Stories about Ideas from October, 2009
Barbados: Seizing Opportunity
Living in Barbados thinks that “one of the wrong turns that Caribbean countries made in recent decades was to put so many of their eggs into the tourism basket.”
Will Egypt import Chinese Hymens?
An artifical hymen kit is now available in the market. Egyptian law makers have banned the product while bloggers continue to debate the cons and pros of this Chinese 'invention' - and question its morality.
Israel: Ahmed Amrani Promotes Eco-Awareness Among Bedouins
Ahmed Amrani, municipal leader and eco-activist, speaks about his role in increasing environmental awareness among the Bedouin of southern Israel.
Trinidad & Tobago: Red Light
“We are a nation that takes too long to get anywhere and when we do get there we are met with No Parking signs, wreckers and gun-toting bandits who already have a sale for your car”: This Beach Called Life calls Trinidad and Tobago “the land of the Traffic Light.”
Puerto Rico: Examining Problems
Gil the Jenius quotes a U.S. News and World Report to make a point about Puerto Rico's problems, summing up the situation this way: “We'd rather imitate than innovate. We set Our sights no higher–no higher, I'm telling you–than what the U.S. of part of A. is doing…”
Bermuda: Reflections
Rumours of a snap election being called in Bermuda remind 21 Square of an Aesop’s fable.
Trinidad & Tobago: Thinking Out of the Box
Innovative design by Trinidadian artist and blogger Marlon Darbeau, here.
Barbados: Death by Bullying
“We need to reinforce to the powers that be the need to devise some kind of policy or rules to stamp out these violent acts in schools”: Cheese-on-bread! blogs about the untimely death of a Barbadian schoolboy as a result of bullying.
China: Thoughts on democracy
C. Custer from Chinageeks translated feminist scholar Li Yinhe's recent blog post on “Thoughts on democracy”.
“Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia”
“Fast for the Nation, Peace for Malaysia” or Fast4Peaceinitiative aims to invite all Malaysians to become a positive force for change by uniting in a common fast for one day, and committing to at least one act of kindness to another person.
India: ICT for senior citizens-Where are we today?
October 1, was the UN-designated International Day of Older persons. For us in India, this seems like a perfect time to stop and take stock of the role played by ICTs in the lives of our senior citizens.
Suriname: Tattoo Art
Paramaribo SPAN pays a visit to artist Pierre Bong A Jan, whose work “sets up a creative dialogue between…painting and tattoos, at a meeting-point of conventional ‘fine’ art and bodily adornment, folklore and science fiction, international youth culture and personal self-expression.”
Haiti: Thoughts on Dessalines
Repeating Islands republishes blogger Ezili Danto's perspective on “that most maligned of Haitian Revolution leaders, Jean Jacques Dessalines.”
Jamaica: Racist Cartoons?
Letter From Jamaica takes a visit to Kingston's National Gallery and posts photos of cartoons drawn in the early 1800s that “look kind of racist”.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Energy of Money
From Trinidad and Tobago, Now is Wow Too shares her perspective on money.
Trinidad & Tobago: Law or Ethics?
“I tend to come at things from an ethical standpoint whereas most seem to come from a legal standpoint”: Trinidad-based KnowProSE.com examines the law as opposed to ethics and politics versus real issues.
USA: Mapping DREAM Act Online Youth Movements
Immigrant high school and university students in the United States have used the internet effectively in building activist networks to support the passing of a law called the DREAM act.