Day 127: Copyright Scam

There is currently a court case going on concerning a man from Thailand who went to go study in the US, and to be able to pay for his studies and other living expenses, he asked his friends and family to send him foreign editions of textbooks, which he would then sell in the US, as they can be bought cheaper there. So now this guy has been sued for copyright infringement and lost, though the decision was appealed and is now being heard in the...

Read More

Dag 126: Turning a Blind Eye to Corruption

Corruption is one of the major problems in South Africa. Because the market economy is unable to meet the demands for basic needs - the government has a big role in making sure everyone is provided for. One of the means of financing these services, as we have seen in previous blogs, is the raising of taxes. The money that is raised by the government is meant to be redistributed to the people of South Africa to combat inequality and dire living...

Read More

Day 125: Double Con - Australian Mining Interests in Africa

The Australian Government is channeling money which was allocated as Australian Aid Funds towards companies who are members of the Australian Africa Mining Group Industry. Instead of this money being used for that it was allocated for, it is being used by these Australian mining companies to further their own interests. They have been using the Aid money to fund their own Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Now, Corporoate Social Responsibilities...

Read More

Day 124: Desperate Borrowing Behaviour

Whereas loans used to be mainly for big expenses, such as buying a car or renovating a house - personal finance research unit head, Bernadene de Clercq explains how South Africans have resorted to borrowing from credit providers to pay for food, transport, medical bills, school fees and electricity bills. Prices of electricity and fuel have increased significantly over the past few years - which is a factor that was not taken into account at...

Read More

Day 123: Health Obsession put Sharks in Peril

Fish supplements are now deemed 'the new gold', as they are being promoted as being THE latest weapon to keep you from being depressed, getting heart attacks and dementia. This point has become a very lucrative business, due to lose laws allowing shark oils extracted from species which were caught outside Europe, to be sold in the U.K. The actual effectiveness of these omega-3 pills, are however being quesitoned. Greek researchers found...

Read More

Day 122: Poor Villagers Cursed with Riches - the AMAZON

Allow me to introduce you to Sani Isla. Deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest, you can still find untouched land. Sani Isla is a 70 000 ha area of such land, inhabited by a community of only 422 locals. The biodiversity in Sani Isla is mind-blowing - to give you some reference: scientists say that 1ha in this region contains a greater biodiversity than the whole of North America together! Talk about paradise... Two generations ago the...

Read More

Day 121: Euro Crisis and Old Grudges

Germany has taken lead as part of the Eurozone to push Greece's austerity measures. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel went to visit Greece to talk to the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on the status of the Greek economy. Demonstrations and protests emerged, where some of the demonstrators were even bearing swastika flags to show their discontent at Germany being the one pushing the austerity measures. Points like Greece never having...

Read More