Stories about Development from August, 2007
China: Manpower Parallel Rail
Kanchai pointed out that the labour market in China is now in parallel rail, which means two different salary system for same the same job, people coming from rural areas earn far less that urban citizen. Such discrimination is caused by the rigid political system (zh).
Taiwan: Thao Indigenous People
Esouth has a series of posts on the Thao indigenous people in Taiwan. There are 500 people left in Taiwan, less than 50 families. Because of the development of tourism, their distinctive culture is vanishing (zh). Here is a chronology of development projects since 1932 that ruined their living space...
Hong Kong: Dreadful Questionnaire
ESWN translated a blogpost from hoiking commenting on a recent questionnaire conducted by Hong Kong Youth Association on youth's position on Queen's Pier demolition. The questionnaire is based upon using “association members to distribute” but it claims to be a public poll. Besides it is designed in a way that...
Pakistan: Bad infrastructure
KO on rain bringing Karachi's infrastructure to a standstill, and why bad infrastructure is worse than terrorism.
China: Chongqing home buyers cheated
Don't mess with Chinese homeowners. A property development company in one central Chinese city tried backing out of an agreement which left empty-handed people who thought they had already bought a new home and led to angry and destructive retaliation, including clashes with police that netizens are saying turned violent.
Jamaica: Curitiba in the Caribbean?
Geoffrey Philp thinks that the Caribbean can learn a lesson or two from Curitiba, Brazil.
Oman: Home Dilemma
Muscati from Oman lashes out at an interior decorator for not having his house completed in time.
China and Hong Kong: Merging of Shenzhen and Hong Kong
Hong Kong Chief Executive's think tank, Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre, proposed the merging of Shenzhen and Hong Kong into a metropolitan, Lu qui luwei noticed the change of attitude in relating to China and the potential debate on free flow of population(zh).
Puerto Rico: Catchy New Slogan?
Gil The Jenius has come up with a new slogan for Puerto Rico: “Finally! A slogan We can relate to and that the rest of the world can grasp in a nanosecond. Refreshingly honest, but with a touch of hope that warms the heart.”
India: Micro Entrepreneurship
Zoo Station on the hype surrounding micro-finance, and exploring why micro-entrepreneurs don't have the same advantage as other entrepreneurs.
Armenia: World Bank responds
Confronted with allegations of corruption, the World Bank has now written a formal reply to Armenian blogger Onnik Krikorian. Onnik, however, thinks the Bank should launch an official and open investigation into the cause if it does not have anything to hide.
Afghanistan: Security premium
Reconstruction in Afghanistan's volatile areas is much more expensive and unproductive than elsewhere. Safrang agrees with a columnist that the international community should take another approach.
China: Speaking for the Rich and Working for the Poor?
Xueyong has recently terminated his working relation with Southern Metropolitan News because the newspapers has censored his criticism of Mao Yushi who argued that intellectuals should be “speaking for the rich and working for the poor”. Xueyong criticized Mao's argument and such intellectual positioning (zh).
Nigeria: Black Superpower?
Is Nigeria a Black Superpower?: “It is well known that Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, and the largest economy in West Africa; it is fairly well known that Nigeria's military has been intervening in hot spots in the region; it is perhaps even less known that Nigerian movies...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: “Enjoy Life” Video Campaign
“Do a simple search on Google and Youtube, and you will come up with either genocide, extremist, war,” writes Bosnia Blog about negative portrayal that prevails online. But “nicer things” do exist and to show them is the goal of the “Enjoy Life” video campaign.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Republika Srpska PM's Absense
Balkanizer reports that the alleged “sickness” of Republika Srpska's prime minister Milorad Dodik “has strangely coincided with the arrival of the new High Representative, Miroslav Lajcak.”
Sri Lanka: The Tsunami and the Conflict
groundviews has the account of a woman, who has suffered at the hands of the Tsunami and the ethnic conflict, and the lack of assistance in the process of rehabilitation.
Afghanistan: Hazaras
Is the success of the Hazara community in Afghanistan due to the international community “building it up” or actually due to the group's adaptability to change? Ronin has some thoughts.
Armenia: World Bank and Corruption
Onnik Krikorian still has not heard back from the Armenian office of the World Bank concerning the allegations of corruption brought against the institution by a British national.
Trinidad & Tobago: Technology Trap?
KnowProSE.com has many questions about the impact of technology on our lives, but says, “one thing should be readily apparent. We can only do one thing at a time.”
Jamaica: Rastafari
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp credits the influence of Rastafari and Reggae in his development as a writer and is interested to see “how the temporal and geographical isolation of Rastafari as a memeplex will manifest itself in the upcoming years.”
