27 August 2009

Stories from 27 August 2009

Japan: Falling Asleep on Trains

  27 August 2009

A Tsukuba Express train driver fell asleep at the wheel and was reported by a customer who used his cell phone to film the driver's slumber. While many bloggers expressed...

Iraq: Death Of Shi'ite Leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakim

  27 August 2009

Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (the largest political party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives), died of lung cancer on August 26 in Tehran, Iran. His death is expected to have repercussions for politics in Iraq. Bloggers around the region have responded to the news.

Bahamas, Jamaica: Thoughts on the IMF

  27 August 2009

Rick Lowe at Weblog Bahamas takes issue with an article in a Jamaican newspaper which laments the fact that the country “now has to pay the piper (IMF)”, saying: “Of...

Martinique: Dance the Bèlè

  27 August 2009

Repeating Islands features Leïla Bizet and her bèlè, “a traditional folk dance practiced on islands like Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, and Martinique; hailing from the days of slavery, it has...

Trinidad & Tobago: Productivity

  27 August 2009

“So we need to produce more corn curls, Crix and painted stones (aka GDP) per man per hour”: This Beach Called Life takes a tongue-in-cheek look at productivity in Trinidad...

Japan: What to do with “Media Arts”

  27 August 2009

For a nation working to capitalize its “soft power”, what is the role of anime and manga culture in governmental policies? The official answer is that anime, manga and digital...

Jamaica: Making It Last

  27 August 2009

“What good is it to glean several medals, to ride the wave of national camaraderie and unity for a few days, only to be bogged down once again by the...