Stories about Ideas from August, 2007
Caribbean: Indigenous Percentage
“I would hate to be a 12 percent American Indian in a debate about indigenous issues with a 13 percent American Indian,” writes Maximilian C. Forte of The CAC Review, as he tackles the issue of DNA testing to determine indigenous cultural identity.
Bahamas: Self-Publishing
Bahamian Nicolette Bethel posts a great piece on self-publishing.
Malaysia: Talking Politics with Kids harder than talking about Sex
5Xmom says its harder to talk about politics with kids compared to talking about sex. The blogger offers some suggestions to the parents on balancing their kid's independent thinking and political correctness.
Syria: On Lebanon and Motorcycles
Just as the heat is cooling from an inter-Arab spat involving Jordanians and Iraqis, we move on to the Syrian blogosphere where bloggers are fanning the flames of a Palestinian-Lebanese virtual stand-off. Read Yazan's Badran round up to learn more.
Libya: Driving Stories
Iranian Mr Behi amuses us with tales about driving in Tripoli, Libya, in this post.
Kuwait: Dirty Toilets
Caleb Bardeforte from Kuwait isn't happy with the hygiene – or rather lack of it – in the toilets of a Kuwaiti mall.
Trinidad & Tobago: Oxymoronic?
Why does the glass have to be half empty or half full? wonders if the term “corporate responsibility” is an oxymoron.
Anguilla: Anti-Referendum
“Can I be blamed for suspecting that the people who propose a formal referendum on Anguilla’s new Constitution have a hidden agenda?” asks Corruption-free Anguilla, as he makes a case for not holding a referendum.
Jordan: Why are Arabs Copying the West?
“Why is our ARAB society trying so hard to become just like the west? Living life with no barriers, as if everything is permitted. It’s horrible, and it’s only getting worse,” asks Deemco from Jordan.
Jamaica: Interesting Elections?
“For the first time in Jamaica’s political history has it been so exciting…it will be a tight race to Jamaica House.” Jamaican Lifestyle thinks the island's upcoming elections are going to be interesting…
Jamaica: Bridges to Memory
“The poems…are rooted in the crucible of the Caribbean/African American Diaspora”: Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot features Jamaican author Marva McClean as she discusses her new book of poetry.
Thailand: Tallest Peak in South East Asia
BISEAN publishes pictures and heights of the top ten highest mountain peaks in order to dispel the myth created by travel agents that Mount Kinabalu in Sabah is the tallest peak in South East Asia.
Japan: Contraception
Neomarxisme blogs about the use of contraception in Japan: Japan is the one of the only countries on Earth where condom use declined in the 1990s and 70% of Japanese women would never even consider trying oral contraceptives.
Bahrain: Super Rich Gulfies
Bahraini Esra'a discusses what it means to be a Gulf national abroad.
Honduras: An Introduction to Honduran Blogs – Part 3
Many young Hondurans are blogging now, and personal blogs in Spanish abound. These defy being pigeon-holed into categories. Many entries are about anything or nothing in particular, the latest movie trailers, family stories, and even raunchy ads. In Part 3 of this introduction to the Honduran blogosphere, the focus is on blogs about personal and everyday topics.
Iran:Bill Kristol Makes me Apoplectic
View from Iran writes about the interview with Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show.The blogger says I am not even well-informed about Iraq, but it seems to me that the rhetoric of the American supporters of the war seems to be echoing the...
Bahamas: Anger Management?
Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com wonders “if the anger being exhibited in…general problem solving is not somehow related to the failure of our educational system?”
Anguilla, Cayman Islands: Transparency
Corruption-free Anguilla takes on the issue of government transparency.
Jamaica: Rock and a Hard Place
Francis Wade examines the conundrum that many Jamaicans living abroad face: “They love their country, and miss it terribly. They are angry that they cannot return (for many good reasons.) They are unwilling to assimilate into the mainstream U.S. (which for most means becoming African Americans.) They are stuck.”
Dominica: Earth Bag Home
Joanna's Eco Travel Blog is pleased to find an earth bag house being built in Dominica: “The idea of an Earth Bag home is that it is resistant to extreme climate occurrences such as hurricanes and tornadoes. It is also supposed to be able to handle earthquakes.”
Barbados: Chocolate Controversy
Following the firing of Barbados’ Banks Beer calendar girl after a controversial display, Gallimaufry writes: “I find it kind of gross that people would eat chocolate that a half-naked woman with whom they are not intimately acquainted has been sitting down in”, while Cheese-on-Bread says: “Our ancestral women, black white...
