Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Public Health and Diplomacy. Wikileaks lays bare US priorities.

More on the wikileaks saga. Good piece by Knowledge Ecology International relayed through IP-Health ( Vol 16, Issue 18 ) on the latest cables to be made public, regarding data exclusivity, one amongst several chief  features of TRIPS + like rules with serious implications for Public Health. Meanwhile, Bradley  Manning remains in jail, in harsh conditions. We shall not forget.

240 Wikileaks cables on pharmaceutical data exclusivity

The following are the cables identified in an August 29, 2011 search of the wikileaks cables,  using the search terms data exclusivity and pharmaceutical. This search identified 240 cables. Some 40 countries are mentioned in the cables. More than half of the cables involve 5 countries: Turkey (76), Taiwan (21), El Salvador (11), Honduras (11) and Tunisia (10).

Monday, August 29, 2011

Libye, Côte d’Ivoire: des interventions qui se ressemblent

On reprend un article de Colette Braeckman apparu sur son blog chez le journal belge Le soir. Nous avons  ajouté des liens, photos et quelques matériaux de contexte.

Le Crl. Kadhafi et Laurent Gagbo, lors d´une visite officielle du dirigeant Libyen à Abdijan, Cote d´Ivoire  en Juin 2007. C´étaient d´autres temps
Abidjan en avril, Tripoli en août…Certes, la Côte d’Ivoire de Gagbo n’est pas la Libye de Kadhafi. Cependant, d’un renversement de régime à l’autre, comment ne pas être frappé par les similitudes entre les deux situations, dans lesquelles des  forces spéciales européennes,  françaises d’un côté, franco-britanniques de l’autre,  ont joué un rôle déterminant ?


Sunday, August 28, 2011

En memoria de la masacre de migrantes en México.Tribunal Internacional de Conciencia de los Pueblos en Movimiento

Interesante articulo de Júlio Moreira en Rebelión  sobre el aniversario del descubrimiento de las fosas comunes en el estado mexicano de Tamaulipas conteniendo hasta 183  cuerpos de hombres y mujeres migrantes, así como los trabajos del Tribunal Internacional de Conciencia de los Pueblos en Movimiento. Un año después la violencia contra migrantes continuaHemos añadido foto, hyperlinks y materiales de contexto.

Ceremonia del homenaje a los 72 victimas, fotografia de Lenin Nolly Araujo  en 72 migrantes, pagina establecida para recordar y visualizar las 72 victimas de Tamaulipas.
En memoria de la masacre de migrantes en México
En el 24 de agosto de 2010, el mundo se quedó espantado con los 72 cuerpos de migrantes encontrados en la municipalidad de San Fernando, en el estado mexicano de Tamaulipas. Un joven ecuatoriano que fingió su propia muerte escapó y caminó por 23 Km con una bala en el cuello, hasta la comisaría de policía más cercana, para noticiar la masacre. 

Saturday, August 27, 2011

War on Democracy. 2007 John Pilger's documentary on US foreign policy in the Americas

A good documentary (in high definition)  by Australian filmmaker John Pilger on Americas recent history. Focuses on developments in Guatemala, El Salvador, Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile.


Pilger interviews several ex-CIA agents who purportedly took part in secret campaigns against democratic countries . Establishes the role and responsibility of the US-based School of the Americas in training and providing guidance for military forces in such countries as El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Honduras. Reinstauración "democrática" y guerra sucia contra movimientos sociales

La aparente incapacidad de las autoridades hondureñas para prevenir, detener y castigar el conjunto de ataques contra lideres, organizaciones y miembros de movimientos sociales transpira un clima de impunidad y guerra sucia incompatibles con un régimen que se considere democrático.


El asesinato de dos lideres campesinos,  Pedro Salgado y Secundino Ruiz, en un intervalo de dos días en la zona del Bajo Aguan, escenario de un conflicto sobre distribución de tierras entre campesin@s y terratenientes constituye un capitulo mas  de la espiral  de persecuciones, hostigamientos y atentados contra lideres sociales, periodistas y militantes de izquierda desatada bajo el mandato del presidente hondureño P. Lobo.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Affaire Zongo. La force de la justice contre la violence du pouvoir



La chambre criminelle de la cour d'appel de Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso a rendu mardi 23 aout  sentence  sur la responsabilité des trois policiers accuses d´être responsables de la mort du jeune étudiant Justin Zongo qui décédait âpres avoir été relâché du  commissariat de Koudougou en circonstances confuses fin février.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Education refom in the US. Cheating to survive

A good NYT piece on Monday August 22nd on Michelle Rhee, former DC Public Schools Chancellor, and one of the most vocal proponents of the need for reform of the education system in the US with a strong anti-union approach.

Education reform ( notably through school vouchers and charter schools) in the US is not only the ultimate philantrophist playing field with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Warren Buffet and Facebook´s founder pouring considerable ammounts of money into alterantives to the traditional public education system but also part of a wider narrative around the role of governments and unions in times of deficits. Worthy noting the presence of such actors as Private Security companies (Caveon) and PR executives (Anita Dunn White House Communication Director April-November 2009) close to the Obama administration in the effort to counter the backlash from cheating scandals in several US education districts. Added cartoon, hyperlinks and context material.
Reliance on test data, key element  of the No Child Left Behind initiative,  to asses students and teachers performance has  contributed to the reported increased of cheating cases in several US school districts. Source crooks and liars

Eager for Spotlight, but Not if It Is on a Testing Scandal

Ms. Rhee, the chancellor of the Washington public schools from 2007 to 2010, is the national symbol of the data-driven, take-no-prisoners education reform movement. 

Monday, August 22, 2011

25 anys ja. Joël Fieux assassinat per la contra a Nicaragua. Un entre d'altres

Un internacionalista ens deixava fa 25 anys.

Una petita nota per retre homenatge a Joël Fieux, francès (naturalitzat Nicaragüenc) caigut  en la defensa de la revolució sandinista a Matagalpa  el 28 juliol 1986. 
En Joël va ser assassinat pels contres,qui  amb el suport i  cobertura econòmica i política de les administracions  Carter i Reagan van menar una guerra irregular  (que va tenir la població civil  com a objectiu i víctima) contra el projecte revolucionari (1979-1990) del  Front Sandinista d'Alliberament Nacional (FSLN) basat principalment en una campanya d'alfabetització massiva  i la reforma agrària.

Joël Fieux assassinats pels contres juliol 28, 1986.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Zizek on 2005 riots in France's banlieues. A politically incorrect (and timely necessary) reflexion.

A short piece from November 2005  by Slovenian professor Slavoj Zizek on urban violences and social decomposition in France (extendible to western societies and to certain degree US). Included in the special issue Les émeutes urbaines de Novembre 2005 put together by Multitudes (revue politique, artistique et philosophique) with contributions from Angela Davis and Tariq Ramadan  (with a piece on UK perceptions). No editing. Added some pictures, hyperlinks and related materials. 
Looking for a political voice, somewhere near Paris at dawn in November 2005 Picture from La Banlieue en replay


Two parallels are often evoked apropos the recent violent outbursts in France : the New Orleans looting after Katrina hurricane and May 68. In spite of significant differences, lessons can be drawn from both parallels. With regard to New Orleans, the Paris fires had a sobering effect on those European intellectuals who used New Orleans to emphasize the advantage of the European welfare state model over the US wild capitalism - now we know it can happen here also.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Colombia. State's acknowledgement of responsibility in murder of Manuel Cepeda

 We have received a press release from the  Center for Justice and International Law ( CEJIL ) on the public ceremony of acknowledgement of responsibility by the Colombian State in the  targeted death of Senator Manuel Cepeda Vargas in  Bogota, Colombia on August 9, 1994.

An important step forward  in the fight against impunity in Colombia, resulting from the  first intervention of an international tribunal on the assassination of public figures, activists and supporters of the Colombian left in dirty war  episodes, especially the systematic  persecution of  Patriotic Union . 
We have  translated and added hyperlinks to the statement and some more background information on the subject at the end.
Manuel Cepeda Vargas, Senator of the Patriotic Union (UP), was murdered in Bogota, Colombia on August 9, 1994 Picture from Semana
Colombian State acknowledges  responsibility for execution of Manuel Cepeda
(...)
This act of acknowledgment of responsibility was  carried out in compliance with the ruling issued on May 26, 2010  by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR ), holding Colombian State authorities responsible  for the extrajudicial execution of Senator Manuel Cepeda.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Luxury, hunger and fury.David Brooks in La Jornada

With UK's aftermath ( and PR work for State authorities) still in progress, a good piece on taxes and wealth in terms of increasing inequalities in the US Added picture, hyperlinks and more content from the same author/ issue.  
Lujo, hambre y furia Articulo en Castellano en La Jornada (Via Telesur)

 

Soon available in any location.

Luxury, hunger and fury
By David Brooks
From the Mexican newspaper La Jornada
The demand for luxury goods – from $800 shoes and cosmetic creams retailing for $1,300 to Mercedes-Benz cars prized at $200,000 – is enjoying a boom, while nearly 46 million Americans rely more than ever on federal assistance to buy basic foods and avoid hunger. That sums up the United States today.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Colombia, reconocimiento de la responsabilidad del Estado por asesinato de Manuel Cepeda.

Hemos recibido comunicado del Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional  (CEJIL) sobre la ceremonia publica de reconocimiento de responsabilidad por parte del Estado colombiano en la muerte del Senador Manuel Cepeda Vargas, ocurrida en Bogota, Colombia el 9 de agosto de 1994. 

Un importante paso en la lucha contra la impunidad en Colombia, producto de la primera intervención de un tribunal internacional sobre el asesinato de figuras publicas, militantes y simpatizantes de la izquierda colombiana en episodios de guerra sucia, muy especialmente la persecución de Unión Patriótica.  Hemos agregado hyperlinks al comunicado y algo mas de información de contexto  sobre el tema al final.  
English translation    available .

Manuel Cepeda Vargas, Senador de la Unión Patriótica (UP)  asesinado el 9 de agosto de 1994.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Exclusion, indignacion y alienacion. La insurrección que viene

Los niños perdidos han quemado los
fetiches favoritos de una sociedad que no merece más consideración
que los monumentos de París al final de la Semana sangrienta, y que

lo sabe

En la tercera noche de disturbios en el  Reino Unido y  la consolidación de un movimiento antagonista de naturaleza difusa en el Estado español nos parece relevante destacar algunos materiales que pueden ayudar a una mejor comprensión critica de estas realidades.

El libro se encuentra disponible para descargar, y en distribuidoras



En noviembre de 2007, la editorial francesa La Fabrique publicaba el libreto La insurrección que viene, un ensayo extendido de reflexión sobre la crisis social y política que afecta a la mayoría de regímenes occidentales y la recesión económica de alcance global.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Five Myths about Africa

Departing words by Christian Science Monitor Africa's  chief correspondent Scott Baldauf after five years covering the continent. Interesting reading most specially when the Horn of Africa is  again  in the agenda of corporate media. 
Africa´s political map from Nationsonline

With the insight of five years on the ground and a summary of his travels around the continent; Mr. Baldauf proceeds to debunk five myths about Africa which shape international coverage of what happens in a 54-countries and 2,000 languages continent: "Africa is poor; Africa is violent;  Africa is technologically backward; Africa needs "our" help; and my favorite,  Africa is a country. " An interesting piece to improve our understanding of a huge continent of extreme contrasts.

Friday, August 5, 2011

BBC: US under fire for running 'little Gitmos'

An interesting BBC piece on Communication Management Units (CMU) jails in the United States. We have added some hyperlinks and other context materials at the end of the story.

US under fire for running 'little Gitmos'

Terre Haute federal prison, Indiana (file) 
At the CMU in Terre Haute, all telephone calls and mail are monitored
The story - and the controversy - about the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is familiar and well-rehearsed.But less-known is the story of what some have dubbed "Gitmo the Heartland" o "Guantanamo North" - two prison units on the US mainland where other inmates in the wider "war on terror" are being held in conditions that civil liberties groups regard as another post-9/11 challenge to normal judicial standards.

Monday, August 1, 2011

25 ans déjà. Joël Fieux assassiné au Nicaragua par les "contra". Un parmi d´autres.

Un internationaliste est parti

Une petite note pour rendre hommage a Joël Fieux, français (naturalisé Nicaraguayen) tombé en la défense de la révolution sandiniste au Matagalpa le 28 juillet 1986. Joel fut assassine par les contras qui, avec le support économique et couverture politique des Administrations Carter et  Reagan  ont menée une guerre irrégulière (qui a prise la population comme cible et victime) contre le projet révolutionnaire (1979-1990) du Frente Sandinista basée sur une campagne d´alphabétisation et  la reforme agraire.  

Joël Fieux assassiné par les contra le 28 Juillet 1986.