Stories about Development from October, 2011
Trinidad & Tobago: Need for Proper Tender Process
Afra Raymond continues to blog about the tender process surrounding the proposed development of public lands at Invaders Bay: ” To proceed as things stand is to continue on a path which lacks the necessary transparency and public participation. The quantities of money involved and the absence of those critical...
China: Bean-Dregs Boat
One of the poorest city in western China, Lanzhou city, spent RMB 17 million on building a luxury boat which sank on its launch day in the Yellow River. (ChinaSMACK has translated the story and netizens’ reactions)
China: Knockoff World Architecture
Annie Lee from China Hush translated a local feature story about a village along Yangtze River. The rich village has recreated some of the most famous architectures for tourist amusement.
Azerbaijan: More Voices
Aaron in Azerbaijan introduces his readers to other bloggers writing from the former Soviet republic, including one half of his two fellow PCVs who went viral with their Caspian Dreaming music video and a young female blogger already making a name for herself with personal observations of life in her...
Blog Action Day 2011: Let's All Talk About Food
Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. This year the topic is food, as the Blog Action Day coincides with the World Food Day, an event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Azerbaijan: Easy travel with e-visas
Aaron in Azerbaijan updates readers on a positive development in Azerbaijan ahead of next year's Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the capital, Baku. The blog says that making visas available online as well as at the airport will be a good way to promote tourism, ease travel, and...
Africa: Famine is Man-made but…
Famine is man-made but….:”21st century solutions should be founded on collective responsibility. Describing famine as “man-made” is a step in the right direction, but let's not just look to foreign governments for handouts let's have the courage to call for responsibility and action from those closer to home.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Proper Procurement Procedure
Afra Raymond blogs about the importance of proper procurement practices regarding “the development of Invader’s Bay, a 70-acre parcel of State-owned reclaimed land”, saying: “The publication of the [Request For Proposal]…give the impression that a proper procurement process is underway at Invader’s Bay. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
Armenia: Steve Jobs’ Armenian connection and an obituary
Ianyan posts its own obituary to Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, who died yesterday. The blog says that Jobs revolutionized the way we use personal computers and mobile telephones while also detailing his adoption by an ethnic Armenian mother. Meanwhile, another Armenian blog, Unzipped, says thank you to the visionary innovator.
India: The Advent Of $45 Tablet PCs
Aakash, the world's cheapest Tablet PC ($45), has been launched in India, reports Anupam Saxena. The government plans to distribute 10 million tablet PCs to post-secondary students in India.
Brazil: Digital Storytelling from a Squatted Building in Sao Paulo
Ipiranga 895 [pt] is the address of a squatter settlement [pt] in a São Paulo building that was occupied for less than two months, from October 3, 2010, until the police followed a court order to evict more than 1,000 homeless people. It is now the virtual address of a...
China: The Cost of Space Ambition
China's launch of an unmanned space station last week, says the editor of a Tokyo-based newspaper for Chinese expats, has given Japan reason to step up its contribution to the universal endeavor of space exploration - if it can afford it.
Africa: Maker Faire Africa 2011 is Here
Get ready for Maker Faire Africa 2011: “From October 6 – 8, 2011; Inventors, Developer, Makers, Idealist, Entrepreneurs and Bloggers will meet-up on the campus of American University in Cairo for Maker Faire Africa 2011 under the hash-tag: #MFA11.”
Colombia: Mining Debate Continues as New Minister is Appointed
Colombians are using social networks, blogs and YouTube to comment on issues related to mining in the country, like its effects on the environment, the appointment of a new Minister of Mining, and the murder of Father Reinel Restrepo, leader of a movement against the exploitation of mines.
Morocco: French Made TGV Rail Project Causes Controversy
On Thursday, President Sarkozy of France visited Morocco to oversee the launch of construction work on a new TGV rail link between the cities of Tangier and Casablanca. Moroccan bloggers are questioning the relevance, political significance and the motives behind the costly project.
