Stories about Economics & Business from May, 2009
Syria: Campaign to boycott telecom companies and demand lower rates begins
Cellular networks were licensed to operate in Syria in 2001 and ever since day one, the media echoed the customers' discontent with service rates. Syrian bloggers decided they have had enough, so they organized a boycott campaign against mobile carriers that will take place on June 1.
Go Farm, Young Man! – How Farming in Japan is Changing
For a country that identifies strongly as being historically agricultural people, the landscape of Japan's agricultural sector is bleak, and has been for some time. Simply put, the workforce is rapidly aging and there aren't nearly enough successors. The price of rice has gone down, and structural reform is unlikely...
Spain: Wikimovie, created through online participation
In Spain, beverage company Mahou has decided to climb on the online participation bandwagon and have turned to the internet to create and produce a short film where directing, casting and production decisions have been made by the community of participants at the WikiPeli site.
Afghanistan: Aid Money Used Badly
Colla reviews the first report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which noted that the military command overseeing $15bn in US military aid cannot be sure the money is being managed effectively.
Kazakhstan: Special Report by BNE
Elina Galperin reviews the special report on Kazakhstan, which is especially interesting right now as the country is closely tied to world markets and is therefore struggling.
Jamaica, U.S. Virgin Islands: Cruise Control
The popularity of cruises to Caribbean destinations gets Jamaican diaspora blogger Labrish thinking about “the overwhelm of the environment, marine and land, that these mega-cities-on-the-sea bring with them.”
Jamaica, Cuba: Amnesty International Report
Iriegal and Jamaica Salt comment on Amnesty International’s criticism of the Jamaican police force, while Havana Times notes that the organization”recognized…that the US blockade on Cuba has a negative effect on the general population.”
Morocco: The Blogoma's Journey Continues
Blogging has come a long way in Morocco. From a handful a blogs a few years ago, the blogosphere is now growing rapidly, in three languages. In this post, Anas Alaoui reviews the Blogma - the bloggers' very own name for Morocco's thriving blogging scene.
Barbados, U.S.A.: Getting the Message
Barbados Free Press is concerned about the conflicting messages being sent regarding the United States’ Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act.
Guyana, St. Lucia: Child Dies in Car
Guyanese blogger Imran Khan draws attention to the curious circumstances surrounding the death of a toddler in St. Lucia.
Japan: Nova under G-Education
Koichi gives us a rare glimpse of life after the collapse of giant English school Nova at ‘Post-Nova Bust: How is G-Education for teaching English in Japan?‘. [en] His blog post is an interview with a teacher who worked for both Nova and G-Education, the company that bought them out.
Bangladesh, India: No To Tipaimukh Dam
The Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project is being constructed near the confluence of Barak and Tuivai rivers, in Manipur, India and within 100km of Bangladesh border. The project will submerge a huge portion of land, thereby making thousands of people homeless and threatening the habitats of Indigenous population in India. The downstream neighbor Bangladesh will also face severe environmental and economic consequences.
Palestine: The Situation In Gaza Deteriorates
In Gaza, Lebanese activist Natalie Abou Shakra describes what the current situation is.
India: The Kuri System
Mady writes about the “kuri” system of Kerala, which is sort of a chit fund system: “evolving from a noble social purpose, it grew to become a lucrative and unregulated business.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Summit Spend
Trinidad and Tobago's The Undisputed Truth links to a story which, to him, “highlights how the Summit [of the Americas] is a total waste of money.”
Guadeloupe: Analysis of the Unrest
Repeating Islands reports that “The Council of Hemispheric Affairs has just posted their analysis of the unrest that plagued Guadeloupe and other French Overseas Territories earlier this year.”
China and Hong Kong: June 4th protest T-shirt design
Every year on the Sunday before the anniversary of June 4th Incident (Tiananmen Square, 1989), people in Hong Kong would demonstrate to call for justice. This year, the 20th anniversary rally will be on May 31st. Moreover, on the evening of June 4th, there will be a candle night vigil...
Malaysia: Is The New PM a Market Reformer?
Are we expecting a gradual political revolution with new leadership in Malaysia? The Prime Minister does not only embrace social media technology to improve citizen engagement, he ventures a step further where none of his predecessors had attempted before to introduce selective liberalization on financial and service sectors recently.
India: Saving Lives With Paper
Anuradha Parekh at The Better India writes about the struggles of the poverty ridden Sahariya tribe in Madhya Pradesh, India. A local NGO called TARA (Technology and Action for Rural Advancement) came to their rescue by teaching them how to make handmade papers and that has changed the lives of...
Trinidad & Tobago: Where's the Integrity?
Transparency and good governance have been popular topics in the Caribbean blogosphere of late. The latest debacle over integrity (or lack thereof?) comes from Trinidad and Tobago, where, in the last few weeks, a second attempt to establish an Integrity Commission has come to a crashing halt amidst revelations that the Chair of the Commission, a Catholic priest, had committed acts of plagiarism. To add even more fuel to the fire, the journalist who drew attention to the plagiarism in the first place, appears to have been fired. Bloggers speak out.
Jamaica: And now for the Bad News
“Former PM Edward Seaga was never accused of being a ray of sunshine when he was an active politician”: Jamaica and the World reports that Seaga's analysis of the island's economic situation leaves the current administration with “no soft options. No easy answers. No exit.”
