Stories about Development from September, 2010
Cameroon: Drivers Licensed to Kill and Maim
Drivers are licensed to kill in Cameroon: “Cameroon has been reaping the consequences of not having a standardized written test that every candidate must study for and pass, prior to taking the road test. Driving is known to be as lethal a weapon as a bullet from loaded gun.”
China: Walkway and Pedestrian Crossing
China Hush translated some forum posts on the design of pedestrian crossing that runs through grass and tree, and walkways for blinds that leads into the river.
China: The Shutting Down of Power Plant
A series of photos at 163.com showing the demolition of two power plant towers in Zhejiang Province on 16 of September.
Brazil: Real Estate Speculation Threats the Cerrado
Real state speculation is taking over Brazil and sparking a debate on the environmental and social impact of the ever growing construction sector. In Brasilia, the modern capital of Brazil, this debate involves indigenous rights and the destruction of the Savannah, known as Cerrado.
Bangladesh: Digitizing Land Records to Combat Corruption
There is a lot of hope riding on the effective use of ICT in the Land Management System of Bangladesh to usher in modernization, user-friendliness, transparency and accountability in this very important sector. Aparna Ray explains.
India: Joy Of Giving
A nationwide nation-wide Joy of Giving Week will be held in India from September 27 to October 3, 2010. Ugich Konitari describes the joy of giving citing a real life example.
Uganda: Can Online Media Help Development?
This is the end of three-year coverage of the Katine project in Uganda through Katine Chronicles Blog. Readers are asked to post final thoughts on a venture linking online media with development.
Cameroon: How to Fix Cameroon's Pension Fund
Hinsley Njila's ideas for fixing Cameroon's pension fund: “Many of us who grew up in families in Yaoundé may remember names and weary faces of some “uncles” who had to spend a day too many, painfully away from their families, trying to get all the right paper work for their...
Venezuela: Documentary Released Online Goes ‘Beyond the Clichés’
Francisco Toro from Caracas Chronicles introduces the documentary “Moving Pictures o Los Autos de Caracas” by Chris Moore, which was released online this week: “The film is a methodical meditation on just how Venezuela's dream of modernity went so badly off the rails.” Francisco will review the documentary in installments...
China: Shanghai’s 7 Social Classes
Baoru from CNReviews translated an article from JFDaily on Shanghai's 7 social class.
Africa: Diaspora Camp DC 2010
Diaspora Camp DC: Recap: “The event brought together about 120 entrepreneurs, investors, students and professionals to find out the ways to access capital to start, fund and grow small and medium enterprises as well as other kinds of ventures.”
Ghana: Political Success Story of West Africa, But…
Ghana maybe be the political success story of West Africa however its citizens have yet to experience a standard of living more associated with modern liberal democracies.
China: Online Game: Nail House Vs. Demolitionists
ESWN translates a local report introducing a recent hot online game in China – Nail House Vs. Demolitionists.
Bolivia: City of Cochabamba Celebrates its Bicentennial
Coinciding with the bicentennial celebration [es] of the city of Cochabamba, in 200 words Fadrique Iglesias writes [es] about his thoughts on freedom, development and what he hopes will happen in the next 200 years.
Mexico: Celebrating the Bicentennial in the Middle of Chaos
This year Mexico will commemorate the bicentennial of its Independence from the Spanish Crown and the centennial of its Revolution with an extensive program of events. Although this year is meant to be special, some Mexicans consider that amid the problems the country is facing the money the government is spending on the celebrations could be used on other important issues. Mexicans have shared their thoughts on the bicentennial celebrations through the web.
Africa: Can An African Tech Entrepreneur Change the World?
“Can an African tech entrepreneur change the world?,” Bill Zimmerman asks: “I chose to address the acute need for creating enabling environments on the ground for new technology companies, the present lack of seed-stage financing to fund their growth and opened with the ambitious question, Can an African tech entrepreneur...
Brazil: Story of a Free Store and Ethonomia
João Perdigão tells the story of Loja Grátis [Free Store, pt] in Belo Horizonte, a place where “anyone can take something away and not necessarily leave something in exchange”. Brazilian artist Junia May, says that exchange practices reflect a new economic awareness, and introduces the concept of ethical economy, or...
Nigeria: Oil Wealth Flows, Hunger Persists
As the BP oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and its aftermath continue to make headlines, the catastrophe has also brought a little global media attention to the oil-related woes in another country—Nigeria.
Costa Rica: What do the Results of the Global Competitiveness Report Mean?
In the blog Asociación de Jóvenes para el Desarrollo [es] (Association of Youth for Development), a blogger analyzes the results of the Global Competitiveness Report by The World Economic Forum. The post concludes with this thought: “Like we can see there is a lot of work to do, but the...
Global: If there is no water, there is no life
The Twentieth gathering for the World Water Week (WWW) took place in Sweden's Capital Stockholm from the 5th to the 11th of September 2010 with the theme The Water Quality Challenge-Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement. According to the organisers, “urbanisation, agriculture, industry and climate change exert mounting pressure on both the quantity and quality of our water resources.”
Guatemala: Children's Organization Los Patojos Celebrates IV Anniversary
Rafael Romero blogs [es] commemorating the 4th anniversary of organization Los Patojos, “an educational program […] [that] promotes popular education in social values, culture of peace, art and critical thinking in order to improve the quality of life of all the members of this program.” Los Patojos also keeps a...
