· March, 2007

Stories about Economics & Business from March, 2007

Bahrain: When ‘moderate’ means ‘acquiescent’

This week some Bahraini bloggers took part in an evening regarding the role of blogging in cultural development, and the literary aspect of online writing in particular. Hisham Khalifa has posted his introduction to the evening: Culture is not created by governments, kings, queens or presidents. It’s not created by...

India: Flower-Lane

  31 March 2007

A flower market in photographs at Trivial Matters. “A kaleidoscope for your senses. Dadar Phulgalli [flower-lane] takes your traditional Bombay smells of sweat, toil, paint, iron and turns them into the smell of marigolds.. Wipe your brow and you find petals in addition to sweat.”

Mexico: Biofuels, corn prices and food security

  30 March 2007

Sitna Quiroz on “Biofuels, corn prices and food security in Mexico:” “Media reports attributed the rise in tortilla prices to dwindling imports of corn due to its increasing demand for ethanol production. Others argued that the problem was not lack of corn, but rather the monopolizing practices and speculation carried...

Japan: Body Suits

  30 March 2007

You can choose between sexy body suit or powerful body suit in the beach this summer, Lee from Tokyo Times.

China: Private Banking

  30 March 2007

Imagethief comments on China Bank's announcement of private banking service for local millionaires. He anticipates that fat money will still go to global banks.

China: Education system

  30 March 2007

Onemanbandwidth wrote a piece on China education system, in particular the “industrialization of education”: Investors, smart businessmen with no business being in the education business, are reaping huge profits by short-changing Chinese youth.

Trinidad & Tobago: Second Life for Caribbean Teens?

  30 March 2007

Caribbean Public Relations reports on Coca-Cola‘s latest marketing concept for Caribbean teenagers – “a virtual city…called Caribbean Connection. The idea borrows from the Second Life concept, where you can go into the virtual world, interact with others, participate in activities, and create ‘a life'”.

Americans in Moldova; Moldovans in Italy…

  29 March 2007

Alexandru Culiuc's weblog is one of the best in the Moldovan blogosphere – probably the one I enjoy reading the most, and happily it has an owner and readership that don't seem to mind my mostly English-language comments. Last year, Alex had an interesting post about foreigners’ impressions of Moldova...

Pakistan: A harsh look

  29 March 2007

Behind the Chairman's Door takes a harsh look at Pakistan. “In Pakistan, the only goal is to get more money, no matter it be by honest or dishonest means. The traffic police take bribes to not write a citation. The city police take bribes to register cases, real or false....

India, Bangladesh: Lessons from Nandigram

  29 March 2007

Unheard Voices takes a look at the violence in Nandigram in India. “What is remarkable in this tragedy is the arrogant attitudes and brutal actions of a government that is democratically-elected and that is filled with nominal socialists and communists. In true deshi fashion, the police forces’ brutality has been...

Iran: Connecting the Medical World and Norouz Inspires Reflection

Iranian bloggers provide information, share their opinions, and discuss various issues with their photography, illustrations, and text. But that's not all. Occasionally, they launch plans to make the world a better place. Paris Marashi, an Iranian-American video-blogger has revealed a project that aims to bring Iranian medical professionals in contact...

Africa: we should all wear sacks and cover ourselves in ash

  28 March 2007

A thought provoking piece by Dennis Matanda at the Sub-Saharan Africa Roundtable, Africans: A race that got lost a long time ago: “And in response to Koluki’s www.africanpath.com’s article on ‘Are We Losing the Plot?’ my answer is a resounding YES. I will even dare to go further by saying...

Madagascar: Growing with China

  28 March 2007

Madagascar Croissance reflects [Fr] on Madagascar's trade with China and East Asia, the main exporters of rice, textiles and technology to the country: “Trade between China and Madagascar … leaves the big island in deficit. But … Malagasy products were just exempted of taxes and rights in China which presents...

Korea and Japan: Sex Trade

  27 March 2007

Robert Koehler from Marmot's Hole reports that: There are currently an estimated 40,000-60,000 Koreans illegally residing in Japan. Of these, 30,000 are believed to be working in the sex trade. And the number of Korean men in Japanese host-bar is increasing rapidly.

South Korea: FTA

  27 March 2007

Jamie from Two Koreas has an update about the FTA negotiation and anti FTA protest in South Korea: The march was also able to march into Gwanghwamun unobstructed, which was even more of a surprise.

Zimbabwe: living under a dictatorship

  27 March 2007

Zimpundit on life in Zimbabwe, “In Zimbabwe, a nation dominated by government owned media, keeping up with the political realities is an impossible and risky undertaking. Media in Zimbabwe is dominated by a state owned daily newspaper, and state owned radio and television. All reports carried by state media are...