Stories about Ideas from August, 2009
Barbados: Freedom of Information
As Living in Barbados shares his thoughts on the importance of Freedom of Information, Barbados Free Press says that the ruling party's upcoming conference “does not include anything at all about the government’s failure refusal to introduce the promised Freedom of Information and Integrity legislation.”
Guyana: Curtains for PNC?
Guyanese blogger Imran Khan wonders whether the infighting over the PNC political party's leadership will signal “the complete and utter destruction of the party itself.”
Bahrain: High-Tech Police?
Hussein Nasser has a suggestion: “Police officers in Bahrain make a phone call to get the details of a given car by specifying the plate number. They should install a gadget in police cars that can scan and read and interpret car plate numbers via a GPRS.”
Haiti: H1N1 Vaccination
“The H1N1 virus is not as deadly as the common cold. The panic and fear being generated…stands to enrich the powerful pharmaceuticals who will make gianormous profits from any mandated vaccination”: The Haitian Blogger examines the issue.
Cuba: Pills as Panacea?
“If I take my clue from what people are looking for to relieve their suffering, I would have to conclude that depression is on the rise”: Cuba's Generation Y explains.
Bermuda: Business Savvy
“Bermudian retailers could learn the value to providing better service if they’re serious about staying in business”: The first rule of better service, according to 21 Square? – “Don’t insult your customers.”
South Korea: Gendered Health Drinks
The Grand narrative looked into the advertisements of health drinks and examined how they were depicted with gender conotation.
Mexico: The Effect of the Victory of the U.S.
Mac of El Rincón No Poético [es] is not impressed by Mexico's 2-0 football win against the United States. He would be content if the win would solve some of Mexico's problems such as defeating narcotrafficking or speeding up work on the Metro's Line 12.
Haiti: The U.N. & Elections
Dying in Haiti publishes an article by Bob Corbett which speculates as to “why the United Nations could keep so silent about the fraud during Haiti's April Senatorial elections and the June runoffs”, adding: “It's time to make some significant changes; now.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Raisin in the Sun
Diligently studying the contents of his breakfast cereal, Trinidadian B.C.Pires notices some similarities between raisin bran and politicians: “It strikes me we could be talking about governments as easily as cereals here.”
Suriname: W.I. Identity
Trinidadian Nicholas Laughlin discovers unexpected proof of Suriname's Caribbean connections – through “clothing and fashion as a badge of social identity.”
Haiti: The Revolution & Human Rights
Repeating Islands reports that an international colloquium, scheduled to take place in Port-au-Prince, will examine “the universalization of the social, economic, political, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of human rights in the context of the legacies of the Haitian Revolution.”
Barbados, Bahamas: Education Nations
Living in Barbados and Weblog Bahamas blog about issues in their islands’ respective education systems.
El Salvador: Dangerous Month of August
August is a typical vacation month throughout El Salvador. However, Juan Carlos Sura Amaya of Sura's Way [es] laments the large number of deaths around this time due to alcohol-related traffic accidents and drownings.
India: How To Close Conversations
Venkatesh Rao at Ribbonfarm.com writes about manipulative ways to close IM/chat and email conversations and the psychology behind these tricks.
Cuba: Concert for Peace?
The Cuban Institute of Music has announced that popular Colombian singer Juanes is scheduled to perform at a "concert for peace" in Havana come September 20th. Cuban bloggers are divided on whether the event is a good idea.
Bermuda: Educate, Don't Leglislate
Bermuda Jewel thinks that the proposed anti-gang legislation “is not a well thought out plan.” Instead, he believes that “education is the answer.”
Barbados: Seeking Solutions
“The whole region is in turmoil and yet we expect West Indies cricket to be any better?”: Barbados Underground says that “a solution has to be found, not only for the West Indies cricket team but more importantly for the whole region.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Feeling Tight
“Tight belts. Tight thoughts. Tight minds that allow us no space to consider our humanity”: The Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister tells the public that they can loosen their belts, but Attillah Springer says that “tight or loose is the same old khaki pants.”
Suriname: Questions Seeking Answers
Artist and curator Christopher Cozier, blogging at Paramaibo SPAN, seeks to “generate a fertile exchange…towards transforming predicaments into mutually shared sovereign understandings.”
Barbados: Respecting the Environment
Lani Edghill, guest blogging at Barbados Free Press, believes “our environment is trying to tell us something” and urges fellow Barbadians to change their consumption habits and get involved in environmental events: “We as a community have the power to change our behavior.”
