Stories about Development from January, 2008
Jamaica: “Heartbreaking” deterioration
Montego Bay Day By Day posts “heartbreaking” photos of a deteriorating historic building in Falmouth, Jamaica.
Trinidad and Tobago: Water woes
If Trinidad and Tobago is so good at pumping oil out of the ground, OpenDepth asks, why are water mains so often dry?
The difference between Senegal and China
Blog politique au Senegal explains the difference between Senegal and China [Fr]: “Aside from the obvious differences like the color of their skin, the enormous disparity in the size of their populations, their respective demographic differences, I also know that there exists another fundamental difference…Us, we play football, we dream...
Sri Lanka: Communication and Participation
Moving Images, Moving People! comments on why it is essential for development agencies to actually practice the idea of participation when communicating.
Louis Michel Heckled by Congolese Protestors at the London School of Economics
Le renouveau congolais posts a YouTube video which shows Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid and formerly Belgian's foreign minister, as he was confronted by Congolese protesters during a talk given earlier this month on the EU and Africa at the London School of Economics. Read the reactions from Congolese netizens and a video response that will make you move your feet.
Serbia: Belgrade's Past
Belgrade 2.0 muses on Belgrade's past and posts some old videos.
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's Ideologies
Ukrainiana is somewhat confused about Yulia Tymoshenko's position: “Here we go again, cruising the ideological avenues of the world: from solidarism to Thatcherism; from pondering membership in the Socialist International to praising Sarkozy; from advocating aggressive privatization to promoting the idea of mild government-subsidized mortgage rates. How does it all...
D.R. of Congo: tough questions abound
Tough questions abound in the Democratic Republic of Congo as bloggers discuss, among other issues, the recent peace agreement in eastern Congo.
Russia: Cost of Living
Sean's Russia Blog writes about different people's ideas of what the cost of living in Moscow is.
Using Web2.0 tools for Environmental Activism
To borrow a leaf from the Global voices Sub Saharan Editor's post on cyber-activism in the aftermath of the elections in Kenya; we take a look at how environmental bloggers and activists are using web 2.0 tools to bring attention to issues ranging from deforestation, conservation and global warming, and...
Philippines: Issues for the next Elections
Janette Torai wants fellow voters to start thinking about the issues that they want to see in the agendas of the political parties.
Armenia: World Bank Corruption Fallout
Expat worker Bruce Tasker continues to update his readers on the latest developments on his blog, Blowing The World Bank Whistle. In particular, he details how coverage in the local media is finally beginning to pay dividends in his attempt to reveal alleged World Bank corruption in Armenia.
Barbados: Impact of CSME
While Bajan Free Press believes “the future of Barbados is inextricably linked to the future of the Caribbean region of which we are a part”, Barbados Underground says: “We will probably import many of the social ills of T&T, Guyana and several of the other islands.”
Lusosphere: Child survival
UNICEF has just published its annual analysis of the mortality rate of children under 5 years. Among the conclusions, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor and Cape Verde have rates far above the admissible, considering Brazil as the standard intermediate and Portugal as the only one...
Ukraine: NATO Problems
Foreign Notes writes about the bad timing of the current NATO-related initiatives undertaken by Ukraine's leaders.
Bahrain: A Walk in Town
To avoid getting stuck in traffic, Bahraini blogger Ammar walks to a nearby meeting with his camera in hand.
Afghanistan: Holbrooke on Bush’s “ineffective” counter-narcotics plan
Bipasha Ray reports that former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke tackles the issue of the Bush administration’s counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan calling the billion-dollar-per-year plan the “single most ineffective program in the history of American foreign policy”.
Libya: Tripoli Buildings
From Libya, Khadija Teri posts pictures of buildings in the capital, Tripoli.
Caucasus: High Speed Internet
Social Science in the Caucasus says that 3 percent of Georgians have Internet access at home, but that it's quality leaves something to be desired. While Azerbaijan has the fastest download speed in the region, the Caucasus still lags behind the developed world.
Azerbaijan: Living is Easy?
Carolyn & Jesse's Azerbaijan Peace Corps Blog says that life in Azerbaijan during the winter isn't so easy, but it is interesting. The two PCVs describe living through the cold season in the land of fire.
Dominica: One Laptop Per Child
“Bill Gates, you want to send a dozen XOs so I can set up the Caribbean's first XO mesh?!”: Steve McCabe sees potential for the One Laptop Per Child project in Dominica.
