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Stage 2 of the new leaks brings how the Supreme Court stonewalled Dilma, responding to all of her overtures and talks with demands for increased pay. Suprise of surprises, days after her impeachment, Congress voted a pay raise for the whole Judiciary. Because austerity is for chumps. Also of note is the mention of Otavio Frias, owner of Brazil's biggest newspaper, as someone who was on board the plot but also "thinking things were going too far" in chasing corrupt politicians. Ironically, it was Frias' paper that published the new round of leaks, so either he found some integrity, a reporter/editor went over his head, or they were afraid someone else also had the recording and would release them first.
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May 25, 2016 15:24
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And while that happens, Gilmar Mendes decides not to accept the request to investigate Aecio and sends the request back to the attorney general for "Reanalysis." So now we have multiple recordings where key players in the impeachment: 1- admit that the media was going out of their way to get Dilma impeached 2- say that they had made a deal with supreme court members, and that said members only cared about the raise that Dilma had vetoed. 3- Put Aecio at the center of multiple corruption schemes and as one of the people who is the most afraid of the investigations 4- Involve the military as guaranteeing "the peace" in case of anti-impeachment protests In terms of evidence against Dilma and the PT itself, the most is confirmation of the already revealed scheme to get off the books donations to Dilma's presidential campaign. On top of all this crap, we also learned today that the government spends about R$400,000 a month sustaining the Cunha household. Meanwhile, the new government is still trying to set a permanent, constitutional limit to spending on healthcare and education, and based on votes yesterday, they will likely get it through. TL,DR: gently caress Brazil.
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May 25, 2016 15:53
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Don't you need a full on constitutional assembly to do that kind of thing? Last time we did that in Argentina we got 10 years of Menem so, uh, don't gently caress around with constitutions.
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May 25, 2016 15:56
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MysteriousStranger posted:http://www.salon.com/2013/10/05/the_legend_of_zelda_is_classist_sexist_and_racist/ Salon is very interesting whenever Venezuela is involved. That was at least something I hoped that they would do different than Jacobin.
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May 25, 2016 15:57
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MysteriousStranger posted:http://www.salon.com/2013/10/05/the_legend_of_zelda_is_classist_sexist_and_racist/ I thought you were going to post their pro incest and pedophilia articles. But nice to switch up what makes one want to vomit with what makes one want to laugh. Also Jacobin actually now is moving against Venezuela. I suspect Salon as always being the magazine of the contrarian left will defend it.
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May 25, 2016 16:01
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Crowsbeak posted:Also Jacobin actually now is moving against Venezuela. I suspect Salon as always being the magazine of the contrarian left will defend it.
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May 25, 2016 16:07
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Crowsbeak posted:I thought you were going to post their pro incest and pedophilia articles. But nice to switch up what makes one want to vomit with what makes one want to laugh. Also Jacobin actually now is moving against Venezuela. I suspect Salon as always being the magazine of the contrarian left will defend it. https://www.salon.com/2013/10/27/the_dangerous_transphobia_of_roald_dahls_matilda/ It gets better!
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May 25, 2016 16:14
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joepinetree posted:And while that happens, Gilmar Mendes decides not to accept the request to investigate Aecio and sends the request back to the attorney general for "Reanalysis." Are the supreme court justices that Dilma/Lula appointed part of this?
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May 25, 2016 16:18
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Yes. Only one has been singled out as being specifically incorruptible and inaccessible for the deals.
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May 25, 2016 16:21
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Badger of Basra posted:Are the supreme court justices that Dilma/Lula appointed part of this? Brazil's recent events really have proved, in my understanding, that there really is such a thing as an established, entrenched elite, and you can win as many elections as you want, appoint ministers and judges, and still never have the actual -power-. The people you appointed will choose their nepotistic/class peers over you, your legitimacy will be sabotaged the moment the status quo ceases to be a straight win-win, and your projects sold off by pennies on the dollar to make a quick buck for the 'reformers'.
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May 25, 2016 16:36
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punk rebel ecks posted:Any articles displaying this? Even if so, the magazine is at the least ten years too late. Chavez and his crew became indefensible in the mid-2000s. Well, it's a bit more nuanced than that. Some articles have been critical, others not so much. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/04/chavez-maduro-venezuela-mud-psuv/ https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/03/venezuela-chavez-maduro-mud-elections/ https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/12/venezuela-elections-hugo-chavez-maduro/
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May 25, 2016 18:22
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Friendly Humour posted:Well, it's a bit more nuanced than that. Some articles have been critical, others not so much. They also have (well, at least from one writer) a very nuanced and reasonable view on Cuba: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/06/cuban-revolution-fidel-che-raul-castro/
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May 25, 2016 19:06
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Troy Queef posted:They also have (well, at least from one writer) a very nuanced and reasonable view on Cuba: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/06/cuban-revolution-fidel-che-raul-castro/ Probably the best article on Cuba that I've read. I wonder what Cuban citizens really think of their country. Can anyone chime in? I know Cuban Americans have a huge negative view on the country, but I wonder what the average Cuban citizen thinks.
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May 25, 2016 20:11
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joepinetree posted:Yes. Only one has been singled out as being specifically incorruptible and inaccessible for the deals. Who's the one good one?
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May 25, 2016 20:12
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Badger of Basra posted:Who's the one good one? Teori Zavascki, who they complained was a "bureaucrat" who rebuked Juca when they tried to reach out.
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May 25, 2016 20:42
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And even he took his sweet rear end time before suspending Cunha. Conveniently right after Dilma's impeachment was accepted by the Chamber of Deputies.
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May 25, 2016 20:54
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Who was one of the first people to meet the new minister of education? Alexandre Frota, soap opera turned porn star. They went there to propose a federal law criminalizing "indoctrination" in schools.
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May 25, 2016 21:35
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Brazil might be in trouble. The state of Rio de Janeiro missed an $8.4 million payment to an international creditor as a debt crisis in Brazil’s state governments deepened amid what the federal Finance Ministry has called “out-of-control personnel expenditures.” The payment, which was due Monday to the French Development Agency, had to be postponed following months in which revenues have fallen short of spending obligations, a person familiar with the matter said. The state’s financial situation has worsened since a judge ordered Rio in April to prioritize paychecks to pensioners. The dire straits of Rio’s state government have produced apocalyptic scenes in recent months. Local newspapers have reported hospitals shutting down emergency rooms and running out of medicine and basic supplies such as rubber gloves and cotton balls. Teachers have gone on strike, prompting students to occupy dozens of schools in protest. Street violence is on the rise as lower police budgets threaten to reverse years of hard-won security gains. Rio has 72 billion reais in debt with Brazil’s federal government and owes another 35 billion reais to public banks and international lenders including the Inter-American Development Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Venezuela-based development bank CAF. Mr. Bueno acknowledged that Brazil’s federal government, which guarantees states’ debt, may have to pick up the tab for Rio’s upcoming obligations. He said the state also missed a payment of 922,000 reais to the IDB on May 16. http://www.wsj.com/articles/brazils-rio-de-janeiro-state-misses-debt-payment-1464191036 Shades of Venezuela?
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May 26, 2016 09:05
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Are there any great novels or books on the Native perspective/reaction to the Conquest of Latin America?
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May 27, 2016 05:20
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Lime Tonics posted:Brazil might be in trouble. It's not shades of Venezuela because the situation, both economically and politically, has almost nothing in common.
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May 27, 2016 05:36
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So what's the public's reaction to the 'totally not a coup' and the rapid privatization?
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May 27, 2016 14:38
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There have been several protests. But it is impossible to determine just how popular or unpopular the new government is, because the media hasn't released a single opinion poll in weeks. Which probably indicates that the new government is less popular than Dilma's.
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May 27, 2016 15:04
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Yeah. The level of support/cover-up the media is running for the new government is almost baffling. It makes me feel like I'm about to turn into a conspiracy theory nut. Other than the leaking of the phone talks (which can be attributed to manipulation within the new government, boosting Serra's faction), it's quite clear that the mood is 'let's not rock the boat'.
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May 27, 2016 16:40
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Just to highlight how lovely Brazilian media is: This was a protest that happened in Belo Horizonte a week ago in favor of Dilma:  What did the local media call this? "A meeting with bloggers."  They also claimed that there was, at most, 1000 people there.
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May 27, 2016 16:59
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Is there something that stops smaller media houses from breaking in to the market?
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May 27, 2016 17:01
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The borderline monolithic power of the concentrated media. Four families hold close to 80% of the consumed media in the country, and have for a century or so. Marinho, Frias, Mesquita, etc. Smaller media usually stays boxed in inside definite groups that are easily marginalized, or just bought out if they start growing. I remember the first biggest protests in São Paulo last year and how Globo was just going insane with attendance numbers. "Seems like we have a million people here in Paulista Avenue protesting the government." "A million and eight hundred thousand people here in the manifestation!" "Two million people and a half protesting Dilma! Biggest manifestation in history!!" "Four BILLION protesters here sending their message! The planet is hunched to the side, there are so many people here!" The the police (which hates PT's guts, mind) released that there were 200k people tops and everyone just went 'well whatever it was really big'.
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May 27, 2016 18:15
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Friendly Humour posted:Is there something that stops smaller media houses from breaking in to the market? First, the telecommunications ministry has almost always been controlled by politicians who were extremely selective in terms of who would get concessions. The best example is Radio Favela. It is a radio station transmitting from a shanty town in Belo Horizonte. It started broadcasting in 1981, but was only able to get a permanent license in 2007. PT tried a few times to institute reforms to reduce the power of media conglomerates. But every time they even mentioned doing so, they were accused of being communists destroying freedom of expression. Hell, a lot of the media conglomerates rely on ads from public companies, and the fact that PT reduced the share of that money that went to the big media conglomerates was enough to get people complaining that they were trying to buy favorable coverage. One of the first things Temer did when taking over was to cut sponsorship to smaller blogs and alternative news channels and focus only on the big conglomerates. He even nominated a guy who openly thanked Globo for helping get Temer in power as the head of the Brazilian Communications Corporation (EBC). https://rsf.org/en/news/brazil-falls-press-freedom-index-now-104th Here's what reporters without borders had to say about it: quote:The problem of Brazil’s “colonels,” which RSF described in 2013 in its report, “The country of 30 Berlusconis,” has continued unabated. The so-called “colonels’ are usually major landowners or industrialists who are also legislators or state governors and who control opinion-making in their regions because, directly or indirectly, they own several local media outlets. As a result, the media are heavily dependent on the centres of economic and political power. And the thing is not even just inflating the numbers of protesters against Dilma. When there was an anti-Dilma protest scheduled, they would start announcing the protest weeks in advance, along with guides on where to park, where people could get on buses to get to the protests, whatsapp groups to share pictures and information etc. Meanwhile, if there is a pro-Dilma protest scheduled, it either gets downplayed (see the "meeting with bloggers" post above), or it gets framed in the worst possible manner ("police is afraid that protest organized by the landless peasants movement could turn violent" type of thing). On top of which, the small blogs and news outlets that dare go against the major conglomerates generally get buried in lawsuits. One of the key figures supporting the impeachment was Zeze Perrella, Aecio's ally. His family has a helicopter business that was caught transporting half a ton of cocaine. Not only did nothing happen to him, but he successfully sued to prevent smaller blogs from reporting on the story. It is all stuff that has been around since the dictatorship. The military dictatorship that was in power between 64 and 85 was really big on "national integration," so they did all they could to expand media that was friendly to the dictatorship to all corners of the country. Globo, for example, has lost a lot of power but will still have 40 to 50% share of the audience on prime time. joepinetree fucked around with this message at 19:37 on May 27, 2016 |
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May 27, 2016 18:48
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punk rebel ecks posted:Probably the best article on Cuba that I've read. I've been to Cuba a couple of times (2002 and 2006). Cubans are proud of accomplishments like education and health care and maintaining independence from the US, but surprisingly nuanced and vocal about the wrong turns the Revolution has taken. They know that Cuba is not a 'normal' country, and seem to yearn for the day when it is and they have access to consumer goods. Cubans may be more open with foreign visitors than other Cubans, as the government maintains CDR snitches on just about every block, especially in Havana. I was surprised by the readiness people had for political conversations. No one believes the heavy-handed Granma propaganda garbage that all of Cuba's problems are due to the US, but they do strongly resent the US embargo of the island.
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May 27, 2016 18:48
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TheImmigrant posted:I've been to Cuba a couple of times (2002 and 2006). Cubans are proud of accomplishments like education and health care and maintaining independence from the US, but surprisingly nuanced and vocal about the wrong turns the Revolution has taken. They know that Cuba is not a 'normal' country, and seem to yearn for the day when it is and they have access to consumer goods. Cubans may be more open with foreign visitors than other Cubans, as the government maintains CDR snitches on just about every block, especially in Havana. I was surprised by the readiness people had for political conversations. No one believes the heavy-handed Granma propaganda garbage that all of Cuba's problems are due to the US, but they do strongly resent the US embargo of the island. I agree with this. I was in Cuba 2 months ago. The average Cuban that I talked to has political views that are much more nuanced, and I would say pragmatic, than pretty much anyone outside of Cuba. Their education system, health care and safety net (I traveled half the country and didn't see Brazilian style abject poverty anywhere, though there was certainly a lot of poverty) are all remarkable and a source of pride, while they also yearn for better access to resources, freer communications, etc. One thing that surprised me was that while most people had mixed to negative views of the Castro brothers, everyone I talked to absolutely loved Che.
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May 27, 2016 18:58
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Grouchio posted:Are there any great novels or books on the Native perspective/reaction to the Conquest of Latin America? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/080705500X/R2FELO9PCR45H/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1 Kind of academic but you should be able to find a free pdf easily, and it's interesting enough to pick up and browse. I recommend pairing with Bernal Diaz's account of the Conquest, which includes cool details like the Spanish rendering the fat from the bodies of Indians and slathering it over their bodies
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May 27, 2016 19:22
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joepinetree posted:I agree with this. I was in Cuba 2 months ago. The average Cuban that I talked to has political views that are much more nuanced, and I would say pragmatic, than pretty much anyone outside of Cuba. Their education system, health care and safety net (I traveled half the country and didn't see Brazilian style abject poverty anywhere, though there was certainly a lot of poverty) are all remarkable and a source of pride, while they also yearn for better access to resources, freer communications, etc. One thing that surprised me was that while most people had mixed to negative views of the Castro brothers, everyone I talked to absolutely loved Che. Good observation about the poverty. Everywhere else I've been in Latin America there is visible abject poverty. I'm talking things like widespread begging and glue-addicted orphans living in the streets. Cuba has a more low-level and equal poverty. No one starves or lives on the street, although the food (even if you're carrying hard currency) is uniformly terrible, there's little available for purchase, and accommodations pretty grim. You get the impression that everyone is just waiting, playing dominoes and drinking rum at card tables set up in side streets, playing music, or doing anything else that's free to kill time. I didn't see any beggars or street kids in Cuba, although the incessant attention from jineteras was pretty annoying. It was relentless in Havana. The first time I went was with my girlfriend. We were drinking one evening in a hard-currency hotel bar on Paseo Martí in Habana Vieja. She got up to use the toilet, and not a minute passed before there were two jineteras dripping from my arms and asking me if I wanted company. It's a strange feeling walking around a place and knowing that your purchasing power is hundreds or even thousands of times that of just about everyone you'll meet. Everyone knows it too. Despite that, I never felt threatened by any Cubans. Also agree about opinion of the Castro brothers and Guevara. The latter died while he was still handsome and young - at the right time to have a legacy like he has - even though he was a disaster as economic minister and responsible for some of the worst excesses of the barbudos after they took Havana. On the other hand, Cubans didn't have much love to express for the Castros, who are seen as dinosaurs. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 19:29 on May 27, 2016 |
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May 27, 2016 19:25
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TheImmigrant posted:Good observation about the poverty. Everywhere else I've been in Latin America there is visible abject poverty. I'm talking things like widespread begging and glue-addicted orphans living in the streets. Cuba has a more low-level and equal poverty. No one starves or lives on the street, although the food (even if you're carrying hard currency) is uniformly terrible, there's little available for purchase, and accommodations pretty grim. You get the impression that everyone is just waiting, playing dominoes and drinking rum at card tables set up in side streets, playing music, or doing anything else that's free to kill time. I didn't see any beggars or street kids in Cuba, although the incessant attention from jineteras was pretty annoying. It was relentless in Havana. The first time I went was with my girlfriend. We were drinking one evening in a hard-currency hotel bar on Paseo Martí in Habana Vieja. She got up to use the toilet, and not a minute passed before there were two jineteras dripping from my arms and asking me if I wanted company. It's a strange feeling walking around a place and knowing that your purchasing power is hundreds or even thousands of times that of just about everyone you'll meet. Everyone knows it too. Despite that, I never felt threatened by any Cubans. It would seem the solution predictably enough would be a mixed economy that hopefully could be fed by increased trade with the US and more flexible price controls, but largely avoids shock therapy that hit the former Soviet Union. There should be a problem with allowing more small and medium sized businesses to a point, but there doesn't seem to be a strong reason to break up the Rum/Tobacco monopolies or public services.
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May 27, 2016 19:43
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Squalid posted:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/080705500X/R2FELO9PCR45H/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1 what the christ
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May 27, 2016 19:45
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Bartolomé de las Casas, the namesake for San Cristóbal (de las Casas) in Chiapas wrote a lot on the Mexican natives, to whom he was very sympathetic, in the 16th century.Squalid posted:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/080705500X/R2FELO9PCR45H/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1 I read that the Spaniards used the fat rendered from Indian bodies as pitch for the boats they built to invade Tenochtitlán. TheImmigrant fucked around with this message at 19:55 on May 27, 2016 |
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May 27, 2016 19:52
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Bernal Diaz's account has so many wtf moments made even more bizzare by his pretty matter of fact style.
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May 27, 2016 19:58
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Ardennes posted:It would seem the solution predictably enough would be a mixed economy that hopefully could be fed by increased trade with the US and more flexible price controls, but largely avoids shock therapy that hit the former Soviet Union. There should be a problem with allowing more small and medium sized businesses to a point, but there doesn't seem to be a strong reason to break up the Rum/Tobacco monopolies or public services. The trick is going to be finding a comfortable spot somewhere between complete estrangement from the US and total domination by it. It's been either one or the other since 1898 for Cuba.
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May 27, 2016 20:02
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Rigged Death Trap posted:what the christ Corpse medicine is quite a fascinating subject, actually. Also, some South American natives apparently believe in fat vampires.
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May 27, 2016 20:03
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The Cuba talk is very interesting. So no one likes the Castro brothers? What do Cubans think of democracy?
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May 28, 2016 20:53
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punk rebel ecks posted:The Cuba talk is very interesting. So no one likes the Castro brothers? What do Cubans think of democracy? Opinions I heard from Cubans* have ranged from neutral to negative. There's a small nomenklatura class in Cuba that doubtless think differently of the Castros. As for democracy, Cubans vote, but don't have true choices. I think they're more concerned with liberalization of the economy, at least regarding small- and medium-sized firms and concerns. *Mind, my contacts are mostly Cubans seeking to leave (I'm a US immigration lawyer), or people in contact with the tourist economy in Cuba.
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May 29, 2016 00:37
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punk rebel ecks posted:The Cuba talk is very interesting. So no one likes the Castro brothers? What do Cubans think of democracy? My conversations were more with farmers and artists, so people who one way or another were interested in more international openness. With the Castro brothers, it was less an active dislike, and more of a roll of the eyes when people talked them up. As for "democracy," political discussions that I had tended to be a lot less ideological and abstract than what we are used to elsewhere. Like, people would talk about how they love their healthcare, but hate that it is almost impossible to buy a car, so they have to wait an hour in the morning to for public transportation. Not that this is representative, of course. But it was certainly remarkable when coming from my experiences in both the US and Brazil .
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May 29, 2016 04:06
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