Devon Whittle » Noteworthy

What's it like in the ICTY UN Detention Unit?

devonwhittle — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:21:13 +0000

Kevin Heller has an extremely interesting post on his first meeting with Radovan Karadzic in the UN Detention Unit in the Hague. It’s a fascinating insight into the world of international criminal law.

What's it like in the ICTY UN Detention Unit? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Suing the United Nations

devonwhittle — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:40:29 +0000

The Mothers of the Srebrenica are suing the United Nations for reparations for the failure of the UN to stop the genocide that killed more than 7,000 of their relatives. This will be a very interesting case to watch as it examines the limits of the responsibilities of international institutions.

Suing the United Nations is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

What if nothing happened today?

devonwhittle — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:50:30 +0000

The two videos below are quite excellent in their execution.

Haunting version:
More prosaic version – that was made first:

For some reason it reminds me of that excellent movie, Children of Men – something about the world falling apart. It’s also interesting how awkward it feels just watching the presenters not saying anything for 2 minutes – tells me something about my social mores.

If you’re wondering how they did it…They split the screen into two and stitched together all the instances each presenter wasn’t talking. It’s more obvious in the second clip. Very clever.

What if nothing happened today? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

2,000 Wikipedias every year

devonwhittle — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:54:27 +0000

This speech by Clay Shirky is probably one of the most important things I’ve read for a while. In it he answers that question I get asked all to often – “Where do you find the time?”. He estimates that the time Americans watch TV every year is equivalent to 2,000 Wikipedias! In fact, the time watching advertisements is 1 Wikipedia every weekend. Crazy stuff.

2,000 Wikipedias every year is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Development Tourists – good, bad or ugly?

devonwhittle — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:46:28 +0000

Three must read Blattman posts and comments for anyone considering a “one month stint in Africa”. First, so you want to go to a post war zone, then development tourism, and finally development tourism, revisited.

Development Tourists – good, bad or ugly? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

African Election Data Goldmine

devonwhittle — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:16:43 +0000

I’m loving this website that documents election results in sub-saharan Africa. It’s a dream for anyone who loves data or just wants to bone up on some recent political history. Hat-tip to Blattman for pointing it out (I think?).

African Election Data Goldmine is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

How to read a book properly

devonwhittle — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:26:47 +0000

This post from RyanHoliday has really inspired me to start reading properly. He details how to get the most out of your reading and actually learn things from books. I power through so much text every day/week/month/year it’s easy to forget a lot of it (especially when it’s all stored somewhere online). My new goal: start reading properly!

How to read a book properly is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Awesome development data resources

devonwhittle — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:21:13 +0000

If you’re in need of data on development check out Development Data. This site has links to all the major databases grouped by topic. Great work by Gunilla Petterson. Awesome development data resources is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com. Related posts:Development Tourists – good, bad or ugly? Reading for armchair development [...]

Awesome development data resources is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Should we privatise education?

devonwhittle — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:20:42 +0000

Andrew Norton and Andrew Leigh are debating whether public schools should be privatised. It’s been a good read so far. Should we privatise education? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com. Related posts:Now tweeting live from Arusha, Tanzania Economists know everything! 17 reasons for free public transport

Should we privatise education? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Bromide poisoning in Angola

devonwhittle — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:05:49 +0000

The BBC reports about a horrible outbreak of bromide poisoning in Angola. More than 400 victims have been identified and WHO believes it is linked to contaminated salt – probably from the local oil industry or rubbish dump.

Bromide poisoning in Angola is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.