Global Voices » Nicki Gorny

President Barack Obama visits Mexico and Costa Rica

Nicki Gorny — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:12:44 +0000

On May 2, U.S. President Barack Obama began his trip through Mexico and Costa Rica with the intention of addressing vitally important themes for the region that include the expansion of commerce and economic and energy cooperation, as well as issues of security, immigration, government and control of illegal drug trafficking. With this visit, Obama completes his fourth visit on Mexican soil.

President Obama's visit arrives at a time when the possibility of establishing migration reform that permits the legalization of more than 11 million undocumented immigrants is still being discussed in Washington. Therefore, before beginning his visit, the president met with dozens of Hispanic leaders in the White House to discuss the cultural, familial and economic ties that the U.S. maintains with its Latin American neighbors.

President Barack Obama begins his trip through Mexico and Costa Rica. Photo from Flickr/jamesomalley (CC BY 2.0)

Many analysts agree the visit should not only concentrate on issues of security, as Obama used to do during Felipe Calderón's term, but should also address the economic growth that Mexico has experienced in that past years, the growth of the middle class and the purchasing power in the countries that he intends to visit. According to a recent article from Foreign Policy, Mexico has decreased its use of U.S. military services to capture mafia “Big Fish” such as Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, stemming from the Mexican's impatience with the way the U.S. has approached the issue of drugs.

Some Twitter-users, like Mexican Martha Delgado (@marthadelgado) [es], expressed their expectations before Obama's visit.

@marthadelgado: Costa Rica pedirá inversión en energías limpias al presidente Obama…¿serán energías limpias tema en la visita de Obama a México?

@marthadelgado: Costa Rica will ask President Obama for investment in clean energy…will clean energy be a topic in Obama's visit to Mexico?

Angélica Fernández (@OyeAngelica) [es] does the same:

@OyeAngelica: #Latinoamerica México recibe a Obama con la esperanza de definir una nueva relación estratégica http://bit.ly/18npnwY

@OyeAngelica: #Latinoamerica [Latin America] Mexico receives Obama with the hope of defining a new strategic relation http://bit.ly/18npnwY [es]

The economy will be the primary topic, according to Blogtico.com (@blogtico) [es]:

@blogtico: Según la Casa Blanca: la visita de Obama a México y Costa Rica tendrá acento económico http://goo.gl/w2Y18 #costarica

@blogtico: According to the White House: Obama's visit to Mexico and Costa Rica will have an economic emphasis http://goo.gl/w2Y18 [es] #costarica

Others, like Razor (@hale_razor), argue that President Obama should do more for the local economy than for the economies of other countries.

@hale_razor: Obama heads to Mexico & Costa Rica in May to promote economic growth & development in Central America. He might want to try that here. #tcot

Others, like Pablo Ventoso (@blito_amargo) [es], are not optimists about Obama's trip:

@blito_amargo: Obama sobre viaje a México y Costa Rica: “Queremos asegurarnos de que nuestro hemisferio esté más integrado” Ojalá y hable del cerebral

@blito_amargo: Obama on his visit to Mexico and Costa Rica: “We want to make sure that our hemisphere is more integrated.” I hope he is referring to the cerebral [hemisphere]

María Hilaria Max (@mariamasherrera) [es] affirms that the delicate topic of Venezuela will also be discussed during the trip:

@mariamasherrera: Obama espera abordar el tema de la situación política de Venezuela en su gira por Latinoamérica http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noti… vía @noticias24

@mariamasherrera: Obama hopes to address the political situation in Venezuela during his trip through Latin America http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noti… [es] from @noticias24 [news24]

Desiree Rivas (@DesireeRivasRui) [es] disagrees about the possibility that Venezuela will be a topic of discussion:

@DesireeRivasRui: Quien le dijo a Obama q aborde el tema de Venezuela en su gira por latinoamérica? Ojalá nuestros hermanos no c presten para este tema interno

@DesireeRivasRui: Who told Obama to address the topic of Venezuela in his trip through Latin America? Hopefully our brothers don't lend to this internal issue.

Vanessa Ortiz (@VanessaOrtiz) [es] affirms that Obama's visit will only create arguments:

@VanessaOrtiz: @FGM91 @MexicanoHoy Esa visita de OBAMA por la Latinoamerica me trae sospecha, de seguro para crear conflicto contra MADURO.

@VanessaOrtiz: @FGM91 @MexicanoHoy [Mexican Today] Obama's visit through Latin American makes me suspicious and will surely create conflict against Maduro [Venezuelan President].

Meanwhile, other Twitter users, like Politico Incorrecto [Incorrect Politics] (@El_incorrecto_) [es], come to Obama's defense:

@El_incorrecto_: Que fácil es echarle la culpa a Obama de todo los males de Latinoamérica. Que difícil es asumir responsabilidades y trabajar.

@El_incorrecto_: How easy it is to throw the blame on Obama for all the problems in Latin America. How difficult it is to assume responsibility and work.

Chile: Controversial Campaign of a Presidential Candidate

Nicki Gorny — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:08:14 +0000

The launch of the campaign of Laurence Golborne in representation of the Independent Democratic Union, which is for some the most right-wing party in Chilean politics, has created rejection within the county, both with his political peers and in public opinion, but particularly within the residents of Maipú, one of the biggest neighborhoods of Santiago and the community in which Golborne grew up.

Laurence Golborne, photo courtesy of Flickr user El Canciller, used with Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Golborne became well-known for heading the rescue mission for the 33 miners that were trapped in the San José mine in 2010.

The reasons for his general rejection are attributed to many factors, but those that stand out the most are his lack of a political past, the little weight behind his claims and his low credibility generated by his words and his permanent smile whenever he speaks. Without a doubt, what has most provoked the population is his new video “It is possible.” In this video, Golborne boasts of being the strong man of Maipú with a humble past, who with effort and rigor can come to be a successful businessman, a government minister or even the president of the nation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBs6znyQqPc [es]

The Clinic Online refers to a letter sent [es] by the lawyer Fernando Atria, published [es] in La Tercera:

“¿Es posible que un niño nacido en Maipú pueda superar todo tipo de barreras y salir adelante? Es posible” comienza.

El abogado interpreta la campaña diciendo que si otros niños de Maipú no lograron lo que hizo Golborne es porque son flojos o son tontos. [....] “Quien ha sido exitoso muestra su inhumanidad al decirles esto a sus propios compañeros de curso. Más grave aún es que Chile sea un país en el cual alguien, vanagloriándose de este modo de su inhumanidad, crea que puede llegar a ser presidente”.

“Is it possible that a child born in Maipú can overcome every type of barrier and come out ahead? It's possible,” he starts.

The lawyer interprets the campaign saying that if other children from Maipú didn't achieve what Golborne did, it is because they were lazy or foolish. [...] “Those who have been successful show their inhumanity in saying that to their own classmates. More serious still is that Chile is a country in which any person, boasting about themselves in this form of inhumanity, believes that he or she can become president.”

In the opinion column on the University of Adolfo Ibáñez's website Aldo Mascareño Lara [es] tells Golborne directly, “you know the only grace that I find in your path is that you did what you had to do with the opportunities given to you,” and formulates a series of questions abour your ideas and plans.

On Twitter, the voices have also been left to lament, for example Claudio Palavecino (@PalavecinoCL) [es], who says:

@PalavecinoCL: Cómo le pica a la izquierda la biografía de #Golborne Especialmente a la izquierda caviar.

@PalavecinoCL [es]: How the biography of #Golborne itches the left. Especially the caviar left.

El Twitter user Guillermo Saavedra (@guillesaavedraj) [es] makes a comparison:

@guillesaavedraj: La situación de Carla Ochoa representa a la política de llevar candidatos sin contenidos y que solo sumen votos y no ideología #Golborne

@guillesaavedraj [es]: Carla Ochoa's situation represents the politics of carrying candidates without content and that only get votes and no ideology #Golborne

Álvaro Muñoz Ferrer (@alvmunozf) [es] explains his opinion using a colloquial tone:

@alvmunozf No soy, en lo absoluto, experto en política, pero la candidatura de #Golborne no tiene peso, es un chiste … y un chiste fome [aburrido], además.

@alvmunozf [es] I am absolutely not a political expert, but the candidacy of #Golborne has no weight. It's a joke… and a bad joke, moreover.

On his part, Vacuna709Clandestino (@vacuna709) [es] brings light to the strangeness of the tone of Golborne's campaign:

@vacuna709: Si como apoyo de campaña #Golborne usa a alguien que se hiso [sic] famosa porque le pegaba a sus niños.. de verdad lo está asesorando @aallamand

@vacuna709 [es]: If I support the campaign of #Golborne, it uses someone that became famous because he hit his children… the truth is being assessed by @aallamand

Teasingly, Luis Contreras (@lcontreras32) [es] recommends:

@lcontreras32: Nuevo video de campaña de #Golborne: http://youtu.be/UB8foXMEJKE ADVERTENCIA: si le parece un discurso convincente, vaya a un psiquiatra

@lcontreras32 [es]: New campaign video from #Golborne [es]: http://youtu.be/UB8foXMEJKE WARNING: if it seems like a convincing argument, go to a psychiatrist

Also in The Clinic Online, Natalia Villanueva [es] criticizes Golborne:

No votaría por Laurence Golborne porque no me siento representada ni le creo nada. Esa sonrisa pintada en la cara me enferma. Lo veo cero como futuro presidente, me daría vergüenza que seamos cuatro años más gobernados por otro payaso. Es más, el asunto de los mineros lo lanzó a la fama. Antes nadie lo conocía, quedó como un líder a seguir y más encima cercano a la gente. Un show para que él y el gobierno quedaran como los grandes héroes del “pueblo chileno.

[...]

Es posible que un niño nacido en Maipú, pueda superar todo tipo de barreras y salir adelante. Como si Maipú fuera Etiopía, que fuera lo peor nacer aquí. Somos una comuna de gente de clase media, que estudiamos y todos salimos adelante. Yo tengo 22 años y estudio veterinaria y no ando por la vida diciendo… ¡HEY!, yo nací en Maipú y soy más sacrificada que todos ustedes. Es un payaso, nada de lo que haga lo acercará a la clase media, a la gente hueona [estúpida] puede ser, pero al chileno clase media que intenta superarse y ser cada día mejor, creo que no.

[...]

De llegar a La Moneda dudo que nos represente. Él ahora tiene amigos diferentes, los empresarios, que siempre serán más entretenidos que la gente común. Tenerlos contentos a ellos será su mayor felicidad.

I would not vote for Laurence Golborne because I do not feel represented and I don't believe him. That smile painted on his face makes me sick. I do not see him as the future president, and it woud embarass me to have four more years governed by another clown. What's more, the issue of the miners brought him fame. Before anyone knew it, he was like a leader to follow and approachable to the people. It's a show for him and the government to remain the great heroes of the “Chilean village.”

[...]

It's possible that a child born in Maipú can overcome all types of barriers and come out ahead. It's as if Maipú were Ethiopia, as if the worst were born here. We are a community of middle class people that study and all come out ahead. I'm 22 years old and I study veterinary science and I don't go through life saying, “HEY!, I was born in Maipú and I am more self-sacrificing than you.” He's a clown, and nothing he does will bring him closer to the middle class. To the stupid people, maybe, but to the Chilean middle class that tries to overcome and be better each day, I don't think so.

[...]

I doubt that he would represent us from La Moneda [Chilean seat of government]. Now he has different friends, the businessmen, that will always be more fun than the average people. To make them happy will be his greatest happiness.

The Chilean election campaign is starting to heat up.

Regional Winners of Developing Latin America 2012

Nicki Gorny — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:47:37 +0000

With some delay, here comes an update about the regional hackathon, Desarrollando América Latina 2012 [es] (DAL- Developing Latin America), following the winners at the local level, which completed the final round where awarded on a regional level were chosen among the 22 applications that resulted from the winners of the hackathon in each country.

The organization reported [es]:

Tu Huerta

Third place: Your vegetable garden (by RGN) | Uruguay. This application seeks to give an inexperienced person or community the necessary knowledge to create their own orchard and start to plant their own vegetables. The judges considered that the application used open data very well, resolving a specific problem with good development. The project demonstrated a profound and innovative work.

Ideal Factory

Second Place: Ideal Factory (by Blackout) | Bolivia. [...] Using records of entities in the chosen area, this application offers imformation similar to that of a FODA [es] analysis (strength, opportunities, weaknesses, threats) from the type of organization that is requested (education, health, police and commerce). [...] it is a tool through which an average citizen can support himself and learn about how to make future decisions not only to start a business or oganization, but also to be better informed about his zone.

For the judges, this application has great value for its scalability in other countries (like Chile and Mexico, among others). It also resolves the problem of duplication of work and promotes synergy and colaborations between different actors, fostering the entrepreneurial climate.

Lima I/O

First Place: Lima I/O. The city speaks (by #Rememos (#werow) | Peru . The application consists of a system of devices with environmental sensors that are placed in various parts of the city, that send information through the Internet to a cloud platform, categorizing and geo-referencing what is received.

The judges awarded first place to this aplication for being a great and original idea, using innovative tools in order to achieve a real social impact. They hope to see “Lima I/O. The city speaks” completely implemented in the near future, with the support of an environmental organization to help spread the app and monitor the system annexed mechanisms.

There was also an honorable mention: Elbowing Latin America [es], “a platform where organizations and civil society publish projects and needs, exhibiting open data through CKAN and calling those interested in the areas of technology and design to resolve these projects and needs.

The RSS Technology blog summarizes here [es] the winners:

El galardón lo obtuvo la aplicación peruana “Lima i/o”, una solución basada en Internet de las Cosas para monitorear el estado del medio ambiente en tiempo real. El segundo lugar se lo llevó “Ideal Factory” de Bolivia, que entrega información para nuevas empresas u organizaciones, y el tercer puesto lo obtuvo la aplicación “Tu Huerta”, de Uruguay, que ayuda a comenzar a sembrar vegetales en tu hogar, sin necesidad de tener conocimientos previos.

The first place award was attained by the Peruvian application “Lima I/O,” a solution based on the Internet of Things to monitor the state of the environment in real time. Second place was won by “Ideal Factory” from Bolivia, which delivers information for new businesses and organizations, and third place was obtained by the application “Your Orchard,” from Uruguay, which helps start and plant vegetables in one's home, without needing to have previous knowledge.

About the Hackathon itself, Bárbara Blay, from Global Social Stream comments [es] that “the environment of creation and innovation is widespread, not only promoting the creation of applications for the search of a social solution, but also making a regional and connected atmosphere, accessible by the rest of the citizens, and promoting as such the use of technology for development“. She also adds:

Existen muchos puntos comunes en las problématicas que se han identificado para la búsqueda de soluciones como lo son la falta de información sobre los servicios públicos, y las alternativas a esta deficiencia sería la combinación entre facilitar la información a través de las herramientas numéricas y facilitar la participación y elcrowdsourcing para completar esta información.

There are many common points in the issues that have been identified in the search for solutions, like the lack of information about public services, and the alternatives to this deficiency are the combination of facilitating the information through numeric tools and facilitating participation and crowdsourcing to achieve this information.

David Sasaki, one of the judges at the regional level, reflects on the past use of the winning application: “But, will gathering data serve in a Court case when the environmental activists demand of the industrial contaminators? And if not, then why are we gathering the data?” He adds then about the purpose of hackathons like this one:

Bringing together diverse actors — including private sector, public sector, activists and technologists — to make sure that there is a purpose behind the data is the model of the “datapalooza,” which White House CTO Todd Park has been evangelizing for the past couple years. The starting assumption isn’t that there is an app or gadget that can fix complex social problems, but rather that there is value in bringing together diverse actors to contemplate the stories and social issues that lie out of plain sight in large datasets.

However he also has certain objections to the model of hackathons:

The optimist in me hopes that at least two or three of them will have a lifespan of more than a year, but the realist in me knows that this is not likely. I have judged over a dozen app contests and I can’t recall a single winning app that I use today.

Boris Krygel, of InSTEDD iLab, one of the participants (and winner) in Argentina, goes a little further and poses a question [es]:

Qué interesante sería organizar una hackathon en la que se destinara un cierto tiempo a testear los prototipos en el mundo real, ¿verdad? Nuestra experiencia nos demuestra que la mayoría de las aplicaciones que se postulan –al menos a nivel latinoamericano– están planteadas desde el punto de vista del que se propuso resolver una cierta problemática, pero carecen de su correlato empírico desde la óptica de quien será el beneficiario final de dicha app. Recordemos que el objetivo de un hacker es resolver un problema de la mejor manera posible con los recursos con los que cuenta y en el exiguo plazo temporal prefijado, asegurándose de que su prototipo verdaderamente funcione.

How interesting would it be to organize a hackathon in which a certain time was determined to test the prototypes in the real world, right? Our experiences show us that the majority of the applications that are nominated – at least at the Latin American level – come from the point of view of resolving a certain issue, but lack an empirical correlation from the view of who would be the final beneficiary of that said app. We remember that the objective of a hacker is to resolve a problem in the best way possible with the resources available and in a temporary, predetermined term, assuring that the prototype truly works.

In line with this tendency to not remain solely in the hackathon and forget the produced applications, the winners of each country will additionally receive cash as seed capital and a month tutorial to imporove their application. The three regional winners of DAL will also receive as an award the support of Movistar Innova, which consists of a tutorial program that gives feedback about the business possibilities of the aplication and evaluates possible links with this.

Finally, I leave you with the presentation of the winning application on the regional level, Lima I/O [es], in Escuelab [es], moments before winning the local level:

Other related posts:

Developing Latin America 2012
What Exactly is a Hackathon? And What is Open Data?
Hackathons in Droves: How is a Hackathon Organised?
¡Desarrollando América Latina se acerca!
Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Demands Better Sanitation
Crowdmapping Water Contamination in Peruvian Indigenous Communities
What is Web Mapping?
Desarrollando América Latina #DAL2012 – Día 1 [es]
Desarrollando América Latina #DAL2012 – Día 2 [es]
Day 1 of Developing Latin America 2012
Day 2 of Developing Latin America 2012