Stories about Ideas from May, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Telling Stories
As Trinidadian-born filmmaker Frances-Ann Solomon's A Winter Tale opens in local theatres, Jamaican blogger Geoffrey Philp quotes a particularly poignant review: “A storyteller is a shape-shifter who uses every tool, every image, every sense to draw you in, capture your imagination.”
Bahamas: Give Praise
“This morning I woke up feeling as though there was a thick gummy layer of gelatine over my head — something too thick and yielding to ever push through — and I began to think about my father’s song, ‘Praise'”: Nicolette Bethel yearns for Bahamians to experience freedom from tyranny...
Trinidad & Tobago: Masquerade
“There is so much to do in Trinidad and Tobago, not just to make it a “developed” nation…but to keep it civilised, to protect what is left of its humanist traditions. And so little of the work is being done: crassness, violence, corruption and neglect are slowly but surely eating...
Jamaica, Cuba: Dual Citizenship
“”What would Daryl Vaz do if he had to visit Cuba on state business?” That simple question forces Francis Wade to reconsider his views on dual citizenship and political position in Jamaica.
Japan: A surge of suicides
Over the past few weeks, the Japanese media have been extensively reporting suicide cases associated with the use of hydrogen sulfide gas, providing detailed description of ingredients and methods used. The recent media reporting has been so sensationalized that the Japan Suicide Prevention Association requested that media organizations be more careful with their reporting. The phenomenon has stirred up conversation among Japanese bloggers.
Brazil: Making your blog speak tongues
Tiago Dória [pt] tips bloggers about Der Mundo, a multilingual publishing tool for blogs whose “idea is to follow a hybrid model in which machine and the readers themselves translate”. The Brazilian blogger remarks that besides culture differences, the language barrier is still a conversation stopper in the web.
Brazil: Brazilian Network of Virtual Memory
Marcos Palacios [pt] brings the news of a project that aims to automate and make available online collections of all national institutions which have a visual or textual heritage. “The Brazilian Network of Virtual Memory is a project that concerns all of us. And it depends on our support and...
Japan: Japan and the iPod
GT!Blog explores 30 years of history to answer the question: Why didn't Japan create the iPod?
Guyana: And The Winner Is…
Guyana-Gyal reveals the secret to winning and getting away with it.
Jordan: Underwater Cemetery
Jordanian blogger Lulu, who lives in the US, draws our attention to an underwater cemetery, which sea lovers can choose to be buried in.
Cuba, USA: Texas Trade Visit?
As the Texas state agriculture commissioner prepares to visit Cuba (the first state-elected official to do so since the 1962 trade embargo), Uncommon Sense says: “American policy toward Cuba must be measured by only two standards: Is it good for the United States, and is it good for the Cuban...
Bermuda: Due Process
Blogging from Bermuda, Vexed Bermoothes says that the fact “that changes to the Parliamentary Election Act could be proposed without structured involvement of all political parties, and then be provided solely to the political incumbent…risks attracting accusations of favoritism”, while Politics.bm adds: “When the public and other political organisations are...
Guyana, USA: Speaking With Soul
Signifyin’ Guyana is enjoying reading a book about Ebonics, but says: “If I ketch any one of my students writing that way, he or she gon get a straight up F.”
Bahrain: Why?
“Why does the person in the fifth car back at a traffic light usually believe that beeping as soon as the light turns will make the queue move more quickly?” asks Bint Battuta in Bahrain.
Algeria: Favourite Books
Algerian blogger Nouri shares a list with 53 of his favourite books in this post.
Kuwait: Car Query
From Kuwait, Amu, asks what car to buy.
Jamaica: Outdated Citizenship Laws
Jamaican Francis Wade blogs about the controversy surrounding politicians having dual citizenship: “We simply cannot have our cake and eat it too. While the high-minded goal of having leaders with undivided loyalty is fine, our attempts to ensure that desire through the laws of citizenship are outdated, and reflect very...
Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Lyrical Content
ttgapers.com reports that Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton “is pleading with fellow…entertainers to clean up their lyrics in order to stem the social decay that is not only present in Jamaica but most of the Caribbean countries where the music is very popular.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Disaster Preparedness
FIFA Vice President and Minister of Parliament Jack Warner was in China during the earthquake; KnowProSE.com hopes that the experience will be a motivating factor for him “to deal with the lack of preparedness in Trinidad and Tobago upon his return.”
Jamaica: Alluding to the Fact
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp explores the question of how to use allusions in creative writing.
Trinidad & Tobago: Principles of Business
As Trinidadian blogger Gillian Goddard faces “a frontal attack from an entrepreneur” intending to start a similar business, she stands firm in the belief that “environmental healing and social justice are two of the largest markers of a truly successful business.”
