Stories about Development from February, 2007
Belize: Ara Macao
Belizean – Only in Belize! features an interview with the man behind Ara Macao, one of the largest tourism development projects ever to be undertaken in the country. One of the questions the interviewer asks is “Is Ara Macao simply too big for Belize?”
Barbados: The beautification of Bridgetown
Titlayo has good things to say about the government's efforts to beautify Bridgetown, Barbados’ capital city.
Palestine: Life in a Refugee Camp
Egyptian-German blogger Philip Rizk spent his 25th birthday in a refugee camp in Gaza, Palestine. Read about his experiences here.
Liberia: Liberian national police
Kevin In Liberia blogs about the rule of law and the Liberian national police, ” According to the Manager of Police Statistics, a member of the LNP himself, and a man I spoke to for twenty odd minutes in Robertsport over the New Years, Liberian National Police Officers earn $90USD/month...
Touring Libyan Blogs
Equality among sexes in Libya? Yes, because now you have to pay attention to Libyan female pickpockets! This is what Khadijateri discovered yesterday when she went into a shop to buy some clothes. But Khadijateri was lucky indeed as she realized what was happening and used common sense. “Now, I...
Lesotho: a prayer for Lesotho
Rethabile writes a prayer for Lesotho where counting of votes is underway following the general election on Saturday: “Dear Deity… now what? This country of about 2 million people, independent since 1966 from England, with a 30 to 35% rate of HIV infection, one nation with one language and one...
Syrian Blogsphere in a Week
We start off with a very special goodbye from Brian Anthony… Brian has lived, taught, and blogged from Damascus for more than two years, he returned to the US a couple of months ago… We all want to wish him the best of luck. This was his last goodbye post...
Kuwait: New Mall Opening
Kuwaiti blogger evolution is excited about the opening of a new mall, which will bring much sought after brands closer.
Malawian bloggers on nature, health, technology, politics and corruption
The newest Malawian kid on the blog is journalist Kondwani Kamiyala, of The Nation newspaper, one of Malawi’s two daily papers. Since launching his blog on January 17, Kondwani has posted 11 entries in a space of four weeks, making him one of the most active bloggers in the Malawi...
The Balkans: On the Way to EU
Neretva River writes about the EU's enlargement prospects: “Serbia in the fast lane, Croatia more of the same, and road blocks for Macedonia and Bosnia.”
Santiago, Chile: New Transportation System
This week marked the debut of the new public transportation system, called Transantiago (ES) . The government and private companies have invested (ES) US$ 292.5 million. Changing the transportation system is a major issue, because they also had to change people's habits. No more coins, no more waiting times. No...
Kenya: solar concentrator
Afromusing blogs about solar concentrator (Sun Flower), “This is one product I am looking forward to testing it in Kenya once it becomes available, mainly because it is cost effective, and suitable for those wishing to still be tied to the electricity grid, but supplement their energy needs or even...
Tanzania: blogging as a form of leadership
Jaduong Metty considers blogging a form of leadership: I like to call my blogging a “thought leadership”. I have said this once: I could be the best thinker but the worst leader, for various reasons. I like the idea of being a thought leader and I will stick with it...
Russia: Kaliningrad Restoration
Copydude continues to write about the attempts to rebuild Kaliningrad: “Kaliningrad is a complete paradox. After the war, while German prisoners of war were rebuilding whole Russian town centres like Novgorod completely in the elegant German style, Russians were busy reprocessing Konigsberg into the poured concrete, Soviet mould.”
India: Kiva, money and lending
Kiran writes on his experience with loaning money at Kiva. “Row after row of picture, description and loan status. Who do I loan to? How do I tell who is more deserving? I might as well have rolled dice and picked the corresponding row. I can’t imagine what Kiva could...
India: A rather dismal Delhi
In Small Pieces on the dismal state of affairs in Delhi. “The same day, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) razes a Mughal era monument in Gurgaon to acquire land for the Delhi Metro. The same day, the Delhi govt unveils Master Plan 2021, which imagines, improbably, endless skyscrapers and...
Nigeria: the heartbeat of Africa
Oluniyi Ajao blogs about his experience in Nigeria, “I’ve been in Nigeria since Sunday, so I am well-informed about what I am writing about right now. I just saw an ad on CNN, about Nigeria – the Heartbeat of Africa. I am sad to say that this is just another...
Japan: homeless
PingMag interviewed a German artist Anke Haarmann who did a documentary about Japan homeless landscape called Public Blue.
Laos: Touristy Town
The Lao Cook is disappointed that a lovely Lao town is now turning into a tourist trap. “”Theres not much to say about the food scene, hardly authentic either unless you like Pancakes, Pasta and Pizza, or reclining on low chairs sipping beer in front of T.V. Sets. When I...
Namibia: mobile phones base stations powered by wind and solar
Mohammed Njie posts an article from the BBC about the world's first mobile phone base station powered by wind and the sun's rays in Namibia: MTC has been using base stations powered with just solar energy but will turn to the wind for the first time for the trial in...
Zimbabwe: the breaking point
Blogging about Zimbabwe, Ethan Zuckerman asks, “What is the breaking point?”: Gono, who is either the most incompetent central banker in the world today or the most sinister and corrupt, has responded by illegalizing inflation. Betwen March and June, anyone who raises prices for goods or services, will be subject...