Democracy and Human Rights in Latin America

                   There is not real democracy without respect for all human rights and rule of law. Latin America policymakers have to make human rights more truly respected in the region. For this, we all have to  fight corruption, exclusion in the politics and electoral systems, and impunity when our human rights are violated. For example, the most important human rights, the right to life. The killers must be more punished, so we can have a more peaceful region. Latin America has not done much progress in the fight against violence, something has to be done to lower the homicide rates.  This post is a summary of the report with the title above published in January 2022 at   https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2022/698868/EPRS_BRI(2022)698868_EN.pdf

                     Since the mid-1980, Latin America has enjoyed long and broad democratic expansion, and has made considerable progress with regard to free elections and respect for human rights. Standards vary widely however: while Costa Rica, Uruguay and Chile stand out in all classifications as the most free and democratic, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba remain at the bottom of the table. However, the tide may be turning for this successful 'third democratic wave' in Latin America, as many countries suffer democratic erosion or even backsliding. The progressive decline of democratic indicators in the region has been exacerbated by factors such as the self-interest of the ruling elite or rampant corruption in some countries. The E.U. has contributed to democracy and human rights in the region by sending election observation missions, participating in initiatives such as the Colombia peace process and its implementation. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the greatest change in the 'third wave' of democratisation that began around 1978 has been in Latin America's political culture, as democracy has prospered in the region. The main issue now is not democracy itself, but how to improve it and make it work more effectively (its qualitative aspects). Experts also agree that the situation in the region has improved in general terms: There are more consolidated democracies, more social protection policies. Poverty has been reduced and the middle class has grown. The biggest challenge now is to maintain this process over the medium and long term. Only three countries, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba stand out at the bottom of the table for being authoritarian regimes; and they are also the last in the Human Freedom Index. Also at the near bottom of the table are El Salvador, Guatemala, Bolivia and Honduras, classified as hybrid regimes (characterised to some degree by irregularities in elections, widespread corruption and weak rule of law, frequent harassment of journalists). Despite the positive aspects, most experts agree that this successful 'third democratic wave' in Latin America may be on the wane. In an article on the deteriorating quality of democracy in Latin America, Daniel Zovatto (IDEA) stress that some countries, such as Brazil, have suffered 'democratic erosion' in recent years, while others (Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, Bolivia) show different degrees of democratic fragility. Nevertheless, other analysts are more optimistic and believe that, despite increasing populism and polarisation in the region, Latin America democracy is resilient than appearances may suggest: opinion polls show that only around a fifth of Latin Americans might welcome authoritarian government; furthermore, recent decades of democratic experience have consolidated a culture of citizens' rights and political participation. In countries such as Brazil and Mexico, populism is given as the possible reason for the decline. In countries such as Guatemala and Honduras, the problems of democracy reflect the weakness of the state. However, interfence by various governments with the independence of the judiciary and attacks on civil society pose a danger for democracy in the region.The human rights situation in Latin America has also deteriorated in the 2020-2021 period. Latin America was the world's most violent region in 2020, with Venezuela and Honduras in the lead regarding homicides rates (45.6 and 37.6 per 100000 inhabitants, respectively) Mexico was the deadliest country for journalists, with nine killings, followed by Honduras, with four. Mexico recorded over 77000 people reported disappeared , including nearly 5000 in the first nine months of 2020. Brazil was the country recording most killings of trans and gender-diverse people in the world, 152 between September 2019 and September 2020, 40% of the world total. Latin America was also the world's deadliest region for human rights defenders in 2020, with 264 killings; Colombia, with 177 killings, remained the world's most lethal country for human rights defenders; other dangerous countries were Honduras with 20 killings, Mexico with 19 and Brazil with 16. The E.U. is a steadfast supporter of democracy and human rights. The E.U.'s strategic framework on human rights and democracy. 'Building resilient, inclusive and democratic societies and promoting a global system for human rights and democracy are among the five overarching priorities identified in the action plan, which also focuses on the link between global environmental challenges and human rights. There is a worsening crisis of representative democracy in Latin America: trust in legislatures was at a meagre 20%, while trust in political parties fell to just 13% in 2020. Latin America is the third most corrupt region in the world (after Africa and Middle East), it has the highest levels of crime and violence, and the rule of law remains a weak point. Governments' approval ratings have been falling steadily in the last decade, and there is an increasing citizen perception that the political elite rule for the benefit of a privileged minority.

Find Your Voice to Create a Better Society

                   Political rights are human rights, and justice needs all of us. A inclusive political system is essential for any democratic system. We need more political activists, more citizen lobbyists, more people debating the solutions for the problems we face in a daily basis. More candidates without political mandate with real chances to win. More people fighting for justice, peace, freedom of speech, and against corruption, violence and politicians that don't like to hear constructive criticism and don't like to debate our problems. I would really like to thank all the supportive message we are feeling here in Brazil, because like Julian Assange once said, "the feeling of justice is a very strong feeling in the human beings."  This post is a summary of three articles. The first is a book review with the incomplete title above published at https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/07/24/book-review-lobbying-for-change-find-your-voice-to-create-a-better-society-by-alberto-alemanno/. The second was published at    https://www.cmasas.org/how-find-your-voice-use-it-daily-life. The third was published at   https://www.amnesty.eu/news/raise-your-voice-for-the-right-to-speak-out/

                    In Lobbying for Change: Find your Voice to Create a Better Society, Alberto Alemano seeks to demystify and democratise the practice of lobbying by inspiring readers to become 'citizen lobbyists'. Serving as both a galvanising wake-up call and an accessible positive and practical guide to those looking to influence public policy. Whether you feel unhappy with the way our societies are working, powerless to make a change or simply tired of being a spectator to a show that is driven by only a few actors, you should read this book. As the author writes:"This is not a academic book. This is a volume to reach a broader audience, and to inspire you." Inspire you to get involved in the mystified world of lobbying and unfashionable machinery of government to become what the author calls a 'citizen lobbyist'. Lobbying means persuading people who hold power to care about an issue. Traditionally monopolised by 'professional lobbyists' who are remunerated by companies, citizen lobbying aims at democratising this activity. By giving you the same means as a professional employs, citizen lobbying has the potential to act as a social equaliser. The reader will certainly feel inspired, empowered and ready for action. Divided into three parts, the book starts with the identification of the problem on the issues of passive citizens, dominant actors and representative democracy. Throughout the book, Alemanno uses quotes from inspiring characters, which orient the reader's attention to the important points being made. The first part is a wake-up call. You face the problem head on and, as a result, you might feel resentful. The question is whether you decide to focus on this unfair reality or break the silence and go on with chapter two. What are your options? Voting and running for office are two main ways of taking part in a democracy, but these face limitations. Alemanno outlines the urgent need to reconnect elected representatives with the public. His book is timely considering current social, economic, and political volatility, and also offers a different perspective to bridge the gap. The real issue, then, seems to have more to do with the lack of knowledge and participation in politics. This where this book might provide a opportunity by playing a missing pedagogical role. Indeed, the novelty of Alemanno's argument is that we encourages ordinary citizens to embrace the change we are asking for. As put by the author: "It is time we turn the widespread criticisms of politics into an active democratic virtue." While you might be thinking that it is not your job to do the job of politicians, you will reap benefits for it. Chapter two demonstrates that citizen lobbying has the potential to harness your talent and maybe unveils a hidden one too. Lobbying for a cause you care about will increase your feeling of belonging to a community, and research referenced also has positive affect on health and wellbeing. Chapter three accounts for the majority of the book, providing a comprehensive 'toolbox' for anyone looking to influence public policy. Alemanno's "Ten Step Citizen Lobbying Guide" is well-explained to lead you in the right direction, provided that the necessary effort and commitment are put in place. There is also an essential introduction to the legislative process, stakeholders mapping, evidence-gathering and other knowledge and techniques essential for maximising one's lobbying chances. Although this guide is helpful and very pedagogical, there are some drawbacks. While the book insinuates that citizen lobbying is accessible and easy to implement, I have some doubts. The ones who need the most change might find it difficult to apply some parts of the guide, such as the research work and evidence-gathering that are essential to starting any lobbying campaign. Although the author argues that lobbying, unlike activism, has the potential to induce systematic change by targeting policymakers, the latter is actually more accessible. To balance this criticism, The Alemanno's message is the importance of solidarity.                                                               The best way to express yourself is found through doing. Try different ways you can think of... You should never close your mind to all the options, even if you think you already have the one you want. Depending on the form of voice you feel most drawn to using, it may be harder to do on a daily basis; so you may have to be resourceful and get creative. If you want to share a message with people that needs to be shared, you could use twitter, facebook or even do a youtube video on the topic you want. As for speaking, just raising your voice is a good way at getting your voice known.                                                                                            Different fights for human rights have been fought over the span of the last cebtury and they have been won. You can have an impact on what is happening. The ability to come in touch with other groups, and other citizens, all over the world, brings out a very strong sense of solidarity. It is important for people to raise their voices about the issues that matter to them as the elections are approaching because, without vocal input from the citizens, we can not hope for any actual change. And it is important to keep those who decide about our rights and our future in check by constantly reminding them that their duty is to follow what the citizens need and ask for. 

50 Ideas for a Better Future

        Everybody seems to agree that for a better future we need to invest more in education, create more opportunities of political participation, a more inclusive politics is essential. Invest more in renewable sources of energy, and more governmental transparency with human rights truly respected.   This post is a summary of a report with the incomplete title above and published at   https://european-youth-event.europarl.europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EYE2016-Report-EN-web.pdf

   1) Matching migrants with the best possible country for their skills and culture would control the impact on labour markets and help improve relations with the local population.                         2) Encourage volunteer schemes to provide a powerful framework for integrating refugees into their new societies.                     3) Allow embassies from all countries to receive asylum requests directly in order to prevent people from dangerous crossings.                       4) Encourage open-minded education. All children should have access to equal opportunities in education, with renewed focus on ensuring tolerance for people from different religions and cultures.              5) Strengthen organisations that offer meaningful activities to people who have lost all sense of meaning in their lives.                     6) Promote events that challenge stigma towards disabled people and help realign popular misconceptions of disabled people in society.                       7) Develop a community app that proposes and debate policy in real-time. The way people participate in their national democracies is changing Whilst digital technologies are encouraging wider debate, disenfranchisement with formal democratic systems is challenging the way policy makers engage with voters. The internet provides a voice to millions and offers opportunities to criticise as well as to listen. Young people are willing to engage in societal issues, and that these positive intentions need to be harnessed to ensure that they translate into greater democratic participation.                   8) Teach advocacy, politics and lobbying in schools to improve democratic participation amongst young people. Young people are willing to engage in societal issues, and that these positive intentions need to be harnessed to ensure that they translate into greater democratic participation.                 9) Improve English in schools to harmonise the many voices of the world.                     10) Improve transparency and accessibility of governmental documents and legislation so people can understand and engage with them.               11) Broaden the scheme to offer young people different routes than higher education.           12) Bridge the gap from education to employment to more opportunities to young people for paid and quality internships.                       13) Improve online career advice and unemployment resources. Further investment needs to be placed in careers centres and more nuanced and holistic career advice should be provided.                14) Centralise collaboration with NGOs to encourage employment and cohesion in tackling issues.                 15) Unify entrepreneurship resources and requirements to help new businesses get started.                 16) Strengthen education and awareness of alternative economic models to boost innovation in this key sector.              17) Pool energy resources and invest in smart-grids to face up growing energy demands. Energy is a crucial factor in ensuring countries are able to function.                18) Increase commitment to tackling climate change and set more ambitious targets-80% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.                    19) Build legislation that binds fair trade within the industry to ensure stability and fairness in the market.                   20) Buy local: Encourage more people to buy food locally to reduce the carbon footprint and promote local prodution.                          21) Promote sustainability and healthy living courses in schools so that young people are able to make informed choices on what they buy and eat.                        22) Fight world hunger by introducing a financial transaction tax to finance campaigns, such as improving the self-sufficiency of farmers.                23) Be glocal (global and local): help found a campaign to raise the leaders of tomorrow.                 24) Boost core digital skills: Computer science and in particular coding is still rarely taught in schools. Despite the obstacle of teacher education, it is critically important that we take the issue of programming education seriously if we are to provide a new generation of students with important vocational skills. This is not to say that all countries should approach their computer skills similarly. For example, Estonia is short of programmers for its burgeoning tech industry, hence it places an importance on programming. Denmark devotes more time to topics such as the design of user interfaces, which interests its big firms.

International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations and for Dignity of Victims 2022

                      Last Thursday 24th of March all over the world was celebrated the fight for justice, truth and for dignity for the victims of human rights violations. This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at https://www.ecdhr.org/?p=1494. The second was published at at https://www.oas.org/fr/CIDH/jsForm/File=/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2022/061.asp. The third was published at https://peacehumanity.org/projects-and-activities/raising-awareness/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         As the world celebrates the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violation and for the Dignity of Victims, the European Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (ECDHR) recognise the fundamental importance of continuously shining a light on the systematic human rights violations in countries which often go unacknowledged and unpunished. "The people have a right to the truth as they have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Epictetus (55-135). On this 24th of March, the ECDHR joins the world and welcomes this recognition of the unique suffering of victims of human rights violations, not only at the time of abuses, but long after as they seek truth, acknowledgement, and justice. This commemorative day was established in 2010 by the General Assembly of the U.N., who acknowledged the importance of "promoting the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and the importance of the right to truth and justice. This international day also seeks to pay tribute to those who have fought relentlessly, sometimes to the death, to ensure the respect of human rights for all. The right to truth is a concept often invoked in the case of grave human rights abuses and refers to the explicit right of victims and their relatives to know the full truth of what transpired, under which circumstances, and by whose hands. While the concept finds its roots in the 1970-80s in the context of widespread enforced disappearances in Latin American dictatorships of the time, it was explicitly referred to in a 2005 Resolution by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights who recognised its importance and potential to contribute to ending impunity. It was further explored in a 2006 report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, where it was pronounced as an "inalienable and autonomous right", linked to, but distinct from, the State duty to protect human rights, conduct effective investigations, and ensure remedy and reparations. Truth after human rights violations is paramount. Not only does it enable victims and their relatives to come to terms with their abuses, but it also provides them with access to effective reparations and remedy. When the abuses are clearly documented, the victim will be able to benefit from care and support for their psychological trauma, and the perpetrators may be identified and prosecuted. Truth is equally essential in ending the cycle of impunity by tearing down the all-too-common narratives propagated by the perpetrators or the government, namely that victims, especially human rights defenders, as "terrorists" or "enemies of the state". Human rights abuses in some countries are systematic and human rights defenders as well as national and international organisations continue to fight to amplify the voices of victims and communicate their experiences to the international community. However, remains a deep-seated culture of inpunity in some countries. Official bodies charged with investigating allegations of violations have generally been unable or unwilling to properly investigate these cases. On this 24th of March, the ECDHR takes the opportunity to reinforce its commitments to ending the cycle of impunity and fighting for the respect of human rights for all. The ECDHR upholds this commitment to the right to truth every day, and we urge the international community to add their poweful voice to advocate for justice and reparations for victims.                                                                                                                                                               On the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence remind States in the Americas of their obligation to commemorate, preserve and publicize the historical truth concerning serious rights violations. The IACHR and the Special Rapporteur call for the development of public policies on memory based on documentary and testimonial evidence and designed with the participation of victims and civil society. The IACHRand the Special Rapporteur are concerned about rollbacks including censorship of historically valuable documents and cultural initiatives and about the destruction of or difficulty in accessing archives and other evidence that is relevant to establish and preserve the historical truth. The IACHR and the U.N. Special Rapporteur warn States of their international obligations to retrieve, preserve and publicize the historical truth concerning human rights violations. They therefore call on States to protect the memory legacy and to refrain from adopting initiatives or fostering discourse that disregard the voices of victims or revictimize them.                                                                                                                                                                                                The State is under the obligation to combat the situation of impunity by all means, as it fosters chronic recidivism of human rights violations and total defenselessness of the victims and of their next of kin, who have the right to know the truth about the facts, this right to the truth, when it is recognized and exercised in a concrete situation, constitutes an important means of reparation therefore, the right to the truth generates an expectation of the victims, which the State must satisfy. In addition to the relatives of the victims directly affected by a human rights violation, the societyas a whole also is entitled to the right to be duly informed. The entire society has the right, which can not be given up to know the truth about what has occurred, as well as the reasons and ciscunstances in which crimes came to be committed, in order to avoid these incidents recurring in the future.              

140th Birthday of James Joyce - Part II

                       This post is a summary of three articles. The first was published at  https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/viewdocId=ft896nb5qw&chunk.id=d0e399&toc.id=&bran. The second was published athttps://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/value-of-james-joyce/significance-of-the-ordinary-in-dubliners-portraitulysses/4836CF07CB1A395BC09701A9ACAFD050. The third was published at   https://ezrajames.medium.com/james-joyce-and-the-meaning-of-ulysses-22d8ca1857b7

                Although we may be unable to define in any doctrinal manner Joyce's politics, we can at least set the contours of his political consciousness from the evidence of the books he wrote. Of course, we must content ourselves less with specifics and more with the general tone and direction of his political thinking. From such an overview, I believe we must concur with Lionel Trilling's judgment that Joyce demonstrates in Ulysses in particular sympathy for progressive social ideas. Joyce ought to be seen as a political liberal: tolerant, democratic, pacific, nonideological, protective of individual liberties, yet, committed to social and familial responsabilities. He was an attentive, sympathetic follower of developments among anarchist and socialist thinkers. His diffidence on the subject may be attributable to his distrust of political solutions to complicated social problems, a distrust wrought of the years of violence and frustration experienced by political movements in his own country. He may have avoided political theorizing for the very reason that he could not accept the bluntness and oversimplification that so often accompanied it. His own work demonstrates a fondness for the oblique and the ambiguous that, I believe, predisposed him against black and white theorical pronouncements. For many American critics, Joyce posed peculiar problems. In some respects, he was the paradigmatic European modernist: exiled, disengaged, seemingly indifferent to politics. Moreover, Joyce was the consummate stylist, adding elaborate allusive structures to his novels. Experimentation with language and the stream of consciousness technique were his artistic trademarks. At the same time, however, Joyce was a modernist with a difference. He had a distinctive naturalist strain in his writing and was quite capable of rendering a scene or a portrait with an exactitude reminiscent of Flaubert or Zola. In addition, Joyce's Irish background was petit bourgeois, and the subjects of his stories and novels belonged to this same class: lower-middle class Dubliners, poorly educated, generally unself-conscious and manipulated by prejudice or illusion. Joyce could exhibit a special sympathy for victims of prejudice or exclusion. He was interested in the life of ordinary people, their culture, their fears and aspirations.                                                                                Richard Ellman said it best: "Joyce's discovery, so humanistic that he would have been embarrassed to disclose it out of context, was that the ordinary is the extraordinary." In a 1920 letter to Carlo Linati, Joyce called Ulysses "the cycle of the human body as well as a little story of a day (life)." The representation of the ordinary thereby becomes one of the most important elements of Joyce's democratic impulse. By giving the figures of Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses a keen specificity with respect to the banal activities and feelings of their everyday lives, he intensifies the vitality of what it means to be human. The ordinary therefore plays a number of roles in Joyce's fiction, nonwithstanding its complication by the perspectives produced by narration and the thoughts of its characters. Its most external manifestation can be found in the intimate connection between many of the settings in the work and their prototypes in the historical world of late 19th and early 20th century Dublin.                                                                                                                 What makes Ulysses, first published on February 2nd, 1922, the innovative masterpiece that it is has more to do with Joyce's conception of history and humanity than nay other meaning, turning into a more identifiable work of art. Every page becomes a scavenger hunt for purpose and references to more expansive ideas. In a way, they  serve as a portal to the past. In Ulysses, Joyce was attempting to capture the history of both the world and literature as seen through the eyes of his alter ego, Stephen Daedalus, and Leopold Bloom. To explore his ideas further, he conceived of a story which takes place during the entirety of one day in the city of Dublin, Ireland, on the cloudy and gloomy day of June 16th, 1904. The day will become a representative of the structure of time, and through the small explorations of each waking moment. Despite its interesting structure and function, Ulysses remains a very difficult and patient endeavor. Behind ever sentence there is a hidden literary reference. Joyce's interest in history and language are extrapolated to countless facets of life, and each one carries an important meaning promptly tying them to the collective experience of a culture. There is much left to be uncovered and more questions left to find, however. This only scratches the surface of Ulysses's depths, an intention originating from the book's very conception. When Joyce proudly expressed his books will be dissected by professors and students for hundreds of years. More than a hundred years after originally publishing, Ulysses remains a gem for any avid literary fan to adore and interpret. 

Putin Chose War. We Remain United with Ukraine.

              Watching the unnecessary destruction of bridges, roads, streets, buildings, etc and the murders of hundreds of innocent people in Ukraine, we have to ask ourselves if there was any evolution in the humankind in the last century. All of us have to become more radicals against the evil that still is trying to remain in the world. All kinds of violences are unnecessary and should be severely punished. We must fight more for human rights, justice and peace in the world, we can't stay indifferent to the suffering caused by those that think they are unaccountable. Another result from this stupid war will be the increase of spending in weapons, something that should not happen. This post is a summary of two articles. The first with the incomplete title above was published at  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/our-strength-is-our-unity-putin-chose-war-we-remain-united-with-ukraine. The second was published at https://cepa.org/the-west-can-do-more-to-help-ukraine/

              This is a dangerous moment for freedom-loving people around the world. By  launching his brutal assault on the people of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has also committed an assault on the principles that uphold global peace and democracy. But the people of Ukraine are resilient and we will continue to support the Ukrainian people as they defend their country. By choosing to pay for a war instead of investing in the needs of Russians, Putin's invasion of Ukraine will be a strategic failure for the Kremlin and ravage the future of the Russia people. The world is taking action to hold Russia accountable. As a result of unprecedented global sanctions coordination, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., the E.U., and Japan have removed have removed Russian banks from the SWIFT system. After Putin began his invasion, the ruble hit its weakest point in history, and the Russia stock market plunged. In response to Putin's war of choice, the vast majority of countries have stood by Ukraine and its people, and countries continue to support them economically, politically and defensively. Measures have been implemented to welcome Ukrainians who have fled the conflict and huge humanitarian aid programs have been launched to reduce the suffering of the displaced. Russia justify its military aggression by falsely claiming the need to stop "genocide" in Ukraine. We saw Russia use these tactics before, when they invaded Ukraine in 2014 and Georgia in 2008. Putin's goal of dividing the international community has failed. In the face one of the most significant challenges to democratic ideals since World War II, we have joined together in solidarity. Putin has failed to undermine our shared belief in the fundamental right of sovereign nations to choose their destiny. Putin's aggression against Ukraine will cost Russia profoundly, both economically and strategically. The Russian people deserve better from their government than the immense cost to their future that this invasion has precipitated. Liberty, democracy, and human dignity are forces far more powerful than fear and oppression. In the contest between democracy and autocracy, between sovereignty and subjugation, make no mistake: Freedom  will prevail.                                                                                                              Germany is increasing its defense spending to over 2% of GDP. All NATO countries should now see the necessity and follow Germany's lead. It seemed from his March 1st speech to the Senate that Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi intends to follow suit. We have also learned that, like in 1939, appeasement and leading from behind does not work and merely whets the agressor's appetite. What we are seeing today is the result of many years of appeasing the megalomaniac Vladimir Putin in Crimea, Donbas, Georgia, Syria, Moldova, and Transnistria. Only resolve and courage are successful in the face of unwarranted aggression. The U.S. and its Western allies should be imposing more sanctions against Russia. It was also encouraging to see the U.S., Canada, E.U., the U.K., and others (now approaching 40 nations) closing their airspace to all Russian flights. More military and humanitarian aid must be delivered to Ukraine immediately. The U.S. did not blink in the face of Russian threats after the World War II and kept Berlin open as a symbol of freedom and democracy. The U.S. and its allies should not blink now and should keep Ukraine and its capital open. Putin threatens the world with weapons of mass destruction if he is not appeased. He has menaced Sweden, Finland, the Baltic states, Moldova, and others. A cogent proactive plan to address this global threat is necessary. Sanctions relief should only be considered after the good and decent people of Russia rise up and remove the crazed criminal dictator. We have already seen protests against Putin in St. Petersburg and other Russia cities. Putin needs to be tried for crimes against humanity.

140th Birthday of James Joyce

                A little more than a month ago, precisely on 2nd of February, the Irish writer James Joyce would complete 140 years old. So this post is a tribute to him. His innovative style of writing still influences many writers and his political activism always for democray and against coercive ideologies such as, nationalism, fascism, comunism was very important. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce. The second was  published at    https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/james-joyce/

                 James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (1882-1941) was an Irish novelist, short story writer, poet and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Joyce's novel Ulysses (1922) is a landmark in which the episodes are in a variety of literary styles, most famously stream of consciousness. Other well-known works are the short-story Dubliners (1914), and the novels  A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and Finnegans Wake (1939). Joyce was born in Dublin into a middle-class family. A brilliant student, he graduated at University College in Dublin in 1902. In 1904, he met his future wife Nora Barnacle and they move to Trieste, working as an English teacher. In Trieste, he began publishing his books. During the World War II, he lived in Zurich and started working on Ulysses. After the war, he briefly returned to Trieste and then moved to Paris in 1920, which became his residence until 1940. Many writers, film-makers and other artists have been influenced by his stylistic innovations, such as his meticulous attention to detail, use of interior monologue, wordplay, and the transformation of traditional plot and character development. Throughout his life, Joyce stayed actively interested in politics. Joyce's direct engagement in politics was strongest during his time in Trieste, when he submitted newspaper articles, gave lectures, and wrote letters advocating for Ireland's independence from British rule. His novels address many political issues. Ulysses has been read as a novel critiquing the effect of English colonialism on the Irish people. Finnegans Wake has been read as a work that investigates the divisive issues of politics and the coercive oppression of nationalism and fascism. Joyce's work still has a profound influence on contemporary culture. Its emphasis on the details of everyday life have opened up new possibilities of expression for authors.                                                                                                                                                                                                  James Joyce is one of the most revered writers in the English language and a central figure in the history of the novel. He is still hugely important to us because of his devotion to some crucial themes: the idea of the grandeur of ordinary life, and his determination to portray what actually goes through our heads moment by moment (what we now know as stream of consciousness). 1914 turned out to be Joyce's year of breakthrough when a publisher in London finally decided to bring out his book of short stories, Dubliners which had been rejected, and the American poet, Ezra Pound, arranged to get his novel, A Portrait of the Artist, serialised. This was followed by the serialisation of Ulysses in 1918, the book which made Joyce's name around the world. Joyce's principle work Ulysses is named after the most dramatic adventure story the ancient Greeks handed down to civilisation. But the major character of Joyce's novel is not a warrior. He is, instead, quite kindly and quite foolish man called Leopold Bloom. He works in the advertising industry, he is married (but his wive is having an affair). He is a bit of an outsider in Dublin and there are various humiliations which he has to put up with all the time. He is unlike a traditional hero, but he is representative of our average, unimpressive, fragile, but rather likeable every day selves. Joyce treats Leopold with respect and immense interest, he is someone (Joyce suggest) we should learn from and try in certain ways to be like, just as in the ancient world, Ulysses was held up as an inspiring model of resourceful and brave conduct. We follow Leopold for a whole day as he wanders around Dublin, we see him having lunch, etc. He worries about his relationship with his wife and daughter, he has various conversations. Joyce is saying that the apparently little things that happen in daily life (eating, feeling sorry for someone, feeling sorry for oneself, getting embarrassed) aren't really little things at all. If we look at them through the right lens they are revealed as serious, deep and fascinating. Our own lives are just as interesting as those of the traditional heroes, but we are less good at appreciating them. The helpful lens is supplied initially by Joyce's novel, but ideally we should internalise it and make it our own: we should accept ourselves as minor legitimate heroes of our own dignified lives. Joyce, like other modernist describers of stream of consciousness is suggesting that if we knew more about what others and ourselves really thought and felt we'd have a clearer sense of what it means to be human; and we'd also perhaps be slower to anger, we'd love more and hate less. We'd be more curious about the apparently strange byways our own minds, and those of others are endlessly following. James Joyce spent the greater part of his life writing. But what is art for? In The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce gets his spokesman Stephen to have an answer. He follows a traditional route, using two terms from the medieval philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. The first is Integritas: This means that an artist is someone who attempts to grasp the true integrity and identity of what is being studied. It might be a tree, a moment of history or the life of a fictional character. We don't normally do this, we don't concentrate on what a person is saying or doing, or what moments around us really are. Art has the job of doing this for us, and teaching us to do so habitually. The second step for an artist is to bring Claritas (or clarity): which means shining the lighting of reason into the murkier parts of experience and life. Art, as Joyce sees it, should be a corrective to our natural, but dangerou, blindness and inattention. If it sometimes puzzles us, we know, says Joyce, that it's doing its job, it's awakening us to what we have quickly grown blind to.