Judi Lynn
Judi Lynn's JournalMemory refresher time: Behind Paraguay's coup
26 July 2012
Behind Paraguay's coup
At the heart of the nation's current crisis is an ongoing battle over land.
By Benjamin Dangl
Each bullet hole in downtown Asunción, Paraguay light posts tells a story. Some of them are from civil wars decades ago, some from successful and unsuccessful coups, others from police crackdowns. The size of the hole, the angle of the ricochet, all tell of an escape, a death, and another dictator in the palace by the river.
On June 22 of this year, a new tyrant entered the government palace. The right-wing Federico Franco became president in what has been deemed a parliamentary coup against democratically elected, left-leaning President Fernando Lugo.
What lies behind today's headlines, political fights and struggles for justice is a conflict over access to land. Land in Paraguay is power and money for the elites and survival and dignity for the poor, and has been at the centre of major political and social battles in Paraguay for decades. In order to understand the crisis in post-coup Paraguay, it's necessary to grasp the political weight of the nation's soil at the heart of its current crisis.
The coup
Hope surrounded the electoral victory of Fernando Lugo in 2008, a victory that ended the right-wing Colorado Party's 61-year dominance of Paraguayan politics. It was a victory against the injustice and nightmare of the Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship (1954-1989), and a new addition to the region's left-leaning governments. The election of Lugo, a former bishop and adherent to liberation theology, was due in large part to grassroots support from the campesino (small farmer) sector and Lugo's promise of long-overdue land reform.
More:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/07/2012724104721484209.html
WikiLeaks: Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer Is US Diplomatic Informant
WikiLeaks: Brazil’s Acting President Michel Temer Is US Diplomatic Informant
The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald noted that Temer will 'faithfully serve the interests of Brazil’s richest' along with the interests of Goldman Sachs and the International Monetary Fund.
By Kit O'Connell @KitOConnell | May 13, 2016
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Brazil’s acting President Michel Temer arrives to speak, at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, May 12, 2016
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SAO PAULO — Brazil’s new acting president is a known U.S. informant who has provided Washington with insider information about the Brazilian government on multiple occasions.
Michel Temer’s ties to the U.S. government, as revealed by WikiLeaks’ Public Library of U.S. Diplomacy, add to the growing body of evidence that the parliamentary impeachment of Brazil’s democratically-elected president, Dilma Rousseff, was supported by allies in Washington.
Temer, who has served as Brazil’s vice president since 2011, took power Thursday after Brazil’s parliament suspended Rousseff pending the results of impeachment proceedings.
Via Twitter, WikiLeaks highlighted two diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy in São Paulo that document Temer’s history of sharing insider information with Washington from his position as the leader of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB, Brazil’s largest political party.
More:
https://www.mintpressnews.com/wikileaks-brazils-acting-president-michel-temer-us-diplomatic-informant/216425/
Infrared Camera Captures the Eruption of Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano
Infrared Camera Captures the Eruption of Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano
Want to see a volcanic eruption up close without risking your life? Check out the video above, courtesy of Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network (RSN). According to Gizmodo, the country’s Turrialba Volcano—which sits about 30 miles to the east of the capital city of San José—erupted early Thursday morning. The RNS filmed Turrialba’s explosion using an infrared camera, and released colorful footage of the volcano spewing clouds of gas, rocks, and ash up to 3280 feet in the air.
“It was a single explosion but a really strong one," Javier Pacheco, a volcanologist with the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), told The Tico Times. "This means that there was high pressure inside the volcano."
While the volcano has erupted multiple times over the past two years, Thursday morning marked the volcano’s most powerful eruption since 1996, Reuters reports. Locals had to evacuate the area, and clouds of ash reached San Jose some 30 miles away.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/79970/infrared-camera-captures-eruption-costa-ricas-turrialba-volcano
(Short article, no more at link.)
US poultry workers denied toilet breaks resort to diapers: Oxfam
Source: Agence France-Presse
US poultry workers denied toilet breaks resort to diapers: Oxfam
13 May 2016
Poultry workers in the United States are routinely denied bathroom breaks to the point of being forced to wear diapers while on the production line, a new report claims.
The "vast majority" of 250,000 workers in the sector are mocked, ignored or threatened with being fired when they ask to go to the bathroom, Oxfam America said in the study. "Workers struggle to cope with this denial of a basic human need. They urinate and defecate while standing on the line; they wear diapers to work," said the report, released on Tuesday.
The US arm of the global anti-poverty charity added that workers would take on dangerously low levels of liquids, enduring pain and discomfort while risking serious health problems.
The group quoted anonymous workers at Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms, Pilgrim's Pride and Sanderson Farms, which between them have 100,000 workers and account for 60 percent of the sector.
Read more: https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/us-poultry-workers-denied-toilet-breaks-resort-diapers-oxfam
Honor at last: Former slaves reburied centuries later
Source: Associated Press
Honor at last: Former slaves reburied centuries later
Michael Hill, Associated Press
Updated 3:47 pm, Thursday, May 12, 2016
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Their exhumed bones point to the hard lives of slaves: arthritic backs, missing teeth, muscular frames. In death, they were wrapped in shrouds, buried in pine boxes and — over centuries — forgotten.
Remains of the 14 presumed slaves will soon be reburied near the Hudson River, 11 years after construction workers uncovered the unmarked gravesite. This time, volunteers are honoring the seven adults, five infants and two children in a way that would have been unthinkable when they died. They will be publicly memorialized and buried in personalized boxes beside prominent families in old Albany.
"It's something we agonize over because it's very rare that you have an opportunity to not just speak about the lives of the enslaved, but to actually do something to honor them," said Cordell Reaves, of the Schuyler Flatts Burial Ground Project. "We have an obligation to make sure that these people receive a level of dignity and respect that they never received in life."
. . .
Their headstone is already set. The etching, echoing the style of 18th-century graves, reads: "Here lies the remains of 14 souls known only to God. Enslaved in life, they are slaves no more."
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Honor-at-last-Former-slaves-reburied-centuries-7463533.php
British-Based Cubans Face US Blockade in Piano Project
May 12, 2016
British-Based Cubans Face US Blockade in Piano Project
by Helen Yaffe
In late April 2016, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond became the highest-ranking British government minister to visit revolutionary Cuba. He signed four memorandums of understanding for cooperation in higher education, energy, culture and in the financial and professional services sector, including an agreement to restructure Cuba’s debt to Britain. Hammond affirmed that Britain, and the European Union, are in favour of lifting the 55-year old United States blockade of island.
As a sign of just how punitive the blockade remains, earlier that month a group of Cuban musicians based in Britain had their money withheld by Eventbrite, a US website-based company. Cuban pianist Eralys Fernandez, who lives in London, had used the ticket sales website for a classical music concert held in an East London church in mid-March.
The concert, supported by a group called Cubans in the UK was a fundraiser for a project to ‘send a piano to Cuba’, which aims to raise £10,000 to buy a second hand concert piano to send to the Conservatory Amadeo Roldan in Havana. Despite being one of the most prestigious institutions in Cuba, its existing grand pianos are in a poor condition. The Conservatory has struggled to get access to new pianos, largely because of the US blockade, and there are no piano producers or retailers in Cuba. The project has been endorsed by Sting and now has Cuban musicians throughout Europe signed up to support.
After the concert, Eventbrite informed the organisers that ‘we were contacted by our bank to let us know that the payout we initiated on 17 March 2016 for £360 has been temporarily held." held’. They wanted to know of ‘any direct or indirect benefit to Cuba or a Cuban in this transaction’. The organisers, who have dual British and Cuban citizenship, answered in the affirmative; it was obvious from the name and description of the event that it was fundraising to send a piano to Cuba. A month later, Eventbrite confirmed that the ticket money was withheld ‘pursuant to US Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) regulations and sanctions program’ – in other words the US blockade. ‘In order to have the funds released’, advised Eventbrite, ‘you will need to obtain a license from the US Treasury Department’.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/12/british-based-cubans-face-us-blockade-in-piano-project/
Leftist leaders leap to defense of ousted Brazilian president
Leftist leaders leap to defense of ousted Brazilian president
Maria Lourdes Hercules, Special for USA TODAY 4:09 p.m. EDT May 12, 2016
The impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff drew condemnation by fellow leftist leaders in South America, while more conservative leaders endorsed the legal process that led to her ouster.
Rousseff, the first female president of Brazil, was suspended Thursday and replaced by her right-of-center Vice President Michel Temer. Here are reactions from neighboring countries and their government's political leanings:
Venezuela: The Chancellery of the Republic issued a statement rejecting the impeachment of Rousseff. "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela considers that the coup in development has been forged from the moment of the election of President Dilma Rousseff," the statement from the leftist government said. "The process of Coup in Brazil aims to replace popular sovereignty and ignoring the legitimate will of its people. ... We appeal to the people of the world to remain vigilant and ready to defend democracy, President Dilma Rousseff and processes of unity and integration among our countries."
. . .
Chile: The leftist government expressed "concern" at the events of its "sister nation." The Chilean foreign minister, Heraldo Munoz, highlighted the "excellent relations" they have had with Rousseff and that they rely on the strength of democracy in Brazil to resolve internal affairs, according to El Universal.
More:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/05/12/brazil-president-impeachment-south-america-reaction/84285888/
LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141447937
$40 million to establish early-universe observatory in Chile
$40 million to establish early-universe observatory in Chile
By Robert Sanders, Media relations | May 12, 2016
The Simons Foundation has given $38.4 million to establish a new astronomy facility in Chile’s Atacama Desert, adding new telescopes and new detectors to existing instruments in order to boost ongoing studies of the evolution of the universe, from its earliest moments to today. The Heising-Simons Foundation is providing an additional $1.7 million to support the project.
The Simons Observatory is a collaboration among Princeton University, the University of California at San Diego, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Pennsylvania and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, all of which are also providing financial support.
The observatory will allow scientists to probe the subtle properties of the cosmic microwave background radiation, in particular its polarization, to better understand what took place a fraction of a second after the Big Bang. While these events are hidden from view behind the glare of the microwave radiation, the disturbances they caused in the fabric of spacetime affected the microwave’s polarization, and scientists hope to work backwards from these measurements to test theories about how the universe came into existence.
“A key target of this observatory is the earliest moments in the history of the universe,” said project spokesperson Mark Devlin, a cosmologist at the University of Pennsylvania who is also a 1993 UC Berkeley Ph.D. and the leader of the Penn contingent at the Simons Observatory. “While patterns that we see in the microwave sky are a picture of the structure of the universe 380,000 years after the Big Bang, we believe that some of these patterns were generated much earlier, by gravitational waves produced in the first moments of the universe’s expansion. By measuring how the gravitational waves affect electrons and matter 380,000 years after the big bang, we are observing fossils from the very, very early universe.”
More:
http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/05/12/40-million-to-establish-early-universe-observatory-in-chile/
To Overthrow a Government With Beer: Trumpism in Latin America
May 11, 2016
To Overthrow a Government With Beer: Trumpism in Latin America
by Maria Paez Victor
Yet another multibillionaire wants to run a country: Lorenzo Mendoza. He is a member of one of the most rich and powerful families of Venezuela and is positioning himself to be president – not by votes, but by stealth, by economic warfare against the democratic government of Venezuela.
USA-educated Mendoza is considered the richest man in the country with a fortune of $5 billion and ranked among the 500 richest people in the world by Forbes magazine (2016). He is using the power of the 75- year industry, which his father and grandfather built up through their crooked and intimate link to the previous anti-democratic governments, to overthrow the government of Nicolás Maduro.
His weapons of preference to discredit and destabilize the government are the foodstuffs he imports, packages and sells, especially the beer. Very little of what his industry does is actually produced in the country. Polar does not invest its gains in the country just parks it in foreign banks. Polar processes and packs imported corn, rice, tuna, tomato paste so that the government classifies its industry as “necessary” and worthy to receive dollars. It is a parasitic enterprise.
The item that is key in this economic war is his beer, Polar. It is considered one of the 10 best beers in Latin America. He is threatening to close the production of beer because the government, which controls the exchange, will not GIVE him the dollars he says he need to import barley. Mendoza is threatening to fire 10,000 workers plus the loss of 300 indirect jobs if the government does not hand over the dollars he wants. It is called: blackmail.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/05/11/to-overthrow-a-government-with-beer-trumpism-in-latin-america/
Explore Argentina's natural beauty from the comfort of your couch
Explore Argentina's natural beauty from the comfort of your couch
May 10, 2016 12:59 IST
By Niranjan R
Argentina is a land of breath-taking beauty. Blessed with waterfalls, glaciers and grasslands, Argentina can feel like three parts of the world rolled into one. While nothing beats travelling to the country and experiencing it first-hand, armchair travellers can also experience Argentina through Street View on Google Maps.
As announced on the Google Maps official blog, the company has reportedly added a section of Argentina's national parks to its Street View gallery. Through the gallery, users can navigate across iconic areas of interest including many of the waterfalls at the Iguazu National Park, which incidentally happen to be among the New7Wonders of Nature.
Users can also experience the wonders of Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park. The ice here is reported to be over 30 km in length and it is one of the 48 glaciers fed by the world's third-largest reserve of fresh water, the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
The Street View experiences take users across trails, down rivers and up to the foot of waterfalls and can be enjoyed through Google Maps' website, and via the Google Maps Android and iPhone apps.
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/explore-argentinas-natural-beauty-comfort-your-couch-678108
Google street view:
https://www.google.com/maps/streetview/#argentina-national-parks
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