Stories about Ideas from June, 2012
Trinidad & Tobago: The Architect of our Public Spaces
Lisa Allen-Agostini and toomucheyes blog about a new exhibition that honours the work of architect Colin Laird, who designed many of the country's most beloved public spaces.
Tajikistan: The Role of Intellectuals in Running a Country
Should poets have a bigger say in how the countries they live in are run? Adash Istad writes [tj] that Tajik intellectuals have stayed out of government affairs too long. The blogger argues that it is time for intellectuals to understand that they have a particular ‘mission’ which consists of educating...
Moldova, Transnistria, Gagauzia: “Get to Know Your Neighbor”
On June 30, young social media activists from the cities of Chișinău and Bălți, and from Transnistria and Gagauzia, are meeting for a “get to know your neighbor” event [ro, ru], to discuss issues relevant for young people who grew up separated by geopolitics and the role of social networks...
Russia: A Mobile Service to Connect Passengers & Drivers
The mobile navigation service Yeehay! saves time and money finding and ordering taxis, and it benefits the ecologies of smog-polluted Russian cities by bringing together passengers and drivers who otherwise might never connect.
Ecuador: #LoxaEsMas, Ideas that Generate Change
#LoxaEsMas ("Loja is more") is an initiative that intends to create new ways to report problems in Loja, Ecuador, by using technology as the main tool. This initiative also strives to find practical solutions to improve the city.
Kuwait: Facebook Contest to Promote Child Safety
A mall in Kuwait is holding a Facebook contest to promote child safety in cars. Mark blogs about the initiative here.
Russia: Crowdsourcing Project for Finding Missing Children
The emergence of the search and rescue team Liza Alert followed Liza Fomkina's 2010 disappearance in the town of Orekhovo-Zuevo (about 50 miles east of Moscow). Compensating for the government's flawed response, volunteers united in order to ensure nothing like it would ever happen again.
Myanmar: Netizens Celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday
Myanmar netizens sent online birthday greetings to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is in Europe for her first foreign trip after two decades. Netizens are wondering why state media networks didn't report the Nobel Peace Prize lecture which Suu Kyi recently delivered
Bahrain: Cursing Neutrality
“I think that it’s not only the killer that should be held responsible for his crime for silence isn’t any lesser of a crime, and that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality,” writes Bahraini blogger Mohammed Hassan.
Guyana: Shared Humanity
“I do not believe that the response to human savagery and the solution to banditry should be vulgar violence and the public glorification of the defilement of a human being”: A powerful post by Imran Khan about humanity, society and intelligent thinking.
Brazil: Online Impressions of Brazilian Identity
Since the declaration of Brazil as an independent nation in 1822, Brazilian identity has gone through several changes spurred by economic, social and cultural transformations. But is there a common Brazilian identity for every citizen? Fernando Sapelli reports some online impressions of what it means to be Brazilian.
Egypt: Recognising Catastrophe
Writing from Egypt, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani shares her thoughts on the Egyptian presidential elections here. “I wish I could really say that I've gained some understanding of what is happening in Egypt right now, of what we can expect, but I can't,” she confesses.
Bulgaria: “Victim of Beauty” – or Violence Disguised as Fashion
12 Magazine, a fashion publication, ran a series of ad images [bg] of women disguised as having been victims of harsh violence – with this warning: “[…] Images are not recommended to people below 16. Neither [are they] for people with weak hearts.” The Fashion Law is inviting readers to...
Cuba: Economic Deja Vu?
A few Cuban bloggers have been voicing their economic concerns - and wondering whether the island's recent reforms, some of which include a more open approach to self-employment - could translate into political change as well.
Kenya: Urban Gardening Taking Root
In Kenya, city dwellers are learning different techniques to grow food for consumption and sale even in reduced spaces. For people with low or no income, urban gardening may be the key to food security. These videos show how food can be grown in containers and using limited space and resources.
South Korea: Court Upholds Military Ban on “Subversive” Books
A South Korean court has upheld a Ministry of Defense ban in the army on 23 books labeled as "subversive", fueling public worries for the protection of free speech.
