Pictures of global protests, notes on worldview, well-being

Paris, France

Compiled and edited by Carolyn Bennett INDIVIDUAL PROTESTS

Cairo October 9, 2011

Protests Syria 

Global

“Demonstrators angered by corporate greed and government austerity policies are demonstrating in 951 cities in 82 countries around the world as part of the United for Global Change movement. The protests, first proposed by a Portuguese youth movement, come as leaders of 20 countries meet in Paris to prepare for the November 3-4, 2011, G20 summit in Cannes.

Rome, Italy

Australia

U.S.
Detroit Michigan

NYC USA

As the day began, hundreds of people gathered in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district to vent their anger at the inequities and excesses of free-market capitalism. In Tokyo, a hundred estimated voiced anger at the Fukushima nuclear accident. Hundreds in Sydney set up camp outside Australia’s central bank; here they added the plight of Aboriginals to the financial concerns.
Protests on Saturday raged in cities from Sydney to Chicago as global finance chiefs met in Paris to discuss a way out of Europe’s sovereign debt turmoil.

Thousands took to the streets in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, in Manila and Hong Kong. Demonstrations spread to Europe; in Rome violence reportedly broke out and protesters in London scuffled with police.

Wisconsin this year

Protesters hit out at corporate greed and cutbacks by governments. Many expressed anger over unemployment and expressed their opposition to the financial elite.

 WORLDVIEW

France

We are headed towards a new cycle of colonialism,” Jagdish Keshav wrote at Pravda, “that will be more brutal than the ones before. Forget the Crusades and the destruction of Mayan and Incan civilizations! With the powerful globalized medium at their disposal, an entire plethora of cultures may vanish. The ruler will speak in one language and expect their subjects to do the same.…

Floods in Mexico

“[But] it is not all over yet. This coterie may be all-powerful and spreading their tentacles — in the guises of democracy or human rights or protecting civilians from a so-called barbarian — to assault, destroy and occupy a sovereign country sanctioned by the insipid UN, a  tool for these imperials and neo-colonialists. However, keeping careful watch are other blocks of nations who have been victims of colonialism, brutal imperial occupations and brutal fascism on their soil.”

INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING

Global 

What is the nature of “well being,” the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) asks and answers in a new report.

Work

“Having a job is an essential element of well-being. Good jobs provide earnings, but also shape personal identity and opportunities for social relationships.

United States - North Carolina

Broadly speaking, employment rates in the OECD are relatively low in southern European countries and high in the Nordic countries and Switzerland.

Long-term unemployment rates are virtually nil in Korea, Mexico and Norway, while they are almost three times the OECD average in Estonia, the Slovak Republic and Spain. Japanese and Australian workers are most likely to be working part-time, when they’d prefer a full-time job.

Postal workers - U.S.

Chileans and Poles hold the highest number of temporary contracts. Residents of Luxembourg have the highest average gross annual earnings (along with Americans) as well as the strongest perception of job security in Europe, while Czechs, Slovenians, Poles and Hungarians have the highest fears of losing their job.

Average long-term unemployment rates are high among women and youth, and the wage gap is growing sharply in many countries.

USA, Global

Somalis
in search of food, water at refugee camps

Social connection

People in New Zealand and Portugal are among the most social of all nationalities surveyed, with more than 75 percent reporting at least one social contact with friends or family per week.… While social connections obviously make people happy, those with extensive and supportive networks also tend to be in better health, live longer and are more likely to be employed.

United States (NY)

Green space

Very few Finns, Swedes and Danes complain about the green space in their countries, while more than one in three is unsatisfied with the access to green space in Italy and Turkey. Access to green space and a healthy physical environment are fundamental drivers of quality of life.     

 

Political activity

Norwegians, Finns and Danes are the most politically active, with more than 60 percent saying they had contacted a politician, signed a petition, worked with a pressure group or demonstrated in the past year, while Turks, Portuguese and Russians reported the lowest levels of activism. Civic engagement allows people to contribute to how their societies function.

Sources and notes

Radio France Internationale Indignant protests in 82 countries target corporate greed, austerity, October 15, 2011, http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20111015-indignant-protests-82-countries-target-corporate-greed-austerity

South Korea

“Riots in Rome, scuffles in UK mar mass protests,” G20 urges European leaders to deal decisively with debt turmoil,” Gulf News Report, October 16, 2011, http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/riots-in-rome-scuffles-in-uk-mar-mass-protests-1.892844

“A New World Ordered!” (Jagdish Keshav ), October 4, 2011,  

http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/04-10-2011/119218-A_New_World_Ordered-0/

“OECD launches new report on measuring well-being,” findings (excerpt), October 12, 2011, http://www.oecd.org/document/39/0,3746,en_21571361_44315115_48858599_1_1_1_1,00.html

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