LXIV - Internet Activist, Aaron Swartz Dead at 26

            This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the complete title of, "Internet activist, programmer Aaron Swartz dead at 26." Published at http://www.reuters.com/, on January 12, 2013. The second with the title of, "Aaron Swartz." Published at http://en.wikipedia.org/.

          Police found the body of Aaron Swartz in his apartment in the New York city, according to the medical examiner, which ruled the death as a suicide by hanging. Swartz is credited with being a co-author of the specifications for the web feed format RSS 1.0. It is a format for delivering to users content from sites that changed constantly, such as new pages and blogs. Over the years, he became an online icon for helping to make a virtual mountain of information freely available to the public. "Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it only for themselves," Swartz wrote in 2008. "The entire scientific and cultural heritage of the world is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations. Sharing it is not immoral. Only those blinded by greed would refuse to let a friend make a copy." He wrote. That belief, that information should be shared for the good of society, prompted Swartz to found the nonprofit group, Demand Progress. But Swartz faced trouble in July 2011, when he was indicted to allegedly stealing millions of academic articles from digital archive at the Massachusets institute of Technology ( MIT ). Swartz who pleaded not guilty to all counts, would face 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted. He was released on bond. His trial scheduled to this year. In a statement released now, the family praised his profound commitment to social justice, and struck out at what they said were decisions made at MIT and by prosecutors that contributed to his death. "The death of Aaron is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach." The statement said.

            Aaron Swartz ( 1986-2013 ) was an American programmer, writer, political organizer and internet activist. Swartz became a partner in reddit after its merger with his company Infogami. His later work focused on civic awareness and activism. In 2009, wanting to learn about effective activism, he helped launch the progressive change campaign committee. In 2010, he became a researcher at Harvard University on institutional corruption. After he found a political group that organizes people online to take action by contacting congress and other leaders and spreading the word about civil liberties, government reform and other issues. At the age 13, Swartz won the Arsdigita Prize and $10,000 award, a competition for young webdesigners who create useful and educational non-commercial websites. Swartz attended Stanford University, where he started the software company Infogami. Infogami wiki platform was used to support the internet archives of the Open Library Project. It was difficult to make money from the project, but the website gained popularity, with millions of users visiting it each month. In 2008, Swartz founded the website Watchdog.net, to aggregate and visualize data about politicians. In 2011-2012, Swartz and Kevin Poulsen designed and implemented Strongbox, a system that allows anonymous informants to send electronics documents to reporters without the fear of disclosure. In 2013, Swartz was posthumously awarded the James Madison Award from American Library Association, for being an "outspoken advocate for public participation in government and unrestricted access to peer-reviewed scholarly articles." Several members of the U.S. Congress, have raised questions regarding the handling of government of the case. When was said the Aaron was a martyr, a advocacy for internet freedom and social justice. A member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the congress, announced that he would investigate the Justice Department`s actions in prosecuting Swartz, in a statement, he praised Swartz for have worked toward a open government and free access to the people.

LXIII - The Importance of Human Rights to Democracy, Governance and Development

            This post is a summary of three articles. The first with the title above, published http://www.parliamentarystrengthening.org/. The second, with the title of, "Democratic rights and freedoms." Published at http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/. The third with the title of," Promoting human rights and democratic citizenship." Published at https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp.

         The greatest protection of human rights emanates from a democratic framework grounded in the rule of law. A functional democracy that accomodates diversity is increasingly becoming the best bet against the concentration of power in the hands of a few and the abuse that inevitably results from it. Yet the challenge today is to deepen this democracy from just its basic electoral form into a common enterprise between people and government. While the level of democracy in differents parts of the world may vary, the human rights framework offers the key means to move from basic electoral democracy to the fully-fledged version. Democracy is premised on the recognition and protection of people`s right to have a say in all decision making processes. The exercise of this political right requires a guarantee of crucial freedoms, to express one`s thoughts and opinion without fear, to seek and receive information. The purpose of democracy like that of human rights protection is to uphold the dignity of every individual and to ensure that the voices of the weakest are also heard. Its core values - freedom, equality, fraternity, accomodation of diversity and the assurance of justice, underpin the norms of human rights as well. Parliamentaries have the responsibility to voice the aspirations of the people and to always act in their interests. The human rights lens equips them to set, examine and evaluate the policies and actions of the executive to see they meet the criteria of good governance and the outcomes stand the test of equity and justice. Not only should human rights be realized for their own sake, these rights offer them a framework to entrench democracy in its fullest form.

            The government should encourages people to learn about and participate in democratic institutions. Key democratic principles and practices include responsible government; the separation of powers; the observance of constitutional safequards; the rule of law; transparent criminal justice system; equitably resourced and respected opposition parties; and a free media. Strong democratic institutions are complemented by a number of specific legal protections for human rights. Human rights are inherent, inalienable, indivisible and universal. They are the birthright of all people and can not be lost or taken away. They are all of equal importance and apply to all people whatever their race, gender, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, age, property or other status. Observance of human rights benefits the security and prosperity of all nations and individuals. Government policies should be implemented by a professional and apolitical public service. Citizens have the right to be given reasons for administrative decisions made about them by government officials, and to have those decisions independently reviewed through tribunal system and/or the courts. There are also ombudsmen and commissions that can inquire decisions and allegations of misconduct.

              Some professionals are pillars in a human rights` society: teachers, journalists, lawyers, social workers, doctors and other health personnel, military and police officers, to mention but a few. Their attitudes, knowledge and competence influence many others. It is of crucial that they are educated about human rights and understand their true meaning. The law and the justice system are crucial tools for the protection of human rights, but not the only aspect. Human rights have an ethical dimension which is broader than the law. We are aiming at a universal human rights culture in which mutual understanding, tolerance, peace, justice reach all sectors of society in a process of life-long learning. The school system is not the only instrument for spreading awareness about human rights. Messages from leaders are also highly influential. Music and films artists who have spoken out against repression and injustices should be applauded. Journalists as individuals usually do value human rights, and in particular, of course, freedom of expression, which in turns is a protection of their freedom. This poses a problem. How do we ensure that the media do indeed spread awareness of human rights, in a situation where media are independent? With this approach we have to accept that negative coverage does occur and we have to criticize such tendencies. One important counter weight is the civil society. NGOs play an important role in promoting human rights values today, but again the best support for positive activities and attitudes is to secure that the NGOs can operate freely.

               

LXII - Online Activism Enables You to Take a Stand on Every Issue

               This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the complete title of, " Online political activism enables you to take a stand on every issue."  Written by Chris Robertson and  published  at http://www.majon.com/. The second with the title of, "Slacktivism: why snopes got wrong about internet petitions." Published at   http://www.frogloop.com/, and written by Randy Paynter on April,28, 2010.

             To many people, politics seems remote and getting involved has posed insurmountable barries. Being involved in politics has never been easy, at least until recently. Now that online political activism is available to everyone that has internet access, every citizen can easily get involved and take a stand on the important issues of today. One good thing that internet and politics have in common is their ability to unite people and with these two together, they create a powerful force of citizens, ready and willing to fight for their rights in a peaceful manner. Internet activism is a type of political social networking in which online users work together to reach a certain political goal. For example, a website called, "DoYouHearUs.org" has recently been developed to enable the citizens to voice his or her opinion. Members are united in their message on every issue and directed to the appropriate state or federal figure. Citizens can now have their voices heard by someone that can make a difference, their own political leaders! Through cyberactivism, citizens can voice their wishes concerning education, taxes, non-profit funds, the environment, war or any other issue they feel strongly about. An online political activism website provides the information related to every issue for members to review. The members will consider the upcoming issues and decide or not to take action. Taking action on every issue is recommended, but not required. Implementing politics on the internet sounds simple, but can be a very affordable, effective way to reach out in these unsettled political times. Many folks simply do not have the time or resources to form local or national protest groups. They do not have time for traditional activism, but cyberactivism opens the doors wide for the busy individual. It unite people from all walks of life who normally would not be able to group meetings. Start making a difference in your nation by joining online political activism. It is one step toward a better future.

             Snopes.com is a site that characterizes internet petitions as "slacktivism", a pejorative nickname suggesting that activism is worthless if it does not require considerable effort. Ignore such commentary, is a favorite among cynics, and no doubt has turned off many who might otherwise have take action. At a time when civic engagement is more important than ever, it is a tragedy that this ill-conceived commentary has done. The reason we have such apathy in society today is because people believe it is too dificult to have an impact and/or they do not believe they personally can make a difference. Because online activism makes it easy to get involved, millions more people than ever before are speaking up and taking action. Usually, activists start with simple steps, if we want a more engaged democracy we need to make it easy for as many people as possible to feel the joy of those first steps. Those first steps can be a powerful motivator. It is not the effort of the act that further motives people, it is the emotional payoff that drives future engagement. If you make activism effective and enjoyable, people will do more of it. Not everyone is going to become a super activist, but if simple steps are all you are up for, then it is great to have you on board, far better than apathy. New legislation, new schools, elections, may grab all the headlines, but these are just the results of millions of small decisions and actions along the way. That is the way change happens: always the result of many steps and many influences. These days it is hard to imagine significant change happening that is no greatly influenced by so-called armchair "slacktivistas." Web 2.0 activism has transformed the power structure, putting power in the hands of the people and forcing authorities to be accountable like never before.

LXI - Day Of Teachers 2013

            Next Tuesday is celebrated the day of teachers, so this is my little tribute for these very important professionals. This is a summary of three articles. The first with the title of, "Teacher appreciation gifts ideas." Published at http://www.zimbio.com/Teacher+Appreciation+Day/articles?Sort=date&Page=8. The second with the title of, "Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognizing teacher appreciation week. May 6-10,2013." Published at  https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-secretary-education-arne-duncan-recognizing-teacher-appreciation-we. The third with the title of, "Importance of teachers." Published at http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-teachers.html. 

           Our teachers spend all of their time to help students succeed and rarely think about themselves. Some teachers affects eternity, he can never tell where his/her influence stops. Do not our teachers need some recognition, feedback and appreciation for a job well done? Do not they mean a lot to the success of our children`s  present and future? Then let show our appreciation for our teachers and tell them just how important they are to society. Why wait until an important holiday to give them a thank you, let is do it now! Many people agree that being a teacher is one of the hardest jobs in the world. So do not stingy in your recognition to confirm that the work of  teachers is great and valued. 

           "Teachers are central to every community. Each day, they come to school ready to tackle a job that is critically important, complex, and at times heartbreaking. In essence, teachers help others to become their best selves and I can not think of more important work. Teacher Appreciation Week is a time to recognize the work of teachers and to listen to their perspective on ways we can continue improving our schools. It is our responsability to make sure that all teachers have the tools, time and professional development to be the very best they can be. And every member of our society has a part to play in supporting our teachers and students. This is a moment to say thank you to teachers for everything that they give in the name of helping students achieve. Teaching is an art, a science, and a public service, and I thank all teachers for their relentless efforts."

           The influence a teacher has on students may not be direct or obvious, but traces of his/her ideals, principles and values trickle into the psyche of students. These, then, find the way they conduct themselves in various walks of their lives. This phenomenon is what we call inspiration. All teachers impart valuables life lessons to their students. In essence the best teachers is one who can awaken in students a thirst for knowledge. Here lies the greatest importance of a teacher, show students the way to accumulate knowledge. A good teacher is one who enforces a sense of management in students, be it management of time, space, resources, or conflict. Young students are individuals who are dealing with changes in their lives, physical and psychological. They are who that also need motivation. The mere knowledge that someone believes in them, that someone knows that they will get up if they fall, is a huge confidence booster. This knowledge itself can inject encouragement in the students. This kind of moral support strengthens the trust of a student in his/her teacher and we all know how far we can go when urged by the people we trust. A teacher can be an inspiration to millions without even knowing it. With the way they teach, connect and bring out the best, teachers play a very important role in the self-improvement efforts of students. Teachers are not restricted to educational institutions alone. If you ever met anyone who touched your life in any of the aforementioned ways, thank life for introducing you to a wonderful teacher when you were not even looking for one!

      

LX - After a Golden Decade, Can Latin America Keep its Luster

                  This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the title above, published at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/latin-america, on May,8th 2013. And was written by Alejandro werner, director of the IMF. The second with the title of, "Grounded." was published at  http://www.economist.com/, on September,28th 2013.

          Latin America continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the world, even though growth slowed down in 2012. Many economies in the region are operating at or near potential, inflation remains low and unemployment is at low levels. In the near term, the region will continue to benefit from easy external financing and high commodity prices. We project that the region will expand by about 3.5% in 2013, on average. In Brazil, economic activity is strengthening, driven by improving external demand, measures to boost investment and the impact of earlier policy easing. Since 2003, Lain America has experienced a period of resurgence, with strong growth, low inflation and improved social outcomes. Prudent macroeconomic policies and important structural reforms habe been the cornerstone of this performance. Foreign financing has been cheap and abundant and there has been a large and persistent increase in the prices of the region`s commodity exports. However, even gold can lose its luster. These blissful external conditions will not last forever. Commodity price are projected to decline and interest rates will eventually rise as growth in the advanced economies returns. The key challenge is to adjust policies to preserve macroeconomic and financial stability, and build strong foundations for sustained growth, under possibly less favorable external conditions. With labor participation at historically high level, future growth would have to rely increasingly on productivity gains. Boosting productivity is not an easy task. Policies that would be conducive to this outcome include higher investment in infrastructure and human capital, more modern legal frameworks, and more efficient and competitive product and labor markets.

       In June this year Brazil was struck by an outbreak of mass protests that brought more than a million to the streets. It gave vent to public fury over rising inflation, high taxes, poor public services and political corruption. The change in political weather came after almost two decades of brightening skies. Since 1994, when hyperinflation was tamed with a new currency. The economy grew and inequality declined. The global commodity boom helped by sucking in Brazilian iron ore and agricultural produce, and in 2007 Brazil struck vast deposit of deep-sea oil. Seemed due recognition that its days as a chronic underachiever were behind it. But Brazil`s economy did not play ball. It has slowed to 2.7% in 2011 and a mere 0.9% in 2012. This year will see a tepid recovery at best. Inflation is sticking at around 6%. Many now wonder whether it has managed nothing more than a chicken flight, a brief, unsustainable growth spurt followed by a rapid return to earth. More than half of population of Brazil now belong to a lower-middle class, living in houses equipped with cookers, fridges. Many own cars. But when they step outside their doors, most roads are still unpaved. Public transport consists mainly of packed buses. When life was a struggle for survival, the jobs were the main concern. Now that people are a little better off, the parlous state of infrastructure and public services is at the front of their minds. The politicians should have realised that the new middle classes would want decent public services and elected representatives who were visibly working towards these ends. Several parties have proposed electoral reforms to make politicians more responsive to voters, but they all want different things, so reaching consensus will be difficult. A less favourable economic climate is now making it even harder to meet the voters increasingly vocal demands. The slowdown in growth has caused a downturn in investment, which last year was just 18.4% of GDP, not enough to lead a recovery or to build the infrastructure Brazil needs. And commodity prices seem unlikely to bail out Brazil with another spurt.