· March, 2008

Stories about Development from March, 2008

Cuba: Can You Hear me Now?

  31 March 2008

News that Cubans will now be allowed to buy cell phones has been met with differing reactions by Cuban bloggers…El Cafe Cubano: “Cubans on average earn about $20 a month and cell phones in Cuba are selling for $260 and above. Do the math…”; Uncommon Sense: “I do not begrude...

Hong Kong: Revitalizing Tai O

  28 March 2008

The Hong Kong government has organized a competition for revitalizing a traditional fishing village, Tai O. Diumanpark pointed out that the word “revitalizing” is a cover up of “commercialization”, which, eventually would destroy the local culture and character[zh].

Colombia: Contest brings forth multimedia citizen journalists

  28 March 2008

Contest open for anyone, regardless of nationality, to write, show and create content telling the world about a very special place in Colombia most people wouldn´t normally be aware of. Bloggers and vloggers are already responding, here are examples from the Chocó and Antioquia regions.

Barbados: Archaic Laws

  27 March 2008

Barbados Free Press has heard of a woman “who was recently raped by her estranged husband – and our police say they are unable to lay charges because our laws are reflect a time when wives were owned by their husbands.”

Burkina Faso: Home of black bags, baobabs and cute kids?

  27 March 2008

This roundup will begin with some old business. From Stephen Davis of Voice in the Desert: His book Sophie and the Albino Camel is up for the Norfolk Shorts shortlist of books under 150 pages. While he won’t know the outcome until April 16, he did expound on why he loves writing short fiction.

China: Forbidden City

  26 March 2008

Lianyue refered to a suggestion made by a property developer on turning the “Forbidden City” into a residential development project in order to bring down the property price in Beijing [zh].

Brazil: Haiti, Rio de Janeiro and the UN peacekeeping mission

  25 March 2008

Aloisio Milani [pt] is promoting an in-depth analysis of “the possibility and feasibility of the blue-helmets’ performance to become a doctrine of intervention by the Army in public safety in violent Brazilian cities, where organized crime is part of the population's routine”. He has heard Army sources, the Ministry of...

Turkmenistan: Deadly Highway

  25 March 2008

Abdulgamid writes about deadly condition of the longest and busiest motorway in Turkmenistan, Ashgabat-Mary-Turkmenabat. The road was built a few decades ago, and currently it’s not complying with any minimum technical and safety standards.

Afghanistan: Why Grow Poppy

  25 March 2008

Joshua Foust analyzes approaches to the problem of opium production in Afghanistan, and says that addressing opium requires a vast, multi-dimensional approach, combining anti-corruption efforts, a massive influx of money, subsidization of food or other cash crops.

Poland, Ukraine: Euro 2012

  24 March 2008

20 East writes about Euro 2012, to be hosted by Poland and Ukraine: “As I live in Warsaw, I’ll worry more about the Polish side of things although one general point is that however far behind Poland might be, in Ukraine it is slightly worse.”

Kazakhstan: 6% of .kz Domain Works

  24 March 2008

KZBlog reports that according to a media outlet's research, there are 16 431 domains that end in .kz, but of those only around 1 000 are actually functioning. Many of the idle .kz domains were bought in the hopes of selling them.

Liquid assets: Bloggers on World Water Day

  23 March 2008

It's known as the universal solvent, Adam's Ale, government juice, council pop, H2O, dihydrogen monoxide, hydrogen hydroxide, has a ton of different names in Arabic and yesterday (March 22) the world was called upon to pay it special attention. World Water Day 2008 marked the start of the fourth year of the UN International Decade for Action on Water that began in 2005, and to mark the occasion the bloggers weighed in with insights and commentary from various corners of the world.

Maldives: Living with contaminated groundwater

  23 March 2008

As the world observed World Water Day on March 22, issues concerning sanitation and access to safe water were discussed and debated in the media. This year’s theme for WWD is sanitation as 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation. Maldivian bloggers have brought water and sanitation issues to the...

Iraq: Five long years … most of them in tears

For me the whole story of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war can be summed up one post. One post that says nothing about the past five years but implies everything as well. We can talk about the lack of security, the number of deaths, the failure of the occupation, but all this talk has become as meaningless as glib phrases like "Collateral Damage." What really matters is how the war is affecting people's lives, writes Salam Adil.

Bahrain: Kindest People Ever

Sous, a Swedish woman living in Bahrain, wonders about the impact of development on Bahrainis. “Bahrainis … are the most kind people I have ever met. They are polite, educated, funny and friendly. There is no pretend and they are really down to earth which I appreciate. I hope this...

Egypt: Face of the Future

“If you want to know the future of humanity, don’t look someplace new. Look someplace old: someplace where dynasties and empires have risen and fallen for thousands of years, someplace where scant land has sustained swelling populations for millennia. Look to Egypt. Look to Iraq,” writes Elijah Zarwan, from Egypt.