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Anti-vaccine Christian dies after losing battle against COVID-19

Pamela Cruz

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2021.12.01

Anti-vaccine Christian dies after losing battle against COVID-19

Anti-vaccine Christian dies for COVID — Photo: Instagram @marcuslamb

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Christian Daystar co-founder and CEO Marcus Lamb passed away Tuesday morning after losing his battle with COVID-19 weeks after contracting it.

Lamb, 64, believed in the disease but was openly anti-vaccine, so he decided not to get vaccinated, an action that could have prevented the severe symptoms he experienced after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that Marcus Lamb, President and Founder of Daystar Television Network, went home to be with the Lord this morning. The family asks that their privacy be respected as they grieve this difficult loss. Please continue to lift them up in prayer," the network said in a tweet on Tuesday.

According to information from NBC News, Jonathan Lamb, the son of the deceased, replaced his father on November 23, where, during the broadcast, he begged listeners to pray for his father's recovery from COVID-19.

Lamb's wife, Joni, maintained her faith that her husband would come out of his illness well and kept in touch with Marcus's audience, telling them over the phone that, "With this - battling the disease - it's like riding a roller coaster."

"It's like, you'll just be awake and everything's great, and then you get a little bit calm, and then you come down and then you come back up, but out of everyone I talk to, I think that's the pattern," he told listeners.

At the time, Jonathan Lamb described his father's COVID infection as "a spiritual attack by the enemy" to bring him down.

Daystar Television Network, which describes itself on its website as “an award-winning, faith-based network dedicated to spreading the Gospel 24 hours a day, seven days a week, around the world, through every possible media format,” devoted hours of airtime to rebroadcasts of anti-vaccine activist programs.

Nearly a year and a half ago, when the pandemic was just beginning ‒July 2020‒, the Lamb family dedicated an hour of their broadcast to “censorship” surrounding the COVID pandemic, with the disinformation group America's Frontline Doctors.

Until now, the network has a special space on its website entitled "Vaccines, the unauthorized truth", where there are 32 videos hosted by Marcus himself, and where people speak out against vaccination.

“What if the most dangerous thing your child could face in life is exactly what your doctor tells you is safe? With very few safety protocols and a growing number of vaccine-related injuries, it is now more important than ever to educate yourself about vaccines so you can make the most informed decision for your child’s health,” the portal notes.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. participated in several episodes of this interview series, where he calls on viewers not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their children. However, due to the misinformation that was spreading, he was recently banned from the social network Instagram for his misinformation on the subject of COVID-19.

Organizations around the world such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among many others, have emphasized that vaccines are thus far the safest and most effective way to prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, and death.

After most cases of infection in the country and around the world have been linked to the Delta variant, it is even more important to raise awareness and ensure the general well-being of the population by receiving the indicated doses of the vaccines that are distributed free of charge to all eligible people - 5 to 11 years old, 2 doses of 10 micrograms of the Pfizer vaccine; and two or one dose of 30 micrograms for those 12 years of age and older.

At the same time, following the indications of social distancing, wearing masks in closed places and in open places with a large number of people, as well as constant hand washing and not attending mass events.

With the spread of the Delta variant and the emergence of Omicron, which is rapidly spreading to southern Africa and has already reported cases in Europe, Asia and America, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC have recommended the administration of a booster vaccine for all those over 18 years of age, thereby increasing the number of antibodies that can combat the disease.

"In recent months, several prominent anti-vaccination Christian talk show hosts have died from COVID-19. Conservative radio hosts Dick Farrell, Phil Valentine and Marc Bernier, who were not vaccinated, have all died after contracting the virus," NBC News reported.

You might be interested in: "Omicron" new COVID-19 variant that has raised alerts

Health in times of the metaverse

Peninsula 360 Press

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2021.11.30

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Cristian Carlos.

Talcott Parsons is an American sociologist of the structuralist school of thought. He says that “differentiation” is the most common process of change in societies like ours: late capitalism. He proposed that our society is held together by systems that work together to make our existence possible according to our needs.

Recently, Facebook announced the change of the company's name to Meta, which, according to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is in response to the creation of a metaverse or an alternate reality. Now, the company Meta is in charge of Facebook's operations – the name of the main social network that was born in the second half of the 2000s is maintained –; later, Facebook acquired Instagram, the visual social network for instant photos and short videos.

WhatsApp began as an alternative means of communication to SMS – short messages sent via cell phone – and competed with and even overtook Blackberry’s messaging service. Initially, WhatsApp was available for all devices that had an Internet connection, whether mobile data or connected to a local network; later, WhatsApp restricted its access only to devices capable of sending SMS messages and opened up to different operating systems, including Android and the defunct Symbian and webOS.

Suddenly, the Facebook app was installed by default on smartphones with any operating system – except iOS – with no possibility of uninstalling it, a practice that is still common on Android.

In fact, Mark Zuckerberg launched a smartphone with Facebook as the core operating system application with HTC in 2013 called HTC First; however, the enthusiasm was short-lived when it was discovered that having Facebook as a communication base, collecting and sending complete user data, did not seem like a good idea among consumers.

I still remember when Instagram opened its market and stopped being an exclusive application in the Apple App Store that could only be accessed by iPhone users. Suddenly, a social network joined the list of social networks that showed graphic content en masse, like YouTube and the late Vine –from Twitter–. Facebook sacrificed the quality of the content provided by iPhone cameras and soon opened its application for Android, so that millions of people, from one day to the next, could join and share photos from less privileged cameras, which diminished the quality of the content.

Later, we experienced the rise of augmented reality and virtual reality when it became possible to transmit large amounts of data through the widespread use of optical fiber. Now, anyone with sufficient computing power could experience virtual worlds from the comfort of virtually anywhere. The Oculus project, now owned by Facebook, was created in 2014 and acquired by Mark Zuckerberg two years later.

And suddenly, without realizing it, Facebook is almost synonymous with the existence of people on the Internet. Let those who are free of Facebook cast the first stone.

Not even Talcott Parsons could foresee that his theory of action would need to be applied to different universes. However, Parsons also proposed – and unintentionally – the way to end Mark Zuckerberg's perverse plan, which Apple, with its recent privacy measures, perhaps discovered before the owner of the social network even had the opportunity to consolidate himself as the Buy-N-Large type hyper-company that Pixar painted in 2008 and that ended the existence of life on Earth. Zuckerberg, fortunately for us, was only able to consolidate the name.

Facebook is the virtual city where people, as sociologists would say, resolve their daily lives, communicate, become social beings and interact with people from different ultra-modern societies with essential post-truth needs. For many, Facebook replaced newspapers, books, photo albums, meetings, conversations –via Messenger–, wallets, shopping malls and personal appointments.

Instagram replaced traditional television, and people preferred to get their information via photos and short videos. People no longer have time to stop and watch a four-hour live Sunday show if a content creator is able to explain reality in 12 seconds.

Nobody remembers the landline phone anymore, much less the yellow pages. If more direct communication is required, Facebook solved it the day it integrated high-fidelity voice calls into WhatsApp. The social distancing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was supported thanks to high-definition video calls that could be made via Messenger and WhatsApp. Celebrities gave their concerts via Instagram or Facebook Live, and suddenly politics, the economy and the government communicated with hashtags or hashtags to regain the human sense they had lost: #MeToo, #StaySafe, #Vacúnate.

People have moved activism to the couch – something that real activism once feared – we have moved away from in-person social activities for the sake of survival and have moved our entire life to the digital, to the binary, to the encrypted, to the cloud. We have moved to decoding our words, our thoughts and our image to computational and graphic processing… and that is what Mark Zuckerberg wants to achieve with Meta. A metaverse where all our needs are covered by a single company that profits from people’s privacy because, as long as Facebook is used, the person not only gives up his or her will – as is done in a democracy – but also his or her privacy and, with it, the last bit of personality and originality that remains to our individuality.

While the unification of our daily lives comes down to a single name, Parsons would say that we are on the right track. Ultimately, the metaverse is just one more way in which our modern society is evolving – the aforementioned differentiation – but differentiation, being the same weapon that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has against us, is the weapon with which the computer utopia will be destroyed.

For Parsons, a system – in this case, Meta – is made up of subsystems – meaning the division between Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Oculus – which are sustained by the existence of each other. Meta, in this case, relies on the fact that, in order to keep Facebook operating, it has to have WhatsApp, Instagram and, to a lesser extent – but no less important – Oculus… all operating at the same time, or the lack of one of these would ruin the metaverse, not counting, of course, the next company that wants to join the group that will surely find another way to satisfy a digital need that modern societies demand.

However, let us remember that this happened recently and that is what the concept of the metaverse is afraid of – and Mark Zuckerberg, by the way –: Facebook collapsed and ceased to exist and, with it, it was triggered by the lack of the rest on the day we experienced a very short version of the digital apocalypse: the day the metaverse fell and Facebook ceased to exist.

At this point, it would be very easy to suggest that people should stop using the services offered by Meta, but this scenario is becoming less and less unlikely given that the only thing that is advancing by leaps and bounds is communication technologies. Zuckerberg's most recent weapon to seduce the Internet user and consolidate –without turning back– the metaverse is virtual reality, Oculus, specifically.

Once the goal of making augmented reality glasses accessible to everyone is achieved, there would be no need to return to the real world if all needs – except for physiological ones – can be satisfied for free and as instantly as receiving a text message.

Is there still time to undo the metaverse that Mark Zuckerberg proposes? Definitely. Individuals can live healthily in the real world and healthily virtually. Facebook is as harmful in the digital world as Coca-Cola is in our reality. We know that there are alternatives to Coca-Cola, cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol –and a long etcetera–.

There may be people who take rigorous physical care of themselves, but that doesn’t exclude them from digital junk: people addicted to generating content – speaking about self-care, ironically – making it available to, as Reddit users would say, “earn internet points” and consuming it by the petabyte per month. Empty content, easy, quick and ready to consume just like junk food.

What Parsons failed to do was explore the possibility that systems with the same hierarchy as the metaverse can coexist; society is undoubtedly heading in that direction, but fortunately, we can choose – with the little free will we have left – which metaverse we want to live in: one controlled by a single name without privacy or personality, or one in which we can still maintain our privacy – like Apple services – and can use more decentralized, democratic and, above all, healthy digital tools.

That is, if a government doesn't consider creating its own metaverse first.

Lights in Redwood for Holiday Decorating Contest

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.30

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Lights in Redwood for Holiday Decorating Contest

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
The annual Christmas decorating contest for Redwood City homes, "Holly Jolly!" has begun.

Fans of the December holidays will be able to let their imaginations run wild in this second edition, which will surely be full of lights, bows and inflatable dolls alluding to one of the most anticipated seasons for children and adults.

"Decorate your walls, roofs, doors and yards with the brightest lights and show us your Christmas spirit, whatever you celebrate!" says the city council in its invitation to the contest, which has opened for entries.

This year, the organizers have added a special category for inflatables, one of the most common items seen this season in garden decorations, so it's time to get out and prepare the biggest, most colorful and fun one to dazzle the judges.

The registration form opened on November 29, and the deadline to sign up will be Sunday, December 19 at 11:59 p.m. ‒or when a maximum of 50 applications is reached‒.

Entry to the contest is FREE! So anyone willing to invest time and effort into this festive contest is welcome to do so.

The works will be evaluated as follows:

1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be selected in the categories

Merry and Bright – This category is all about lights.
Christmas Spirit – Boost your enthusiasm and joy for Christmas
Amazing Inflatables – This one is for those who love figures filled with hot air and imagination.

The most coveted prize is the bragging rights that your home has won for best décor, but the spoils include festive gifts and certificates from local businesses, as well as stunning signs to proudly display in your yard declaring you the winner.

Judging will take place on Monday, December 20th and Tuesday, December 21st at dusk, so be sure to have your lights on and ready to be judged!

Watch the video of last year's winners giving click here and get inspired to have the best decoration!

You may be interested in: Choose Local: App to support local commerce in San Matthew

Red tide floods Honduras after Xiomara's virtual victory

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.29

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Red tide floods Honduras after Xiomara's virtual victory

Xiomara's victory in Honduras — Photo by: Manuel Ortiz

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. – Xiomara! Xiomara! Xiomara! was heard over and over again among car horns, shouts, hugs, and music. On Monday night and early morning, the streets of various cities and departments of Honduras were painted red, an unstoppable red tide that showed that, after a long day of elections, the preliminary results indicate that the country will have its first female president in history.

And it seems that the third time is the charm. According to data from the National Electoral Council of Honduras (CNE), 51.45 percent of the votes have been counted, and the presidential candidate of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), Xiomara Castro, is leading with 53.61 percent of the votes.

Nearly 20 points behind, the candidate of the National Party of Honduras, Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah "Papi", follows him, who, despite the support of the current government, has not been able to catch up with the left-wing candidate and only has 33.87 percent of the votes.

Xiomara Castro has swept the polling stations that were set up throughout the country, which reflects the population's weariness with the National Party and a candidate who would give permanence to a project that has permeated the country after the 2009 coup d'état.

The CNE has detailed that 5,182,425 voters were eligible to vote, of which there was a participation of 68.9 percent.

Who is Xiomara Castro?

The virtual president of Honduras is originally from the country's capital, Tegucigalpa, where she was born on September 30, 1959, and began her political career by leading protests in the streets to have her husband, Manuel Zelaya, restored to power, after he was overthrown on June 28, 2009.

However, Xiomara has a career as a business administrator, has 4 children, 5 grandchildren, and 44 years of marriage to Manuel "Mel" Zelaya.

Xiomara belonged to the conservative Liberal Party, under whose banner her husband was president of Honduras ‒2006-2009‒ and she was the nation's first lady. However, after her husband's overthrow, Castro gained more strength and followers, which made her become the presidential candidate of the newly founded LIBRE Party ‒2011‒, for the general elections of November 2013.

In that case, his first attempt was unsuccessful: he lost to the conservative candidate of the National Party, Juan Orlando Hernández. In 2017, he tried again under the same banner of the LIBRE party, but he lost again, against the same candidate, who was reelected in an election that has been branded nationally and internationally as fraudulent.

On January 27, 2022, Juan Orlando Hernández will have to hand over the presidential chair to Xiomara Castro, the first woman to be president in the country's history, one whose party is left-wing and who seeks to change, at all costs, "the obsolete and exhausted system that oppresses us," she said in her government plan.

For the 2021 elections, Castro presented himself with the offer of the “construction” of a “socialist and democratic State”, highlighting “the protection of the rights of the sovereign people and nature”, according to his Government plan.

The first of the three designated vice presidents of Xiomara Castro is Salvador Alejandro Cesar Nasralla Salum, with whom she formed the Opposition Alliance against the Dictatorship, which after failing and entering into confrontations, reunited, with the difference that, on this occasion, it was Nasralla who gave up his candidacy for the Salvador Party of Honduras.

Castro's other two appointees are: Doris Alejandrina Gutiérrez, a Honduran lawyer and politician, and doctor Renato Florentino Pineda.

The outlook for Xiomara

Castro's virtual victory was a testament to Hondurans' frustration and weariness with widespread poverty, crime, violence, corruption at all levels of government and the continued failure of elected leaders to address these problems.

It is worth remembering that, in 2019, 48 percent of Hondurans were below the poverty line, while 70 percent were underemployed.

The situation has worsened over the past two years, as Hondurans' difficulties have been aggravated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes Eta and Iota.

These natural phenomena hit the country hard in November 2020, causing damages of 1.9 billion dollars and affecting four million Hondurans. Thus, the combination of these two situations caused the Honduran economy to contract by 9.0 percent in 2020.

Problems such as crime and insecurity are issues that will undoubtedly have to be addressed upon reaching the presidential chair. The homicide rate in Honduras during 2020, despite improving compared to 2019, was 37.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest in the region.

Corruption and drug trafficking have also plagued power, as the nation's current president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, has been publicly named as a co-conspirator in a drug trafficking case in a US court, which resulted in the conviction of his brother Tony Hernandez.

Furthermore, President Hernández's predecessor, Pepe Lobo, the former president's wife and son, as well as current presidential candidate Yani Rosenthal, have all been convicted or credibly charged with ties to drug trafficking or money laundering.

You may be interested in: General elections underway in Honduras

CNE calls not to declare winners of the elections in Honduras after website crash

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.28

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CNE calls not to declare winners of the elections in Honduras after website crash

fall CNE web page — Photo by: Manuel Ortiz

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
According to the first indications of the investigation to determine the causes of the crash of the website of the National Electoral Council of Honduras (CNE) for the consultation of the census, the reports have indicated an attack on the server, located in the facilities of the council itself.

In response to this, the CNE called on candidates at all levels and the media to refrain from publicizing statements by parties and candidates that, in violation of the Electoral Law, announce results or declare themselves winners.

According to article 241 on the disclosure of exit poll results, "it is strictly forbidden to directly or indirectly disseminate, publish or comment on the full or partial results of polls, opinion surveys or exit polls on election day."

According to the Electoral Law, these "may only be published up to three hours after the total closure of voting at the national level, decreed by the National Electoral Council," and those who contravene this will be sanctioned with a fine of two hundred to one thousand minimum wages.

The law specifies that the same fine will be imposed on any media outlet that publishes the results of the exit poll before three hours of closing time for voting nationwide.

"If non-compliance with the provisions established in this Article is carried out by natural or legal persons who have not previously registered with the CNE, they will be subject to double the fine established in this Article, without prejudice to the closure of the media outlet that published the survey," the article states.

On the other hand, the CNE ordered the technical operators, both owners and substitutes, to remain at the voting centers awaiting the arrival of the technological kits, since they are in the process of being delivered, especially in the department of Francisco Morazán, which was the last to be covered.

He also called on the delegate members of the Voting Boards not to allow cell phones and electronic devices into the voting booths, which must be kept until the voter casts his or her vote.

He also informed citizens that voter registration using fingerprint readers reflects an influx of 1,844,439 voters, equivalent to 36 percent of the citizens eligible for the Census.

Given the massive turnout of voters, he asked the Voting Boards, in accordance with Article 265 of the Electoral Law, to extend the election day until the last citizen in line can exercise his right to vote.

"We call on the Honduran Armed Forces and the National Police to ensure that voting centers remain open until the last citizen exercises his or her right, as mandated by the Constitution and the Electoral Law," they stressed.

You may be interested in: General elections underway in Honduras

General elections underway in Honduras

Robert Diaz

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2021.11.28

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general elections Honduras — Photo by: Heriberto Paredes
Twitter @BSaurio

*Falta de equipos tecnológicos, reparto de despensas y coacción del voto, se reportan al inicio de la jornada electoral

Por Rober Díaz. Península 360 Press [P360P]
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. – Son la Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras las encargadas de repartir los Paquetes Electorales para celebrar las Elecciones Generales 2021, también ellos mismos los que se ocupan de su resguardo.

Sin embargo, a pocas horas de la elección se han presentado eventos como la compra y venta de votos, así lo informó La Plataforma Juvenil Electoral y el Centro de Estudios para la Democracia (CESPAD), quienes denunciaron que en el Instituto Industrial Froylán Turcios de Tocoa, Colón, espacio elegido como Centro de Votación, fueron descubiertos personas que entregaban aids que en sus palabras correspondían a pagos del programa social gubernamental de “Chambas Comunitarias”, sin embargo los implicados portaban gorras con la leyenda “papi a la orden” en clara alusión al candidato al Nasry Asfura del Partido Nacional (partido oficialista). A la llegada de los Observadores Electorales se quitaron las gorras al verse grabados.

De la misma manera, los equipos tecnológicos con la que se haría la Transmisión de Resultados Electorales (TREP) no llegaron a varias mesas de votación. También, se cambió la ubicación de los centros de votación en el municipio de Cabañas, Copán.

Se detectaron personas con despensas en el Camino de las Flores entregadas por el Partido Nacional y en muchas de las mesas que se abrirán hay propaganda electoral a los alrededores de éstas que no ha sido retirada.

En este sentido, en la Escuela Saúl Bueso Castañeda, centro de votación en el municipio de Santa Rita en el departamento de Copán, la secretaría del Consejo Municipal Electoral, impidió el acceso de los Observadores de Plataforma Juvenil Electoral debidamente acreditados en el Centro de Votación.

Finalmente, en su mayoría todos los centros de votación presentaron diferentes impedimentos para llevar a cabo de mejor manera las votaciones en sus instalaciones según los testimonios de los Observadores Electorales Internacionales, la falta de luz en algunos sitios, así como del espacio insuficiente.

El comienzo de la jornada electoral se vio ensombrecida por la aparición del cadáver de un hombre de aproximadamente 30 años en el municipio de Ceiba y un altercado electoral en Santa Bárbara en donde activistas de partidos políticos estaban a las afueras de los Centros de Votación asistiendo y coaccionando el voto de la ciudadanía.

La jornada electoral ha comenzado en medio de un clima enrarecido por la violencia electoral que se presentó en la entidad las semanas previas a la elección y el fantasma del abstencionismo provocado por este clima de inseguridad, sin embargo, hay una copiosa participación del pueblo hondureño hasta el momento.

You may be interested in: Vote Buying Reported in Honduras Hours Before Polls Open

Vote Buying Reported in Honduras Hours Before Polls Open

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.28

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Vote Buying Reported in Honduras Hours Before Polls Open

Vote buying in Honduras — TEGUCIGALPA. – En el Instituto Nacional de Formación Profesional (INFOP), un elemento del ejército vigila las últimas maletas electorales que serán repartidas en los centros de votación. Foto: Manuel Ortiz

To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. – A tan solo horas de que se abrieran las casillas en todo Honduras para dar inicio a una jornada electoral más importante en el país tras el Golpe de Estado y que podrían marcar el rumbo del país por la siguiente década, observadores electorales han reportaron la compra de votos.

Así lo informó la Plataforma Juvenil Electoral y el Centro de Estudios para la Democracia en Honduras ‒CESPAD‒, quienes detallaron que a través del proceso de observación electoral que se está realizando en distintas zonas del país se han reportado estos casos de compra de votos, los cuales constituyen un delito electoral.

Ante ello, ambas organizaciones expusieron que en el Instituto Técnico Industrial «Froylán Turcos» de Tocoa, Colón, lugar que será centro de votación, se reporta la compra y venta de votos, argumentando qué son pagos correspondientes al programa social gubernamental «Chambas Comunitarias».

De acuerdo con el Código Penal del país, el artículo 542 puntualiza que la coacción electoral es un delito que debe ser penado con 4 a 6 años de prisión.

«Vemos estas acciones como una vulneración al libre ejército de elección que tiene la ciudadanía y una competencia electoral desleal», precisaron en un breve comunicado las organizaciones.

Dark electoral panorama

De acuerdo con Marco Castillo, codirector de la organización estadounidense Global Exchange, misma que ha acudido a observar las votaciones, y que se ubica en el departamento de Colón, detalló en exclusiva a P360P que el proceso electoral está sumamente retrasado en la zona.

Y es que, al igual que otras diversas zonas en el país, aún no cuentan con las maletas electoras que incluyen las boletas para que los ciudadanos puedan ejercer libremente su decisión de elección que, entre otros cargos, decidirá al próximo presidente del país.

«Nosotros hemos estado observando y, sobre todo, lo que me están reportando es que, todo el proceso está súper retrasado aquí en el área de Colón, seguramente los paquetes van a empezar a llegar hasta la madrugada, lo cual es sumamente preocupante porque todo el proceso queda en manos de actores extraños que no pueden ser vigilados ni observados», subrayó.

Destacó que es probable que la entrega e instalación de casillas en el área se den «en la oscuridad», lo que daría cuenta de acciones intencionadas.

«Nosotros captamos a una representante del gobierno federal con gorras del candidato del partido Nacional, pagando cheques de un programa social en la misma escuela que el día de mañana será el centro votación más importante. En general, de este lado, estamos viendo un panorama bien oscuro y bien negativo», declaró.

TEGUCIGALPA. – En el Instituto Nacional de Formación Profesional (INFOP), un elemento del ejército vigila las últimas maletas electorales que serán repartidas en los centros de votación. Foto: Manuel Ortiz

Necessity and votes

De acuerdo al Banco Central de Honduras ‒BCH‒, durante el 2020 el Producto Interno Bruto ‒PIB‒ en términos constantes, se contrajo en 9.0 por ciento, ello debido a la fuerte crisis sanitaria a nivel nacional e internacional que conllevó a adoptar medidas de distanciamiento social, provocando la suspensión temporal de la mayor parte de la actividad productiva en el segundo trimestre del año.

Aunado a lo anterior, se registraron cuantiosos daños en cultivos, viviendas e infraestructura productiva, causados por el paso de los fenómenos naturales Eta e Iota en el territorio nacional en noviembre del año en referencia.

Así, los hondureños han visto su vida muy complicada en términos económicos, lo que ha obligado a millones a desplazarse de su país, o a optar por vender su voto a cambio de ayudas.

Los programas clientelares continúan a tan solo horas de que se celebren los comicios generales, donde más de 5 millones de hondureños podrán dar voz a sus decisiones políticas para elegir a sus representantes.

Lo que en muchos países podría ser un delito electoral grave, aquí simplemente se abusa de la necesidad del electorado. Personas han reportado el ser abordadas para la compra de su voto, mientras está formado para recibir la «ayuda» del gobierno que no se había recibido durante meses, justamente un día antes de las votaciones.

Uncertainty

Recientemente, Roxi Moncada, consejera propietaria del Consejo Nacional Electoral de Honduras ‒CNE, un órgano que apenas tiene poco más de dos años de ser formado, y cuya principal función es organizar, administrar y garantizar que se pueda llegar al día de las elecciones, destacó que el principal desafío que enfrentaba el organismo, era que en cada casilla de votación hubiera las boletas para que la población ejerciera su derecho de decisión.

«El principal desafío es que, en las más de 18 mil juntas receptoras de votos, el domingo 28 de noviembre, haya, por lo menos, una maleta electoral, las papeletas de los tres niveles de elección, y una junta receptora de votos integrada de la forma como lo establece la nueva Ley Electoral hondureña», destacó en entrevista.

En el marco político que se encuentra Honduras, especialmente 12 años después del Golpe de Estado, las condiciones en el país son bastante complejas, por lo que, la garantía de que se celebren unas elecciones limpias este 28 de noviembre solo se puede asegurar en lo «formal», dijo la misma funcionaria.

Señaló además que, durante los últimos dos años, los consejeros del organismo «autónomo», han trabajado «con cientos de obstáculos» para tener un proceso electoral diferente a las de 2013 o 2017, esa última, especialmente tachada de fraudulenta luego de que, tras un «apagón», Juan Orlando Hernández fuera reelecto como presidente.

Moncada detalló que el hecho de que las elecciones de este domingo se lleven a cabo de una manera pulcra y con la plena voluntad popular solo se verá este mismo domingo.

"We are all obliged to do so. The members of the receiving board are public officials and assume a responsibility to the State of Honduras. But this is a State that collapsed after the coup d'état, which has formal authorities, constitutional institutions, buildings, appointed officials, but it is a State without justice and where the rights formally guaranteed are in practice a real tragedy," he stressed.

Generalized severity

Los reportes de la tardanza en la llegada de las de maletas electorales también fueron una constante a unas horas de que iniciaran los comicios electorales.

«En la aldea las casitas, José Cecilio Del Valle aún no confirman a qué hora llegarán las maletas electorales. Tal vez sea en la madrugada»; «En la Escuela Latino se encuentran 11 urnas junto a 11 kits de seguridad, 4 de ellas tienen la etiqueta del CNE dañada. No se aseguró en su debida forma las maletas electorales para que estas se encuentren sin ningún defecto».

Están convocados a las urnas más de 5.1 millones de ciudadanos de Honduras para elegir al quien encabezará el gobierno por los próximos 4 años, se elegirán además tres designados ‒vicepresidentes‒, 298 alcaldías municipales, 128 diputados al Parlamento local y 20 al Centroamericano.

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The normalization of terror

Raul Romero

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2021.11.27

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Por: Raúl Romero
El viernes 18 de marzo de 2011, más de media centena de sicarios del grupo criminal Zetas, aterrorizaron a la población del municipio de Allende, en el norteño estado de Coahuila, México. Los hechos son inenarrables. Pareciera que aún no se han inventado las palabras para describir lo que ahí sucedió. Los datos oficiales registran 42 personas desaparecidas, sin embargo, investigaciones independientes relatan que pudieron ser al menos 300.

¿Cómo dimensionar lo que pasó en Allende?

En este país llamado México, en donde 43 estudiantes fueron desaparecidos en 2014 en Ayotzinapa, Guerrero; en donde 72 migrantes fueron asesinados en 2010 en San Fernando, Tamaulipas; 45 personas fueron masacradas en 1997 en Acteal, Chiapas; en donde más de 95 mil personas permanecen desaparecidas y donde 10 mujeres son asesinadas diariamente por el hecho de ser mujeres, la barbarie parece habernos roto todas las fronteras para imaginar lo peor. La tentación de escribir el “hecho más terrible” se diluye, no sólo porque sería absurdo buscar escalas para describir el terror, sino porque tantas y tan brutales son las tragedias que sería dolorosamente complicado e injusto.

Cada muerte, cada desaparición, cada feminicidio, cada transfeminicidio duele y cercena a esta sociedad que somos.

Pero, aunque algunos nos negamos a normalizar el terror, aunque muchos y muchas siguen indignándose y nos convocan a alzar la voz, también hay quienes lo han vuelto un atractivo turístico o utilizan la tragedia para “burlarse” de otras personas.

Apenas hace unas semanas, desde una página de Facebook, se convocó a recorrer, con motivo de Halloween, el municipio de Allende. En una de las publicaciones en esta misma red social se invitaba: “Iniciaremos en la #Textil, luego El #Rastro, #Panteón y las Casas Abandonadas en donde murió mucha gente en la Masacre de Allende”. Los vídeos del recorrido todavía hoy pueden ser vistos.

Algo similar pasó con la derechista diputada América Rangel, quien en su golpeteo mediático contra la jefa de gobierno de la Ciudad de México, elaboró, a manera de meme, una ficha de persona desaparecida de las que suelen usar las autoridades y familias para reportar casos de desaparición.

¿En qué momento la tragedia de un pueblo se convirtió en atractivo para otros? ¿Qué pasa por la mente de una “representante del Estado” que utiliza como meme lo que para muchas familias es una herramienta clave en la búsqueda de sus familiares desaparecidos?

We must not cease to be indignant and raise our voices in the face of tragedy and pain. If terror and barbarism become the norm, we will have lost everything.

Normalization of terror — *By Raul Romero. Peninsula 360 Press*
*@RaulRomero_mx*

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"Omicron" new COVID-19 variant that has raised alerts

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.26

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"Omicron" new COVID-19 variant that has raised alerts

By Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
South Africa has confirmed the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, identified as B.1.1.529, which has multiple mutations and has raised "concern" among specialists and various countries around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new strain as “Omicron.” The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the last of which was predominantly the Delta variant.

In recent weeks, infections have increased sharply, coinciding with the detection of the B.1.1.529 variant, the WHO said in a statement.

The first confirmed infection known to Omicron was from a sample collected on November 9, 2021.

The international organization stressed that this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are "worrying", since preliminary evidence suggests a higher risk of reinfection with this strain, compared to other coronaviruses.

The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa, he stressed, as current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this strain.

Several laboratories have indicated that for a widely used PCR test, one of the three target genes is not detected – called S gene dropout or S gene target failure – and therefore this test can be used as a marker for this variant, pending sequencing confirmation.

With this approach, “this variant has been detected at a faster rate than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage,” the document highlights.

In light of this, the organization has asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts to better understand circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, submit complete genomic sequences and associated metadata to a publicly available database, and report initial cases and/or clusters associated with COVID infection to WHO.

He also called for field research and laboratory assessments to improve understanding of the potential impacts of COVID-19, as well as for maintaining social and public health measures, diagnostic methods, and vaccination.

The agency reminded the general public to take steps to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19, including proven social and public health measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated.

The agency's concern has put other countries on alert, with European Union nations agreeing Friday to suspend flights to seven southern African countries due to the new South African variant of the coronavirus.

The countries in question are South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini, sources told the EFE news agency.

The US and Canada have joined the list of countries that have decided not to allow entry to people coming from these countries, adding Malawi to their own list.

"Out of an abundance of caution, until we have more information, I am ordering additional air travel restrictions from South Africa and seven other countries. These new restrictions will go into effect on November 29. As we move forward, we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advise," President Joseph Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

In turn, he said that, for those Americans who are fully vaccinated against severe COVID disease, fortunately, for the vast majority of our adults, the best way to strengthen their protection is to receive a booster shot as soon as they are eligible.

Boosters are approved for all adults 18 and older, six months after their vaccination, and are available at 80,000 locations from coast to coast. They are safe, free and convenient, she said. “Get your booster shot now, so you can have this extra protection during the holiday season.”

She also called on all those who are not yet fully vaccinated to take the missing doses as soon as possible, including both children and adults.

The United States leads the world in vaccinating children ages 5 to 11, and has been vaccinating adolescents for several months, “but we need more Americans of all age groups to get this life-saving protection. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated or haven’t gotten your children vaccinated, now is the time.”

Finally, for the global community, he said, “the news about this new variant should make it clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccines.”

He also called on nations to meet next week at the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting to confront the U.S. challenge to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, so that these vaccines can be manufactured globally.

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Laura Rubio, a tireless advocate for justice in East Palo Alto

Community

Pamela Cruz

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2021.11.26

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To Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
“Undocumented, migrant, domestic worker, and activist,” is how Laura Rubio describes herself, a woman who on her path to self-improvement found her greatest passion: helping all those who, like her, have suffered injustice, fear, and uncertainty in East Palo Alto, the city that has opened its arms to her and given her a purpose.

Laura, 47, was born in Maravatio, Michoacán, Mexico. She has been in the U.S. for 19 years and has become an active member of her community for the past seven years, “because before I didn’t know I could do something and so I fell in love with the activism I can do in my community.”

She came to this country when her youngest daughter was barely two years old, with only one dream: to be able to give her two little ones a better quality of life. Without knowing the language, Laura did not put up barriers in her mind, she worked wherever she could, taking care of children and cleaning houses, work that she still does today and that she combines with her activism, which, she says, drives her to want more and train herself to reach new goals.

With two grown children, this domestic worker told P360P that a few years ago she was on the verge of being evicted, and she, like many others, did not know that, despite her immigration status, she had rights.

“When I first came to a tenant meeting, I was like, ‘Wow! If I had known this, I would have saved myself so much heartache and worry because I thought I was going to be evicted. Now I know how to protect myself and my neighbors, how to help and assert my rights. ’”

In the morning, Laura gets up, makes coffee and breakfast, and gets ready to go to work. By 6:00 p.m., when she gave this interview, she had already cleaned houses and helped two families facing eviction. The pain in her feet does not defeat her, and after talking to us she runs off to a meeting where she continues her activism.

"One thing leads to another," says Laura, who says that after belonging to a neighborhood group, she found connections with organizations that have now put her on the right path to improve the quality of life of others.

Laura Rubio will serve on several organizations: the Latino Caucus Board for five years; the Rent Stabilization Control Board; the Tenant Board formed by three organizations from East Palo Alto, a member of the National Domestic Workers Alliance; the Pop Cultural Board of the National Domestic Workers Alliance; and the Board of Directors of Senator Josh Becker's Latino Advisory Committee.

It is also part of the ETB-EPA coalition, in which residents, religious congregations, immigrant groups, community organizations and youth engage in planning, development, and land use issues, committed to the principles of affordable housing, neighborhood stabilization, tenant protection, human dignity, and democratic land use planning.

If the day is short, Laura also volunteers cleaning the streets, vaccination centers, informing the community of their rights door to door, and sometimes collaborating with the non-profit organization, Casa Circulo Cultural.

«During the pandemic, I decided not to stay at home. I went out to knock on doors and ask my neighbors if they were okay, if they had paid their rent, and if not, to look for resources and talk to organizations.»

Despite the language barrier, the activist does not stop. “I think and believe in linguistic justice. This city is ready to provide us with a translator to help people of African and Asian and Pacific Islander origin who live here in East Palo Alto, so that these residents have the confidence to come to our meetings and express their concerns in their own language and know that they will be heard.”

"My vision is that a person with knowledge is a person with power."

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