The Czech Republic; the economic model for European powers

The Czech Republic became an independent state in January 1993 after Czechoslovakia split into its two constituent parts. Before World War II, Czechoslovakia was one of the 10 most industrialized states in the world, and the only central European country to remain a democracy until 1938.

The submission to communism ended in 1989 with Velvet Revolution, so named for being a nonviolent revolution, manifested in the streets of Prague and caused when the police used the force at a peaceful student demonstration. In the middle of 1989, the political situation in Central Europe was very unstable, and almost all the communist regimes in the region experienced internal pressures for liberalizations similar to the experienced in the Soviet Union. The Czechoslovak press, although censored by the government, continued to report on the events in East Germany, where thousands of citizens demanding unrestricted emigration to the western sector as well as what happened in Poland, where elections were held in 1989 involving non-Communist parties. All this promoted one of the most important historical moments for the country, the mentioned Velvet Revolution.

Velvet Revolution in 1989

Since 2004 Czech Republic joined the European Union, which was a great opening to tourism especially for Prague, which annually receives about 3 million tourist to visit one of the most beautiful and magical cities of Europe which was hidden for so long. The agricultural sector has declined progressively workforce, having in 2004 a 3% of the total, contributing less than 3% of GDP. The most important crops are cereals such as wheat and barley, followed at great distance from the beet, potatoes and flax.

The economy of the Czech Republic maintains a highly diversified industrial structure. The industry employs almost a third of the workforce and now represents about 40% the percentage of the population. Despite the lack of new issues and new technologies of some large companies, foreign investment from Germany, Japan and other developed countries are allowing the installation of new industries, especially automobiles and improving heavy industry.

Another major resource for the country's mining focuses on energy sources like coal and lignite, as well as nuclear energy. This causes high levels of environmental pollution and the failure of the Kyoto Protocol. The tertiary sector has experienced a huge growth, with 57% of the population employed in this sector in 2003, contributing 55% to GDP.

The Czech Republic's economy has weathered the economic crisis acceptably since 2008. It can be compared with the growth of GDP in 2006 and 2007 of 7% and 6.1% respectively. In 2008 grew by 2.3% and in 2009 suffered a GDP growth of -4.0%, returning in 2010 to 2.3% growth had two years ago, seems to confirm that the economy of this country is going of the crisis, but the bad situation in Europe during 2011 appears to be slowing their advance, since 80% of their trade are produced with the European Union.

The unemployment rate in April 2011 was 8.6%, indicating an improvement over previous years. Regarding inflation, the CPI for the year 2010 has been 1.5%, however, and for 2011 is forecast to 2%. The public debt is very high compared to other European countries in 2010 and involved 38.5% of GDP. The strengths of Czech economy are financial and industrial base that provided high growth rates in the years before the crisis that began in 2008, figures of moderate public finances and low interest rates. Its weakest point is the high dependence on exports, particularly in the automotive sector.

The Czech capital, Prague, is more than 1 000 years old and has a wealth of historic architecture of different styles. Because of this, the city has become a favored location for many international film makers. GDP per capita of Prague is more than double than the general one of Czech Republic. It reached $ 38,400 in 2006, representing more than 50% of the EU average for that year. This country is the eleventh richest region of the Union.

Prague 

Prague is the country's economic hub. Besides being the capital of most financial institutions and transnational corporations are based in the city. These, among other things, enable Prague represents about 25% of Czech GDP. However the growth of GDP in Prague is less than the national average since 2001.

Prague has been able to absorb the labour force both nationally and internationally attracted by the prosperity of the city. In 2001, Prague concentrated about 20% of job vacancies in the country, which is especially significant when compared with just over 10% of total population of Prague on the total population. The demand for workers was 726,000 people while the city population was only 600,000. The unemployment rate in Prague is about the half one of the country. In addition, its central position in Europe as well as a price level lower than that of Western Europe helps many international companies choose it as their European headquarters.

The distribution sector of the city is a marked trend towards the tertiary sector. In 2006, 82% of the value added created in the city belongs to the service sector. On the other side of the scale is the industrial sector, whose weight is significantly lower than the rest of the country. Another sector that has grown in the first decade of XXI century is the construction, with more than 50% increase between 2001 and 2006 in terms of value of houses built.

Tourism is, without any doubt, one of the highlights of this country. Since the Velvet Revolution the city takes its architectural beauty in the tourism sector. In 2005, 6.4 million tourists visited the Czech Republic, of which a large majority passed through Prague. Over 90% of hotel rooms occupied were aimed at foreign tourists.

Finally, the Czech Republic is a country marked by its history, which in turn has helped to achieve the popularity and tourism has. Its economy is one of the milestones achieved by the country as having lived some tough times with communism has been known to have a stable and powerful economy, up to stay in the situation of crisis that we, unlike other countries with more years of democratic experience.

The most important events occurred in the European Union

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China: censorship as a solution to fear.

China is one of the most technologically advanced countries but unfortunately it has not been reflected on platforms like Internet. This medium is one of the deepest fears of the communist regime, allowing in touch with the different world cultures. Besides allowing a deeper knowledge about the real situation of the country itself. Therefore, it has been censored, moderated and modified continuously, with the purpose of “keeping the system in its pure state”.

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The woman who began the long list of femicides in Mexico.

Alma Chavira Farel is the first woman murdered in Ciudad Juarez. This saddest list started with this young girl, but we don’t have to forget that she was not the real first woman murdered there. They have begun to take into account when the victims had some similar characteristics in her bodies. This girl was killed exactly on January 23, 1993. We have to mention that in only that year fifteen girls were in the same situation.

She was found in Campestre Virreyes district with some clears sings of rape (vaginal and rectum violations) and also some strong contusions in the face. In that way, we can know the real seriousness of the case and the suffering of the younger trying to avoid to be raped.

She worked in the centre of Ciudad Juarez, as the others women, and also she didn’t have any personal transport to go to her house from the work. I was so surprised with this case because it was the first known feminicide but there is no too much information about hers. Also, it is no resolved yet and there are some unclear information. For example, we don’t know the exactly age of the girl; some websites said thirteen, five or even three. So, this is very curious because we are living in the information age where we can find facts from almost everything, and also for the importance of the data and the ignorance .

This predator will be known as “the Juarez Ripper” (El Depredador Psicópata) by the media after this happened. So, the movement against the feminicides in Ciudad Juarez started. As I told before, she was not the real first murdered woman but, in fact, she was the most important impulse to the society to be conscious about what was happening.

“AOL LATINO”: THE UNKNOWN MEDIA WHICH TEACHS YOU REAL JOURNALISM

Latin community is one of the powers more used in United States to win the elections. They have a huge representation (in California represents the 32,4% of the total population) and being the most relevant immigrant population. This very well known influence has been used to the candidates to be president of that country, with controversial strategies in their campaigns. But, that’s not everything.

Some Spanish-speaking media groups have been making influence in the information given to American people. Univisión is the most representative case, being the biggest Spanish-speaking television channel in the world. We can find examples as Telemundo, in webpages and even in radio. “AOL Latino” is also a very representative case. This media belongs to AOL (American Online), which gives also Internet services, and it was very important some years ago for the failed merge with Times Warner and for being the biggest merge in the History[1]. “AOL Latino” gives us so many sections divided in small ones. The main sections are “Noticias”, “Entretenimiento”, “Vida y Familia”, “Deportes”, “Iconos” y “Más”.

According to the topic that we are concerning, in News section, inside United States, we can see that they dedicate a specific webpage to content related to the elections 2012. This is very significance, because, for example, in Univisión webpage there is not any section dedicated to this political event, which can be considered as one of the most important in years for being one of the most powerful countries in the world[2].

The news found in the “AOL Latino” gives us a clear idea of the real situation. We can analyse the content of the news, the headlines, but for me the most important part is the idea that they want to transmit. There are fifteen news in the frontpage of the section, which six of them are about Romney. As we know, Romney is the favourite candidate to be the Obama’s opponent. But if we think in the counties where Latin community is bigger (California and Texas) related to the governments there, we can observe as where Latin people were bigger there were a republican government[3]. Instead of that, they only dedicated one news out of fifteen to Barack Obama.

Also, the currency of the news is a very important fact in that media group. They actualize the news with a average of two or three news per day (even with a few hours of difference with them) with information about the other candidates too. Apart of the news, they write reports and articles, describing in all of them the journalist or the agency, which is publishing the information (AP –Associated Press- is the most used).

Pictures and some multimedia videos accompany all the information provided. And inside the content we can observe as it is divided in small paragraphs to make it easy to read it and with some important words in bold. Also, they include quotes and relevant figures to support the text. And at the end of the article, they offer you some related articles with additional information and also the possibility to contact with them writing your opinion about the information given, so it entails the use of one of the most important tool in online media: feedback.

Impartiality, currency, the use of multimedia, clear language and feedback are the characteristics that every media group must use in their news. “AOL Latino” could not be the most known webpage but the performance of journalism’s goals is its weapon to have the chance of being one of the best media information.

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[1] In this webpage, we can find more extra-information about AOL/Times Warner: http://bit.ly/GFpYyL

[2] In this Pennsylvanian webpage, we can see as American people give more importance of voting. There are also extra-information about rights and legal terms: http://bit.ly/oJvBV6

[3] Texas has republican governments from 1980 and California was governed by Arnold Schwarzenegger until January 2011 (republican too). 

Millennium Development Goal achieved early

Today we worry in several moments when we don’t enjoy water at the exactly temperature we want or even when we have to reduce our consumption of water in times of drought. But, we are not aware of the privilege of having clean running water in our homes whenever we want.

Many people do not know that until less than two years, drinking water was not considered a universal right. This law was approved on July 29, 2010, specifically providing that "everyone has the right to drink clean, and sanitary and quality water" or it is something "essential to fully enjoy their right to life." No country voted against but many of them were abstained for the complicated application as international legal right. This debate started fifteen years ago in the UN.

With the upcoming celebration of World Water Day, March 22, we should be aware that many families, even entire towns can not enjoy something that we as well off to our day to day. Still, the progress of society and a growing awareness of outstanding developing countries has enabled the number of people without drinking water has decreased, thereby fulfilling one of the purposes positions in 2000 by the United Nations. This purpose was that at least nine out of ten people had potable water, being 6.1 billion people in total.

The main problem of lack of access is the diseases involved. Thus, for example more than three thousand helpless children die every day from diarrhea-related diseases. Also we have to add that not only is the access to clean water. For example it is important number of means of assuring the quality of that water. This is also attached to such a large percentage of people who really do not have access to medications or medical attention, as 2.5 billion people still suffer from this situation, predominantly in people living in sub-Saharan Africa, which aggravated digestive diseases.

From Newsreel to Real-Time War: How war coverage has changed (First part)

Along the History, the way to transmit what is happening in a warlike conflict has been changed. At first, newsreel was used to give information presented in a short documentary whose importance was shown in the first half of the 20^th century. This documentary started usually before a movie in the cinemas, and it was used to obtained money as donations and also to inform about the situation of the war. The shortage of the veracity was a problem to convince people of doing something. That’s why the government made it with a clear subjectivity and also they concealed the real position of the war.

Something similar was used in Spain to continue with Franco’s ideology. It was called NO-DO and I personally used as example of a newsreel because, apart of the ide to transmit a warlike conflict, the rest of the characteristics are very similar; they used to convince people, in cinemas (because it was one of the most relevant ways to inform until the appearance of television) and with a clear subjectivity.

The Vietnam war (1964-1975) was the first that used the new model to notify about a war; TV War. This war, between South of Vietnam against North of Vietnam, was the first time when it was showing the current situation, with less censure, and it reflected the surprise by the American when they saw films with airplanes flying, dropping bombs and troops on patrol (showed in the article written by Michael Mandelbaum). This controversial moment support the idea of the complicated transmission of wars (apart of the debilitated superiority of the country). Also the importance of the photography related to this war, where Nick Ut, from the Associated Press, has the main representation.