Stories about Ideas from October, 2007
Syria: Patriotism or Stupidity?
“Some people in the Middle East have a problem, they mistake patriotism for stupidity and end up justifying the worst and most obscene injustice,” writes Syrian blogger Wassim.
Japan: Kameda hits below the belt
(In)famous for their big mouths and bad behaviour, coupled with showy performances such as singing karaoke after their victories in the ring, the Kamedas have become the media's favourite boxing family. After the title match on Oct. 11, however, the family found themselves in the middle of harsh media bashing.
St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago: The True Caribbean
“Being born a West Indian means that I am less likely to succumb to the palm trees, blue sea, white sand, standard tourist pitch. The Caribbean islands are so much more complicated…” My Chutney Garden reveals what she loves about Nevis.
Guyana, Jamaica: The Power of Money
Guyana-Gyal knows that money isn’t everything, while Moving Back to Jamaica wonders: “How much would it take to buy my happiness for a day?”
Barbados: Answering the Call
Living in Barbados hears the call of ancestral voices…
Jordan: Political Money and the Elections
Jordanian blogger Batir Wardam discusses his skepticism with Jordan's democratic political progress in this post (Ar). Is there political money fueling his country's campaigning for seats in the Parliament .. or it is just money?
Jamaica: A Case for Justice?
“Coming from where I come from, I know a thing or two about injustice”: Jamaican Marlon James weighs in on the case of the Memphis Three.
Cuba: The Power of Imagery
Child of the Revolution blogs about “a new exhibition…looking at the ‘use and abuse’ of that now-ubiquitous Alberto Korda photograph of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara.”
Israel: An Encounter with a Telemarketer
Jerusalemgypsy from Israel shares with us an encounter with a telemarketer in this post.
Bahrain: No to Bullfighting
Bahraini blogger emoodz says no to animal cruelty after watching a bull fight in Spain.
Algeria: There's Water Everywhere
Read Algerian blogger Nouri‘s post to learn why his father's friend told him: “There's water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!”
Bahrain: Wanna be Famous?
Wanna be famous? Bash Islam, writes Bahraini blogger Esra'a. Note the comments on this post.
Bahrain: Designer Items
Bahraini Diva explains why she buys expensive designer merchandise in this post.
Lebanon: Arts and Artists
The Lebanese blogosphere is not solely composed of political blogs you know, and thank God for that. Some artists are using blogs to display their paintings, music and other artistic creations. Moussa Bashir tours the blogosphere, opening up a whole new world of culture and arts.
Jamaica: Slave Mentality
“Sometimes I wonder if to be black in this world is to be absolutely unaccountable. For anything.” Marlon James picks apart the slave mentality.
Guyana: View of Guyana
A returning national shares her experience of Guyana with MACO Caribbean Living.
Barbados: Gullah Gullah Island
Gallimaufry finds similarities between the language of the Gullah people and the way Barbadians speak: “I am reminded that something as commonplace as the way we talk is, even without our conscious knowledge, powerfully denotive of our national African heritage.”
China and Japan: Japanese AV in Rural China
Japan AV girl, Nonami Takizawa, came to rural China for shooting adult video. The promotion clip is up at Todu, and netizens from China reacted strongly to the “pollution” bought by Japanese to China. Hegelchong comments that the criticisms are nationalistic and have very strange imagination of rural China (zh)....
China: Tiger! Tiger?
Zhou Zhenglong, a villager in Shaanxi shot pictures of a wild South China tiger, but its veracity was soon put under questions by netizens. As the government and experts joined in, the incident reached its climax, especially when both sides of this debate （fake or not）bet their heads. It evolved from a scientific issue to a “bloody farce of gambling of heads”, so called.
Syria: Describing Damascus
“How do you describe a city like Damascus? It's like trying to describe the woman you love: you simply just can't,” notes Syrian blogger Kinano.
Bahamas: The Answer to Crime?
Callers to a radio programme in the Bahamas think that enforcement of the death penalty would act as a deterrent to crime. Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com begs to differ.
