· June, 2009

Stories about Economics & Business from June, 2009

Azerbaijan: Expensive donkey

In Mutatione Fortitudo comments on news that a donkey costing $18,500 has been purchased using funds from the Azeri State Budget. The blog says that $179,700 was spent on such purchases last year and wonders why.

Cambodia: Laundering money

  13 June 2009

Vutha from Cambodia believes laundering money is not difficult as he enumerates the steps on how to safely transfer dirty money in the world.

Brunei: Anti-corruption drive

  13 June 2009

The anti-corruption drive in Brunei seems to be working as reported by the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer of Transparency International

Haiti: All Things Haitian

  12 June 2009

“Haitians are passionate, intelligent, dynamic. Artistic and creative”: The Haitian Queen explains why she chose her blogging moniker.

Dominican Republic: Fair Trade Cocoa

  12 June 2009

“The transformation of the Dominican Republic from a producer of low-grade cacao…to a powerhouse in the production of high quality organic cocoa has been one of the most remarkable agricultural developments of the last three decades in the Caribbean”: Repeating Islands has the delicious details.

Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter Protest

  12 June 2009

Rights Action Group T&T republishes a letter to the editor regarding an “imbalanced” news report claiming that an injured baby died as a result of the smelter protests, while This Beach Called Life concocts an imaginary conversation about the protest action between the Prime Minister and Attorney General.

Zimbabwe: Faces of the crisis and a cry for help

  12 June 2009

The CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation organization has published Time 2 Act, an online video in which people in Zimbabwe present the various ways in which the crisis the country is going through is decimating the population and the quality of life of the survivors. In the following 3 part video, citizens discuss how the mega devaluation the currency is going through affects their ability to eat and clothe themselves, speak about violence and plead for help from mediators such as the South African Development Community.

Russia, U.S.: Reactions to WSJ Story on Web-Savvy Homeless

Earlier this month, Russian social networking portal Habrahabr.ru featured photos and some translated text from the May 30 Wall Street Journal piece on the online presence of the U.S. homeless - On the Street and On Facebook: The Homeless Stay Wired. The original English-language story has generated 93 comments. On Habrahabr.ru, there are currently 183 responses - and below are some of them.

Trinidad & Tobago: Smelter Not Welcome

  10 June 2009

“The State wants the people of Trinidad to believe that only a handful of residents of La Brea do not want the smelter. This is not true”: Attillah Springer and Rights Action Group T&T republish a press statement regarding the proposed Alutrint aluminium smelter in La Brea.

Malawi: Busting the myth of skyrocketing prices of homes

  7 June 2009

Siku Nkhoma identifies factors behind high prices of homes in Lilongwe, Malawi: “Following today's (06-06-2009) article in the Malawi News by Stanley Kenani on Rentals in Lilongwe i felt it needed a proper response. The Myth being propagated by Kenani is that rentals in Lilongwe are that high because of...

Macedonia: Facebook Ads Survey

GV Author Filip Stojanovski has surveyed some 450 Facebook users from Macedonia on whether they are clicking on the ads placed on Facebook by Macedonian companies and posted the results of the survey on his blog, Razvigor :-).

Ghana: Speculation, excitement and hopes over Obama's visit

  5 June 2009

Bloggers around the world speculate about President Obama's choice to visit Ghana first in sub-Saharan Africa. Across the continent Africans have been asking, “Why Ghana?” Many commentators are suggesting that the choice to visit Ghana first is an explicit endorsement of the nation's recent peaceful elections and that the USA values peace and democracy above personal affiliations and more powerful nations.

Cuba, USA: OAS Says “Yes”

  4 June 2009

After 47 years, the Organization of American States has lifted its ban on Cuba's admission from the group, with most member states restoring ties with the island nation. The United States, which still maintains a trade embargo against Cuba, was the notable exception. But the opinions of other hemispheric leaders won out. Cuba is free to be part of the OAS - despite its leadership's statements suggesting that it has no interest in returning. A few bloggers are making their feelings known...

Brazil: Land reform or deforestation boost for the Amazon?

  4 June 2009

Brazilian president Lula da Silva has a controversial bill that will legitimize land-grabbing in the Amazon prior to 2004 on his hands. Will the law help the forest escape further deforestation or is it going to benefit land owners only, and be the last straw for an Amazon rain forest already on its way to destruction?

Dominica: Going Green?

  4 June 2009

“It’s obvious that business as usual, handouts as usual and corruption as usual in our nature isle is not getting us where we want to go”: Dominica Weekly sees merit in talk of a “green economy” for the island.

The right to know in Fiji

  4 June 2009

Jonathan, the writer of the blog Oceanic: User Experiences from the South Pacific reports on a consumer complaint against his Fiji-based advertising agency stating that his advert for a local ISP attempts to benefit from the Swine Flu epidemic (now called H1N1) by misleading consumers into thinking internet service “is...