Stories about Ideas from May, 2007
Peru: Dust into Gold
A entrepreneurial neighbor of blogger C.J. Schexnayder aka Kleph collects the refuse from the floors around jewelry stores in Miraflores, and puts it through a process to remove the gold specks. The entire process was also documented on Klephblog and presented in a slideshow titled “Dust into Gold.”
Arabeyes: Breast-Feeding Dilemma
Imagine having to breast feed your colleague at work - five times - to ensure that your relationship remains professional! This is the fatwa (religious edict) that had Arab and Muslim bloggers buzzing with excitement and anger this week. Read the rest of the article to see how some of the region's bloggers reacted to the ruling, which has since been withdrawn.
Morocco: Muslims Making Headlines
“Muslims are making headlines yet again. The Pew Research Center has found that one in four American Muslims under the age of 30 think that suicide bombings can sometimes be justified as a means to defend Islam,” writes Christine Benlafquih in Arabisto. “With headlines focusing on this one aspect of...
Bahamas: Saving Nassau
Larry Smith at Bahama Pundit has a few ideas about how to go about improving downtown Nassau and quotes Pat Rahming to emphasize the point: “…The need for thought about both the function and meaning of the downtown can't be overemphasized. That is where the legacy of the nation is...
D.R. of Congo: Should Christian Revivalist Churches Be Encouraging Political Activism?
Continuing an age-old debate--is religion the "opium of the people" or can it be a catalyst for social change?--Congolese blogger Blaise Mantoto at UDPS Liege says the Congo’s Christian revivalist churches, which he cynically refers to as "for-profit spiritual shops," encourage political disengagement. He argues these churches should inspire their followers to improve their social conditions through political activism, but not everyone agrees that religion and politics ought to be mixed.
Human Sacrifice & the Politics of Death
At Babilown, French-Beninian author Blaise Aplognan describes the religious and political function of human sacrifice (Fr) in ancient societies: “…its goal was to channel violence toward a (sacrificed) individual, toward the sacred realm, institutionalizing violence by supervising it and practicing it according to very precise rules and rituals.”
China: Splitting hairs over stem cells
Stem cell research—it's an old topic, but it's also a top topic, at least for today as two key Chinese public intellectuals—one a tv news personality and the other a crusader against intellectual fraud and traditional Chinese medicine—battle it out on their PhoenixTV blogs. It started with this post yesterday...
Barbados: Conversations about Culture
“…In countries that have no culture or are afraid they may have no culture, there is a Minister of Culture.” Jamaica Kincaid's essay on Antigua hits home for Barbadian blogger Gallimaufry.
Trinidad & Tobago: Journalistic Responsibility
Attending a conference on Haiti gets Trinidadian blogger Jonathan Ali thinking about stereotyping and the role of the media.
Anguilla: Homosexuality and Constitutional Reform
“We cannot allow ourselves to get side tracked when it comes to our Constitution. We have to be ready with our arguments when the British team arrives in Anguilla in July”: As one of Britain's last remaining colonies readies itself for constitutional reform, Corruption-free Anguilla examines the current legislation regarding...
Singapore: Museum's Online Repository
Noelbynature feels that the launch of an online repository of the collections from museums in Singapore a “great step forward in making the material cultures featured in the museums more accessible to the public”. The blogger further encourages the repository creators to “provide more details about the exhibits in their...
Indonesia: Water Privatization
The Indonesia Law Reporter takes the discussion from his newspaper article on water privatization online on his blog. “What I said on that article was that privatization carries legal risks, in simpler terms, the state's controlling power toward water will significantly reduces if water services is privatized. The article did...
Japan: Marriage and “Casual Infidelity”
Shari at My So-Called Japanese Life has a thoughtful piece on the way in which Japanese people, as compared to Americans, view marriage. She writes: “It's always been my impression that the Japanese set the bar “lower” when it comes to the romance part of marriage and “higher” when it...
What is your blood type?
What is your blood type? That's a big deal in Korea. Why? Your personality can be inferred from your blood type at once. lyh809 is one of the most serious bloggers with cartoons. Look at why blood type A is timid, how each blood type reacts to sadness, seven behaviors...
Israel: Household Appliances Trouble
Israeli blogger Yael is having trouble with her household appliances. “The only things that haven’t broken in any way that I got from that place is the microwave which hasn’t really had a chance to break since it has been largely used as a convenient cabinet that the cats can’t...
Bahrain: Censoring Flesh
Bahraini blogger emoodz jumped the gun and accused a daily paper of censoring ‘flesh’. He later amended his error when another blogger Cradle of Humanity pointed out that American anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan in fact dressed up in long sleeves.
Trinidad & Tobago: Political Scandals
“Trinidad and Tobago has to be the most exciting place on earth without a war”: Trinidad and Tobago girls, politics, sports, technology, carnival and lifestyle examines recent political scandals, adding that the whole sordid affair “reads like an episode of ‘Allo Allo'”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Environmental Policy
According to the Chairman of Trinidad and Tobago's Environmental Management Authority, Cedros, a village on the island's southwesterly coast, is sinking. Club Soda and Salt thinks “it’s likely to take more than this for the government to formulate a real environmental policy.”
Guyana: Digging into Living
Internet problems cause Guyana-Gyal to “dig into living good and proper.”
Barbados: Differentiating a Destination
Following a comment from a cruise line president that stated “one island is pretty much like another”, Barbados Free Press examines the large promotional spending the cruise lines are doing in Europe and wonders: “What are they spending in their largest market, the Caribbean?”
Qatar: Rising Cost of Living
Writing from Qatar Serendipity links to a news article about the rising cost of living in the Arabian Gulf state. “When it was just affecting expats, the companies didn't seem to care too much, but now that inflation is biting at the Qatari population too, does this mean employers are...
