Stories about Economics & Business from January, 2007
Bahamas: Does the war on drugs make sense?
Larry Smith offers a useful historic overview of the history of the drug trade in a post that asks the question: can the war on drugs be won?
Trinidad & Tobago: Festivals and all that jazz
Laura at the Caribbean Beat blog is interested to see what the impact of the three-year old — and inaptly named — Tobago Jazz Festival will be on the region's other music festivals.
Poland: Sex Scandal and Cronyism
Traveling Life writes about Poland's ongoing sex scandal and about yet another case of cronyism: “I know that each political appointee has an army of advisers to make sure he doesn't screw up too much. But at some point we have to ask when the sheer incompetence of political appointees...
Poland: LOT Airline
“LOT's passenger numbers have risen by less than 2 percent last year at the time when millions of Poles are traveling to work in Irland and Britain.” Polish Matters writes about plans to revive the ailing airline.
Poland: Clothing for the Pope vs G-Strings
A small Polish town is divided: is it a sin to make sexy underwear for a company that used to make ceremonial clothing for Pope John Paul II? The beatroot has more on it.
Kurdistance: The Kirkuk Referendum
While the Kirkuk Referendum isn't expected to take place until December 2007, it is creating waves within Kurdistan, Iraq and their neighbors. Why the flurry of activity now? The Iraq Study Report recommended that the referendum be delayed, citing the the area as a “powderkeg”. The Republic of Turkey wants...
Africa: women's rights, Africa and China
Sociolingo's Africa blog has a post about a new book by Fahamu on Women's rights, Africa and China, “The traditional perception of African women is that they face grinding poverty and harsh cultural, traditional and social prejudices. Yet while it is true that African women are not equal to men,...
China: Out of Libya
It‘s [zh] since been disabled, but there was one especially eye-catching post on Tianya, one of China's most widely-read bbs forum sites last month. ‘Save us!’ it read. ‘We've been stuck in Libya for over a year and we're about to go crazy here!’ Racist attitude, seen further down, might...
Kazakhstan: Queuing for Profit
Ben Paarmann reports on a business so suited for post-Soviet countries that it's a wonder no one had already launched it in Kazakhstan: standing in line for cash. A new company launched by Ruslan Akkuzhin will allow people to hire someone to stand in lines for them. The person in...
Caucasus: iPod Purchasing Power Index
Social Science in the Caucasus posts on the idea of an iPod Purchasing Power Index and wonders why there is such a range of prices in Caucasus states. Onnik Krikorian responds to the post and looks at possible answers to why iPods are so expensive in Armenia.
Russia: On Economy
The Russian Dilettante comments on Masha Lipman's recent column.
Czech Rebublic: Dechovka Music
NvB: Bored in Brno writes about dechovka music and posts a YouTube video of Eva and Vasek, “the most successful musical group in the [Czech] Republic from the standpoint of record sales”: “Happy listening! And remember, every Czech is not just a musician but also a dancer.”
Dubai: Seebee Finds Nuns’ Behaviour Hilarious!
Seebee at Life in Dubai is in stitches at the behaviour of a group of Greek nuns, who ran up half a million pounds in debt and then went into hiding after their wool industry failed.
Africa: 7 lessons from Africa's entrepreneurs
“One of the topics which we have not touched on yet, here, is what can a entrepreneur in Africa do to find success?,” asks Benin Mwangi and goes on to point out seven lessons from Africa's successful entrepreneurs.
Swahili Blogosphere: CIA's Role in the Zanzibar Revolution, Bloggers Association, The Wretched of the Earth, and Protesting UK's $12M Secret Payment
Following their virtual conference last November, Tanzanian bloggers are currently discussing the details of the organization they are intending to form. A blog has been set up by the interim committe, to facilitate the process. So far, they have chosen the name for the organization, Jumuiya ya Wanablogu Tanzania (the...
Malaysia: Airline Fuel Surcharge
The blogger at Cakap Tak Serupa Bikin is asking the Malaysian Airlines to emulate other airlnes from the region and do away with the fuel surcharge as oil prices have come down. “Now the fuel price is down to about US$50 from the highs of US$70. The jet fuel price...
China: myspace.cn
myspace.cn is now under construction, it belongs to a company called Mai Sibei (Putonghua pronunciation of Myspace). More information from DANWEI.
Arabisc: Egyptian Bloggers Tie the Knot
Like in Egyptian movies, there is a thin line between imagination and reality in Egypt, where two politically active bloggers get close to each other at an anti-government rally, then fall in love and finally get married. Blogger Albara Ashraf reports this happy story, without failing to conjure some of...
Russia: Moscow's High-Rises
Russia Blog drives through Moscow's posh neighborhoods and posts the pictures.
India: Bangalore and 2 Blocks
Keith, a Hong Kong born New Zealand Chinese journalist on being in Bangalore during a riot. “Two blocks away, that very night, pro-Saddam mobs clashed with police while youths looted and burned stores. 40 people were injured, and an 11-year-old was killed when police fired at the crowd. In India,...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Airlines merge, prices skyrocket
St. Vincent and the Grenadines blogger Abeni's worst fears are realised with the announcement that the merger between two Caribbean airlines will be accompanied by an increase in airfares.