Stories about Ideas from October, 2009
Israel: Why I don't want to be a man
Batya, at Shiloh Musings from Israel, never wanted to be a man. Click on the link to find out why.
Trinidad & Tobago: Trini To The Bone?
“Every day that I go through the news I become more convinced that I want to quit the ‘I am a Trini’ club and head off to somewhere else”: Coffeewallah has had it with everything from crime to taxes.
Trinidad & Tobago: 350 Action
“Trinidad and Tobago is a wealthy small island developing nation rich in oil and natural gas. But we are also seeing the damaging effects of aggressive industrialisation on our islands. This is an opportunity for women’s voices to be heard”: Attillah Springer is getting involved in 350's climate action tomorrow.
Haiti: Creole Day
Repeating Islands draws attention to Haiti's International Creole Day.
Trinidad & Tobago: No Hope?
As a legendary Trinidadian artist's sculpture is given a coat of paint to “spruce it up”, Nicholas Laughlin says: “This…is a telling symptom. It tells me how unaware we are, as citizens, of the civic spaces we live and work in, and how irresponsibly we behave towards them. It tells...
Puerto Rico: Crime Solution?
If the majority of Puerto Rico's crime comes from the island's reputation as a drug smuggling transshipment point, Dondequiera suggests having “the travel and shipping authorities change Puerto Rico to become an International destination…that way, all of the travelers going between Puerto Rico and the United States would be forced...
Trinidad & Tobago: Truth or Dare
“We are a society that publicly cries corruption but privately upload mega-project photos on Flickr with misguided pride”: This Beach Called Life uncovers “the hidden truth” about Trinidad and Tobago.
Barbados: New Hospital?
Barbados needs a new hospital, but Barbados Free Press wonders whether people understand “how much commitment and effort this will require.”
Puerto Rico: Money & People
Gil the Jenius blogs about money and self image as it relates to Puerto Rico.
Trinidad & Tobago: Line Up
“Trinidadians and queuing? what is that?” Know TnT.com explains.
Cuba: Internet & Freedom
Generation Y makes a call for “freedom for Cuba” and thinks that the Internet is the way: “It occurs to me to use kilobytes, to take advantage of the cutting edge of a word that is also sharp and makes precepts grow more durable than the machete.”
Jamaica: Publishing in the Internet Age
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp gets thinking “about publishing, the Internet, and Caribbean writers.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Open Content
“In Trinidad and Tobago…copyright culture is confused. Fortunately, most people who are creating content on the Internet from Trinidad and Tobago seem to at least have a clue about how copyright works. But even with that,” says KnowTnT.com, “a lot of people don't realize the power of open content.”
Suriname: Personal History
For Paramaribo SPAN, Chris Cozier visits Dhiradj Ramsamoedj’s home to view the artist's Adji (which means ‘maternal grandmother’) Gilas cups and notes: “This is a very personal navigation of his experience — his own memory and relationship to family and place. This processing and reconfiguring defines the current moment in...
Jamaica: Change Takes Time
Annie Paul blogs about everything from Jamaican coffee to reggae star Buju Banton's meeting with gay activists: “Yeah right, the Jamaican public is going to listen and learn from a castrated Buju when he tells them he has recanted and they should all follow suit by becoming ‘pro-gay’ whatever that...
Guadeloupe: The Water Days
In The French-speaking Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, also dubbed “the Island with Beautiful Waters”, water is vital. Bloggers share their thoughts on the recently concluded les Journées de l'Eau en Guadeloupe (Water Days in Guadeloupe) conference.
Egypt: Campaign Against Abusive Publishers
An Egyptian blogger and author has had it with dealing with unscrupulous publishers and is taking the initiative to make the voices of authors not given a chance a a sounding board. Check out what Marwa Rakha is up to and how successful her initiative is.
Japan: Avatars come to life in the anime Summer Wars
Against the background of the Japanese countryside, feel good sentiments and an extraordinary virtual world are featured in Summer Wars (サマーウォーズSama wozu) [ja], the new animated movie by director Mamoru Hosoda [en]. The anime tells the story of Kenji, an awkward teenage math genius who finds himself involved in an...
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Salt
“Things must be bad in Trinidad when Chinese (from China) workers, who seem to constitute the government’s entire economic stimulus plan, don’t get paid…the most visible indicator of what we have taken to be prosperity in Trinidad has simply collapsed”: B.C. Pires provides interesting commentary.
Bermuda: PATI Pending
Of Bermuda's pending Public Access To Information legislation, Catch a fire says: “I don’t understand the reason for PATI only applying to information created following the enactment of PATI. It certainly leaves the government open to rumour-mongering and undermines the credibility of PATI.”
China: How old is the motherland?
Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated several articles reacting to the propaganda that equalized the 60th anniversary of PRC to 60-year-old birthday of motherland (China).
