Sunday, August 18, 2013

COMMENTS - 2013/08/18



WEEKLY BLOG COMMENTS No. 77
DATES: 2013/08/11 – 2013/07/18
ANALYST: Domingo Trassens
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Dear Friends:

Again the news from Egypt became headlines of the middle of August with a lot of violence and uncertainty about the future of this country rich in culture but weak in democratic life.

Meanwhile, during the last few days we hear nothing important from the U.S. Congress and the American government institutions because it is vacation time in the federal government.

Only President Obama interrupted his rest to send a strong warning to the Egyptians and stopping the military assistance to the forces of this country due to the bloody repression actions against the Morsi’s followers.

A series of stories from Egypt commented the brutal techniques used by the military forces to clean squares and streets of Cairo from the demonstrations of Islamic Brotherhood.

Also the news talks about the reaction of the President Morsi’s followers who killed policemen and burned churches due to the military repression.

No far from Egypt, Beirut, Lebanon was shaken with a strong car bomb and in Iraq, the toll of deaths increased due to new sectarian attacks.

In the technology corner, Dell and Cisco Systems posted faded financial results and Zynga announced an important reorganization.    

Now I would like to share with you a series of comments posted by myself in the WSJ Journal Community and PBS through Twitter during the last seven days about the top news of the week.

The comments are organized in the following sections:
- Egypt
- United States
- Europe
- The World (Asia, Africa, Middle East…)
- Latin America
- Education
- Economy, Business, Technology.

DAT
 August 18, 2013

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EGYPT



Subject: Deadly reactions of Islamic groups who killed policemen and burned churches.

My Comment: Hard repression from the security forces inflame the mobs and open the door for the infiltration of terrorist groups.

The attack on a police station in Kerdasa and the killing of 11 officers plus the burning of three churches reflects that the hatred between the Brotherhood’s supporters and Military’s supporters is creating the conditions for a cruel civil war. (2013/08/16)



My Comment answering to another member who remarked Islamic protesters is making barbarism: Thanks for your observation. The burning of churches is barbarism. The attackers are mixing political and religious issues.

The Islamic extremists use any incident to attack Christians. This is not the first time that Islamic protesters burn churches, also after the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. (2013/08/16) 4 Recommendations



My Comment answering to another member who said that after the fall of President Mubarak, Egypt became a chaotic country: Thank you for sharing your opinion with me. You are right about President Hosni Mubarak. He was an authoritarian leader; however he ran Egypt in a reasonable way during long years.
At this point we have to recognize that the Obama’s administration was wrong when it supported the beginning of the Arab Spring with an ingenuous optimism.

The Mubarak’s regime was not democratic in the way that the Western countries understand democracy, but he governed his country in a balanced way according to the freedom levels of the Arab countries.

At the end of his term, due to the domestic and international pressure, he repressed the popular unrest with a hard hand and immediately the Western countries pointed against him.

But President Morsi made worse mistakes than Mubarak and now General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is committing also serious mistakes.

From the start of the Morsi’s term, the country entered into a chaotic period with arbitrariness, corruption, bloodshed, deaths and repression.

At this moment, General el-Sisi is trying to implement a regime that looks more like a military dictatorship than a civil temporary government.

The problem is that Morsi’s followers are on the warpath. From both sides, the anger is growing and nobody is measuring the risks of a civil war. (2013/08/17)


PBS – WORLD -- August 13, 2013 at 5:50 PM EDT - Egyptian Foreign Minister on Mideast Peace Talks: 'Difficult to Be Optimistic' By: Larisa Epatko

Subject: Egyptian Foreign Minister in an interview with international press recognizes that it is difficult to be optimistic in the current situation about the future of the country.

My Comment: The aggressive attitude of the military officers against the protesters is making more difficult the path to a new democratic government. (By TWITTER) (2013/08/14) 1 Recommendation



Subject: Egyptian Vice President Mohamed ElBaradeo resigned in protest for the hard military repression.

My Comment: The resignation of the Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei is an additional signal that the Egyptian military leaders are driving the process in the wrong direction.

It marks disagreement between the civil authorities and the General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. (2013/08/14) 2 Recommendations



My Comment: The Egyptian military has to change its "cleaning techniques" of the places where the Morsi's followers are protesting.
When in the abuse of their power, the military regimes spill the blood of civil population, this blood of unarmed civilians incubates martyrs. And the martyrs become the banners of more bloody rebellions.

History shows a lot of cases of powerful military leaders who collapsed due to the furious reaction of angered crowds. (2013/08/14) 1 Recommendations



My Comment: It looks like the Egyptian troops want to spill more blood instead of pacifying the country. (2013/08/14) 1 Recommendation


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UNITED STATES



My Comment: Now President Obama condemns the violence in the Egyptian streets.

The concerns of Mr. Obama for the tragic events that are staining Egypt with blood are reasonable.

However, during the last few years, the American politics related to this African country was very ambiguous.

- First, we supported President Hosni Mubarak.

- After that, we agreed with the people who forced the Mubarak’s resignation.

- Next, we gave our friendship to President Mohamed Morsi.

- A month ago, we agreed with the people who wanted the Mr. Morsi's resignation and then we gave our support to General Aldel Fattah el-Sisi.

Every time that we supported someone, nothing worked well.

In the end, we will lose the friendship of the Egyptian people. (2013/08/15) 5 Recommendations


PBS - Egypt Unrest Politics -- August 15, 2013 at 11:40 AM EDT - Obama Scraps US Military Exercises with Egypt By: Associated Press

My Comment: President Obama says that he wants “democracy in Egypt to succeed.”

The problem is democracy in Egypt is different from democracy in America.

In Egypt like in other Arab countries, democracy includes a religious factor that plays against the principles of liberty and right that we know in the Western countries. (By TWITTER) (2013/08/16)


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EUROPE



Subject: Russian gays are looking to the United States for asylum.

My Comment: I respect gays as other members of the society, but I expect from them a reciprocal respect to the people who don’t think like them.

I never spy on what happens in the bed of my neighbor, however I don’t like the public demonstration of gays and lesbians because in an environment of freedom, they have to accept also the persons who believe in marriage between a man and woman and want to grow children in a classic family.

For this reason, I don’t like the United States gives massive asylum to all the Russian gays who want to come to our country. In my opinion, every case has to be studied like every asylum.

It is not a good image for the country that we become the refuge for all Russian gays. It would be risky to accept applications from all the Russians who declare themselves as gay because perhaps we are opening the door to terrorists or bomb-makers. (2013/08/17) 8 Recommendations



Subject:  In the euro zone, the economy returns to growth but till now some countries of the region are under the pressure of a big national debt.

My Comment: This story comments that Barry Eichengreen, economist at the University of California, Berkeley, said: “Greece and Portugal will eventually need debt forgiveness.”
From my side, I think that if the debt from Greece and Portugal is forgiven, all the poor and smaller members of the European Union will ask for the same.

This kind of exception is not a good precedent. It can generate a series of claims. (2013/08/14) 2 Recommendations



Subject: Greek authorities say the country swings to a budget surplus.

My Comment: When after a long series of gloomy reports, suddenly we read this kind of news; we have to be very cautious about comments. The best is to continue observing… (2013/08/13)


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THE WORLD (Asia, Africa, Middle East…)



Subject: The new Chinese President uses Mao Zedong’s images to consolidate his position as a strong leader of the country.

My Comment: Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to create his own image as a strong and powerful leader using the model of Mao Zedong.
Mr. Xi is borrowed the Mao’s model to confront himself against the images of corrupt politicians like Bo Xilai.

We have to see if the Mao’s spirit helps the new Chinese President to lead his country on the right way in very different times from the Mao's leadership period.

Mao Zedong born in 1983 as son of a farmer in Shaoshan, Hunan, was the top Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China between 1945 and 1976. (2013/08/18) 1 Recommendation


PBS - REPORT    AIR DATE: Aug. 16, 2013 - News Wrap: Car Bomb in Lebanon Deadliest Attack in Nearly Three Decades

Subject: International observers say the car bombing in Beirut killed at least 22 people and wounded another 300.

My Comment: The news says “Car Bomb in Lebanon Deadliest Attack in Nearly Three Decades” (22 deaths, 300 wounded).

When I read news related to car bombings, I don’t make a statistic of the number of dead and wounded people, but I remember that frequently during the last decades Beirut was shaken by different attacks and killings. For this reason, I cannot assert if really the title of this news is right or wrong. (By TWITTER) (2013/08/17)



Subject: Forces from the United Nations start a Congo’s operation to sweep rebels in the Goma’s region.

My Comment: The news says that U.N. forces arrested more than 40 rebels in Goma. This is nothing after decades of slaughter and terrible crimes against the civil population.

The U.N. has to do more to help the civilians of this Congo’s region and to stop the civil war.

The cleaning of the city of Goma implies a very strong offensive and a permanent control of the area for years. Plus, they have to build a new city. Goma needs infrastructures and protection for its inhabitants. (2013/08/13) 2 Recommendations


PBS - REPORT - AIR DATE: Aug. 15, 2013 - News Wrap: Dozens Dead After Car Bombings in Iraq

Subject: A series of car bombings in Baghdad killed at least 33 people. It was the latest in a surge of attacks that have killed 3,000 Iraqis since April.

My Comment: After a long series of car bombings during the last years, the attacks and the killing of people (more than 3000 deaths since April) really are not news. The news will be the day that Iraq becomes a peaceful country, something that today looks quasi-impossible. (2013/08/16)



Subject: A car bomb hits the southern area of Beirut

My Comment: Lebanon is a weak country in the middle of the hell that always receives the impact of the fight among different groups. And frequently, Beirut is the main scenario of this fight. (2013/08/15) 1 Recommendation


REPORT    AIR DATE: Aug. 14, 2013 - News Wrap: Israel, Palestinians Resume Peace Efforts in Jerusalem

Subject: Israel and the Palestinian authority of the West Bank resume peace efforts in Jerusalem with the support of the United States.

My COMMENT: The peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are a waste of time while Gaza is not part of the negotiation. (By TWITTER) (2013/08/15)


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LATIN AMERICA



Subject: Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tries to work with other parties to achieve solutions to thorny issues.

My Comment: Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto – according to the story – is working with the opposition parties to find solutions to thorny issues with positive results.
If President Enrique Peña Nieto finds the way to pull down the corruption of the government institutions, to cut the monopolistic power of the billionaire Carlos Slim in the telecommunication industry, and dismantle the drug gangs, his government will make History.

The previous presidents promised a lot of changes but in the end they didn’t show relevant results. We have to observe how far President Enrique Peña Nieto goes. (2013/08/16) 2 Recommendations


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EDUCATION



Subject: Educational authorities of Tennessee announce new initiatives to evaluate the teachers’ effectiveness in the schools of this state.

My Comment: The idea to link the payment of teachers according to their effectiveness in the classroom could be good and bad depending on different factors.

First, the teachers have a crucial responsibility in the carving of the brains of their students. The education of human beings is one of the most critical professions related to the future of people as individuals and members of the society.

For this reason, the teachers require special knowledge and skill and they have to be efficient in their work.

However, today the method used to evaluate the effectiveness of the teachers is linked with the way the students react in connection with their teachers. And this is a very complicated point.

In some communities, the students come to school with a bag of negative influences that the teachers cannot change despite all the best efforts they make.

Due to all these components of the educational process, we think the evaluators of the effectiveness of the teachers have to consider the framework where the teachers act with a flexible and intelligent perspective. (2013/08/17) 2 Recommendations


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ECONOMY, BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY



Subject: New Zynga’s CEO, Don Mattrick is reorganizing the social game services company and cuts some top executive’s positions.

My Comment: Zynga is becoming a good sample of what happens when innovation in technology cannot produce more income.

In the start of this provider of social game services, a lot of executives were hired and everybody thought that they were discovering a new “gold mine”.

In the last days, the new CEO, Don Mattrick announced a big reorganization and immediately three top executives were out.

Now the big question is: Will this reorganization return Zynga to the road of success?

The idea of the development of the new segment of social game services is great but till now the majority of the users of “social networks” try to use new tools, games and other possibilities for free. They only pay for the basic software, the Internet links and the smart-phones and electronic devices that are the key infrastructure of the digital world, but nothing more. (2013/08/17)  



Subject: A court denies Icahn’s challenge against Michael Dell related to the Dell buyout.

My Comment: It looks like the “game” of investor Carl Icahn is to produce “turbulence” in the technology industry.

Several years ago he was fighting against the CEO and co-founder of Yahoo and its directory board during long months. Now, his targets are Dell and Apple. (2013/08/16) 1 Recommendation



Subject: BlackBerry puts itself up for sale due its poor financial results and the loss of market share in the smart-phone industry.

My Comment: The obstinacy of BlackBerry’s CEO is moving the company to the grave.

BlackBerry has to try to use all its expertise and background to introduce an Android product line before it puts itself up for sale. (2013/08/13)



Subject: Dell Inc posted the financial results of its last quarter with a 72% profit fall.

My Comment: While Michael Dell continues dealing the buyout of his company, the quarterly financial results of the PC maker don’t show encouraging figures.
A 72% fall of the net income for its fiscal second quarter and flat revenues are demanding urgent actions to reverse the plunge. (2013/08/15)



Subject: Cisco Systems posted weak financial results and announced the cut of 4,000 job positions.

My Comment: The news from Cisco paints a gloomy landscape of the technology niches of networking and communications solutions.
When Cisco CEO John Chambers announces drastic initiatives like a cut of 4,000 jobs, despite it is only 5% of the payroll, it is because the investments in advanced technology from the corporations and big customers across the world are under normal expectations.

This picture extends the series of poor images that other technology players showed during the last few months. Everybody complains about weak economic conditions in Europe and a decline of investments in China and other Asian countries. (2013/08/14)


PBS – REPORT    AIR DATE: Aug. 13, 2013 - Justice Department: Anti-Competitive Airline Merger Will Make Flight Prices Soar

Subject: U.S. Justice Department didn’t approve the merger between American Airlines and US Airways.

My Comment: The mega-mergers concentrate power in top CEOs and directors, destroying the competition, cut employment and don’t offer a real benefit for the customers. (By TWITTER) (2013/08/14)


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SOURCES:

1) External Sources: Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and PBS NewsHour

2) Own Sources: My own research for previous publishing projects: TTT of Comlab Corp, Spanish English Club online.



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