Stories about Development from August, 2010
China: Beyond being second
Xie Guozhong from my1510 comments on China's rapid economic growth and stresses the need for economic adjustment for a healthy and sustainable economy in the long run.
Ghana: Photos of Ghanaians threatened with relocation
Bunmi displays Devin Tepleski's portraits of the inhabitants of Bui, Ghana, who are threatened with relocation by a new hydroelectric dam.
Africa: Maker Faire Africa 2010: First Day
Photos and first day account of Maker Faire Africa 2010: “This year, besides having jua kali creators from Kenya, we also have makers from Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa. It’s a great turnout, and continues the tradition from Ghana last year.We’re seeing all kinds of incredible ideas...
East Timor: Narrowing the Digital Divide in Images
Steve Song shares a set of photos from field work on a project that intends to narrow the gap in access to communications in East Timor – Dili Village Telco.
Russia: Online Cooperation as an Alternative for Government?
Gregory Asmolov analyzes causes of the highly successful cooperation within the Russian online community during the recent wildfires crisis and examines whether online collaboration can provide a sustainable alternative for the government in the future.
Togo: Computer Camp in Togo
Life of an American volunteer in Togo:”In the beginning of June, we held our computer camp! The boys came the first three days and the girls came the three days after that. Everything actually went really smoothly.”
Russia: Khimki Forest and Bono's “Intervention”
Natalia Antonova comments on Bono's role in the resolution of the Khimki forest situation during his visit to Moscow earlier this week: “There was an “intervention” on behalf of Bono in regards to the destruction of the Khimki forest? Where is the evidence of this intervention?”
Uganda: The Expat/Ugandan Dynamic
Mark Jordahl discusses corruption allegation at Uganda Wildlife Authority and lessons to be learnt about the dynamic between foreign experts and Ugandans: I believe that for some, there is a tendency to assume we mzungus bring more to the table than we actually do.”
Japan: Eyebrows raised by China’s rise to number two
This month the Japanese government admitted that spending China has stolen its thunder becoming the second largest economy after the US. But this announcement hasn't surprised many Japanese people who had been expecting it to happen sooner or later, and has made many bloggers raise their eyebrows and say: so what?
India: Recyclers – The Invisible Heroes
Anna da Costa at India Climate Solutions writes about the Indian recycling industry which is contributing in India's economic boom and the slum dwellers who provide cheap labors for this industry.
Noam Chomsky in China
On 13 August, Noam Chomsky delivered a speech at the Peking University in Beijing. Chomsky, one of the leading public intellectuals of our age, is famous for his political activism and contributions to linguistic and philosophy. The talk, titled Contours of World Order: Continuities and Changes, was mostly about two...
Azerbaijan: Bloqosfer 2010
A site for Bloqosfer 2010 [AZ] to be held in Nabron, Azerbaijan, on 10-12 September has been launched at http://www.bloqosfer.com/2010. The hashtag #bloqosfer10 is used on Twitter.
Mexico: Elementary Public Schools Connected to the Internet
Eduardo Zeind reports [es] that Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, announced that Mexico City is the first capital city in Latin America to connect all of its elementary school children to the Internet. Eduardo writes: “More than 6000 computers will be installed to cover 100% of elementary public schools...
Bolivia: Waste Management in El Alto
Mario R. Duran considers [es] waste management options for El Alto, Bolivia, and analyzes the possibility and consequences of installing a plant that would turn waste into diesel fuel.
Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan risky countries to surf the Net
Writing on the AVG blog, the anti-virus company's chief research officer says that Armenia and Azerbaijan are the third and fourth most risky places to surf the web. Although the full list of 144 countries hasn't been released, The two most risky, Turkey and Russia, also border the Caucasus region...
Guinea Bissau: Videos about Water Scarcity
Blog Novas da Guiné Bissau shares the video Bafatá Misti Iagu (Bafatá Wants Water) [pt], describing a project that promotes the access to water for 22.000 people in the city of Bafatá. The issue of lack of access to safe water in Guinea Bissau had been previously reported in a documentary...
Colombia: Technology as Synonym for Jobs and Development
Carlos Correa writes [es] in his technology blog, Blog de Kloscorrea, about technology as a synonym for development and job creation in Colombia. He says the government needs to make regulations and policies that benefit the technology sector, and that Colombians need to stop feeling “small” next to other countries...
Cape Verde: Debates on Youth and Politics Happening in Portugal
There is a group of Cape Verdean citizens who occasionally organize meetings in Lisbon to discuss the relations between youth and politics, as Suzano Costa explains in a video [pt] republished by Amilcar Tavares. In their blog – Tertúlia Crioula [pt] – one can read the notes taken from “Cape Verde in...
Sao Tome & Principe: Revolt Against Water Diverted from Hospital
In the past few months, a heated discussion animated the blogosphere of Sao Tome and Principe, on a public health problem that apparently has already been solved. Until last week, there was no water running from the taps of Ayres de Menezes Hospital, but its director now assures that the issue has been taken care of.
India: Plights Of The Deaf Students
Sukanya at Notes From Wherever I Happen To Be shares the plights of the students of two deaf schools in Bhubaneswar and comments that the “India shining” slogan seems mere rhetoric.
Colombia: Siblings Create Dining Hall for Hungry Children
María Eugenia, from the blog La Mariposa, writes [es] about María Cenelia and Carlos Hernán, a sister and brother who created a dining hall for children in Cali, Colombia. The hall became foundation Funcreamor, serving children that would otherwise go hungry. The foundation has a Facebook [es] profile where they...