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Please note that
newer feedback is only included in the articles they refer to.
On August 24, 2006, Dulce Torrero sent us the following feedback on the
Mexican presidential election (a Mexican living in Europe):
I have not followed the elections closely, but from what I know my opinion is
the following (please forgive the length of my comments, but it IS a touchy
subject):
-
Obrador's popularity seems to
come from the fact that he's promising many socialist reforms, but I am
not sure where the cash for it will come from. Yes, there is a lot of
money in the country but it is concentrated in a few hands, or spread
out all over the place (e.g. the tax system is far from perfect). From
my perspective, this needs to be re-organized before the cash can start
flowing down to the poorest people in the form of social benefits. In
order to do it the government administration and business development at
a national level has to be changed. This type of job is better done by
technocrats who can push reforms rather than just make people happy by
handing them a few pesos. In other words: jobs need to be created, not
money handed out for free. And this is why the PAN party is also very
popular, especially with the middle class population: intellectuals who can
see and understand the discrepancy and are crying out loud for radical
change at the roots.
-
the elections must be clean
because:
-
the last presidential
election was also a very close call between PRI and PAN. And already
then the electoral legal system in Mexico had been changed to avoid
corruption.
-
After this reform,
international electoral observers were invited with more eagerness
than ever before, and there were no major discrepancies reported. This has been the case again now and the election process is only
getting better.
-
I am living proof of
electoral reform as a small case in the crowd, but with big impact
for myself: applications for an electoral card can only be done in
Mexico, which I did in October last year. The card can only be
picked-up by the applicant at the exact same place where it was
requested. There is absolutely no option to obtain it anywhere else,
or for anyone else to collect it for you: fingerprints, photographs,
proof of domicile, etc. etc. are taken care of during the
application process. Even Embassies abroad are not authorized to do
it, there are no lawyers authorized to issue power of attorney for
it, etc. etc. Speaking to the town's and regional electoral committee representatives does not help at all. I could not stay in
Mexico long enough to wait for the arrival of my card (they are
produced in only a couple of places in the country), but was told
that I had 12 months to pick-it-up. I went back the last week of
May and first week of June this year and found a surprise: the card
could not be handed to me because all uncollected cards had been
locked-up in a vault and would remain there during the last few
weeks of political campaigning. All of this is new and set up in
order to avoid other people taking possession of somebody else's
voting rights. And it is a huge step away from corruption. I am
sure there are probably still a few holes here and there, but it
gives people confidence and hope for the future. I still don't have
the card and feel sad I could not vote, but I will willingly go
through the process again until I obtain it next time around.
-
a "tsunami" wave has been
growing in Mexico during the past 10 years: people were sick and
tired of the authoritarian and corrupt regime they had been under
for about 70 years. They began to slowly wake-up and push for change
into anything else, as long as the situation changed: thus the
victory of second strongest political party 6 years ago. I think
this time people have learned that there is even more political
choice and the wave is just as strong but taking different
directions. I find this very positive, even if poor people cannot
view if from an intellectual/business perspective. After all,
running a country is like running a business... and change can only
help you grow. The more alternatives, the better, you just need to
understand each of them in order to choose the most advantageous. Mexico is slowly learning.
On
April 18, 2002, Alon Weinberg sent us the following feedback on Israel and
Palestine: check
the page Ariel
Sharon.
On February 3, 2002, Sami
Aldeeb, doctor of laws, a Christian of Palestinian origin, sent us the
following letter:
A wall or Justice around Jerusalem?. Check the page
Ariel Sharon.
On February 9, 2001, Curtis Martin sent us
the following comment on the James Brown articles in Cosmopolis No. 11:
In the article on James Brown in your ish # 11
(James Brow)
you state that JB was convicted of the attempted murder of his wife. He was in
prison for threatening people in an office rental property of his, and then
trying to evade the cops in a cross-state chase. Still not cool, but also not
murder. Otherwise--very cool article.
Cosmopolis: In 1988, Brown
was accused by his wife of assault and battery. After a year of
legal and personal troubles, he led the police on an interstate car chase
after allegedly threatening people with a handgun. The episode ended in a
six-year prison sentence; he was paroled after serving two years.
On January 20, 2001, Linda J. Marshall
sent us the following comment in response to Ernest Melby on Bush (see comments
of January 14 and 15)
"Bush is hated because he is a hypocrite.
Thousands of people are in prison in the U.S. for nonviolent drug use, but
Bush brushes off his own cocaine habit as being youthful. He's a military hawk,
but was grounded as a National Guard pilot for refusing to be tested for drug
use. He then transferred to Alabama where he was AWOL for one year. And he
says he's a Christian, but he executes people then he makes fun of them after
they're dead. Everything about him is hypocritical. He doesn't even seem
to like his own children, trotting off to play golf in Florida with Jeb while
his own daughter was lying in a hospital room after having an emergency
appendectomy that same day. He never outgrew being a selfish, rich frat boy
and that doesn't play well with those of us who work for a living."
On January 15, 2001, Ernest Melby sent us the
following comment
"Why do the left wing liberals hate Bush
and make fun of him? If a Democrat said or did the same things he would be
praised. If being conservative is resistant to change, the liberals are the
most conservative of all."
On January 14, 2001, John Chuckman sent us
the following visual comment on the election of George W. Bush as America's
new president:
On August 31, 2000, Gene Kelly sent us the following
comment on the Brad Mehldau article in Cosmopolis No. 4:
"Hi. just a
comment on your Brad Mehldau Trio web page. A few corrections to bring to your
attention: First of all, Brad never attended Berklee College (in Boston) as
you say in the opening paragraph. He only was a participant in their High
School Band Jazz Competition hosted at Berklee College of Music (he won an
award there given to him by the festival's adjudicators). [...]. Otherwise,
this is pretty good information. Good luck."
On April 13, 2000, Michael Borop sent us the following
comment on Cosmopolis:
"I really like the selection of articles at Cosmopolis. They range from the history of China and the elections in Spain
to the latest Cézanne exhibition and Enrique Iglesias' latest CD! I
especially like the political articles because they provide a refreshing,
in-depth look at the issues of the day."
On March 7, 2000, Marianna Ranalli sent us the
following feedback on the concert of Ivo
Pogorelich, Cosmopolis, English
edition No. 4. She saw the artist in Geneva a few days after his concert in Zurich
reviewed by Cosmopolis. The program was the same:
"[...] je considère Pogorelich l'un des pianistes les
plus brilliants de sa génération. Effectivement, au niveau technique, il l'a
confirmé à l'occasion du concert de vendredi soir. Au niveau interprétation,
j'ai trouvé certains morceaux un peu trop lents, p. ex. toute la deuxième
partie de la sonate no. 3. Parfois, on a l'impression qu'il suit le fil de ses
pensées, en pénalisant la cohérence de ce qu'il joue. Seule exception, la
marche funèbre qui, à mon goût, était presque une Radetzy Marsch (trop
rapide!!!). Le touché exceptionnel et une technique des cinq doigts très
brilliante rendent les sonorités très rondes ou très cristallines, selon
les cas, mais toujours fort agréables..."
On September 28, 1999, Pascal Bulliard, The Graduate Institute of International
Studies, Geneva, sent us the following comment on Cosmopolis (German edition):
"I regularily read Cosmopolis. I like its diversity,
the often new approach to the subjects as well as the easily readible presentation.
Besides that, Cosmopolis has become my regular German lesson since I don't
often have the time to use my German anymore. I wish a long life to Cosmopolis."
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