· February, 2008

Stories from Quick Reads from February, 2008

Fiji: Heart-Shaped Island

  29 February 2008

The gang at Paradise Failed discovers Tavarua, a heart-shaped island among Fiji group; “…this freak of nature is called Tavarua, otherwise well-known amongst surfers as “Cloudbreak” for its perfect wave form. And, unfortunately, due to its luxurious nature is inaccessible by your average income earner.”

China: Is ‘inadequate national virtue’ an excuse?

  29 February 2008

In a new published book entitled Lu Xun & Hu Shi: Two Chinese Intellectuals in the 20th Century the author made a thorough analysis about the mutual relation between the process of democratization and Chinese national virtue. This book and its theme raised a lot discussion online. Blogger bbcjy wrote[zh]...

China: Country with the world's biggest income gap

  29 February 2008

According to the latest Outlook Weekly, the Gini coefficient of China is growing up to 0.47, which is above the international warning line and much higher than that of most developing countries. It means the income gap between urban and rural residents is getting wider. Chenyuan26 [zh] thinks that the...

Barbados, Jamaica: Political Accountability

  29 February 2008

Living in Barbados thinks that the arrest of a former Jamaican Minister implicated in the Cuban lightbulb scandal “should shed light on what kind of government Bruce Golding is leading and what kind of democratic country Jamaica really is.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Chinese “Pow”

  29 February 2008

“The Chinese community in the Caribbean is small, but…the region’s culture would be poorer without them”: Trinidadian blogger Can Cook, Must Cook examines the influence the Chinese have had on Caribbean food and posts a recipe for one of her favourite delicacies.

Barbados: Joe's River

  29 February 2008

Keltruth Corp. blogs about the level of pollution at Joe's River, which runs through Barbados’ last remaining rain forest.

Jamaica: Service Culture?

  29 February 2008

“Jamaica is just not ready to do business the way business is done on an international level. Our people still believe that to give service is to be servile”: Jamaican Lifestyle explains.

Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Panorama

  28 February 2008

“It is music that must be heard live to be appreciated, as much of it is literally felt in the body…”: Jamaican Francis Wade blogs about Panorama, Trinidad and Tobago's premier steel band competition.

Serbia: “Ray of Light in Tough Times”

  28 February 2008

Belgrade 2.0 posts a selection of photoshopped Kosovo-related parodies and writes: “If there’s one thing I always appreciated about Serbia and it’s turbulent times, it’s the people’s strenght to find something humorous in all that, no matter how bad the times are. It was like that during the sanctions, during...

Africa: Applying long-tail to the African mobile space

  28 February 2008

White African discusses “applying the long-tail to the African mobile space”: “What Ken is getting at is an important concept, one that too many of us forget as we generally have access to the more powerful phones. Whether it’s dealing with NGO-related initiatives, or traditional business projects, we need to...

Somalia/USA: Somali elders for Obama

  28 February 2008

Royale Somali blogs about Somali elders supporting Obama in Ohio: “I heard that a lot of Somali elders in Ohio who are also American citizens would be going to caucus for Obama , dressed like that notorious photo. Ohio has a large Somali community around 20 Thousand.”

Sierra Leone: Aschobi Designs

  28 February 2008

Switsalone introduces the person behind Aschobi Designs in Sierra Leone: “Adama Kargbo is a 24yr old Sierra Leonean-American recent graduate of Parsons School of Design (Paris, France). She has recently returned to Sierra Leone from New York City to launch her first collection; ASCHOBI DESIGNS. This collection gives a modern...