Abortion is at the centre of Brazil’s presidential campaign

BRAZIL: ABORTION AND PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

The contest between Dilma Rousseff and José Serra in the second round of Brazil’s presidential election on the 31st October looks closer than anticipated. As voting day draws nearer, abortion remains one of the campaign’s major themes in a country marked by the growing influence of evangelical Christians. The web reacts.

As this blogger recalls, it all began during the first round of voting when Dilma Rousseff’s support for legalizing abortion in 2007 was divulged. He says she was trapped by the right, causing Lula’s protégé to fall out of favour with sections of the electorate. The subject remains taboo in Brazil, where abortion is illegal, except in the case of rape.

Many religious figures have attacked the Workers Party candidate. This video has been viewed near to 3 million times on YouTube. A pastor calls upon his congregation to vote against Dilma who he describes as anti-life. The clip contains shocking images and has been condemned by many web users.

Faced with this pressure, Dilma has decided to change her stance and has said if she is elected President she will not legalize abortion. This change of heart is highly criticized in this video montage.

This video blogger denounces politicians’ hypocrisy on the subject. He says making abortion illegal does not reduce the amount of abortions carried out. On the contrary, he feels that it contributes to making it an underground practice and dangerous for women.

Finally, this blogger is sorry that this social problem is used as a weapon in an electoral war instead of being the object of constructive debate.

BLOG ACTION DAY: WATER

Because all life form involves water and because it is becoming an increasingly rare resource, the Blog Action Day this year was devoted to water. Last Friday, web users the world over mobilised to discuss blue gold.

From Madagascar to Burma, bloggers have been assessing the drinking water situation in their respective countries. Objective: remind ourselves and others that it is a basic human right and that near to one billion people across the world do not have access to drinking water.

As this Mali based web user stresses, in Mali it is mostly people living in the country who are affected, they often have to settle for insanitary water, from wells or rivers, that is the vector for numerous illnesses, like diarrhea.

And whilst this Mexican blogger denounces the contamination of rivers by industry, this video looks at pollution, in Peru, where water is polluted by the inhabitants. The clip shows children suffering from stomach ache after drinking from a river. The images are aimed at encouraging people to not throw their rubbish in the water or not use water sources as toilets so that everyone can benefit from clean drinking water on a daily basis.

This other video, broadcast on the Singaporean blogosphere, is giving advice on ways to not waste any of this precious commodity: brushing your teeth using a cup or recycling water used to wash the rice for watering the plants. These gestures are just as beneficial for the planet as they are for saving money.

HATECATION

A cheap cruise, an unexpected trip to the dentist, a traumatic safari as well as pretty wild weather … some holidays do not go as planned and leave bad memories. This photo blog is devoted to these moments that we would rather not have experienced, but make for amusing stories to share a few years later.

RENT A FRIEND

Friends for rent on the web. For a fee, this site offers web users a little company for dinner, a trip to the cinema or to visit a new city. Originally launched in the United States, this service has now arrived in Europe. And whilst in can cost as much as 50 dollars, some are happy just to be taken out for a meal. The concept is not a hit with everyone. Critics accuse the site of exploiting people’s loneliness.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Fred Crosset lives in the city but this does not stop him from practicing motocross. In this video, the streets of Liège become a playing field for this Belgian trial bike champion. These impressive images are sure to be a hit with urban trial biking enthusiasts.