Stories about Environment from July, 2009
Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados: Plantation Governance
“My thesis is that Caribbean governments today are run exactly like the plantations of old, the only difference being that there are fewer white people cracking whips; the overseers have taken over the Great House”: Barbados-based Trinidadian blogger B.C. Pires builds on the late Lloyd Best's Theory of Plantation Economy.
Palestine: Israeli Settlers Set Farmland On Fire
The Palestine Solidarity Project blog reports that Israeli settlers were seen setting farmland on fire near Beit Ummar in the West Bank.
Jamaica: Returning Home
Francis Wade agrees that “the country you leave is not the country you return to”, advocating instead that returning Jamaicans come home “with a flexible, open mind that is willing to enter into an entirely new experience.”
Dominica: Tourism Development?
“The issue of sustainable development has been a troublesome issue…and the Caribbean is no exception; as the pace of development has begun and in some cases has already outstripped the rate at which our valuable and fragile ecosystem can replenish itself”: Dominica Weekly advocates approaching tourism development with caution.
Nabucco: Running out of gas
Der Spiegelfechter comments on [GER] the agreement to build gas pipeline Nabucco and wonders where the gas will be coming from, whereas Der Unbequeme questions [GER] the need of yet another pipeline. LJ user xystos argues [RUS] why Nabucco is a mere mirage, and LJ user tertiaroma sees [RUS] the...
Nabucco: Chorus of the energy slaves
Gabriela Ionita of Power&PoliticsWeblog discusses the recent agreement in Ankara on the construction of the western financed Nabucco gas pipeline and competition with Russia over Caucasian and Central Asian gas supplies and deliveries to Europe.
Dominica: New Carib Chief Elected
Dominica has a new Carib Chief – Repeating Islands reports.
Puerto Rico: Play for Las Playas
Repeating Islands profiles a play by a group of students that “is meant to educate people about the value of caring for our coasts and to raise consciousness to avoid the privatization of Puerto Rico’s shores.”
Bahrain: Livestock Dying
Bahraini Khalid [Ar] comments on the death of livestock in Bahrain this summer. “There are sheep that die, goats that die and cows that die of the heat and thirst; from the overcrowding in the pens; livestock are suffering from physical exhaustion and heat exhaustion; there are sick animals and...
Estonia: Comparing 1989 with 2009
Gedanken über Estland presents [GER] a number of statistical figures comparing Estonia in 1989 and 2009, against the background of financial crisis, showing a decline in almost every sector of society.
Russia: Putin breaking the law
Ilya Yashin tells [RUS] how Premier Putin apparently broke the law by serving US President Obama Russian caviar, considered contraband since capture of sturgeon was outlawed in 2007.
South Africa: Table Mountain in New 7 Wonders of Nature competition
Table Mountain in South Africa is nominated for the New 7 Wonders of Nature: “If you live in South Africa there is almost no chance that you don’t know someone who thinks that Table Mountain is the bees knees. I think it’s pretty smart myself, but apparently the rest of...
Ghana: Chocolate for Obama
Does Obama like chocolate? The folks at Divine Chocolate are inviting Pres. Obama to visit and learn more about cocoa farmers in Ghana
Arab World: Stories in Pictures
Armed with their cameras, two bloggers in the region took pictures of habits and things which caught their attention and commented on them. Here are their stories from Syria and Kuwait.
Czech Republic: A story of engineerial ingenuity
The Reference Frame examines the biography of ingenious Czech inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), and discusses his role for the development of science and industry.
Russia-Belarus: Foreign policy split between Moscow and Minsk?
Sergei Makedonov at OpenDemocracy discerns an increasing foreign policy split between Russia and Belarus and explains why.
Barbados: Making Sugar Cane King
“No one with the authority seems to want to make a definitive decision as to how to progress the sugar cane industry”: Barbados Underground is convinced that “the value is no longer in the sugar but now in the sugar cane” – especially bio fuels and bio plastics.
Bangladesh, India: Tipaimukh Dam And Farakka Barrage
Habib Siddiqui highlights the disastrous effect of the Farakka Barrage in India on Bangladesh and opines that if the Tipaimukh Dam is built for the hydroelectricity project, this will become another deathtrap like the Farakka Barrage.
Czech Republic: World's first triple hybrid bus
The Reference Frame tells about the first ever serially manufactured triple hybrid bus, made in the Czech city of Pilsen – otherwise famous for its beer.
Saudi Arabia: Enjoying The Outdoor Life In Aramco
Natasha Burge has just moved: “The dogs are SO happy with their daily two hour walks on the miles and miles of hiking trails here, through grassy fields surrounded by trees and flowers.” Where is she? Saudi Arabia!
Dominica: Not Happy
Steve's Dominica is “not Happy” about “The recently released ‘Happy Planet Index’ report”, which seems to have forgotten about the Caribbean.
