Julian Assange and the new wave

     This report was published at Economist.com at July 7th, 2011. This is a summary and the title is above.

     A host of non-profit actors have entered the news business, blurring the line between journalism and activism. These are non-profit organisations that are involved in various forms of investigative journalism.As funding for such reporting by traditional media has been cut, they are filling the gap using methods based on digital technology. Some of them make government data available in order to promote openness, transparency and citizen engagement, some gather and publish information on human rights abuse and some specialise in traditional investigative journalism and are funded by philanthropy.
      And then there is Wikileaks. Launched in 2006, it was intended to be ¨an uncensorable wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking nad analysis¨. In 2010 it abandoned the wiki-style approach and adopted a new, editorialising tone. Mr. Assange explained that gave it more impact than simply posted leaked material online and expected people to seek it out.
      Despite Wikileaks`s difficulties, its approach is being adopted by others. Al Jazeera has set up a ¨transparency unit¨ with a Wikileaks-style anonymous drop box. The WSJ launched a drop box of its own in May, but was criticised for not offering enough protection to leakers. ¨Everyone`s looking at the idea, but if you`re going to do it you have to make it really secure¨, says the Guardian`s Alan Rusbridger.
      What happens next depends in part on the fate of Mr. Assange.
      The Sunlight Foundation, based in Washington, DC, also campaigns for government openness and transparency, but in a different way from Wikileaks. Its aim is to make data more easily accessible. All this provides raw material for journalists. For example, Sunlight Live, wich combines alive video stream of government proceedings on a web page with information from databases to provide context.
      The line between activism and journalism has always been somewhat fuzzy, but has become even fuzzier in the digital age. The Sunlight Foundation has been closely involved in the campaign to get the US government to provide more information about its workings. There have been similar initiatives in Britain, Australia and New Zealand, and several US cities and states have made information available about anything from procurement contracts to traffic accidents.
      In the developing world, transparency campaigners are pushing for greater openness about aid flows and the governance of natural resources, and campaign groups are often the most credible sources of information  about human rights abuses. In the past, bringing such information to attention meant working with news organisations. Yet thanks to the web, NGOs can now also publish material independently.
     Human Rights Watch (HRW) now sends photographers and radio producers to producers to work alongside its researchers in the field. Amnesty International is creating a ¨news unit¨ staffed by five journalists.
     ¨We are beginning to realise that there is a wider range of people who are qualified, have the integrity and are competent to be part of the reporting picture, and NGOs are part of that picture¨, says Sammer Padania, who advises them on the use of tech. ¨So being able to verify the accuracy and provenance of material is vital¨. he says.
      Dan Gillmor, professor of journalism at Arizona State University says, ¨in the end what matters is not whether or not particular people qualify as journalists but whether the work they produce is thorough, accurate, fair and transparency enough to qualify as journalism¨.

Stronger Civil Society Means More Power for the Weak

     This report was published at Guardian.co.uk, at July 7, 2011. And was written by Jonathan Glennie, This is a summary and the title is above.

     There are few truths in development that I hold to be self-evident and this is one of them: no matter what the problem, stronger civil society is always part of the answer.

     If we define development as rapidly rising living standards, some of the fastest growing countries in recent decades, such as China, have been authoritarian regimes with little independent civil society. However, the fruits of that growth have been shared unevenly. Strengthening civil society will lend political power to those parts of society that need to argue for their needs and rights.

      Furthermore, if we allow a broader definition of development, one that covers political and civil rights, not just improvements in health, education and income, then one of the central aims of development is to enable poor people to hold the powerful accountable. That, surely, is what civil society does at its best.

      So it is good to see that a new coalition of international NGOs, including Frontline Defenders, Freedom House and the Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, has set up what they are calling the ¨Embattled NGO Assistance Fund¨. The aim of this fund is to help civil society activists withstand crackdowns and pressure, enabling them to continue their work to defend citizens` rights and freedoms.

      Many people now agree that gradually direct aid to governments needs to be replaced by support to non-governmental activities, including the strengthening of those necessary parts of an effective and democratic state that are not centralised in the government.

     There is, however, one major problem, the same one as ever. Aid is a form of soft power used by rich countries to gain influence abroad. That influence has often been used benignly, but equally often it has been used to shore up the interests of those powerful countries. This is a complex paradox at the heart of the development agenda, and it is often most apparent in work on political freedoms.

      Passing money through NGO consortia, as is the case with this new fund, rather than spending it as direct government aid, is generally a good way of reducing the political baggage that comes with it. But the essential conundrum remains: it is hard to separate this kind of funding from the ideology and interests of the giver. Can foreign countries be trusted to support the interest of the poor and voiceless rather than putting their own interest first?

      The answer, in short, is no. But there is no better option. The grave situation of human rights defenders in many countries requires concerted action, even if motives turn murky. Examples in the press release for new fund include ¨ a draft law in Cambodia to increase government control over NGOs, government freezes on NGO bank accounts in Ethiopia, the detention and torture of human rights defenders in Bahrain, coordinated attacks against and restrictions on the movement of opposition members in Iran, and the violent dispersal of demostrations in Belarus.

     It would be surprise if this new fund was not broadly a force for good in the world, particularly as the NGOs involved have demonstrated their independence and deep concern for human rights regardless of politics. And I am going to stick to my belief, evidenced or not. Whatever the assessment an external actor makes of a country situation, one of the best things it can do is support the growth and development of independent community organisations, NGOs and the media.

Vol. Teac. XXII - Lack of Skilled Labour

        This is a summary of two reports: one published at Washingtonpost.com at February 5, 2012 and was written by Juan Forero, and has the title,¨Expats Lured by Brazil`s Booming Economy.¨  The other was published at Reuters.com at April 6, 2011 and was written by Cesar Bianconi, and has the title: ¨lack of Skilled Labor Hampers Brazil companies.¨ First, I would like to clarify that I have not nothing against imigration, on the contrary, I think workers need to go where there are jobs. This post is to highlighted the need of more investment in education in Brazil.

        The number of foreigners residing in Brazil reached 1,5 million last year, up from 961,000 in 2010. Work authorizations shot up 32% in the first 9 months of 2011. Americans have led the way. In addition, 2 million Brazilians who had been living overseas have returned home.

         Those arriving here clearly have an adventurous streak. But they also made their decisions based on pragmatic considerations: Brazil has grown by 4.4% a year since 2004. It has also received about $ 200 billion in foreign direct investment in the past 6 years. And despite the formidable red tape for foreign workers, this country has an increasingly diverse economy with room for those in finance, engineering, web design, petro-engineering and other.

         ¨When you are talking about skilled labor, there is a huge lack of supply, so as a result if you have the courage to come down to Brazil, or have the language skills, it is not a no-brainer to come here¨, said Jonathan Rosenthal, 31, who runs a capital management firm with a Brazilian partner.

          In Belo Horizonte, Google has actively sought engineers for its research unit, about 10% are foreigners. ¨The economy is growing faster than the university engineering departments in the country¨, said Ribeiro Neto Google`s engineering director.

          Other foreigners here, like David Bailey, a Briton who lives in Rio with three other Europeans, are joining the growing world of internet startups.

           7 in every 10 Brazilian companies are currently facing a shortage of skilled workers. The national industry confederation ( CNI ) poll over 1,600 companies found the shortage are making manufactures less competitive relative to peers abroad.

           One major issue is the precarious state of Brazil`s primary and secondary education.

           ¨What brings the attention is the fact that companies are feeling the pinch of something that universities and other specialized education institutions are too, the poor quality of basic education¨, says Renato Fonseca, head of research of CNI.

           That underscores a challenge for Brazil to keep growing ahead. About 78% of companies are investing on their own training programs to overcome the lack of specialized labor, CNI said.

           The ministry of education budget for 2010 was 60 billion reais, twice as much that of 2006. However, public investment in education in the past years was less than 5% of GDP. Some analysts say the Brazilian government should invest at least 7% of GDP a year in order to improve the education system.

Western Surveillance Tech in the Hands of Despots

         This report was published at Spiegel.de at August 12, 2011 and was written by Uwe Buse and Marcel Rosenbach, this is a summary and include also the second part with the title¨The fine line between opression and crime fighting¨.

         Abdul Al Khanjar has had endure torture six times in the last 17 years. But for the last eight months he has been living in a room hiding, the only way he can be contacted is through human rights organizations by Skype. He is considered an enemy of the government and was arrested for planning to overthrow the regime. He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison. He says that are other like him. They were confronted during interrogation with incriminating material: transcripts of their telephone conversations, copies of their emails, and comments made in chat rooms.

         There are surveillance companies in Germany which promises total transparency to its customers in foreign governments and tries to keep its own activities as shielded from outside scrutiny as possible. In the Cyber Warfare Europe Conference in Berlin an alarming attempt to create total surveillance at the expense of freedom was on display, included the latest tools for hacking computers. Another product is designed to facilitate live surveillance through webcams and microphones and even monitor Skype conversations and chat rooms.

          Abdul Al Khanjar knows well the possibilities that the international surveillance industry offers its customers. One day, when he was in prison in Bahrain, his torturers came with a few sheets of paper in his hands. They are transcripts of conversations Khanjar had had on his mobile phone before he was arrested. His torturers were able to obtain that because of the western surveillance tech in use.

          People like Khanjar are not completely without allies. As Arabs governments agencies and intelligence service upgrade their tech, a growing munber of western activists are providing support and assistance to the opposition. One of them is Jacob Appelbaum.

           Appelbaum, an American, has been involved in the fight against censorship on the internet for years. He is often helping activists worldwide remain anonymous on the web. He compares surveillance companies that sell their product to despots with companies in the Third Reich that supported the Nazi with modern technology.

          ¨Surveillance systems are weapons that are used to commit human rights violations. The example of Egypt, Syria and Tunisia clearly illustrate that the trade in spyware programs must be uncovered and stopped,¨ he says.

           There are some industries who make a thoughtful impression. After the Syria dealings of his partner area were exposed, Ultimaco executive temporarly suspended relations with the company. He says ¨I have no interest in our tech being used in Syria, but suspending the sale to middle east is wrong, because this tech, as the movements there have shown, also contains elements that promote freedom¨.

          It is a twisted situation, but at its core it revolves around the question of what is more important, security or freedom, and where exactly the line should be drawn. And it is not easy to answer, because both sides have valid arguments.

          Total monitoring leads to a police state, but total freedom from surveillance makes it more difficult for the government to fight crime.

           In Bahrain, Abdul Al Khanjar acknowledge all of these aspects, including the horrifying tech possibilities and the conflicting arguments. For a moment, he seems to be at a loss. But then he says that he is betting on politics and in the civilization of power. He has no other option.

Vol. Teac. XXI - Real GDP Growth in 2011

       This report was published at IMF.gov in the World Economic Outlook at April 2012, and show us the real GDP growth in many countries around the world in 2011, but before the figures, there is a little report about Latin America with the title below, after, the GDP growth, in the first column, only Latin American countries and in the second,at first the country with the greatest GDP growth of 2011 of the world to one with the lowest GDP growth. The same in the L. A. countries list.
       If you want to know more about how GDP growth is important to development and general progress of the population, you can read these reports.
     1)  Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Kazakhstan.   At CITESEERX.IST.PSU.edu
     2)  Decline of Inequality and Poverty in Latin America.   At Worldpress.org
     3)  Growth, Inequality and Poverty Reduction in Developing Countries.   At OECD.org
     4)  Does Economic Growth Reduce Poverty?   At USAID.gov


                      Latin America :  Watch out for Downdrafts.

      Swings in risk aversion over the past six months led at first to a moderation of capital flows and exchanges rates. But, recently a renewal of capital flows and pressure on exchange rate. Policy tightening began to bear fruit, leading to stabilization of credit growth. Nonetheless, inflation is still above the midpoint of the target in many countries. Policymakers need to remain vigilant to possible downdrafts from Europe and updrafts from capital flows.

                       Real GDP Growth in 2011
                                                                                     Qatar   18.8%
     Panama    10.6%                                                       Mongolia   17.3%
     Argentina    8.9%                                                      China   9.2%
     Ecuador     7.8%                                                       Turkey   8.5%
     Peru     6.9%                                                             India   7.2%
     Colombia   5.9%                                                        Russia   4.3%
     Chile    5.9%                                                              Poland   4.3%
     Uruguay   5.7%                                                          Sweden   4.0%
     Bolivia   5.1%                                                             Germany   3.1%
     Costa Rica   4.2%                                                      Canada   2.5%
     Venezuela    4.2%                                                      USA   1.7%
     Mexico    4.0%                                                           France   1.7%
     Paraguay    3.8%                                                        Spain   0.7%
     Brasil      2.7%                                                            UK   0.7%
                                                                                        Italy   0.4%
   
 

Cities Rush Into High Speed Internet

    This report was published at Times.com at June 17, 2011 and was written by Bob Diddlebock. This is a summary and the title is above.

     Last year, when Google announced it wanted to build and test-drive a new hyper-speed fiber optic nerwork in a U.S. community, more than 1,000 cities applied. Municipals officials offered everything from tax abatements to free advertising.

     Google chose Kansas City, but the competition for Google`s attention underscored an important fact: Cities have come to view high-speed access to the internet as an infrastructure that`s as critical to their future as highways were in the past.

     Denver, too, has pushed to boost high-speed access. City officials there say broadband capabilities give them the leverage to pitch companies about relocating parts of their operations to Denver. ¨It has made us much more competitive with other markets, and led to a lot of tech growth.¨ Says economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado.

     The fact is that tech companies usually attract a highly educated and entrepreneurial workforce, which can lead to new start-ups and more jobs. High-speed internet access could be a first step in attracting those workers.

      President Obama has said that boosting internet speeds around the country is important to increasing the U.S. competitiveness. The U.S. at 4 megabits per second, on average, currently ranks 15th in the world.

     In order to lure Google, Kansas City officials promised to fast track building permits for the project. Another selling point was that K.C. already has underground conduits that could host miles of high-capacity fiber-optic cable.

      Kansas City Mayor Joe Reardon says, ¨broadband is fundamental to the future of our schools, our health-care system, for business of all sizes, and for entrepreneurs.¨

8 in 10 Oppose Internet Surveillance Without a Warrant

     This report was published at Huffingtonpost.ca at August 25, 2011. This is a summary and the title is above.


      A survey released by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada reported that 82% of those polled ¨opposed giving police and intelligence agencies the power to access email records and other internet usage data without a warrant from the courts.¨
      The 2011 Canadian Privacy Survey found that not only do a vast majority of Canadians want court-ordered warrant for online surveillance, most ( 83% ) not even want their internet service providers to ask their permission to track any of their online behaviour.
      The survey found a Canadian populace that is increasingly aware of privacy problems online, and 40% surveyed said computers and internet pose a risk to their privacy, compared to only 26% two years ago. The Canadians also expressed distrust in government on the issue, with only 22% saying they are confident in the government handling of data.
      Critics have called the proposed ¨lawful access¨ legislation a threat to civil liberties that would essentially remove judicial oversight from police investigations carried out online.
       There are signs the government may be tempering its approach to the issue, a government spokewoman said ¨ we agree that police should have the ability, with the appropriate legal constraints to access communications for the purpose of gathering evidence. We would not support allowing police access data without a warrant¨.