· August, 2007

Stories about Economics & Business from August, 2007

Brazil: Tired of Philips

  31 August 2007

There is a popular saying in Brazil that goes like this: “Say whatever you want to and you will hear what you don’t”. Paulo Zottolo, the Latin American President of the electronics giant Philips, has learned this the hard way. In a recent interview with Valor Econômico, a newspaper from...

Morocco: Cheap Chinese Plastic

  31 August 2007

Everything Morocco questions why there's so many cheap plastic products “made in China” being sold in the traditional artisan souks of Fez.

Trinidad & Tobago: CCA7 Closes

  31 August 2007

“Caribbean Contemporary Arts will close its doors on the day the country celebrates forty five years of independence,” writes Thebookmann, who thinks that the Trinidad and Tobago gallery's final “show” was a fitting one.

Dominica: Fair Trade after Dean

  31 August 2007

Caribbean farmers affected by Hurricane Dean are asking Britons to continue buying Fairtrade bananas in order to help them recover. Living Dominica reports.

Japan: Robot cat

  31 August 2007

James from Japan Probe reported on the a T.V commercial on the sale of robot cat in Japan. There are three youtube videos to demonstrate the robot cat's emotion.

Bahamas: End of the Monopoly?

  31 August 2007

Rick Lowe at WeblogBahamas.com thinks that a Supreme Court action questioning the constitutionality of the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s monopoly on the industry could be “great news” for consumers.

Arabeyes: Who is Using the Tunisian Presidential Airplane?

The Tunisian presidential airplane and the 'unofficial' trips it takes to Europe and the fashion capitals of the world has attracted the scrutiny of the country's most outspoken bloggers. Who is using the president's plane? Who approves the trips abroad and how much is it used for official business? These are some of the questions being raised in Arabic and French, which I am translating today into English.

Ukraine: Animal Shelter

  30 August 2007

On August 19, Ukrainian journalist Tanya Kremen paid a visit to an animal shelter located near a small town just outside Kyiv. Below are her impressions and thoughts, which she has posted on her blog at Korrespondent.net, as well as a couple of comments from her readers.

Trinidad & Tobago: A Study in Contradiction?

  30 August 2007

“First world is not about having things, it is about how we value our musicians, artists, writers, actors as well as our businessmen. We talk about the arts et al, but do we appreciate their value?” asks Half Empty or Half Full as she contemplates the contradiction that is Trinidad...

Japan: Life out of a Manga Kissa

  30 August 2007

Results of a survey just released by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has found that thousands of people across Japan bordering on poverty live their lives out of Internet cafes or "manga kissa". Bloggers this week reflected on the significance of the results.

Russia: Mistreatment of Foreigners

  29 August 2007

Window on Eurasia reports: “Foreigners working in the Russian Federation are far from likely to be mistreated by government officials and employers than they are to be attacked by skinheads and other Russian nationalist groups, according to a poll of Tajiks now living in Tajikistan with direct experience in the...

Albania: A Vacation Report

  29 August 2007

Marko Bucik spends his vacation in Albania, a country that is “an endless joy” – despite the fact that “there are almost no street names, no mailboxes, few places have drinkable tap water.”