Stories about Ideas from October, 2010
Barbados: Social Media & Tourism
“It seems that despite the power social media has from a marketing perspective that ‘we’ do not have staff in place to effectively monitor and update these sites”: Adrian Loveridge, guest blogging at Barbados Free Press, says that despite the Minister of Tourism's statements about harnessing the power of social...
China: English translation of Liu Xiaobo's writings
ESWN has searched around the net and compiled a list of the English translation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's writings.
China: Liu Xiaobo's Detractors
Xujun Eberlein from Inside-out China looks into the debate over Liu Xiaobo's political position and thought.
Japan: Straw Art Festival
Japanstyle published pictures [en] of the Wara Art Matsuri [ja], where giant mammoths, dinosaurs and other sculptures made of straw were exhibited in Uwasekigata Park (Niigata Prefecture, western Japan).
Universal human rights, cultural relativism and the Asian values debate
East Asia Forum has published an article written by Patrick Chin-Dahler on the debate between universal human rights, cultural relativism and the Asian values.
Trinidad & Tobago: Talking to Mc Farlane
Trinidad Carnival Diary publishes a two-part interview with mas designer Brian Mc Farlane, here and here.
Japan: Economic crisis and demography
What if Japan's economic crisis could be explained with a change in the demography of the country? Paul Krygman at Truthout argues [en] that the crisis might be “not so scary after all” and related to the aging of Japan's workforce.
Jamaica: Social Not-working?
Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac is “not inclined to believe that social networking sites like Facebook are behind things that are not working in society. It may make them more visible or magnify them, but the root is somewhere else.”
Algeria: On the Rich, the Poor and the Middle Class
What is it like to be poor? And what is it like to be rich? Algerian Salim looks into the two situations and also reflects (Ar) on those who are hanging in between.
Lebanon: Bottomless Pit
Jamal Ghosn summarizes why Lebanon is redefining his understanding of what an abyss might look like.
Brazil: Vintage Posters Featuring Social Media
Are you curious about “how would Youtube look like in the times of our grandparents?” Camila Oliveira shares a set of vintage posters featuring Skype, Facebook and Twitter, by Maxi Midia designers Rodolfo Sampaio and Marco Martins.
Translator of the Week: Haifa Alrasheed
Haifa Alrasheed is a Saudi blogger who both writes for Global Voices Online and translates for Arabic Lingua. Haifa's choice in the articles she translates for Lingua has always interested me, so I took the opportunity to interview and learn more about her.
Trinidad & Tobago: Eco Freak?
Outlish suggests that “the green agenda has exploded in the last decade or so because of its economic potential.”
Jamaica: A Writer's Influences
“Some Caribbean writers still argue whether a Caribbean literary tradition exists. Dub Wise posits the continuation of that tradition…”: Geoffrey Phlip blogs about his influences for his latest book.