Stories about Economics & Business from September, 2010
Cameroon: How to Fix Cameroon's Pension Fund
Hinsley Njila's ideas for fixing Cameroon's pension fund: “Many of us who grew up in families in Yaoundé may remember names and weary faces of some “uncles” who had to spend a day too many, painfully away from their families, trying to get all the right paper work for their...
Bermuda: Economic Hurricane
Bermuda Blog is bracing for Hurricane Igor, while Vexed Bermoothes is focused on the state of the island's economy, saying: “It’s uglier than Igor.”
Venezuela: Documentary Released Online Goes ‘Beyond the Clichés’
Francisco Toro from Caracas Chronicles introduces the documentary “Moving Pictures o Los Autos de Caracas” by Chris Moore, which was released online this week: “The film is a methodical meditation on just how Venezuela's dream of modernity went so badly off the rails.” Francisco will review the documentary in installments...
Bangladesh: The Privileged Members Of Parliament
An ordinary citizen discusses about the recent privileges for the members of parliament announced by the government. The incomes of the MPs will be tax free and they will be able to import a tax free luxury car each.
Argentina: Banks on 24-hour Strike
EconoBlog informs [es] that banks across the country are on a 24-hour strike demanding an improvement in salaries, working conditions and security.
Trinidad & Tobago: Do the Math
“If citizens are being asked to trust our leaders’ public statements, then the statistics on their own departments’ websites must match”: KnowTnT.com is doing the math and says the numbers don't add up.
Smart use of mobile in a rural Chinese restaurant
Lonniehodge posted a twitpic showing the use of mobile wireless device for checking order in a rural Chinese restaurant.
Africa: Diaspora Camp DC 2010
Diaspora Camp DC: Recap: “The event brought together about 120 entrepreneurs, investors, students and professionals to find out the ways to access capital to start, fund and grow small and medium enterprises as well as other kinds of ventures.”
Hungary: Another Silence Decree Blows a Gasket
Marietta Le reports on how Budapest residents are resisting the newest 'silence decree' that requires bars, restaurants and 24-hour shops in one of the city's districts to close early.
Brazil: Jornal do Brasil Quits Print and Goes Online
Jornal do Brasil (JB), one of the country's oldest and most symbolical newspapers, gave up its printed edition in the end of August and is now distributed exclusively online. Bloggers are talking about JB's rise and fall, telling episodes of its history and discussing the future of media.
Indonesia: Positive economic news
pelopor.nl cites a few macroeconomic indicators which suggest that Indonesia's economy is improving.
Slovakia: No Money for Greece
Slovakia's refusal to take part in the Greek bailout has "outraged" the European Central Bank. Tibor Blazko translates some of what the Slovak netizens think about the issue.
India: The Silver Tsunami
“Unlike in the rich world geriatric care in India is virtually non-existent,” informs Proloy Bagchi. The blogger fears that India awaits a tsunami of old people and they will be in a lot of problems.
Mexico: Celebrating the Bicentennial in the Middle of Chaos
This year Mexico will commemorate the bicentennial of its Independence from the Spanish Crown and the centennial of its Revolution with an extensive program of events. Although this year is meant to be special, some Mexicans consider that amid the problems the country is facing the money the government is spending on the celebrations could be used on other important issues. Mexicans have shared their thoughts on the bicentennial celebrations through the web.
Cuba: Cutting 500,000 Jobs
On the heels of Fidel Castro's admission (and subsequent retraction) that the Cuban economic model no longer works, the government has announced [ES] that it intends to cut massive numbers of state jobs, in an effort to breathe some life into the island's struggling economy. Cuban bloggers discuss the measures.
Africa: Can An African Tech Entrepreneur Change the World?
“Can an African tech entrepreneur change the world?,” Bill Zimmerman asks: “I chose to address the acute need for creating enabling environments on the ground for new technology companies, the present lack of seed-stage financing to fund their growth and opened with the ambitious question, Can an African tech entrepreneur...
Brazil: Story of a Free Store and Ethonomia
João Perdigão tells the story of Loja Grátis [Free Store, pt] in Belo Horizonte, a place where “anyone can take something away and not necessarily leave something in exchange”. Brazilian artist Junia May, says that exchange practices reflect a new economic awareness, and introduces the concept of ethical economy, or...
Angola: Market Closed and Merchants Moving
Hukalilile – Don't Cry for me Angola blog [pt] announced that the popular Roque Santeiro market was officially closed down on September 5. Reportedly, many merchants have already been transferred from Sambizanga to Panguila, 30km away.
Afghanistan: Kabul Bank on the brink of collapse
Financial crisis is not a luxury reserved for rich countries. Kabul Bank in Afghanistan, which is part-owned by the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, is on the edge of a $1 billion collapse.
Caucasus: Expedition 206
Having already visited Georgia, Expedition 206 arrived in Armenia. The initiative, sponsored by Coca-Cola, will see three bloggers visit 206 countries in 365 days. iReport [AM] posts photographs as well as an account of the travelers meeting with 20 local bloggers and says that they will travel to Azerbaijan tomorrow....
Haiti: Protest Today
Wadner Pierre reports that residents of several Haitian tent cities were scheduled to demonstrate this morning, calling for decent housing and the right to education.
