Year: 2006

Bolivia vs. Bechtel

BechtelJim Shultz, from The Democracy Center brought good news today.

“This morning, the Bechtel Corporation will sign an agreement dropping its $50 million legal case against the people of Cochabamba (Bolivia) for kicking Bechtel out in the 2000 water revolt” said Shultz. “Instead of the fortune it demanded, Bechtel will fly home with a token settlement of two shiny Bolivian coins worth a total of thirty cents. One of the biggest, most powerful corporations on Earth has been defeated by an army of concerned citizens all over the world.”

Good for the people of Bolivia!!

For more information on this, check out democracyctr.org and boliviasoberana.org (in Spanish). For more information on privatization of water around the world, go to waternotforsale.org

Dirty Antibiotics Resisters

Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada have looked into their soil to find a lot of resistance. The research scientists took some soil samples and found that a lot of microbes are not affected by antibiotics.

480 microbes were tested and a; showed resistance to two drugs, and most were resistant to 7 or 8 more of the 21 drugs tested. The scientists tried traditional medicines and recently designed drugs.

At first, you might think that this is not good news. I’d say that this is good news because by looking at these microbes we can gain a better understanding of why more and more microbes are resisting antibiotics. The more we know about this the better we can treat people.

Software for Starving Students

Software for Starving Students is a collection of open source software one can download for free. It includes an office suite, firefox, and its own user-friendly interface.
Good software
From the site:

We created the SSS CD because we love open source software and want to help make it more accessible to students all around the world. Although all students need good software to be successful, many have a hard time getting it on student budgets. We empathize with them because we’ve felt that pinch ourselves. This software enables students to achieve more for less, and that inspires us. People all over the world are using free software to make their lives better.

Easier Whistleblowing in China

The Chinese government has launched a website that allows the public to report corrupt officials online:

The new site (www.jubao.gov.cn) is run by the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision.

The Web site offers Chinese villagers and others a way to lodge complaints directly, bypassing local authorities who are sometimes criticized for retaliating against petitioners or refusing to take action on complaints.

China has the world’s second-largest population of Internet users after the United States, with more than 100 million people online.

China also has a huge problem with peasants getting screwed over by middle management while higher levels of government turn a blind eye. This certainly won’t solve the problem, but it could be a good start.

Chile, Liberia Elect First Female Leaders

ChileFormer political prisoner, Michelle Bachelet, ran for president of Chile and has won with 53% majority with almost 98% of the vote counted. The left-leaning politician has now become the first female president in the country, the female vote is argued to have made the majority happen.

Bachelet’s family has a legacy of challenging bad politicians, with her father protesting Pinochet.
Liberia
In related news, Africa has its first ever elected female leader in the state of Liberia. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is inaugurated today as Liberia’s 23rd president. She aims to fight corruption within government and to rebuild the country after a massive civil war.

Thanks, Justin!