· December, 2010

Stories about Ideas from December, 2010

Japan: The Fear of the Internet

  12 December 2010

Last year W. David MARX at Neojaponisme wrote a thoughtful post on “Japanese internet aversion” [en], in which he proposed an interpretation of the Japanese attitude toward the Net that is still valid today. According to the blogger, the fear of the internet manifests itself as “user trepidation” and “corporate...

Serbia: Novelists Participate in “Blog Day” Project

  10 December 2010

On Dec. 8, one of the Serbian publishing houses launched an interesting project: called Blog Day, it represents a unique example of web activism in Serbia that will be taking place four times a year. The topic of the first Blog Day was Ecology, and over 20 Serbian novelists have posted their contributions.

Trinidad & Tobago: Property Tax

  9 December 2010

“At this point in time, the nation’s budget is running at a deficit for the third successive year and the Minister of Finance is tasked with developing new sources of revenue”: Afra Raymond thinks “it is time to return to the question of property tax.”

Jamaica, Haiti: Democracy & Elections

  9 December 2010

In looking at the fallout over the Haitian elections, Jamaican diaspora blogger Dennis Jones says: “The search for democracy is more than about having free and open elections. People have to have a certain disposition.”

Bermuda: The Black Male Perspective

  8 December 2010

Breezeblog directs “anyone concerned about where Bermuda is headed amidst the spiralling gang violence, social dysfunctionality and hypocrisy” to an article written “from the perspective of a young black man”.

Debate on the China Model

  8 December 2010

Last month the British Prime Minister David Cameron visited China. After he had delivered his speech at Peking University, a student asked him what he could learn from China. The episode has triggered a hot debate among bloggers and public intellectuals in China. So what exactly is the meaning of "China Model"?

Guyana: Notes on Caribbean Writers

  6 December 2010

The Signifyin’ Woman shares her notes from a panel discussion that she attended this past weekend on the “Challenges & Choices of Caribbean Writers”.

Lebanon: Blogging Lebanon Ends

  6 December 2010

“Overall, the event was successful and beneficial for most audience members. Many students have expressed their interest in starting their own blogs or improving their existing ones” – with this statement, Moudz ends the press release about American University of Beirut’s Online Collaborative's first “Blogging Lebanon” convention.

Japan: Cartoon Blog

  6 December 2010

The Tokyo Reporter just launched a new section called Cartoon Blog [en], in collaboration with cartoonist Roberto De Vido (also author of Politicomix [en]).

Iran: Bloggers discuss Wikileaks documents

  5 December 2010

The Wikleaks Cablegate documents exposed shady ties between Iran and Afghanistan; inside information about the Iranian regime and opposition; and fear in the Arab region of Iran's nuclear policy. Iranian bloggers reacted to these revelations, sometimes with irony, sometimes with conspiracy theories in mind, and sometimes seriously. Natour Shahr says...

Trinidad & Tobago: Drawing the Line

  3 December 2010

“Less than twenty four hours after our Commissioner of Police marked the proverbial line in the sand that this is where violent crime ends, someone killed someone else in almost the very same spot and the dead man's blood washed the Commissioner's line away”: Plain Talk says the only way...