Brazilian Web users criticize the Governor of Brasilia in a corruption scandal

CORRUPTION IN BRAZIL

The Governor of Brasilia, José Arruda, caught red handed carrying out acts of corruption. These videos, in which we see him and a family member pocketing money from an alleged backhander, were filmed with a hidden camera by his former assistant. According to the main party concerned, the money was allocated to buy panettone cakes for the poor. Brazilian net users are far from being convinced and are using the cakes as a symbol of the fight against corruption.

Videos mocking Arruda and his excuses have multiplied in recent days. Here for example, we see a man stuffing panettone cakes into his trousers and socks to be sure they will be distributed to the worst-off.

Others, such as this composer, prefer to use music to express their doubts about the Governor’s honesty.

And a game has also appeared online to denounce the Governor’s corruption. The aim being to destroy a maximum number of panettone cakes and portraits of Arruda.

Finally, several protests have already been organised in Brasilia, calling for Arruda’s resignation. Demonstrations which, as shown by these images, brought together several thousand people in the streets of the federal capital.

THE IRIS ROBINSON SCANDAL

Scandal in Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister’s wife, Iris Robinson, has admitted having had an extra marital affair with a nineteen year old man and is accused of using her influence as an MP to encourage two property developers to invest 50,000 pounds in her lover’s restaurant. An affair which is shaking the blogosphere.

This Australian video blogger feels that Iris Robinson has got what she deserved. He recalls that the woman described herself regularly as a defender of the country’s moral values and that now she has been caught red handed, she must leave the political scene swiftly.

Others prefer to treat the subject with humour, such as the creators of this parodic song. The words of the Simon and Garfunkel hit, ‘Mrs.Robinson’, have been used to mock her affair with the man thirty nine years younger than her.

The young man, Kirk McCambley, is now becoming a veritable icon online. Several Facebook groups applauding his exploits, such as these, have been created in recent days.

But the web is not unanimous and some defend Iris Robinson, such as this female Irish blogger, who feels that the Prime Minister’s wife has indeed committed an error. But that it could have happened to anyone. She also calls on her fellow citizens to show the woman clemency.

ANNÉE DE LA BIODIVERSITÉ

2010 is international year of biodiversity. On this occasion, the international union for the conservation of nature is publishing on its website each day the portrait of a species threatened by extinction. From the polar bear to the white whale and including the hawksbill turtle, 365 plant and animal species which could soon disappear will be honoured throughout the year.

ILLICITENCOUNTERS.COM

When the snow is falling, watch out for infidelity. Brits hit by a severe cold spell are turning to an extramarital dating site. Illicitencounters.com has been recording peak usage for several days, with the majority of it new members from the regions worst hit by inclement weather.

LA VIDÉO DU JOUR

With Christmas over, it’s time to get rid of the tree. A chore that these two brothers decided to make more bearable by transforming it into a rocket. To do so, they attached thirty two rockets to the tree and launched it thirty metres into the sky.