Fallows: Seeing the local/global connection in small town USA

Wonderful posting by journalist James Fallows from Eastport, Maine.

Eastport Road Map: Global Meets Local in a Very Small Town

Fallows notes all the things the town is doing trying to survive — revitalize downtown, local farmer markets, local museum, etc. And then he points out what could be a major benefit for the town: Eastport is the nearest natural harbor to Europe.

Its siting, “remote” from the rest of America’s perspective, is also a potential strategic plus. [Using] the handy online Great Circle Mapper [you get] the idea that Eastport is the closest U.S. location to ports in Europe.

Having the ideal harbor along the Great Circle may not convert into a major economic boon for Eastport. After all, goods shipped in or out of that port still have a major inland trip to make.

But if Eastport can get a rail station — something they are looking at — then maybe they could become a major trading site between the US and Europe. (Fallows points out the connection to Africa and Asia, via the Northern Passage, is also advantageous.)

It is indeed warming to see a report that shows how local and global work together.

But the, I would expect no less from Fallows. He has seen these connections for years. The real trick is getting local journalists without Fallows’ global experiences to see the connections for their local news outlets.

 

Context is always important

Trying to get people to understand how economic or political policies affect them means finding a way to put those policies into context.

This blog started trying to get people — mostly journalists — to understand that there are plenty of LOCAL connections to international events.

Now we have the issue of trying to help people make sense of the loss that hit the American economy thanks to the GOP-forced government shut down.

Standard & Poor’s estimated that the U.S. economy took a hit of $24 billion for just the 16 days the government was closed.

And all praise to Foreign Policy for this great graphic:

New transparency law gives Brazilian voters look at corrupt practices

Great little piece on a new law is drawing attention to stuff Brazilian lawmakers tried to keep hidden. And it shows how getting even the weakest freedom/right of information law or transparency law enacted is a benefit. Once in place, people can use it to its limits and then lobby for changes that make it work even better. (That’s how the US FOI act evolved.)

Will Brazil’s Transparency Law Work?

The recently approved Transparency Law in Brazil has exposed that one-third of the 594 Brazilian federal lawmakers have pending cases in criminal and civil courts. Most of the criminal cases against the Senators and Deputies in Brasília involve corruption charges.

The Transparency Law was approved following the presentation of over one million signatures from the Brazilian people. The purpose of the bill is to expose members of Congress with criminal charges to the public. The law is seen as a filter of allegedly corrupt candidates with the hopes of discouraging them from seeking re-election.

Rest of story

The part I like is the enumeration of the crimes the solons were charged with and how many in each party were charged. (To be sure, being charged in a civil case is nothing. Until you remember that Brazilian law allows individuals to launch civil cases that would be considered criminal cases in other countries.)

The list reveals that 190 of the 594 Brazilian federal lawmakers have at some time been charged in criminal or civil cases. The list of crimes includes manslaughter, degrading practices, abuse of power, administrative illegalities, public funding abuse, and illicit enrichment. There is a total of fourteen different crimes on the list.

Furthermore, no party is absent from the list. PMDB, the largest political party presently in Congress with 101 members, has 36 politicians that have been charged. The ruling PT party of Dilma with 100 lawmakers has 28. PSDB, the main opposition force with 60 members, has 22 with pending charges. PR with 43 members has 14 charges, and PSB of 29 members has 12 charged.

But my favorite is Congressman, Natan Donadon, who is currently in jail but is still an active member of Congress and receiving his salary.

No CNN: Hong Kong is NOT in Japan nor is it in Brazil!

Really!? Really!?

During a story about killer wasps, CNN threw up a graphic that placed Hong Kong about where Sao Paulo is.

Well, they are both business centers. But Paulinos have more fun than Hong Kongers. Plus the Sao Paulo football (soccer) teams are much better.

The mission of teaching journalists about the world just became a whole lot harder!

Who woulda thunk: State Department: 1 NSA: 0

The Cable (one of the best sites for foreign policy junkies) has a great piece on how the NSA has not been able to break a piece of software promoted by the State Department. (Not Even the NSA Can Crack the State Dept’s Favorite Anonymous Network)

The Tor system was developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 2002. Since then it has remained the best way for people to connect to the Internet anonymously. For the pro-democracy people at the State Department, this was a god-send.

Some of the tech savvy folks at State (under former Secretary Clinton) decided that Tor could be used to protect human rights and democracy advocates as they worked to organize and disseminate information.

For years, the U.S. government has offered tools and training to help foreign dissidents and journalists circumvent detection by repressive governments. In particular, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), though its Internet Anti-Censorship (IAC) Division, has provided “anti-censorship, pro-privacy software to users worldwide who are subject to foreign government-sponsored Internet censorship,” according to the BBG’s website.

In some cases, that has meant partnering with companies to improve the security of their software. The board also has worked with the Tor Solutions Group to develop “several enhancements” to its usability and performance for users subject to censorship. The BBG’s budget for Internet anti-censorship issues runs a little over $10 million a year.

Below is a summary how TOR has been and can be used to promote human rights and freedom of access:

• Human rights activists use Tor to anonymously report abuses from danger zones.
• Internationally, labor rights workers use Tor and other forms of online and offline anonymity to organize workers in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Tor provides the ability to avoid persecution while still raising a voice.
• Many peaceful agents of change rely on Tor for basic privacy during legitimate activities.
• Human Rights Watch recommends Tor to fight Chinese censorship
• Individuals and nonprofits  can anonymously criticize corrupt businesses and government officials, thereby protect themselves from retribution.
• Labor organizers can use Tor to reveal information regarding sweatshops that produce goods for western countries and to organize local labor.
• Tor can help activists avoid government or corporate censorship that hinders organization.

But, as with all good things, there is a dark side.

Tor has also become popular with drug dealers, criminal hackers, and peddlers of child pornography. The online drug market Silk Road, which was shut down by federal authorities this week, relied on Tor.

So the NSA and their British colleagues tried to hack into it. With the result being, as the British say, “No joy.”

But that does not mean they will stop trying.

It’s kind of fun to watch. On one side the US government is financing a major project to protect anonymity around the world, while at the same time trying to do away with it.