· March, 2009

Stories about Ideas from March, 2009

Kuwait: Cats don't like summer

“The poor Qatteri Cat with his luxurious thick furry coat starts getting a little uncomfortable around this time of the year, when the temperatures rise, and by May or June, he starts getting lumps in his fur – no matter how often I comb him,” notes intlxpatr, who lives in...

Brazil: A Private Nature Reserve – Is It Possible?

  24 March 2009

Society demands green action and Brazil’s policy that motivates land onwers to join the National Conservation Units Systems is having a great impact on society. Under the program known as RPPN, land onwers receive investments and credit too. Land use is restricted to research, environmental education and ecotourism. Blogs are one of the tools used to report experiences and document the work being carried out to keep Brazil green.

Bahrain: A Mother's Perspective

Rick Beeman is an American living in Bahrain – and he asked his mother to write about her experience of visiting the country: “Here I am on the other side of the world for the first time in the Middle East… Bahrain so far has shown me some very beautiful...

Is Egypt on the verge of a cultural revolution?

Between Bahaa Taher's first Arabic Language Booker Prize, bloggers' books, Youssef Zidan's Azazeel's Booker prize, writing competitions on Facebook, the Sawiris Foundation Competitions, and new creative initiatives to nurture new blood, Egypt's literary scene has been revived over the past few years. Marwa Rakha digs up even more projects being discussed on the blogs.

Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Don't Worry, Be Happy

  23 March 2009

“When a really uptight person marries another who is way laidback, we who attend the wedding always make the optimistic assumption that the uptight person will learn to relax a little bit – but it often pans out the other way around”: Barbados-based B.C. Pires thinks that “on that basis,...

Trinidad & Tobago: Meaningful Art

  23 March 2009

Trin (Surviving Life in Trinidad and Tobago) is of the opinion that “while Fay Anne and other Carnival artists deserve a prize for their contributions, that prize should not be so large that it prevents the Ministry from being able to fund a balanced cross-section of artists who represent our...

Barbados: BNB & CLICO

  23 March 2009

Living in Barbados republishes a piece by a Bajan economist which suggests that the government's repurchasing of the Barbados National Bank may not be the best solution to the CLICO situation.

Japan: Italian news commentary in Japanese

  21 March 2009

Italian comedian and opinion-leader Beppe Grillo's blog [ja] is the only blog that is translated into Japanese (and English), presenting Italy from an unusual perspective. In his blog, he also hosts the translated version of journalist Marco Travaglio‘s weekly talks on the misdeeds of the current Italian government [it].

Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda: Migrant Vote

  20 March 2009

“The Caribbean migrant vote was a key factor in the recent Antigua and Barbuda general election. And with Dominica’s general elections just around the corner, the whole issue of the migrants vote will definitely raise some political eyebrows”: Dominica Weekly discusses the issue.

Barbados: Tourism's Future

  20 March 2009

“A real need exists for tourism to have a clearer image and for it to be a beacon that pulls many parts of the economy along”: Living in Barbados wonders about the future of the island's tourism offering.

Bahrain: Message to Liars

Bahraini Hussain Yousif has a message for liars: “Liars forget quickly.  Some of them lie and start building on that lie to the level they forget the starting point. And when you refer to them, they will tell you another lie!” According to Yousif, the solution is: “You lie, we...

Bermuda: Answers and Questions

  19 March 2009

Vexed Bermoothes finally gets some answers about the government's plans “to protect Bermuda’s interests amidst the tax-haven scapegoating going on amongst global leaders”, but maintains that it “must begin some concerted steps to mend bridges with the international business community here.”