Stories about Ideas from March, 2011
Cuba: No Affiliation
“I say am an independent citizen, a free electron, and that my political platform is limited to demanding the decriminalization of differences of opinion”: Still, Generation Y is acutely aware “that we are far from achieving these goals.”
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: ARC Interview
Repeating Islands interviews Holly Bynoe and Nadia Huggins about their new magazine “focusing on works by contemporary artists practicing in the Caribbean and its diaspora.”
Haiti: Winds of Change?
“It is not contentment that changes a nation, or a culture, or the history of the world; it is dissatisfaction with the status quo”: Throwing Down the Water thinks that change just might be possible.
Trinidad & Tobago: What Mothers Do
“For each decision I had to puzzle through on my own, I give them the tools and advice to make the best choices they can. I want them to be independent and powerful women, but I don’t think they need to learn those skills the hard way, as I did”:...
Russia: Reaching Out to the President
Many projects have been recently created in Russia on the basis of crowdsourcing (or user-generated content (UGC)), when information on any particular topic is collected by internet users. Almost each one of these projects signalizes about a problem. Marina Litvinovich analyzed them and proposed a thesis that the success of these projects depends on their ability to establish their contact with the officials.
Japan: Crisis Management PR Lessons from Cabinet Secretary Edano
PR professional Takashi Kurosawa appreciates Cabinet Secretary Edano's style of communication, detailing what he's doing right in the blog post "10 Things We can Learn from Cabinet Secretary Edano from the Perspective of Crisis management PR".
Venezuela's Hip-hop Schools (Video)
Caracazo Media shares their short documentary featuring interviews (with English subtitles) and performances of students from an EPATU (Popular School for the Arts and Urban Traditions) hip-hop school in the “overcrowded barrio of La Vega in the hillsides of Caracas, Venezuela.” The film incorporates video filmed by the youth.
Bahamas: Energy Reform
“So here we are, two years after the last oil shock, and prices are over $100 per barrel again, with some forecasters saying they could pass the 2008 high of $147 a barrel that sent everyone scrambling to cut energy costs”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith looks at alternatives for the...
Cuba: The Need to Blog
“Writing online is not easy for Cubans. A challenge. And we have to be brave to face it”: Laritza's Laws explains why blogging is important to her.
Chile: Promoting ‘Recycled Art’
Contenidos Locales [es] highlights the blog Arte Reciclado (Recycled Art) by artist Bernardita Novoa [es] from the coastal city Algarrobo. Bernardita uses recycled materials in her artwork and teaches schoolchildren about her environmentally friendly technique.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Meaning of Equality
Coffeewallah thinks that women “the latest trend in female performers, to debase themselves or perform lyrics that are denigrating to women” does nothing for gender equality.
Jamaica: Skin Bleaching Perspective
Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel gives a talk at the University of the West Indies; Active Voice comments: “Kartel is on the cutting edge of research and thinking about this phenomenon when he argues for the changing role skin bleaching plays in this society today.”
Japan: On Catastrophes and Miracles, a Personal Account
Blogger Chikirin shares her personal story of how she experienced the Japanese earthquake on March 13, 2011, with the post “On Catastrophes and Miracles”. She was on a business trip to Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, when the quake hit some 250 kilometers away.
Jordan: Bloggers Celebrate Their Country
March 12, 2011 marked the fourth annual Blog for Jordan day. Jordanians, foreigners living in Jordan, and Jordanians living abroad, all pitched in to write about their love for Jordan and their hopes for its future.
Japan: Social Translation in Times of Crisis
When disaster struck on March 11, 2011, Japan was thrust into the center of attention. As inquiries, goodwill, advice, and donations pour in from around the world, citizens have stood up to participate in social translation.
Haiti: At the Intersection
Throwing Down the Water witnesses a scene which reminds her that “we contain infinite possibilities. And that if we accept the excuses most easily available to us, we are selling ourselves – and the world – short.”
Russia: The Dead Journal
Social networks strongly tie a person to themselves. The person opens a page under his/her name, puts out photographs, indicates interests, joins groups and communities, writes notes, shares impressions and thoughts. What happens to this page when the person dies?
Guyana: Grabbing Glee
Guyana-Gyal is full of glee!
Cuba: Privacy Protection
“On this Island…where every gesture of privacy is interpreted as evidence of a conspiracy, to take steps so that a message or information on our computers is protected has been turned into something obscene and illegal”: Generation Y blogs about the new “black beast”.
Jamaica: On Lent
“My view on Lent is that it is really meant to be a time for personal renewal”: Grasshopper Eyes The Potomac considers ways in which he can best honour the Lenten season.
Taiwan: How to Get Your Facebook Back
Recently, Facebook suspended or closed many Taiwanese users’ profiles or pages, including some celebrities’, due to claimed misuse or using pseudo/nicknames. Billy Pan explains his experience in 2009 and how he got his account back.
