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The “Corruption” Narrative: Who’s Afraid of Isabel Dos Santos? And Why? The words they use to describe her are nasty, cliché, but all too familiar. They call her “Princess,” “Oligarch,” and accuse her of “embezzlement” “peddling influence” etc. The truth is that Isabel Dos Santos, the richest woman in Africa, has for decades been on the hit list of the most powerful people in the world. In the first month of 2020, the international media has doubled down, taken aim, and decided to go for the kill. And who are the hitmen? The same folks who brought you the Panama Papers, the shady International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The outlet with ties to the Democracy Fund of the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and George Soros’ Open Society Foundation is repeating their same old mantra. They accuse independent leaders around the world, from Russia, China, Latin America, and Africa of being “corrupt.” They display in rather convenient “leaks,” as if it is somehow shocking, that the leaders of countries with massive populations and resources in-fact possess lots of wealth. The international audience is led to the conclusion that the targeted leader should be removed. Misuse of government funds and other malpractice is certainly a plague rampant in many developing countries. When nations are working to raise themselves out of poverty, shady practices often become a kind of way of life as the population learns to “take care of each other.” The result is often widespread inefficiency. But what is the obvious goal of these Soros, USAID backed ICIJ operations? To keep intact the corrupt, monopolistic global financial order that exists by selectively targeting those who challenge it. The deeply corrupt global order where Wall Street and London bankers rule the world, keeping it poor so they can stay rich, pushing policies of “de-regulation” and “free markets” that have failed over and over, never gets called into question. “Corruption” charges were used to oust Dilma Roussef, to imprison Lula Di Silva who would have won the 2018 election according to every poll, and install autocratic free market demagogue Jiar Bolsanaro in Brazil. “Corruption” allegations are constantly used to stir up opposition to the Putin government by forces who were quite satisfied with the free market looting during the Yeltsin-era, and dislike that Russia has been restored as an economic power and energy exporter. Leftist Vice President Christina Kirchner in Argentina was also hit with a series of “corruption” charges by supporters of the IMF and the free market policies, who attempted to undo her progressive reforms during the Mauricio Macri. Meanwhile, many politicians in the “free” western capitalist countries have offshore bank accounts, take care of their relatives and business associates, and otherwise engage in notably corrupt behavior. The President of the United States is pretty obviously tied to a chain of “Trump Hotels” around the world, and many questions have been raised about that since the 2016 elections. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son conveniently got a well paying job at a Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian Natural Gas corporation, at the very moment when the USA was backing the “EuroMaiden” events that toppled President Yanukovych. An Oil Rich Country, Kept Poor by Western Capitalism Angola is not a poor country. It has lots of oil. Its natural gas potential is just being realized. It has minerals and a vast population. However, poverty is widespread in this southern African nation. Until 1975, Angola was a colony of Portugal. The population lived as colonial slaves, worked to death, kept in poverty, as their resources were utilized to line the pockets of Portuguese businessmen. The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was formed in 1956 to throw off the colonial chains. The MPLA was a Marxist-Leninist political organization backed and armed by the Soviet Union. It waged a guerilla insurgency, fighting Portuguese troops, right up until the Carnation Revolution. When the fascist government of Portugal fell in 1975, colonial territories were granted independence. The MPLA took power as the elected government of a newly free Angola. Immediately following independence, the apartheid government of South Africa invaded Angola. Over 65,000 Cuban soldiers were sent to support the MPLA in fighting off this and subsequent invasions by the apartheid regime. Cuba continued to maintain a military presence in Angola to support the MPLA. At the time of independence, the United States government had already been arming and training a group of terrorists and extremists called the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) that conducted assassinations and other acts of violence against the MPLA. UNITA at first claimed to be Maoist Communists and had relations with China, but by the late 1970s they were Evangelical Christians and advocates of western capitalism. The United States was their primary supporter, and anti-communism was their rallying cry. The leader of the CIA trained and armed UNITA terrorists like Jonas Savimbi. Savimbi murdered civilians, bombed schools and hospitals and committed horrendous atrocities. Savimbi was a practitioner of witchcraft and a literal cannibal, who ate the corpses of MPLA soldiers. The horrendous atrocities of Jonas Savimbi has been well documented, but this did not stop the Reagan White House and other US administrations from embracing them as freedom fighters. The goal of the MPLA was to peacefully develop Angola into a prosperous socialist country. This was not possible in a state of total civil war, as US-backed terrorists ravaged the country for 27 years. Even when peace was finally declared in 2002, the United Nations noted that Angola was littered with landmines, and most of its bridges and essential infrastructure had been destroyed. “Angola Starts Now!” In 2002, with peace declared, the MPLA declared “Angola Starts Now!” and began to eradicate poverty and economically develop the country. Their efforts were aided significantly by the highest oil prices in world history. The GDP increased at a staggeringly high average of 11.1% from 2001 to 2010. China worked with Angola to build new railways connecting previously isolated parts of the country. The capital city of Luanda became a prosperous business center. Millions of Angolans were lifted from poverty. Who was key in making all of this happen? Isabel Dos Santos. Isabel is the daughter of the country’s first elected President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos. It is largely because of her efforts that Angola now has a state controlled mobile telecommunications corporation, Unitel. She also helped to set up Banco de Fomento Angola and Banco BIC, two private banks based in Angola. These are banks subsidized with state oil profits, that have provided loans allowing the domestic economy of Angola to flourish. Isabel Dos Santos has traveled around the world working to bring foreign investment into her homeland. In 2016 Isabel Dos Santos moved out of the private sector and was named as the director of Sonangol, the state-run oil company that remains at the center of the Angolan economy. Much like Putin did in Russia with Gazprom and Rosneft, Sonagol is a “national champion.” It is a state-controlled energy corporation utilized to create economic growth and stabilize the market. It was with Sonangol’s proceeds that the mining and agricultural sectors were stimulated. Nigeria is now the top oil exporting country in Africa. It has been a playground for Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and Exxon-Mobile for years. Nigeria has a few billionaires, but the population is overwhelmingly poor and illiterate. While lots of oil is extracted and lots of profits made by western corporations, nothing like Angola’s economic boom of 2002-2014 has ever happened in Nigeria, despite decades and decades in the oil business. The successes of Angola cannot be blamed on high oil prices alone, but rather on state central planning, utilizing oil proceeds to eradicate poverty and construct. Isabel Dos Santos has spent very little time working in government. She prides herself on her success as a businesswoman in the private sector. Her dynamic leadership and strategic management of private companies, in coordination with state central planners, created all kinds of spectacular results. “There are thousands of people whom we gave their first job,” she told BBC. When a new President took office in 2017, the Wall Street Journal celebrated Isabel Dos Santos’ departure. It accused her of running “turgid bureaucracy.” American oil companies were angry that she “required that they buy supplies from select domestic firms.” Dos Santos enforced environmental laws, and would not privatize the newly discovered natural gas resources that “by law belongs to the government.” Immediately before the ouster of Isabel Dos Santos from Sonangol, Total, BP, Haliburton, and Exxon-Mobile had terminated their relationship with the state-run firm. It appears that the big oil bankers almost demanded her ouster from the new administration of President Juan Lourenço and their wish was granted. A Failed Administration Scapegoating Its Predecessors Lourenço promised to usher in an “economic miracle” with his free market reforms once elected. The opposite has occurred. Unemployment has risen. Strikes and social unrest are also increasing. 28% of Angola’s population lives on less than $1.90 per day. Lourenço has signed on with the International Monetary Fund, known for pushing deregulation and Milton Friedman style economic reforms in exchange for “development loans.” Since he cannot fix the economy, Lourenço seems to be focused scapegoating his predecessors, who presided over huge economic achievements. President João Lourenço calls himself “the terminator,” and he has worked hard to single out members of the Dos Santos family and their allies for prosecution. 45 cases are currently in court, and Isabel Dos Santos is now among those facing charges, as is her younger brother. However, a BBC article published on January 16th seems to have revealed that the campaign against Santos isn’t simply about retaliation against the Dos Santos family. During an interview, Isabel Dos Santos “declined four times to rule out” running for the Presidency. Later she told a Portuguese network “it’s possible” that she may intend run for head of state in 2022. And what else, she could very well win, despite massive huge efforts to besmirch her reputation with the convenient “Luanda Leaks” presented by the Soros, USAID tied outlet. To Angolans who have endured decades of civil war followed by miraculous amounts of growth, the name “Dos Santos” is associated with the legacy of the anti-colonial struggle, as well as a decade of exciting hope. The “Iron Lady” Southern Africa Needs? Indicating why she might consider a Presidential run, she told BBC “President Lourenço is fighting for absolute power. There’s a strong wish to neutralize any influence that [former] President Dos Santos might still have in the MPLA…. If a different candidate would appear [ahead of the 2022 presidential election] supported by former President Dos Santos or allies linked to him, that would really challenge [Mr Lourenço’s] position because his current track record is very, very poor.” In fact, Isabel Dos Santos could be the kind of leader that Southern Africa desperately needs. Her father was a guerilla fighter who fought the Portuguese and went into exile. Her mother was a Russian Communist. While the MPLA backed away from Soviet-style Marxism-Leninism in 1991, it remains a Democratic Socialist Party, and its members are dedicated to building a society where all Angolans have what they need. Already, from both the private sector and as the head of Sonangol, Dos Santos has put into practice a successful implementation of policies that could be called “petro-socialism” i.e. using state-run oil profits to centralize and build up an economy. On the northern end of the continent, Libya flourished under such policies. The Islamic Socialist government of Moammar Gaddafi built the world’s largest irrigation system, “the man-made river.” Libya had the highest life expectancy on the African continent until 2011 and had achieved universal housing and literacy. Libya worked hard to suppress Al-Qaida and terrorist groups and provided financial support to the Irish Republican Army, the Nation of Islam, the Black Panthers, and many other socialist and anti-imperialist forces around the world. In his final year, Gaddaffi openly spoke of establishing an African currency and an African bank, laying the basis for independence from western financial power. All of this culminated in the USA funding an uprising against him, and NATO bombing campaign that destroyed the country. During Gaddaffi’s leadership, Africans from across the continent piled into the Libya where the state provided them with employment. Now, in a war-torn, newly impoverished and destroyed post-Gaddafi, pro-western Libya, Africans are trying to get out on rafts, and drowning in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe. Russia and China were both deeply impoverished countries at the beginning of the 20th Century, but it was with state central planning, mobilizing the population and rationally organizing the economy that they became superpowers. Both countries have learned the lessons of the Soviet Union’s demise, and recognize the need for foreign investment and a private sector, which will allow more entrepreneurialism. However, Russia and China continue to get stronger because they have not fallen into the trap of “profits in command” and the chaos of the market. All across the developing world, the absolute failure of Milton Friedman-style economics can be seen. Even the Bretton Woods institutions now admit that they have been “too Neoliberal.” All out “free trade” Adam Smith-style capitalism is not the answer, for Angola or any other country. If Isabel Dos Santos, a savvy businesswoman was elected, carrying with her a family name that is associated with better times, and resilient leadership, she could very well turn things around. As Russia becomes more involved in helping strengthen African countries, and as China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank works to build infrastructure to help the development of independent economies, Isabel Dos Santos has great potential as a leader. With her strength and boldness, she could bring economic growth, financial independence, and hope to millions of people, not just in her own country, but throughout the region.

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webpostingpro-blog · 7 years

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Internet service providers offer computer classes for rural Mainers

Net carrier providers in Maine’s rural groups are taking an active position in guiding seniors and others with limited computer competencies across the digital divide.

Rural ISPs have partnered with nonprofit organizations,

libraries and adult education facilities to educate simple PC skills to thousands of Mainers. Such training assists the ISPs to grow their client base, however, the businesses said additionally they benefit the complete kingdom economically.

Machias-based Axiom Technology LLC and Solidarity-based Unitel have partnered with the Cohesion Basis to offer free PC literacy classes at numerous instances all through the 12 months in Team spirit and Belfast on the grounds that 2015.

To date, 1, one hundred college students have signed up for the lessons, within entirety rate of ninety-two percent, said Lawrence Stern, chairman, and CEO of Harmony Foundation. About eighty percentage of those college students are older than fifty-five, and About 70 percent are girls, he stated.

We’re drawing students from a number of one of a kind areas Steers stated

The number one purpose is to help PC novices sense safer and more at ease interacting with the technology, he stated. The primary round of lessons was so a success that what started out as a one-yr software is now stretching into its 0.33 yr, and different ISPs are bringing the version to their personal groups.

OTT Communications, a division of Alabama-based totally Otelco, has been sponsoring lessons in primary PC competencies at Grey-New Gloucester adult & Community schooling in Grey. OTT will pay for the instructor and overhead charges so the scholars can attend for free.

New Gloucester resident Bill Kiley become attending his 1/3 week of the five-week elegance Wednesday. The eighty-12 months-old retiree stated his aim is to become acquainted with ordinary obligations along with emailing and web surfing.

I ve were given a laptop – I’ve never used it,” Kiley said. “I specifically need to get on so I will appearance things up, and things like that.”

Email became the subject of Wednesday’s two-hour elegance in Gray. teacher Michael Lamoureux, era integrator for Gray-New Gloucester middle and excessive colleges, guided college students thru the stairs of signing in to an E-mail account, creating a new message, organizing and deleting messages, attaching and downloading files, and different primary capabilities. Lamoureux also touched on peripheral subjects such as virtual protection and Electronic mail etiquette.

Internet Marketing – Pros and Cons

The usage of internet advertising and marketing is a good way of promoting a corporation’s services and products, however, there are challenges, each pro, and con, that may be unfavorable in how powerful it is. The global net marketing industry is expanding at a quick pace and is now really worth billions of dollars so this suggests that it must be powerful. Because of placing their organizations online and Using the internet for advertising their company, have seen a boom in their income.

Execs of internet advertising

• Whilst a organisation uses net marketing it gives them a extensive get right of entry to to discover new potential customers globally that they might no longer recognise approximately without The use of the internet. You just placed your advertisement on the net and potential clients international can see it.

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• You could get an immediate comments out of your clients

• It saves time and effort because instead of having a provider representative solution your purchaser’s questions the organisation could have a fact sheet with all the statistics approximately the product or service placed on their internet site so the patron can observe it to locate the answer to their query.. • Your website offers 24/7 provider capability to buy your service or product.

Cons of internet marketing

• Despite the fact that the internet offers an organization a wider attain the internet site start-up charges can be excessive. You will need to have the right hardware, software, renovation prices, and price for building the internet site. It may take the time to see profits from net advertising. • Many clients will use the net to get greater records about a product but then pick to shop for it in character. As an instance, if your internet site sells the smartphone, a potential customer can also go to your internet site to observe the unique phones and the technical specification but then they may visit a store and purchase the phone they’ve decided on. The internet site allowed them to do comparisons instead of doing it in the shop.

Mistakes In Choosing Drone Photography Providers

Aerial photography has been quite popular due to the fact that it can offer people with specific perspectives of sceneries. But, shooting on air may be risky. That is why increasingly more individuals are choosing drone photography services. With this provider, people can shoot correctly. In addition, drones can also be used on tough to reach areas. Lamentably, whilst hiring carrier vendors, a few individuals make mistakes that may ruin their venture. To recognize extra, underneath are some of the errors individuals want to be privy to.

Opting for carriers who use low-satisfactory drones

One of the maximum common errors individuals make whilst hiring drone pictures carriers is they normally think that everyone business makes use of the same system. Much like any other items, there are various types and brands of drones. Consequently, there are some provider companies who offer low rates since they employ low-great drones. Due to this, pics and videos captured on the sky are quite unpleasant, making your mission into a large number. Due to this, it is nice for individuals to first take a look at the drones of service carriers earlier than running with them.

Hiring companies who do now not provide protection services

The subsequent mistake that people make when hiring drone pictures companies is that they fail to invite about protection services. As noted above, utilizing drones could make aerial shoots safer and better. But, there are nonetheless instances while people may also revel in troubles that can affect their whole mission and well-being. So, it’s far critical to invite about safety services drone pictures providers can offer. On this way, you may make sure that aerial shoots may be accomplished properly.

Forgetting to test their potential in the usage of drones

A few people think that using drones are like playing with R/C cars and planes. Of path, they make use of almost the identical controllers. But, drone customers ought to have the competencies and know-how to make sure that they can seize the right surroundings. Therefore, never forget about to check the potential of drone users when hiring them to seize pix or videos. Apart from this, you furthermore might want to make certain that drone customers have the potential to evolve to the surprising incidents which could ruin your shoots. With this in thoughts, you’re relaxation confident that you may create outstanding aerial pics and videos.

Neglecting different aerial pictures solutions

Finally, in no way forget about to invite approximately other aerial pictures solutions vendors can gift. Simply, drones are the excellent alternatives to soundly seize snap shots and films on air. But, there are nevertheless instances while doing the aerial shoot on your personal can offer you with better outcomes. So, it’s far nice to ask if they can also provide other aerial offerings which could accommodate your wishes.

Why You Should Buy a Military Portable Computer Right Now

There are hundreds of models of laptops and computers in the market and they all are fairly exclusive from each different. Some are designed for particular purpose while others are there for a selected type of shops and environments. The standard types of laptops are the ones which are observed in any random electronic shops. There are several different types that aren’t found at any regular keep. Military grade computer systems are designed in particular designed for the extensive environment, in which soldiers are required to work and they’re able to manage other harsh environments as well. Right here are Some reasons why you must put money into Military laptops. Read on for more.

In case you are seeking out the pleasant grade for laptops to your people or professionally then there are various reasons why you have to remember shopping Military portable laptop

In the main, The same old computers are broken when they are exposed to fluids or temperature fluctuations. However, the big benefit of an Army transportable PC is they can deal with such conditions effortlessly. In addition, they’re best for out of doors use because the display screen is designed to be effortlessly visible in daylight. Rugged computers and laptops are ideal for infantrymen to use as well as medical professionals, specifically once they need to deal with their sufferers in out of doors surroundings. they may be also utilized by research scientist for practical, manufacturing facilities and different situations while there are chances of possible damage to regular computers.

If you are seeking out nice and typically featured computer systems in your running desires then Army computers are the right funding for you. they may be designed for all sorts of wishes, no matter the surroundings and risks they’re liable to. while they provide such security, but they’re durable, lightweight, and perfect to tote around with. numerous businesses specialize in offering these computers and feature years of arms on a PC for manufacturing and promoting Navy laptops.

In case you work in production flora, medical centers or different

Comparable outside studies sites then you definitely must suppose and realize more about those gadgets. other professions that would benefit from rugged computer systems consist of studies scientists, oil and fuel industry experts, business professionals and others. Because these laptops are made to function properly in most impossible conditions, with top notch efficiency. They also boast of pace and accuracy of any hi-tech computer. they may be little heavy weight and not as a whole lot slim in layout as you had anticipated them but then the functions they come packed with, is sufficient to compensate for this call for.

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