· June, 2009

Stories about Economics & Business from June, 2009

Bahrain: Train And Hire Bahrainis, Please

Bassam Noor is pleased that a Bahraini has been hired in a senior position in major investment firm Investcorp for the first time, but says: “It’s unfair that Investcorp benefits from Bahrain’s tax-free environment, and geographical proximity to cash-rich regions, but it yet refuses arrogantly to provide further training to...

Trinidad & Tobago: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

  23 June 2009

Trinidad and Tobago-based blogger Attillah Springer addresses the judge whose ruling caused construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt: “This victory is for denuded hills and depleted fish stocks. This victory is for every unsolved crime, every unkept campaign promise. What you have done has...

Japan: On How to Perceive the Japanese Web (Part One)

  23 June 2009

Reporter Yuka Okada from the Japanese tech news site ITmedia brandished her well-regarded interviewing skills for a one-on-one session with Mochio Umeda. The result was “The Japanese web is ‘disappointing': An interview with Mr. Mochio Umeda” Part One and Part Two [ja]. In reaction, the Japanese blogosphere had to give...

Barbados, Antigua: Stanford Similarities

  22 June 2009

Barbados Free Press sees striking similarities between Allen Stanford's alleged Ponzi scheme and the CLICO Barbados scandal, with one notable exception: “Antigua has integrity legislation.”

Jamaica: Can the IMF Change?

  22 June 2009

“There is talk of the possibility of the current Jamaican administration returning to do business with the International Monetary Fund“: Abeng News Magazine wonders whether the IMF leopard can change its spots.

Vietnam: Growth of Saigon

  21 June 2009

Michael Sieburg writes about the economic expansion of Saigon and enumerates some of the notable construction projects in the city.

Guyana: Blackout Stimulus Package?

  18 June 2009

“People across the country are cussing bitterly about the almost nationwide blackouts which Guyanese are suffering on a daily basis”: Imran Khan thinks that “there is serious economics behind it all.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter & Democracy

  17 June 2009

As a legal ruling causes construction on the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter to come to a halt, This Beach Called Life comments: “This case is destined to go to the Privy Council and if the EMA (Government) should lose then the reputation of the EMA would be damaged beyond repair...

Brazil: Petrobras Blog Versus Mainstream Media

  16 June 2009

In the first week of June, Brazil's giant semi-public oil company Petrobras created a free blog on Wordpress. Among the posts publicised during the blog's first days were questions and answers of journalists that were going to be part of their respective newspaper headlines and stories throughout the week. This attitude has been seen as an act of transparency by some bloggers, a threat to journalism by some newspapers and led to heated debate on the power of media and blogging.

Barbados: Aquaponics

  16 June 2009

“Aquaponics is the new way to farm”: Barbados Underground blogs about “its potential to feed Barbadians and at the same time [be] the ideal model for food security.”

Trinidad & Tobago: The Outsiders

  16 June 2009

“We are all begging to be let in. For our voices to be heard. For our opinions to matter. And the father of the nation builds a big tall wall around what is for him and those who support him. Like a club bouncer he gets to say who gets...

Barbados: Tourism and H1N1

  16 June 2009

Barbados Free Press is torn: should Barbados admit a cruise ship at the risk of increasing the incidence of the H1N1 virus – or go for the tourism dollars?

Japan: HBS on Japanese Anime Industry

  15 June 2009

Matt Alt links to a Harvard Business School working paper (pdf) on the state of the Japanese anime industry: “If Japan wants to bank on its ‘Gross National Cool’, it will have to overcome the inertia of system that has essentially reduced its most talented architects to the level of...

Dominica: Chavez’ Visit

  15 June 2009

“It's like the uncle who comes with some cash in his pocket and the whole family gets lined up by the door of a recently cleaned room”: Caribbean Man reports on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ visit to Dominica.

Trinidad & Tobago: Up in Flames

  15 June 2009

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but who would want to flatter matches?”: From Trinidad and Tobago, This Beach Called Life explains.

USA, Singapore: On Buying Brides with Credit Cards

  15 June 2009

The Human Trafficking blog by Amanda Kloer at Change.org in the United States declared victory on Friday in their campaign to get the credit card company Diners Club International to stop doing business with a company in Singapore that sells Vietnamese mail order brides. More than 800 people signed a petition to get Diners Club to stop making it easier to purchase women for marriage.