· March, 2013

Stories about Ideas from March, 2013

Iranian Singer Ermia's Show Biz Veil

  31 March 2013

A young singer's decision to wear a veil on the Persian language hit television show Googoosh Music Academy attracted both cheers and jeers from Iranians who tuned in.

As Liberal Russia's Secret Superhero ‘KermlinRussia’ Unmasks, Some See Evil

RuNet Echo  30 March 2013

Arseny Bobrovsky, the owner of a Russian PR firm called “Daily Communications,” would be a thoroughly typical example of Moscow’s “creative class” liberals, were it not for one thing: Bobrovsky has a secret identity. At least he did, anyway, until March 25, 2013, when he and his accomplice Katya Romanovskaya outed themselves to the world as the authors of KermlinRussia, one of the most popular accounts on Russian Twitter.

Charity on a Subway

  28 March 2013

[G]iving to beggars is a straightforward opportunity to practice generosity in my daily life. So why the resistance to giving? At the time my friend pointed out that I had probably been targeted, I felt ashamed and tried to defend myself. I argued that I would rather risk being tricked by...

Global Dialogues Seeks Stories for Short Films

  26 March 2013

Global Dialogues is promoting an international contest that challenges all young people worldwide (under 25 by April 10, 2013) to pitch an idea for a short film about HIV/AIDS and sexuality or about violence. Besides the prizes listed in the rules of the contest, Global Dialogues promises that “the best...

Jamaica: The Female Image in Dancehall

  24 March 2013

[It] can be seen…as a celebration of full-bodied female sexuality. Especially the substantial structure of the Black working-class woman whose body image is rarely validated… Jamaica Woman Tongue thinks International Women's Month is the perfect time to put forward a different perspective of dancehall culture.

Peru: Riding with Grandpa

  11 March 2013

Peruvian blog Te voy a contar [es], by Elizabeth Lino Cornejo, posts a short story [es] with a mix of humor and nostalgia, where the narrator recalls when he used to go to school every day in his grandfather's car, where he and his siblings rode “very comfortably, lying down...

Of Ginger and Other Delicacies

  11 March 2013

Ronald Hill, on his blog Sueños del Caribe [es], shares an episode that took place [es] in a restaurant where he saw two traders exchanging opinions about samples of ginger.

French Magazine's 50 People Shaping Japan

  8 March 2013

Interest for Japan is at its peak among readers in France [fr] despite the Asian nation's gloomy economic outlook. Therefore, French Magazine ZoomJapan [fr] has featured 50 Japanese people that are transforming the archipelago; from architect Kyohei Sakaguchi―who established what he calls “independent government”―, to dancers, activists, business entrepreneurs, and journalists. The compilation...

Japan: Where Does My Money Go?

  8 March 2013

A group of coders and concerned citizens have launched a Where Does My Money Go? [ja] website to explore tax spending in the city of Yokohama. With cooperation from the city, volunteers participated in a hackathon to brainstorm how to creatively showcase the city's tax spending.

Haitian Artist's “Soliloquy of Chaos”

  8 March 2013

Haitian-American painter Sophia Domeville is starting to make waves in the art world. Last year the abstract impressionist (who earned a B.F.A. from the College of New Rochelle) held her first solo exhibition, “Soliloquy of Chaos.” Right now Domeville is one of thirty artists selected to exhibit along side Janet Taylor Pickett for Art in the Atrium's “Generation Next”. (The exhibit closes on March 8th.) In addition to...

Activists Worldwide Mourn French Author Stéphane Hessel

  6 March 2013

Writer, human rights advocate, and French resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel, whose bestselling manifesto on peaceful uprising inspired the disenchanted of Europe and the United States to organize into protest, died on the night of February 26, 2013. He was 95. A peaceful march is planned on March 7, 2013, the day of his funeral.

“What if Superman had Landed in India?”

  4 March 2013

Colombian blog Diario Nocturno wonders “What if Superman had landed in India?” [es]: We all know that Superman, while he was just a superbaby, fled planet Krypton in a space capsule, just before its destruction and landed (oh, what a coincidence) in Smallville, Kansas. But, what if he had landed,...