Stories about Ideas from June, 2007
Japan: Death of a Pop Star
Blogger shisaku has a great post about the death of Sakai Izumi, singer and songwriter for the group ZARD and “the Voice of the Lost Decade” in Japan.
Cuba: Bloggers Speculate on Castro
“Biologically, has Fidel Castro's time expired?” asks Uncommon Sense, while Babalu Blog wonders if the presence of top foreign leaders in Cuba signifies “a last goodbye perhaps?”
Singapore: Singaporeans First
Bart JP at Perpectives Unlimited argues why he is skeptical about the “Put Singaporeans First” talk. Singapore is home a large number of foreigners who live, work and study in the city state.
Trinidad & Tobago: Road Carnage
Now is Wow reprints a Letter to the Editor that she wrote out of concern about irresponsible driving practices on Trinidad and Tobago's roads, while Trinidad and Tobago News Blog agrees that the carnage on the streets is not normal.
Guyana: International Image
Living Guyana quotes an Associated Press report to make a point about how Guyana is being perceived by the international community following the foiled JFK terror plot.
Lebanon: Four Categories of People
There are four categories of individuals in this world. There are those who are of type Sheep A, the second category are Sheep B, the third is Sheep C and the last type is Wolf, explains Lebanese blogger Liliane.
Bahamas: OTEC Facility in the Offing?
Could the Bahamas be the ideal location for an Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion facility? Bahama Pundit explores the possibilities.
Bahamas: Crime & Tourism
“Earth to the Caribbean … why would anyone want to visit if one does not feel safe!” Scared Monkeys is concerned about the Bahamas’ rising crime rates in tourist areas.
Fiji: Attending Dalai Lama's Talk
Babasiga blog has highlights from a talk given by Dalai Lama in Australia. The blogger asks “Some of the things he said this trip certainly sounded like universal principles that could well apply to a small nation like Fiji. Are there Buddhists in Fiji?”
Egypt: Politically Neutral Names
“When our children were born, Diaa and I wanted them to have Arabic names that could be spelled, pronounced, and not Anglicised. One of our first choices for our son was Yusuf, the name of my husband's grandfather on his mother's side, but when our OB said “Ah, Joseph. Nice...
Saudi Arabia: Dotsson's Rant
“I can't stand girls with low self esteem. I can't stand shallow people who need to constantly be complimented. I can't stand people who play with others’ feelings to make themselves feel better. I can't stand weak people. I can't stand LIARS!!! I can't stand fakes. I can't stand people...
Jordan: Adults Should Grow Up!
Ola Eleiwat, from Jordan, is enraged at the extend of child abuse. “As adults, sometimes we forget what it feels like to be a kid. Worse yet, somewhere in the back of our minds, we think that we have the right to take it out on them whenever we feel...
Touring Libyan Blogs: Is the Arabic Language Dead?
Libyan bloggers mourn the death of the Arabic language as more Libyans resort to blogging in English. What makes them blog in a language other than their mother tongue? What do they think of the phenomena? And what is the relationship between language, religion, globalisation and terrorism? Fozia Mohamed summarises the raging debate going on in her blogosphere here.
Guyana: Religious Tolerance
“Most people in Guyana are very tolerant of the religious beliefs of others. Which is why this whole thing is so hard to swallow.” Stella Ramsaroop tries to get her head around the alleged involvement of Guyanese nationals in the JFK terror plot.
Barbados, Jamaica: Police Dropped the Ball
In response to the news that the former Pakistan cricket coach died of natural causes, Barbados Underground “has found the handling of the Woolmer case to be highly incompetent given the information which has been made public so far. The international event CWC 2007 did not deserve to be tainted...
Barbados: Mercury Alert
Barbados Free Press is all for saving electricity – but believes that consumers should be educated about the potential risks of using Compact Florescent Lamps: “The problem is mercury – a toxic element with a long history of causing death, insanity and incurable health problems. Where will the mercury-laced CFLs...
Vietnam: Design Ideas of Vietnamese Architects
The blogger at Antidote to Burnout is impressed by the “the modernist tradition practiced by Vietnamese architects in urban houses” but wonders why the architects are not able to scale up their design skills to big buildings.
Singapore: Improving Notations in Maths
squareCircleZ gives examples of situations where students struggle with the way maths is written. The blogger proposes an alternative notation for the way parentheses are used in some functions.
Arabeyes: Greedy Doctors, Cheating Spouses and Parliamentary Scuffles
Today's translation of Arabic blogs makes five stops: one each in Libya, Tunisia and Kuwait and two stops in Egypt to give us a gist of what some of the bloggers are writing about. Issues being discussed include how doctors put money before their patients' interests; cheating spouses; why Arabs are not progressing and the latest on why the Kuwaiti Parliament is in a shambles.
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: West Indies Decline
West Indies Cricket Blog quotes Sir Gary Sobers and former England captain Mike Arthurton on the decline of West Indies cricket.
Jamaica: Police Corruption
Francis Wade shares his thoughts about police corruption in Jamaica: “At a pay rate that is abysmal, how much can be expected? They have dangerous jobs, in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, and they can barely afford to scratch out a basic existence. Their response is...
