hitchens’ 1999 U.S. Book Tour
“Hitch Hike” is a 53-min documentary by Palash Davé about British writer Christopher Hitchens’ 1999 U.S. tour promoting his book about Bill Clinton. The full film is available for viewing on Vimeo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). Hitchens died on December 15, 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 and limiting at the same time in what spheres of social life vulgarity will be allowed without it constituting a...
