Stories about Development from March, 2006
China: trans-Asian oil pipeline
Regarding an oil pipeline planned to link Russia and China, with a branch extending through Pakistan into India, the Our Silk Road blogger suggests the old Silk Road could very well be renamed the new Oil Road. “A lucrative idea with a great deal of wheeling and dealing left to...
Trinidad & Tobago: Technology activism
“What is a technology activist?” asks Taran Rampersad. “Perception might lead people to believe that technology activism is limited to a select group, when in fact I believe it isn't,” he says. “I believe that it's a part of the natural course of technology.”
Barbados: Concorde Museum
The Barbados tourism ministry is developing a museum featuring one of the British Airways Concorde jets as a tourist attraction, reports Linda Thompkins.
Power – from youth to the sun – in Nigerian blogs this week
Musings from Nigerian Bloggers this Week
Philippines: The Story of Jolo
Blogkadahan tells story of Jolo, a small town in the southwest of the Philippines which she remembers as once one of the most beautiful place in the country. Now, she says, after 30 years of neglect by the government, being torn apart by war, prejudice, and opportunistic vultures, Jolo is...
Malaysia: Chinese Taxes
Anak Merdeka reacts to an amazing statement by Malaysia's former PM Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia's development had been funded largely by taxes paid by ethnic Chinese — and not Malay — Malaysians.
China: Farmers need to consume
Marty over at The Big Yuan offers his interpretation of Morgan Stanley's just-released analysis of China's eleventh five year plan and its global implications: “The only realistic way to ease the trade balance is to increase the flow of exports into the burgeoning Chinese consumer market. Both Dell and Wal-mart...
Trinidad & Tobago: ICTs and SMEs
Taran Rampersad posts a personal summary of a conference onn “Improving Organisational Performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through Information and Communication Technology” he attended recently in Trinidad. He also attaches his presentation notes in both OpenOffice and PowerPoint formats.
Bahamas: Condi's visit
Sir Arthur Foulkes is satisfied with comments made by US Secreatary of State Condolezza Rice during her brief visit to the Bahamas, and believes they “should help to correct the myopic vision of those Bahamian isolationists who believe that the Bahamas should have as little as possible to do with...
Trinidad & Tobago: No smelter
Elspeth Duncan summarises the commentary on the aluminium smelter being planned for a community in south Trinidad and the protests about it and posts some photos from Sunday's march at her Flickr page. She also posts a conceptual video she has produced to raise awareness of the issue. Attillah Springer...
Bermuda: E-commerce Obstacles
“High cost of living; small size; restrictive immigration policy; poor state education system; lack of IT professionalism and work ethic issues; reliance of IT sector on expats; prohibitive telecoms costs; shortage of accommodation; expensive airfares; “political instability” and racial tension; punitive and indiscriminate customs duties; and the Island's location in...
Cuba: Inner tube
Pac Mclaurin posts a lovely photo of a Cuban fisherman, his girlfriend, and the “pneumático” or inner tube which is his fishing vessel.
South Korea: general strike
Joshua from The Korea Liberator examines the relevant labor issues leading up to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ general strike planned for next week.
Ethiopia: Permanently in debt?
Weichegud!ET comments on the waste of aid money to Ethiopia which has not alliviated poverty and the country is in the midst of yet another drought. She asks why does Ethiopia want to be a “permanent welfare mother” “International aid comes with more strings attached to it than Donald Trump’s...
Armenia: Peace Corps Impact
A post by Nessuna at Oneworld Multimedia about visiting the town of Berd with a friend who is a Peace Corps Volunteer prompts a discussion about the impact of these volunteers in Armenia's small villages and a post in response written by a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia at...
Vietnam: The Rest of the Country
Virtual Doug tries to grasp how Việt Nam’s rapid economic growth is affecting its countryside, where 80% of its people live.
Belize: An oil producer?
Melody reports that oil has been discovered in commercial quantities in Belize. Her report also quotes the measured and practical responses of government spokespersons to the discovery.
Polish Blogosphere Update
Apparently, according to Real Warsaw, Poland is single-handedly styming EU progress. Poland's recently elected populist government isn't seen as a solution since future-oriented policies appear off the table. However, according to Bernski in the comments section, the problems may be deeper than a newly elected government — shibboleths such as...
Africa: We Can't Blame Everything on the West
Le Pangolin writes (FR): “So long as we fail to entertain critiques of our destructive ways, we will always be dominated by the West. Imagine for a moment all Africans living in Europe creating investment funds; they could then purchase on [various] stock markets the very companies that determine the...
Burkina Faso: Water
Under the Acacias has a report on access to water in rural Burkina Faso..”The lack of a ready source of clean water means either a walk – usually for the women – of several miles to the next pump – which will of course then be twice as crowded.”
Uzbekistan: Tightening the Screws
An anonymous contributor to neweurasia posts about ever more regulations being enacted that make operating NGOs in Uzbekistan a Sisyphean task.