Stories about Ideas from June, 2009
Denmark: #TV2Wikigate
Last month, two Danish television hosts aiming to show that the participatory online encyclopedia Wikipedia is unreliable, instead ended up defending their own credibility when it was uncovered that the errors they showed off on television had been created by someone working for the program.
Iran: To Vote or not to Vote
One of the main topics during any Iranian presidential election is ‘to vote or not to vote'. In other words whether to take part in the election or boycott it. Although several opposition groups have called for boycotting the coming June 12 presidential election, it seems the weight of boycotting groups is much less than four years ago.
Caste Based Communities on Orkut Mirror India's Splintered Society
I have written before about Shiv Sena's militant approach towards Orkut communities critical of the party, its leader Bal Thakeray, or its Hindutva ideology. Caste-based communities on Orkut are another disturbing example of online communities mirroring the splintered nature of Indian society.
Guyana: Respecting Your Elders
“Children and young adults have lost, for the most part, the sense of respect for their elders”: Guyanese blogger Imran Khan explains.
Trinidad & Tobago: Cutlass
As the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister “sharpens his political cutlass”, Attillah Springer suggests that citizens are being led like lambs to the slaughter.
Egypt: Suzanne Mubarak's Fashion
Egyptian Chronicles remarks on her country's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak's fashion sense in this post.
Myanmar: 64 Words for Aung San Suu Kyi
Do you want to show support for Myanmar opposition leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi? A new website was launched where anyone from around the world can leave a 64-word message of solidarity for imprisoned leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The website 64forSuu.org is named as such to mark Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday on June 19.
Myanmar: “No toilet paper but unity!”
The popularity of social network sites is increasing in Myanmar. Some are using the sites to express their views about Myanmar society. In Toilet Wall, the slogan is “No toilet paper but unity!” It is a parody of official slogans calling for unity.
Iran:Interactive blogosphere
Harvard's Berkman Center's Internet and Democracy Project presents an interactive Iranian blogoshere map.
Jamaica: Valuing Treasures
Jamaica's Snailwriter notices that construction on the Treasure Beach canal has stopped: “Of course, it ‘stopped’ after the National Works Agency…had finished what they intended to do in this Phase One, had packed up their bulldozers and headed off to seek other funding to complete the destruction.”
Cuba: Thanks, but no thanks
Generation Y considers the lifting of the long-standing OAS ban on Cuba to be “like another hand offered, a new door opened, only to face the Cuban government’s unwillingness to accept it.”
Barbados: Multiculturalism
“Ultimately, both the concern that multiculturalism damages a political landscape and the concern that multiculturalism leads to volatile social conditions boil down to the question of integration”: Zak Rose, guest blogging at Bajan Dream Diary, examines whether immigration fears in Barbados are a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Jamaica: One Love
“For the four days that I was in Treasure Beach for Calabash 09, I saw two Jamaicas”: Litblogger Geoffrey Philp explains that he would “like to return to a place that doesn’t have 1,611 murders in one year. I don’t want two Jamaicas. I’d just like a Jamaica of One...
Sri Lanka: A Virtual Eelam For Tamils
Indi.ca informs that “TamilNet is calling for a virtual reality Eelam for the Tamils, independent of any land” and comments whether this is logical in any way.
Bahrain: Blogging Questions
Bahraini blogger Redbelt is questioning the direction his blog is taking.”But I can't help to feel that … This blog is pointless…I have been thinking about making this an Arabic speaking blog. If this blog is to make a real impact, it should speak to the masses. Theme? I think...
Translator of the week: Carolina Chandra Rumuat
Carolina Chandra Rumuat is spinning a new planet in the Global Voices/Lingua galaxy of languages: Global Voices in Bahasa Indonesia. Say what? In Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of no less than 237 million Indonesians. In truly globalized fashion, Carolina from Indonesia translates and nurtures the brand new Lingua website all the way from… Morocco!
Dominica: Going Green?
“It’s obvious that business as usual, handouts as usual and corruption as usual in our nature isle is not getting us where we want to go”: Dominica Weekly sees merit in talk of a “green economy” for the island.
Guyana: Blog Ranking
When it comes to rating blogs, Signifyin’ Guyana maintains that “stats shouldn't count. Content should”, adding: “Those of us who remain entrenched in old notions of hierarchy are being defeated by this and other new media every day. Hooray!”
Puerto Rico: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Blogging from Puerto Rico, Gil the Jenius suggests that “the next time…some church leader destroys a community, remember that the good is out there…and though the media…will rush to the story like dogs to vomit, the good, though often harder to find, is infinitely more worthy of Our attention.”
Dominica: Tourism Potential
Dominica Weekly thinks that “tourism can do more, much more, particularly in meeting Dominica’s need for…sustainable jobs.”
Jamaica: Justice System
Jamaica Salt is “interested in looking at the whole system of justice in Jamaica – or rather the lack of it.”
