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?
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.
Palestine: “Welcome to the Gaza Zoo!”
At the New Internationalist Gaza Blog, Louisa Waugh describes seeing hordes of foreigners arriving in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks – and calls it the Gaza solidarity circus.
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.
Kuwait: Keep your bug eyes sunglasses on
Kuwaiti Marzouq has a problem with “bug eyes” sunglasses and reflects: “There have been many a times where a woman has taken her sunglasses off and you get that reaction where you think she should have kept them on.”
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Don't Worry, Be Happy
“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
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
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.
Czechoslovakia: Tiresome narratives of Prague '68
Dr. Sean's Diary reviews the second episode of BBC 2's series The Lost World of Communism, dealing with communist Czechoslovakia, and finds it rather basic and tiresome.
Egypt: Arab Youth on a Presidential Mission
Egypt's first online radio - Radio Horytna - invites youth to apply for the position of President for any Arab country of their choice. Egyptian bloggers comment on the initiative in this post.
Egypt: The Call for Prayer
“One of the things that I miss the most when I travel is the call to prayer that I hear five times a day here,” writes Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, from Egypt.
Bahrain: Poem to all Mothers
Bahraini Jinan [Ar] dedicates a poem to all the mothers in Palestine, Iraq, Bahrain and the world on the occasion of Mother's Day.
Bahrain: Poem to Daughter
From Bahrain, Randah Hamadah marks Mother's Day with a poem dedicated in the memory of her daughter Samar Al Ansari.
Israel: Venture Capitals Deal With Tough Questions
Daniel Cohen reflects on tough dilemmas facing Israeli venture capitals, including whether the CEO should be based in Israel or the United States. Check out his post to view a chart of the pros and cons of each location.
Japan: Italian news commentary in Japanese
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
“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
“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.
Qatar: Thoughts on the Fourth Al Jazeera Forum
bint battuta in bahrain attended the Fourth Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, and registers her impressions in this post.
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
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.”