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Most developers create Ajax applications using several different languages across two or more tiers. On the client side, you have HTML markup of course, plus some logic written in JavaScript to perform tasks such as client-side validation and manipulation of the HTML document object model (DOM). On the web server, you may have parts written in PHP, Perl, Java, or other languages.
The Google Web Toolkit (code.google.com/webtoolkit) is a free, open-source framework created by Google to make Ajax easier. In this article, we present GWTFlow, a mash-up photo viewer that lets you browse any Flickr photo album. The UI was inspired by Apple's Cover Flow album viewer (www.apple.com/itunes/jukebox/coverflow.html) and the Carousel mode in the .Mac Web Gallery. The complete source code is available online (see "Resource Center," page 5 and at www.adamhoughton.com/GWTFlow). By studying this application, you will learn useful techniques for creating your own dynamic web pages using GWT.
Why GWT?
GWT unifies the client and server parts of an application into a single program written in one languageJava. This has many advantages. For one thing, more developers know Java than JavaScript or ActionScript (the language used by Flash). Another reason is that Java is blessed with an abundance of developer tools, such as Eclipse, NetBeans, and IDEA.
By standardizing on one language, you can share code on the client and server. For example, you can run the same validation codeonce on the client for immediate feedback, and once on the server for maximum security. You can even move code between tiers as you refactor applications to adapt to changing requirements.


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Thanksgiving Crafts
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76 Thanksgiving Craft Ideas + Recipes
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Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all that we have. It's also a time to appreciate loved ones and show them how much you care. One way to reach out and celebrate the day is through crafting. You can make decorations for your Thanksgiving table, decoration for your door and so much more. In fact, these are so many easy Thanksgiving crafts you can make by yourself or with the family. These 76 Thanksgiving Craft Ideas and Recipes will help ensure that you have the best Thanksgiving ever.
Fall craft projects often have a few universal themes - leaves, warm colors and wood. Make sure your Thanksgiving arts and crafts projects follow this structure so you can truly appreciate the season. If you're looking for Thanksgiving decorations to make, start with this list of free Thanksgiving eBooks.
You can find all of our Thanksgiving collections in one place! Visit 250+ Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids and Adults for more Thanksgiving crafting inspiration.
76 Thanksgiving Craft Ideas + Recipes
9 Thanksgiving Decorations to Make
24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes and Fall Craft Projects
Holiday How-To: Thanksgiving Crafts and Pumpkin Recipes
Thanksgiving Crafts: Projects to Give, Decorate and Entertain
9 Thanksgiving Decorations to Make
Whether you're looking for easy Thanksgiving crafts for yourself or Thanksgiving arts and crafts ideas for the kids to enjoy, this eBook is sure to fulfill your needs. Many of these Thanksgiving craft ideas double as fall craft ideas, so you can set them out before the holiday and leave them after the meal is over. When you're planning your fall craft projects, be sure to include a few of these DIY designs - by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, you'll be ready to celebrate and give thanks.
Download a copy of 9 Thanksgiving Decorations to Make - it's free!
24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes and Fall Craft Projects
This eBook features fantastic Thanksgiving arts and crafts projects for the family as well as delicious recipes that everyone will love. You can start by creating a few easy Thanksgiving crafts and then, as the day draws near, begin planning your meal.
Download a copy of 24 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes and Fall Craft Projects - it's free!
Holiday How-To: Thanksgiving Crafts and Pumpkin Recipes
Celebrate the season with fun and easy Thanksgiving crafts as well as delicious recipes for your holiday meal. You can print out a copy and make a few decorative projects for your table, mantel or porch. While you're at it, create some fall craft projects that will look good all season long - no need to stick to just pilgrims and cornucopias.
Download a copy of Holiday How-To: Thanksgiving Crafts and Pumpkin Recipes - it's free!
Thanksgiving Crafts: Projects to Give, Decorate and Entertain
Fall craft projects are a great way to help kids learn about the season. They are also a great excuse to spend time with little ones and encourage creativity. Think of some traditional Thanksgiving arts and crafts projects that you can display all season long. If you need inspiration, check out this free eBook and get discover just how easy it is to make gifts, decorations and more.
Download a copy of Thanksgiving Crafts: Projects to Give, Decorate and Entertain - it's free!
Don't forget to decorate your table for the big feast with this collection of 12 Thanksgiving Craft Centerpieces + 4 New Ideas.
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Customised, Closed Proficiency Testing Schemes | LGC Standards
If you have a large number of laboratories in different geographies, participation in one of our regular schemes, with a report containing only your laboratories' data, could be the ideal solution. However, sometimes it is not quite enough, and you may want to adapt a scheme specifically for your needs.
LGC Standards maybe able to offer customised, or closed, proficiency testing schemes tailored to a specific organisation's requirements. We currently operate customised schemes on behalf of some of the largest companies in the world and we are happy to discuss your requirements in this area. Please note that a minimum level of business is required before a scheme can be setup.
We can also provide specially prepared samples, which are not part of a PT scheme, and again minimum order quantities are required


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On the FM site post number #573 has a very similar head as to mine.
I have now also learnt that Luigi Barbaro worked for FM at the end of the1960's/the beginning of the 1970's, he is the brother of Alessandro Barbarohttp://www.signoretti.it/inglese/barbaro.asp
Love the gold Dorothy bag :clap: and the top one, and the bottom one...
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About StreetEYE
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To define the American Dream in words is simple enough: "the perennial conviction that those who work hard and play by the rules will be rewarded with a more comfortable present and a stronger future for their children," writes Jon Meacham in this week's cover story. To capture the American Dream in one image is a trickier task.
"There were so many ways to show the American Dream, from imagery of people coming over to America by boat and seeing the Statue of Liberty to the dot com era and everything in between," says Jeff Minton, who photographed this week's cover. "Ultimately, we went with a more simple approach—showing the perfect lawn, and letting the viewer imagine the broader implications that the picture might represent."
That perfect lawn was actually a sod farm located about an hour outside of Los Angeles. After hoisting his camera onto a crane, Minton controlled the digital capture from a tent 40 ft. below, where he set up different vignettes with models and props within the frame of his lens. "This kind of image would have been easy to composite together with stock images," he says. "But it seemed like such a romantic idea—much like the American Dream—to actually photograph different scenes by camera."
Jeff Minton is a Los Angeles based photographer. See more of his work here.


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Photo Gallery: Organized Family Homes
How to create chic, clutter-free spaces for the whole clan.
A wall of built-in storage makes efficient use of space in this family home.
"A mudroom should be a pretty space," says designer Brian Gluckstein. "If it's designed well, it shouldn't look messy." This mudroom is accessed from the side of the house, and a glass door lets in plenty of natural light. The floors are hardy limestone. Gluckstein incorporated a bench within a wall of built-in storage that includes two closets for kids' coats and sports equipment.
Find more inspiration in our photo gallery of Organized Family Homes.
Painted furniture adds a pretty pop of colour.
In this mudroom, a kelly green painted bench stores shoes and outerwear. Wire baskets, wall hooks and a dry erase board kicks organization up a notch.
A convenient spot for kids to do their homework.
Drawers below hold office supplies, while overhead storage conceals a printer and serving pieces. The ottoman tucks out of the way when not in use.
Banquette seating with storage drawers works well in small spaces.
Chef Trish Magwood's children, Olivia and Findlay, spend hours at the antique drafting table that acts as the family's dining table. The long banquette features spacious storage drawers below for table linens and art supplies. "We can really pack kids in here," says Trish with a laugh, as her home is often the gathering place for her own extended family, a well as husband Bryce's.
See more of chef Trish Magwood's home in our photo gallery and check out more organized family homes.
Felt and metal bins keep toys organized.
Instead of the usual plastic stackable bins or wicker baskets, opt for fun mismatched containers to sort books, toys and stuffed animals. Stroll flea markets or garage sales for vintage pails and buckets that will add character to a kid's play room.
To learn how to craft felt pillows like these, watch our Online TV DIY segment.
For more storage tips, see our Organizing Kids' Play & Work Spaces photo gallery and have a look at these organized family homes.
Drawer pulls make perfect wall hooks.
Stack cubes and crates to create cubbies for books, toys and collectibles. Combine new and used in a mix of materials, from weathered wood to glossy white plastic, for a cool, curated look. Secure boxes to the wall with nails or screws, then place heavier items on the bottom rows and lighter knickknacks up top.
Get more decorating inspiration in our Trendy Kids' Bedroom Ideas photo gallery.
Wood panelled drawers and cupboards keep toys and clothing out of sight.
The two architects behind Toronto firm Studio Junction designed their home with functionality and the environment in mind. This modern bedroom and playroom for their two preschool-aged children keeps stowed items behind seamless Douglas fir panels. Shelves above the bed display storybooks, and high-up storage cupboards offer a perfect spot for out-of-season clothing. A bold rug adds a fun pop of colour to the sleek space.
See more photos, or take a virtual tour through this award-winning Courtyard House.
For more storage tips, see our Organizing Kids' Play & Work Spaces photo gallery or check out more organized family homes.
Built-in shelving can transition to a home office when kids leave home.
Consider a timeless palette and custom storage in a child's or teen's bedroom so that the room can grow with them. Toy storage can become textbook storage. Include space for stationery, books and a large desktop surface, plus areas for displaying framed photos and tacking up drawings and schedules.
Find more inspiration in our photo galleries of Organizing Kids' Play & Work Spaces and Organized Family Homes.
A spacious laundry area with plenty of storage.
When renovating their Burnaby, B.C. home, these homeowners didn't want the ironing board cluttering one of the busiest rooms in the house. Instead, they hid a compact fold-away ironing board in a custom drawer for a more streamlined look.
Clever storage solutions keep supplies tidy for easy access.
Designer Kelly Deck transformed a spare bedroom into a sunny craft room for this VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation lottery house. Work surfaces are kept free of clutter with a generous bank of stylish storage bins and a practical rod-and-cup system on the wall keeps art supplies out of the way but within easy reach.
See more organized family homes in our photo gallery.
A simple corkboard in a shared space keeps the whole family organized.
Pin reminders, schedules or inspirational words onto a corkboard that can serve as a family information hub. An alternative to digital reminders, a corkboard is a tactile approach that adds visual appeal.
A basement corner makes a perfect work or craft area.
This bright office chair is actually part of a dining set of four, so the homeowners can snatch it back when entertaining. The desk was constructed out of two Pottery Barn filing cabinets and an inexpensive Ikea counter. Open shelving above keeps books and magazine accessible, and simple white boxes conceal clutter.
Find more inspiration in our photo gallery of Organized Family Homes.
An awkward space with added storage.
In Tanya Linton's home, every spare nook is used for extra storage. With two small boys running around, baskets are ideal for hiding toys and knickknacks. In a small corner, a stack of books and magazines doubles as a side table to a painted chair.
See more of this house in our Stylish Family Home Makeover photo gallery. For more ideas, see our Organized Family Homes photo gallery and Budget Basement Decorating Tips photo gallery.
Awkward nooks make the perfect spot for added shelves.
On the left, a top ledge adds the perfect finishing touch to a tub. On the right, glossy, wipeable doors, and interior shelves and drawers, create a great storage unit for a family with kids.
For more design and decorating ideas, browse our Budget Bathroom Makeover photo gallery, or see a video tour of this bathroom in our Online TV segment. To see more great storage ideas, check out our Organized Family Homes photo gallery.


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Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere Japanese Anime Wall Scroll Poster and Banner 1
- Gift wrapping:
- Options available
- Anime Wall Banner
- Dimension: 60cm x 90cm or 90cm x 60cm
- Color: See Picture
- Packaging: Transparent Plastic Bag
- NOTE: Due to postal and courier length requirements, we can unfortunately no longer ship the wall banner tube. You may check nearby hardware stores to purchase the wall banner tube.
Add a dakimakura to this awesome Anime Wall Banner.
If you have any questions, remember to check out our FAQ or Help Resource Section.


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Of the nearly 10,000 North American plant species threatened with extinction, only 39 percent are currently maintained in institutional collections, according to the first comprehensive listing of endangered plant species in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The North American Collections Assessment—conducted collaboratively by the Arnold Arboretum, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) U.S., and the U.S. Botanic Garden—found that only 3,681 of the continent's 9,494 most threatened plant species are maintained in 230 collections.
"Until this point, nobody knew which rare North American plants were safeguarded in collections," said Michael Dosmann, curator of living collections and one of the report's authors. "Perhaps of greater concern is that we didn't have a clue which ones were not in cultivation." With this baseline information in hand, steps now can be taken to acquire those rare species not currently represented in seed banks or living collections, thus providing an insurance policy against future loss.
According to Andrea Kramer, BGCI U.S. executive director and the report's senior author, "These assessment results are hopeful, but also a call to action. For many public gardens, this marks the first time their potential to assist in the conservation effort has been recognized. We hope this is a watershed moment." Adds co-author Abby Hird, formerly a Putnam research fellow at the Arboretum and currently of BGCI U.S., "This project was extremely important in providing North American gardens a way to engage and contribute to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)."
Assessment results indicate that North America did not reach the GSPC Target 8 goal set in 2002 of protecting 60 percent of threatened plant species in collections by 2010. While botanical organizations across Canada, Mexico, and the United States are making progress toward achieving these targets, more than 3,500 additional threatened plant species will need to be added to current collections to meet the new GSPC goal of conserving 75 percent of known threatened species in North America by 2020. This will require nearly doubling the current capacity.
Additional information and the full North American Collections Assessment report.


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The last time we checked in on Joey Barton, he was playing his part in the most exciting day in Premiership history with a fantastic red card meltdown. It all helped him earn a season-long ticket out of London and into Marseille, where he's thus far been quiet.
Barton arrived, though, today with a Europa League olimpico that helped Marseille earn a 2-2 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach. It's a fun one to watch:


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AKB48, the darlings of the Japanese pop scene, may have danced one step over the line sweet Jesus with their newest commercial for Puccho candy. The commercial first aired on 25 August and seems to have drawn a collective "yuggghhh" from the nation.
In it the girls dance away brandishing the product as only they can do. Except this time, all but one of their bodies have been digitally replaced by 5 and 6 year olds.


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What is the "American Dream?" The direction of the country may well be influenced by how the majority of Americans would answer that question today. Time, circumstance and perspective certainly bear weight and have changed expectations throughout the ages.
For example, many of the earliest settlers to this continent perceived the American Dream as nothing more than respite from religious persecution. A new land, any land, where worship could be practiced without fear of government intrusion was promise enough. The first pioneers, without hope of land ownership in the European countries, arrived with the singular objective of staking out a piece of ground for their own. Life savings purchased a one-way ticket to the unknown, the only guarantee a hard road. With a change of clothes, a few rudimentary tools and a sack of seed, they came to hack their way into the wilderness. To a hardy few, the prospect of controlling their own destiny, free from government tyranny, was reason enough to risk their lives and the lives of their family members. This mindset was ingrained in following generations, and was ultimately manifested in the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary War.
Following the formation of a new federal government, it took generations before significant strides were made to expand the promise: The abolishment of slavery, the establishment of women's rights, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, to name a few. Although the task is far from complete, these acts reinforced the original concept of the American Dream — the freedom to pursue life on your own terms — and attempted to make it available to all.
Somewhere along the line the Dream 'morphed' into something else besides an equal opportunity to take your best shot. New promises were made and expectations were changed. An excellent example is seen in the 1928 campaign slogan of President Herbert Hoover: 'A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.' That is a paradigm shift. The passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 put into play for the first time the concept of a guarantee. The Social Security Administration bolstered the guarantee with an additional safety net with the Medicare Act in 1965. Expectations were again changed.
Perhaps it is more correct to say the path to the Dream has forked rather than the Dream has been altered. After all, widespread popularity and acceptance of social programs offered by a civilized nation do not necessarily negate the original Dream. It is only when guarantees are demanded and these programs become the Dream that we have lost the mindset of our ancestors and the lifeline to our heritage.
Surely today there are many who believe the Dream is about material prosperity for all and failure for none; that the days of risk must be relegated to a distant past; that equality of outcomes is more important than the prospect of reaching your highest potential; that a civil society must uphold a quality of life standard for even those who refuse to put in their best effort.
There are many definitions of the American Dream. But it is safe to say the Dream for one can never be purchased by another. That is the antithesis of the definition. Only through opportunity and empowerment of the individual to achieve on their own is the Dream ever realized.
Columnist Michael Raymond can be reached at email@example.com.


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I love the lazy days of summer, but sometimes that's a recipe for sibling bickering and whining if you don't have some sort of plan. I'm not a very structured person and that is why I need some sort of structure to keep me on track.
Don't get me wrong. I don't want to over schedule our days because I also think it's important for kids to be able to find their own fun, but I don't want to waste our days away because we have no plan at all. This year I'm determined to find a good balance of scheduled activities and "loosely planned," lazy days.
Since I am a very visual person, it's best if everything is laid out there in front of me to see. So I decided to hang giant calendars on the wall to serve as a visual reminder to keep some kind of loose plan. There's really nothing fancy about what I did, but here's what you need:
- 3 poster boards
- washi tape or some kind of decorative tape
- markers
- ribbon
- Scotch tape
- 3M hook
Using the wash tape, I created the grid for each month's calendar. I still need to make August because someone swiped my third poster board. I'm not naming names, but he is short and cute.
Then I just used a different color marker for each child's scheduled activities and a color for family activities like vacations.
Then I linked them together with ribbon and hung them on the wall. The poster board is flopsy, so you will also need to tape the back.
All of our scheduled things like camp and vacations are marked, then I have a list of ideas next to it to help fill in the blanks on days we need ideas.
Truly nothing fancy going on here. Handwritten to do list in fun colors and literally used the washi tape to hang it on the wall. We can easily add to the list and add another sheet below it if needed.
Now, on unplanned days, we can look over at our summer checklist and see our options or even better yet, make a plan for the next day.
It's silly, but I'm in love with these calendars.
That washi tape can make anything fun!
So, how about you?
Are you ready for the summer?!
What do you do to stay on track to avoid the whining trap?
Feel free to leave ideas or links in the comments area!


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A Neat Problem
Here's a neat game, with a really neat solution. I'll post the solution later, but this post shows a Haskell implementation of the game. I first encountered this game as a puzzle in a game (an otherwise unremarkable one) called Keepsake by The Adventure Company.
The game looks like this. There are five displays, which display the letters A through E. The letters cycle through that sequence, wrapping back to A at the end. There are also five buttons, which are numbered 1 through 5. Each of the button changes each display my some random amount (from zero to four steps forward). Pressing a button five times consecutively will always get things back to where they were before it was pressed. The goal is to get from the (randomly chosen) starting point to the (randomly chosen) ending point.
For example, if the starting point were ABCDE, the target were EDBDE, and button 3 advanced the first and third dials by two and the second by 1 (what I'll call a "signature" of [2, 1, 2, 0, 0]), then the correct answer could be obtained by pushing button 3 twice. The first press would change it to CCEDE, and the second to EDBDE (because the third dial wraps).
module Main where import Control.Monad (replicateM) import System.Random import System.IO
Three fundamental pieces of information are used to define instances of this problem. There is a starting display, a target display, and the actions of each of the five buttons. The program chooses random values for these three, prints the target, and then starts processing moves by the user.
main :: IO () main = do mat <- buildMat disp <- replicateM 5 $ randomRIO ('A', 'E') tgt <- replicateM 5 $ randomRIO ('A', 'E') putStrLn $ "Target = " ++ tgt continue mat disp tgt
The actions of each of the five buttons are represented in a matrix of sorts. Each button has a row in the matrix; and the columns represent the effect on each of the letters in the display.
type Matrix = [[Int]]
Random values for the matrix are chosen as follows.
randomMat :: IO Matrix randomMat = replicateM 5 $ replicateM 5 $ randomRIO (0,4)
There is one quirk, though. We want the problem to have a solution. Clearly there are some random matrices for which the problem has no solution. (For a trivial example, imagine a matrix of all zeros; then it's impossible to change the display.) It turns out that, for reasons I will explain when I post the solution, it is sufficient for the matrix to have a non-zero (mod 5) determinant. So here's the code to calculate the determinant (by cofactor expansion along the first column)
det :: Matrix -> Int det mat | length mat == 1 = head (head mat) | otherwise = sum $ map det' [0 .. length mat - 1] where det' n = let x = head (mat !! n) submat = map tail (take n mat ++ drop (n + 1) mat) sign = if n `mod` 2 == 0 then 1 else -1 in x * sign * det submat
The choice of a matrix, then, is performed by continuing to generate matrices until we find one with a non-zero (mod 5) determinant.
buildMat :: IO Matrix buildMat = do m <- randomMat if det m `mod` 5 == 0 then buildMat else return m
Once the problem is generated, the next step is to keep asking for which button to press until the user accomplishes the goal.
continue :: [[Int]] -> [Char] -> [Char] -> IO () continue mat disp tgt | disp == tgt = do putStrLn "Congratulations! You win." | otherwise = do putStrLn disp putStr "Enter 1 through 5: " hFlush stdout s <- getLine let n = read s let disp' = apply mat (n - 1) disp continue mat disp' tgt
Only two more functions are needed. First,
apply takes the matrix and a button number, and calculates the result of pressing that button.
apply :: Matrix -> Int -> [Char] -> [Char] apply mat n vals = zipWith ($) (map add (mat !! n)) vals
Finally, the
add function rotates a single letter of the display by a given amount.
add :: Int -> Char -> Char add n s = iterate nxt s !! n where nxt 'A' = 'B' ; nxt 'B' = 'C' nxt 'C' = 'D' ; nxt 'D' = 'E' nxt 'E' = 'A'
Putting all of this together gives an implementation of the puzzle. The puzzle can be fun to play with, but there's also a neat straight-forward mathematical technique for finding the solution, which I'll post in a few days. Until then, have fun!
8 CommentsLeave a Comment
Christophe Poucet / Jul 18 2007 4:37 am
A small suggestion:
Why not make the A,B,C,D,E a datatype:
data Value = A | B | C | D | E deriving (Eq, Show, Enum)
The Eq gets you comparison, the Show gets you nice printing, and the Enum gets you an easy way to increment.
add :: Int -> Value -> Value
add n s = (cycle [A .. E] ) !! (n + fromEnum s)
Even better (so you don't have to keep re-allocating the list:)
infinite = [A .. E]
add n s = infinite !! (n + fromEnum s)
Christophe Poucet / Jul 18 2007 4:37 am
Obviously, infinite = *cycle* [A .. E]
Jed Brown / Jul 18 2007 7:05 am
Slightly clearer is
apply mat n vals = zipWith add (mat !! n) vals
Ken Bateman / Jul 18 2007 10:21 am
It's not tough to deterministically generate a nonsingular random matrix. My Haskell-fu is a lamentably weak so I'll have to describe it.
Create 5 matrices with the following procedure. Initialize the matrix to zero, then fill in (if this is matrix #i) row i with random values. Then set the diagonal to all ones.
Multiply all 5 of these matrices together (in any order), and you get a nonsingular matrix that's nice and random. I'm not willing to warrant that it's absolutely uniform, but I think it would be fine for a game.
Alternatively, you could generate a bunch of row-operation matrices and multiply them together. A row-operation matrix is an identity matrix with exactly one of the off-diagonal entries set to a random nonzero value.
Mark Wutka / Jul 19 2007 1:17 pm
My Haskell-fu is so bad it is just Haskell-foo, but I was wondering how the random stuff would work with Value type. Is there a simple way to grab a random enumerated value?
videoonlinego / Nov 17 2008 11:52 pm
It is not out-of-date information? Because I have other data on this theme. http://video-online-go.ru/map.html


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Chad Gross necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 76 diseños de 30 diseñadores freelance.
Layton Flower Technologies is in need of a new corporate brand, starting with a new logo. We are a services firm wanting a sleek & sophisticated logo, but with a bit of an edge.
Layton Flower Technologies
We are going through a restructure and spinning off our services side into a new, separate company. We're young, creative & driven and want that reflected in the design. Once we have the logo, we are looking for a continued relationship with the winning designer to also assist with designs for stationary, business cards, & our new website.
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Sociologias v.4 n.se Porto Alegre 2008
The Admission of Bachelors of Law in the Military Police of Rio Grande do Sul
O ingresso de bacharéis em Direito na Polícia Militar gaúcha
Dani Rudnicki
PhD in Sociology / UFRGS, president of the Movimento de Justiça e Direitos Humanos do Rio Grande do Sul (Movement for Justice and Human Rights of Rio Grande do Sul), lawyer, professor of Criminal Law at Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis – UniRitter (University Center Ritter dos Reis) <email@example.com>.
Translated by Marcelo Otto Severo
Translation from Sociologias, Porto Alegre, n.20, p. 108-137, July/Dec. 2008.
Since 1996, it is necessary for those aspiring to leadership positions in the Military Brigade of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, to have a Bachelor's degree in Law and Social Sciences. Thus, the military brigade is the first in the country to require a bachelor's degree from its training officers. Through focal groups with students and interviews with officers, soldiers, deputies and teachers involved with the new proposal, the article intends to comprehend the reality concerning the training of the military brigade's new officers, known as "data venia." The text examines the advantages and disadvantages of this requirement to join the corporation, the problems observed during the implementation of this model, the officers' opinions about the courses and the possibility of maintaining this requirement, as well as its consequences for the future of the Military Brigade.
Keywords: Sociology; sociology of violence; military police; officers' training; "data venia."
Desde 1996, os aspirantes aos cargos dirigentes da Brigada Militar do Rio Grande do Sul necessitam, obrigatoriamente, possuir um diploma de Ciências Jurídicas e Sociais. Assim, a polícia militar gaúcha passa a ser a primeira do País a impor a necessidade de uma graduação como requisito para formação de seus oficiais. Através de grupos focais com os alunos e de entrevistas com oficiais, soldados, deputados e professores que se envolveram com a nova proposta, busca-se conhecer a realidade da formação dos novos oficiais da BM, conhecidos como data venia. Estudam-se as vantagens e desvantagens deste requisito para ingresso na corporação e os percalços percebidos para a implementação deste modelo, bem como a opinião dos agentes sobre os cursos realizados e as possibilidades de permanência do requisito, e também os reflexos no futuro da Brigada Militar.
Palavras-chave: Sociologia. Sociologia da violência. Polícia Militar, Formação de oficiais. Data vênia.
Data venia is the name given to the students who enter the Military Police of Rio Grande do Sul to become officers of the corporation. The Latin phrase refers to the fact that, since 1996 (after the State Law no. 10992 took effect), those who aspire to leadership positions in the Military Brigade need, necessarily, a bachelor's degree in Law and Social Sciences to be allowed to attend the Academia de Polícia Militar APM (Military Police Academy). This innovation has produced a new profile of military officer, changes in the hierarchical structure, and many other changes.
The author had the opportunity to meet some of these new (then) future officers during the writing of the dissertation entitled "A formação social de Oficiais da Polícia Militar: análise do caso da Academia da Brigada Militar do Rio Grande do Sul" (the social formation of the Military Police officer: the case study of the Military Police academy of Rio Grande do Sul), which was written under the guidance of Prof. Dr. José Vicente Tavares dos Santos.
To this end, the author conducted two focus groups, involving nine students, within the dependencies of the APM (quotations in this work, with no indicated source, refer to statements obtained with these two groups), and an interview with one student outside the corporation's environment. There was also an interview with a Bachelor of Law, accepted to attend the training course, before classes had begun; and nineteen interviews with officers, soldiers, deputies and teachers involved with the new proposal. In addition, the author included data and information obtained during more than five years of work with military police officers who are also Law students, an experience that results from researches with the support of Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis UniRitter (University Center Ritter dos Reis), Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul UFRGS (the School of Law of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul FAPERGS (Research Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul).
The data venia and their training
The data venia referred here are persons with roots in the countryside, who attended private universities: Universidade de Passo Fundo UPF (University of Passo Fundo), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul PUCRS (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul), Universidade da Região da Campanha URCAMP (University of Regiao Da Campanha), Universidade Católica de Pelotas UCPel (Catholic University of Pelotas), Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos Unisinos (University of the Sinos Valley), Instituto Cenecista de Ensino Superior de Santo Ângelo IESA (Cenecist Institute of High Education of Santo Ângelo). They are soldiers and sergeants of the Military Brigade, a civil police officer, a former temporary Army officer, lawyers and legal advisors, and a master in Criminal Sciences ("But I am applying for a doctorate, I am interested in your job."1).
Only 17 of the 26 who were admitted in the first class (2004) graduated. In the class of 2006, there should have been 50 members, but due to injunctions, they were 53 (there were more than 1,400 candidates; many accepted candidates withdrew during the first week and were eventually replaced). The reason given for the withdrawal was ignorance about the job:
There were people who thought the contest was to work as a lawyer for the Brigade; they did not know anything about the job. Today, the family is happy and they are happy themselves. They were approved in other contests, they are doing something else. But there are many who are still preparing for other contests. They are in other selections.
There was one student who was admitted in the first class (2004) and abandoned the course in its first week, even before entering. She declared:
Everyone tells me that the Brigade, at the beginning, is not very good, but with time it gets better. I am applying for the contest of the Federal Police, but there are many people who say that the wages of the Brigade are better. I was selected in the contest for the Prosecution Service and I am waiting for their call, superior advisor, earning two thousand. I am going, I want to be a federal police delegate. I will not say: "Oh, I want to be a military police officer." I do not have that thing, I prefer the Federal Police, any time. But I do not know anything about the work of any of them.
Before proceeding, it is worth to mention that the expression data venia can be translated as "with all due respect" or "with your permission," and it introduces an objection. It is a form of courtesy (or submission) that the lawyer uses, for example, to disagree with the sentence of a judge. It can also be used in the ironic sense, when someone does not want to disagree, but to completely reject a clumsy, absurd position or idea.
Thus, it is used pejoratively by police officers trained in the previous model, called Curso de Formação de Oficiais CFO (officers training course). With an average duration of four years, its key requirement for admission was the completion of high school. The expression data venia is used to stigmatize officers "forged" by the new proposal, the Curso Superior de Polícia Militar CSPM (Military Police Superior Course).
Thus, many officers who joined when they were 17, 18 years old, as it happens in other Brazilian military polices, do not accept the new model, which was imposed by the Complementary State Law No. 10992 of August 18, 1997 (Article 2, paragraph 1). It provides:
It establishes the career of college-level military state servers, organized by the Quadro de Oficiais de Estado Maior QOEM (cadre of officers) and the Quadro de Oficiais Especialistas em Saúde a QOES (cadre of health expert officers).
Paragraph 1 The career of the cadre of officers, mentioned in the caput' of this article, consists of the ranks of Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel.
Article 3 of the same law adds:
The admission in the QOEM, in the rank of Captain, is determined by an act of the Governor of the State, after the completion of the specific training, through the approval in the Military Police Superior Course.
Paragraph 1 The admission in the Military Police Superior Course is determined by public contest of tests and titles with the requirement of a degree in Law and Social Sciences.
Paragraph 2 - The candidates selected in the public contest mentioned in the previous paragraph, while attending the Military Police Superior Course, whose term will not exceed two years, are to be considered student-officers.
Thus, the primary requirement is a bachelor's degree in Law and Social Sciences, and the admission occurs on equal terms for men and women (the positions are not limited by sex), with no restrictions related to the existence of dependents. The only restriction to the admission is age, and those over 29 years old can join only if they are already members of the Corporation (in accordance with the State Constitution, Article 46, section 2; and the Law No. 12307/2005, Article 2, sole paragraph). This situation marks a profound change in the training process of the Military Brigade officers, as well as in the recruitment and selection processes.
Previously, the students joined "at the height of their youth," as indicated by this statement of a captain:
Look, I remember many aspects, both positive and negative aspects. First, I will tell you about the negative aspects. What may be the main negative aspect is the fact that you leave a part of your youth there, the four years that you spend there, devoted to the course, there are vacancies, but it requires exclusive dedication, and it is long-lasting, there are morning and afternoon classes, and sometimes there is night service. Then, the next day, you are sleepy, asleep, but you have to be strong, to have moral strength, to follow the course with all of its activities, and to present a satisfactory performance. So, it is really exhausting in this sense.
And a former commander of the Corporation, Gerson Pereira (2006: 31 and 38), whose father was an officer, was admitted in the CFO on February 5, 1970, for a five-year course in boarding regime reports:
The teaching model used at the school, based on the concept of "Skinner" (stimulus-response), was compatible with the discourse of some hierarchical superiors, such as "if you do not trot, you get off the road;" "here, there are only three things you can say: yes sir, no sir, I want to leave;" "we are no better nor worse than anyone else, we are different." These statements run over any opposing thought; besides, why think otherwise?
Regarding the training of police leaders, it is worth to mention that there are several possibilities. It does not matter which one is chosen, but it is important to take into account the relevance of the activity, which requires as much study as any other. Therefore, a repetitive teaching, with no concern for the construction of new knowledge, can not be accepted. From then came the idea of the requirement of a college degree for police officers, which serves to increase their degree of abstraction.
From the point of view of Bittner (2003: 180), the admission of police officers with a college degree is an impulse for the police to work with a higher level of complexity, sophistication and responsibility; it also serves to produce a resistance to the mechanic discipline and the incompatible works, due to its simplicity, with the required qualifications, and, as a result, these servers will demand recognition of their professional status, training and developments, which will provide new possibilities for the thinking of the police.
The issue of the relationship between police and college training allowed the University of Montreal, Canada2, to prepare a memorial to be sent to the Committee on Institutions of the National Assembly as a result of the discussions on Bill 86 of February 2000, about police education. In this document, the University proposed to develop the studies on three aspects: 1) means of police training, 2) the role of the universities in the training and development of police officers, and 3) the academic status of a future "National Police Academy.3"
Goldstein (2003: 350) recognizes the importance of the issue and, consequently, devotes one chapter of his important work ("Policing a free society") to it. The author points out that the trouble to find police officers with higher education in the U.S. is due to: first, the agents' prejudice against those they called "college cops;" and second, the fact that the possible candidates shared with other people the perspective of a "stupid cop" stereotype, and did not want to work for the police force (Goldstein, 2003: 350) (a similar situation occurs in England and is described by Reiner (2004: 101).
Surprisingly, this discussion in Rio Grande do Sul dates back to 1974, when the Conselho de Ensino da Academia de Polícia Militar (Military Police Academy Board of Education) published a pamphlet discussing the "Bases to improve the level of higher education" in the course for the training of officers. The pamphlet questioned what did the Military Brigade want: an officer who completed his training in the Academy, or in an institution of higher education and the APM?
At that time, three possibilities were suggested: 1) to make the CFO equivalent to university degree; 2) to seek recognition of the Ministério da Eduação MEC (Ministry of Education); and 3) to establish a partnership with an institution of higher education. The APM Board of Education determined that the first proposal was the best, and later it would look for number two. The work does not reveal the reasons for this choice; it only states that all advantages and disadvantages of the three possibilities were analyzed (APM, 1974, 10).
The discussion came to an end, and the chosen model was unanimous until the 1990s, when the issue of wages was the cause of further discussions.
At this time, seeking to equate the officer with the legal careers, especially with that of delegate, it became obvious that the officer needed a bachelor's degree in Law as well.
Thus, a fourth model was created and adopted, a model already used in other countries, that of hiring "college cops," which here became known as data venia. It was imposed that, after obtaining a degree in Law and Social Sciences, they have to attend classes in the Military Police Superior Course. But its implementation was difficult. The CSPM had its first class in 2004, five years after the approval of the law that established it:
I remember, the Law was accepted, but there was one aspect, within the Britto administration, when it was implemented, that he did not approve the contest. In 1998, there would be a new group, but the government did not authorize it, neither during the Olívio administration. They authorized it only in the last year, and I believe that they did it because the Government understood that it is better not to fight with the Corporation, along with all the fights it was already fighting. [...] (Reserve Colonel).
The then General Commander wrote:
Do not think that it was easy; a work that began in 2001, was decided only in the closing date, the last day, 05 June 2002 [the reference is to the legal time to issue public notices in election years]. Extensive discussion, endless meetings, many comments, few solutions; it seemed like some people within the Secretaria de Justiça e Segurança (Justice and Public Security Department) did not want the course to happen [...] (Pereira, 2006: 86).
But the course authorized, the notice was released and a "Project for the Superior Course of the Military Police" was defined. Prepared by the Department of Education in 2004, the year of its effective implementation, it has no more than ten pages, which are distributed in six parts and a presentation.
Captain Braga (2006: 10), in a study conducted within the APM, states that to receive graduated students, rather than teenagers, was a major change, "[...] an extraordinary change and a break with paradigms [...]." But, analyzing the "Project," she acknowledges that
[...] in the case of the CSPM, the proposal of the course does not have a well defined profile of the skills and expertise it wants, nor does it mention the need for the curriculum to be developed in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, and that may have consequences for the relationship between theory and practice, as mentioned by the respondents. (Braga, 2006: 64)
Thus, with no theoretical project, the change did not happen properly. This is also the impression of the data venia:
It was not a matter of lack of preparation, there was a legislative change in 1997, and they did not bother to call anyone. Then, they issued the public notice. Two years after the contest, nothing had happened. Then, they called the class: "- Yeah, but what are we going to do with them? - Oh, I do not know." "- Are we going to have field experiences or not?" This is a classic example. "- Are we going to have field instruction or not? - Oh, I do not know. We can not have it, because they would go away."
The institution have always worked with 15, 16 years old kids, who studied four years, locked up, in the Tiradentes school, with no family commitments. They had, on average, 17, 18 years of age, and they were here full time, and there are things that you learn in the Academy that are not in the manuals; and now that reality is different, there is no way you can get a person with a fully formed personality our average age now is 27, 28 years old and try to instill the same values that you would with a boy of 15, 16 years old, you can not do that.
The data venia also complain of a lack of preparation when it comes to know the student. They say that the APM did not know their profile, and that it also did not know what kind of officer it intends to graduate.
The issue of field experience, to have it or not, represents the uncertainty about whether they want to abandon or not the old model, the CFO model, the fear of adopting "something less exhaustive."
They realized that depending on who was in charge, a certain position would be considered right or wrong (a lesson that demonstrates the effectiveness of a hidden curriculum):
There is another thing, we do not have a place to eat. Here we do not have a cantina. We were allowed to eat here with this lady, under the trees; and then came this man [the new commander], now we eat badly, because they do not give us enough time to eat, they give us one hour, or one hour and a half to eat, brush teeth and digest, and then he comes in and says that we can not eat under the tree anymore. One day, I can release my subordinates; the next day, I do not have the power to release them anymore.
They have also mentioned the difference in the treatment given to the classes. The first had no more than a week of boarding regime; the third class had three months of overnight shifts, with the excuse that it was a larger group and that was only way to achieve integration between its components. The first class did not bother to write a monograph at the end of the course, the second is fighting because it does not want to do it, and the third lives in expectation of what will happen. They complain of the difficulty in the relationship with the veterans, since there are some who demand to be called "sir" by the "newbies" (which is right, because they are older and therefore they have hierarchical prerogatives), and those who do not do it (because they understand that they are all data venia, all graduates, all future officers).
It is worth to mention that, as a rule, before their admission in the Brigade, the data venia attended many courses and applied for many contests:
I am waiting for a call to conclude the contest for the Judiciary, and I have a dilemma, should I stay or should I go... [laughter from all present] No, the question is, I have appealed, in Brasilia, they may call me for the examination.
However, many of them demonstrate consistency in their choice of the area:
I have applied for three contests, all within the area of Public Security, I have applied to work as Civil Police Inspector, and delegate, both in the Civil Police and the Military Brigade.
I have applied for contests before, a long time ago, and then I decided that I like it here and chose to enlist in the Brigade, and there is the possibility of becoming a teacher. I already have a Master's degree, I can be a college professor, and I would be, if it was not for the course.
And they have affirmed their belief in the police officer:
I have applied for many contests, but none as competitive as that of the brigade, with the exception of the contest for notary, in which I was accepted, but the average was low. I always had a good impression of the Military Brigade and there was this thing of helping the community, all this idealism, to be useful to the community, so, I always liked this part of the military, to combine the Law, the legal issues, with the military part.
But, once in the classroom, these students become inquirers, they ask, demand, "ponder." Consider, for example, a situation case of the third class, which intended to reduce the duration of the course. For that purpose, they spoke with a captain who said the two-year term referred to a legal term and, therefore, it would not be possible for the Brigade to change it. He was informed, then, that the Law No. 10992/97, article 3, paragraph 2 says only that the course lasts two years at most, and that it is possible for the Corporation to reduce it, if it wants to.
Such situations create conflicts and demonstrate that the Corporation is not prepared to deal with the new student-officers.
I believe the Brigade was not prepared to have a class with a background in Law and much older than the other officers, and it is not because we do not know the military regime, we fit in it, otherwise we would not have applied for it. The fact is that we do not accept everything they say. We will not disrespect our superiors, in any way, but there are certain things that do not convince us and that will never convince us.
Besides, they understand that they are different from the CFO officers of the previous model in their relationship with subordinates, the private soldiers.
Do you want to know what motivates me, personally, in the Brigade, what makes me want to stay in this institution? The privates. The recognition that our class gets from the privates we deal with 300, 400 of them is really impressive. You know, there are demonstrations of affection: "- I will get the vest for you, madam." or "- Have you eaten, madam?," it's amazing. The day I was on the hill: "- Do you want me to look for molasses or something like that, madam?" They said they had never been treated like they are treated by this class, the veteran privates have never seen this, and they are still in line.
The data venia complain that those who are already officers do not have respect for them. The most serious situation was the confrontation between the first class and a major, commander of the students' corps:
When our superiors learned of the disrespect shown to us ["Personal Injuries, many, our diploma, the guy stepped on it," interrupts another student], it was because we had to do something about it; otherwise, they would not have seen what was happening to us ["And those who saw it, who were closer, did not say anything." complains another colleague]. He [the commander of the student's corps] was the typical officer who came from the Tiradentes, but not even his CFO class could stand him. Of course we can not generalize isolated events, since there are very good officers who came with him.
But they are unanimous to say that they are not welcomed by everyone, that there are those who distrust their training:
The greatest problem, the basic factor, I think it is because we do in two years what they did in four. Then they went through that "newbie" stage, which has a lot of hazing; those in the fourth year were already officers, and they had to suffer with it.
And a huge gap is perceived:
This is the problem, sometimes I see it in some officers, mostly the younger ones, because this lack of support, the command, those with more experience, who plan the future of the institution, they support us a lot, but that younger guy, who is immature, he criticizes us, because I am the guy who has just joined the Brigade and I have not done as much push-ups as he has, I have not gone to the hill, I have not worked overnight shifts. I will be a Captain next year, just like them, I will be "tusiando,"4 God forbid, he is far better than I am.
This is prejudicial, and we suffer with it, as it happened in November, when a captain I can understand him, he has been in the Brigade for 15 years said: "Look, I have nothing against your group, but you will be captains soon, at the end of the year, and you are being treated as Captain Aspirants." Like it or not, he has 15 years of Brigade, he is not going to make any mistake that we may, some shooting, to get nervous or something, if you get nervous, you depend on the private... He has 15 years, he is angry because the Command treats him as a normal Captain; so, the veterans are discontent with the changing stage, they should not think like that. Most of them, at least, should not, because our class has never disrespected anyone, ever.
Fear, indeed, seems to be a delicate issue. Fear for the ability of the partner, since their lives may depend on his action during the "combat."
A number, a large number of officers is against us because the policing activity, to be on the streets, uniformed, is the key activity of the Military Brigade; so, the problem is that the Corporation fears we will not perform this activity. But that is not true, any one can perform the key activity of the Corporation, but to perform it and more, or even more, which means dealing with law sessions, administrative procedures, polls, all within the law, all within the administrative rules.
Thus, they say that they have caused surprise when they showed interest in going to the units to conduct operational activities, even though they prefer administrative work:
And it is a surprise to the officers, especially those who have no contact with us, the fact that we want to perform practical activities. We want to. They thought we would leave here and go to internal affairs, something like that, that we would want that. I do not say that it is not so, actually it is, but we all have the conscience, the need to go to the street, to see how the work is done, to analyze it properly.
And in these activities, the impressions were confirmed: they were welcomed by the commanders and the troops, but not by the colleagues, the younger officers. "They will always get you on the operational issue, they will say that you are weak and that you are not like them... They will have to shut up."
I think it will be like a jealous brother, that they will play the role of the jealous brother who is introduced to the family, he will be embarrassed, he will have to captivate them gradually, until he is strong enough to overcome you and show you that you are good and capable. He will have to captivate them.
Anyway, there is a feeling of revolt, because they think they are fulfilling their responsibilities, even more than is required, without recognition.
It was an unpleasant surprise to hear from an officer that we do not do our best, because we have not gone through what they have. So, it is very difficult to build bridges, to try to explain to the Military Brigade that we do our best, so much so that we are here, we work on average 13 to 14 hours a day, there are days when we do not have lunch, it is physical activity, intellectual activity, all, I think, for the institution, these 17 students are demonstrating that they really do their best, sometimes with difficulty, because we often disagree with what is happening, but we do our best anyway.
On the other hand, they have noticed the change of feelings that results from the contact with the class. If there is a prejudice, it ends when the officers begin to work with the group. They believe that humility overcomes mistrust.
The officers, they do not know us, they work with us, they imagine they are going to face 17 arrogant people, and there was a Captain who said, in so many words, at the end of the semester, that he was suspicious at first, but he was really surprised by our class, and that he was happy with it.
Those who never got used to the idea say: "You will never be like us." And the student-officers answer:
I could not agree more, of course I will never be like them, before I joined, I attended high school, I did the vestibular [college entrance exam], I attended college for five years, and I applied for a public contest. And then I came here. Sure, I will never be like them, we will never be equals.
And with this difference, they present an idea of what they mean for the new Police.
It is that former view of the Police, a repressive police, focused on the defense of the State, and the policeman had to be a big guy, truculent, with a gun in his belt; today it is different, the police is focused on the society, the community. The policeman has to use his head and a good equipment much more than a large arm and a brain with the size of a blackberry, it is no use, really, he must know how to get involved with the community, to look for what the community wants.
The difficulty seems to be in the fact that many young officers, trained by the CFO, still think of the police as it was before, the old, truculent police. They do not realize that this change comes from the command, that this is no longer possible, that after the redemocratization process, the promulgation of the 1988 Constitution, it can not continue like this. The admission of officers with a degree in Law implies, in addition the claim for equal pay, the recognition of the constitutional rights of citizens and the view that the police serve the individual, not the State. Therefore, it can not be expected from the data venia something that he did not study, something he does not intend to do.
Many officers who criticize us are the boys who attended Tiradentes, left Tiradentes, and never had a job. This, unfortunately, even though right now it has faded a little, is a children's obsession. I am against it, with such an obsession, they leave the Tiradentes and go directly to the CFO, the guy comes here to get kicked: in the 1st year he is a "newbie," and he gets kicked by those of the 4th year, the 3rd year, and the 2nd year. The only thing he wants to do, one year after another, is to kick someone else, to feed the obsession. And where does he go to kick someone else? On the streets, he will kick the civilian, he is going to take it out on the civilian, all of his frustrations. I came to a conclusion, in the short time I am here, it is the hierarchy of boots, as we call it, which means that the reprehension comes from above, you spend the whole day getting kicked by your superior, then you kick the lieutenant, the lieutenant kicks the sergeant, the sergeant kicks the soldier, and the soldier, on the streets, with a head this size, kicks, kicks the civilian "- Stay right there, keep quiet, open your legs, son of a bitch! What the hell!"
But it is recognized that there is a support for a change in the attitude of the policemen in the new standards:
We have a teacher who spoke very well, a very operational officer, he knows a lot about practices. He said that we are not the ones who are changing the police; it is the police that have already changed. We had a legal education, we have studied what can be done and what can not, and I think this is extremely important here, when you are learning how to become a police officer, you have to put it in context, because you can not apply the full extent of the law to everything, there is no way to do it. [...] No one is here to defend criminals, to stand still, to make no use of the power the law gives you, quite the contrary, we will, with the consent of the law, apply it and shape it in accordance with the case.
Thus, there is a conviction among the members of this class: "We will be less 'truculent'. It is no use saying no." And they ask, on behalf of this training and discernment, for a comprehension of the police activity, for knowledge of how the police work, and for more power of discretion, to provide better and more effective action.
This wish for change has another reason behind it, or rather, in the opinion of the student-officers, it has a reason to survive: in their point of view, the qualification represents not only a possibility to achieve equal pay with a delegate, but also to be prepared for a possible extinction of the Military Police. Hence the change and the wish, on the part of the Corporation, to perform the complete Police cycle:
I do not know if in a few years from now there will be Military Polices, because only Brazil, and another country in Africa, have military police, ostensive Police, and judicial police working apart. And due to this movement to terminate, to unify the Police forces, in my humble opinion, I think the Military Police will not last more than 20 years; if the Military Police will not last more than 20 years, I do not know what will become of us .
As regards the need for a degree in Law, the opinions are divided. While there are those who maintain that it facilitates the function of an officer, and they mention the fact that many officers already intended to graduate in Law; there are other sciences, such as Administration, Sociology and Physical Education, that should also be considered to allow admission into the cadre of the Military Brigade. As a matter of fact, any course, provided that the applicant was graduated should: "But the Brigade officer must have a degree, whether it be in Law or something else."
Among the data venia, there are also complaints about the institution: "The Military Brigade is a great institution. Yes, it is; but it is an institution with outdated concepts. It is totally outdated."
Regarding the precarious nature of the institution and the way it is maintained, it is nonsense, because the two parameters are completely opposite. First, it was an advanced step, an attitude envied by the Military Polices of the other states, so that, at least ten states have requested information to verify the possibility of implementing such a reality. The Brigade took a huge step forward when it changed the way of selecting officers, graduates of law, an evolution. On the other hand, it is also a regression, because the institution fails to invest in basic conceptions such as wages, maintenance, including working equipment, weapons, vehicles, personal protective equipment.
Thus, they understand that, today, the police work because of its human material, men and women who wish to work. "The military policeman draws water from stone." There are soldiers who know other activities (plumbing, gardening) and they do it for the Brigade, without getting paid for the function deviation. "They spend their days here; they have no time to leave."
The institution does not collapse because of the man, the military policeman, the tradition of maintenance, to have to do, to accomplish the mission, the task, anyway. You must think of something, find a way, the mission has to be accomplished anyway; it does not matter if you have the material, or if it is scarce. It is this conception that is shaped in all the training courses.
However, despite all the criticism, the student-officers believe that they do their best and they expect that their complaints to the researcher will serve not only as a relief, but as information for scientific work, for a future resolution of the issues they hope the report will be taken into consideration by the Corporation.
They embody the idea of "policeman in soul," they believe in the institution in which they work:
I like the brigade, I think it is a great institution, I have no doubt about it, I do not let anyone speak ill of the Brigade, I am talking about it, commenting on it, because it is a research, you are doing a study, we are telling you what the reality is, but, on the streets, I do not let anyone speak ill of the institution and neither do I do it; and although we have problems, of course we have them, we do not have to expose them to the outside world. No institution does it, so, we must preserve our institution, we have problems, yes we have; we have to solve them, and we are fighting for it, it is up to us, it is a great institution.
As for the course, the students realize that it is not militarized, even though they are very careful about their personal presentation and the implementation of a "mental torture" in the form of cleaning work: "There is a lot to clean up, we have to clean up the area, and the only thing we do not do is cri-cri..." One student admits that he does not intend to continue in the Brigade, he has applied for another public contest, and declares: "I think it is a waste of time, you can not study there, and if you have a free time, they will give you cleaning work to do."
Today, the group will be released at six o'clock [p.m.], it is an exception, there are days when we stay here up to 10 at night, to return the next day at six o'clock in the morning. The workload is too hard; so, our group, which started with 26, is down to 17 now.
Thus, they began to complain over misuse of time, allowing the appearance of a claim to reduce the duration of the course.
Here in the Brigade, we always hear "- The delegates are much smarter than us, they are always ahead of us, equal pay and whatever." But there, at least that is what I see, the delegates I know, they allow you to study, they do not lock you up. Here, it is an offense if a subordinate studies and, perhaps, knows more than his superior. The superior has the last word. He does not listen to his subordinates.
They also complain of the rehearsals for the graduation ceremony, which are repetitive. "They think we do not understand it, it would suffice to say what everyone has to do, but it takes two weeks to train something that could be explained and rehearsed in the morning to present in the afternoon. We rehearse and rehearse more. This is a waste of time."
The data venia have also calculated the number of hours per week they are at the disposition of the Corporation: 62 hours on average, not including services. Based on this calculation, they complain of unpaid overtime. In addition, the Academy has 16 subjects in the first semester, 18 in the second, 17 in the third, and 11 in the fourth; a number they consider exaggerated, especially when compared with the Universities, which usually have from five to seven subjects per semester.
The Academy is completely different from the University; here the technical part is taken into consideration. The whole emotional, psychological aspect, the pressure on the student-officer is too great, he has a workload of five class-hours in the morning, five class-hours in the afternoon, and if he has service then it is 24 hours. You are always there; there is absolutely no time to study. So, there are many texts, texts on Law, which I have never read.
One student affirms that he sees the CSPM as the same old CFO, except for a reduction in the workload and the elimination of some subjects that had already been seen at the University. His impression is that there was no disconnection from the previous model and from the officer who came from that course. This impression also appears in the statement of another student:
What we have learned from our instructors, who are the officers that have more contact with us, is that the requirements to be an officer, in the previous model, were much more related to discipline, how to take orders, and physical strength. So, today, when they ask us to perform a hard physical activity, for example, we are congratulated, while the intellectual requirements, which I think are much more important to perform any activity, are left behind.
The opinions about the instructors, all of them are Military Brigade officers, with academic degrees and expertise, at least, range from explosive disgust: "The officers are too stupid, too slow," to a recognition, proposed by the same student: "But there are good officers, people who know what they are talking about, who propose interesting things. It is just like the college, there are good and bad teachers. [...] The Corporation has excellent instructors, excellent professionals."
They are not afraid, they teach the class with confidence, calm, and we made questions, we made a lot of questions. And they answer them and no question is left unanswered, I do not have anything bad to say about it, on the contrary.
However, there are those who are less than impressive, who want to teach for the R$ 27 per class ("There is an industry of class-hours, all officers want to teach"). And they always repeat: "When I was in the CFO...," they just tell stories.
One officer boasted, in class, that he is paid R$ 7,000, and predicted that they, too, would have such income. One student recalls this fact and complains that, in addition to the waste of time, they had to hear such limited ideas. "He thinks this is great, he does not know that anyone with a high school diploma earns the same in the Judiciary."
The data venia complain about the income. And they also complain that they serve as cheap-labor, under-utilized, almost humiliated. They mentioned their participation in the meeting of The International Association of Chiefs of Police IACP, in Porto Alegre, 2004:
[...] I was approved in the contest for delegate; two other colleagues were approved too. We are not delegates now due to six, seven positions. We were working at the door in the IACP meeting. We saw colleagues who trained with us, who did the oral test with us, watching lectures, improving their qualifications, while I was there, at the door, with the most beautiful costumes of the Brigade, to hand over their questions to the lecturers. Oh, please, it is difficult for me to accept that I am not a delegate due to six, seven positions.
But the more complicated issue in which they are involved is related to the remuneration of the Military Brigade, far below that of judges, prosecutors and even non-graduated members of the staff of the Judiciary and the Public Ministry:
My God in Heaven! I was selected in a public contest to be an advisor of the Public Ministry; they may call me, to earn four thousand. Here I receive R$ 1,800, the responsibility of an officer of the Brigade is immense, if compared to that of an advisor of the Public Ministry. I am going to receive twice the pay and I will not have to work in the night shift, I will not risk my life, I will not have to answer to inquiries, I will not be responsible for a company. This is not fair to the military policeman, to all of them, not just the officers, but everyone.
I like the Military Brigade, I attended the Centro de Preparação de Oficiais da Reserva CPOR (training center for reserve officers) in 1995, there is no need to pay what they pay to the judiciary, if they respected the Captain, with R$ 4,000 a month, I would rather stay in the Military Brigade [...]
This situation is more complicated when the student does not serve in the Brigade (because soldiers and sergeants who attend the CFO keep their wages). This is the case of a student who closed his law firm and came with his family to live in the metropolitan area, with only a scholarship for income during the period of training.
If my wife did not work, I would not be able to feed my family. I do not know how I survive, I do not write down my expenses, because if I did I would collapse, and yet, I am in the mood to talk about it... We receive a scholarship here, something like R$ 850, so, for someone who is single and lives in the barracks, it is all right, he can have leisure activities; we spend a lot of money in photocopies, R$ 60, 70 in photocopies every month.
Thus, they do not worry about or condemn a colleague who has left the Brigade because he was selected to work as City Attorney ("In the first place, it must be said."), to earn R$ 5,000. He had no choice, they say, the same happened to another colleague:
I will tell you about the case of the girl who left, she worked in the Public Ministry, she liked it here, but when she realized how much she would earn, it was not about maintaining her standard of living, she would not survive with the expenses she had, not with the salary she would receive, then she said: "I can not stay," she was extremely sad when she left, it was a pity.
These withdrawals contribute to the student-officers' distrust, and allows some of them to say that they are not interested in the Brigade, only in their careers. But they retort, based on stories they heard in class:
The problem is that some things are very personal. We have an instructor who said: "I, Guilherme, graduated in law, I am against you. You are not policemen; you are not in the Brigade." But the day before he had told us his story: "- Oh, I graduated in law in such a place and then I started studying for the Public Ministry. I have applied to four contests for the Public Ministry and I was not selected. [After becoming an officer] I was invited to work with a judge of the Military Court and I have been there for last ten years." Then, the other day, he says: "- You are not in the Brigade; I am, because I have been in the CFO and I to the hill." This sort of nonsense is unacceptable.
How many officers have already left the Brigade to be a judge or a prosecutor? Too many, all of them from the CFO. And we have to mention a small detail, which is the personal goal of the individual. It is not as if every policeman who was admitted thought or dreamed of becoming an officer in the Military Brigade. What everyone is looking for is the stability, that much I know. Besides, we know that there are officers who apply for other contests, and they ask us "What are you doing here?," because the institution is much devalued, especially in the field of education.
One of the good memories of the CSPM students is related to the group. The military (or quasi-military) institutions and academies form an esprit de corps (one student used to complain about the long period of boarding at the start of the third group, but he admitted that it created a strong bond among the students).
We have certainly grown a sense of group. We lost, in the first and second week, three, four colleagues, who could not adapt, but since then we have formed a group, and just recently, we have lost a colleague and it was very sad, it was like losing a family member.
But this group is not without pitfalls, because the formation of "cliques" can occur even in a class with only 17 students. The division was due to the fact that 90% of the class disliked the commander of the students' corps and 10% worshiped him (this percentage was indicated by one of the students). "I think there are too many different views. But I believe we will be prepared to defend ourselves when we leave here."
Two years from now I will certainly like to say that I come from this class. It does not matter if you made a few mistakes, or if you do not like John Doe or John Smith, our class was like that. But after you leave, when you return, you give them all a hug. The students will always defend the class, from the outside world, but not among themselves.
Regarding the reconcilement with the more distant officers of the APM, and the direct contact with the student-officers, which occurs (or should occur), at Clube Farrapos, for example, there are different understandings.
I was in of the administration of Clube Farrapos, the graduates from last year, as students, were already working with us. We have the Comenda dos Queijos e Vinhos (cheeses and wines festival), when we invite couples to participate in the organization of the event, and an officer of the Academy invites the student-officers to participate with their girlfriends, wives, all perfectly integrated. Today, it is already a reality; the class had no problems of integration (Lieutenant Colonel).
The students do not agree with the Lieutenant Colonel:
Every time we go to Clube Farrapos, somehow, we have to work. We can not sit down and have a beer and smoke a cigarette. We can not talk to the officers, we go there to work in the reception, and once we had to pay to enter, and then we had to work in the reception.
The history of the data venia within the Military Brigade is just beginning, it is taking shape. They experience sorrow, joy and apprehension in their daily lives. They claim to have the strength to overcome the difficulties and to grow along with the Corporation. They have managed to overcome the uncertainties. The first of which was the approval (or not) of the model. It was approved. For the group, whose training started in 2004, there was no assurance that it would continue for long. But it did.
However, there are those who dislike the model. A study group has already met to suggest changes in the training of the Brigade officers. The idea came from the general commander of the Corporation, who wanted the APM course to be simultaneous with the legal training, in an agreement with a Law school, so that the classes of both courses would take place in opposite shifts.
The intention was to have, once more, 17, 18 years old young adults in the Academy, and no more lawyers. But the idea did not prosper, because the State Law No. 10992/96 is clear: the applicant must have a bachelor's degree.
And there are other military police forces increasingly interested in the model. But, on the basis of foreign experience, it is still early to say if they will succeed5, if the new standards will be incorporated.
Nonetheless, there are reasons for optimism, the data venia are seen with expectation, and they are multiplying. The third group is graduating, and there are more and more bachelors applying for this contest.
However, they still need to adapt to the existing model of the Brigade, as indicated by a colonel of the reserve, because they are still a minority. Thus, they will have to struggle against the prejudices, as it happened (and it still happens) with the female officers. A captain recalls that, when she joined the troop, she did not have any problems with it. She joined as a lieutenant, with a college degree, in one of three groups composed solely of women, and she believes that this experience was the basis for what is now the Military Brigade's course of officers.
[...] we were used as guinea pigs, and it worked [...] Two years is long enough to learn the technical disciplines whose emphasis is on the police; the Law, the military police techniques of approach and handling of weapons, and human relationship, which was something that we already had.
There is an assessment of the Brigade regarding the data venia, but the document is not available to researchers. An officer mentioned its existence, and he also said that the results were promising. It evaluates the first months of operation of the first graduating class, all classified in Porto Alegre, working along with the Police Command, and they showed good results.
The data venia have become a reality. But it is worth to mention that the prejudice against them is not an exception. It already existed when women were first admitted in the Corporation, and the term data venia was already in use even before the 1996 State Law was implemented. It served to stigmatize the policemen who attended "civilian" universities. It was used to designate the intellectual, the non-operational, the non-policeman, as opposed to the "combatants" (the classic, traditional concept of the man who enforces the law, who is tough, fearless, strong, and truculent when necessary, pragmatic, with no theoretical or legal concerns).
To conclude, this analysis identifies aspects of the training the data venia receive at the Academy. The lack of definitions on how the CSPM should work is often associated with the high turnover of commanders. The first class had, in two years of study, four different commanders, thereby eliminating the prospect of the existence of any teaching proposal. Braga (2006: 51) adds that, to improve this situation, it is necessary to formulate a political-pedagogical project, similar to that of the college-level courses (Braga, 2006: 63 and 66 ).
Thus, even though there are comments and criticism, it is worth to mention that it was a huge step for the Brigade to have adopted the CSPM with the requirement of a bachelor's degree in Law to be a career officer in the Corporation. However, it must assume that, if it is looking for college-level professionals, it is because it plans to have officers trained to reflect on it, to criticize it, in its positive and negative aspects, a staff trained not to obey, but for a thoughtful, independent performance.
The Brigade must be prepared. It must be ready to accept the criticism, since the data venia want to think, to claim, to criticize, to change what they deem necessary. In the end of 2006, they decided to have a meeting, those who had already graduated and the current students of the CSPM, all the data venia met to dinner. There were approximately 60, 70, even more, in a restaurant in Porto Alegre. It was a simple social fact, but "The CFO commented on it, they all commented on the fact," recalls one of the data venia, who was at the meeting.
And they report the impression that the prejudice conceals a dispute between the CFO and the CSPM graduates. And that the dispute is just beginning. They reveal that the young officers, trained in the CFO model, discriminate them. And they wait for the effective consolidation of the CSPM, a quantitative increase in the number of data venias, to be able to defend a new model of Police, with new values, new approaches. To conclude, they say: "In Rio de Janeiro, there were the 17 of the Fort, now there are the 17 of the Military Brigade."
Bibliographical references
APM Academia de Polícia Militar (RS). Conselho de Ensino. Bases da elevação ao nível de curso superior. Porto Alegre, 1974.
BITTNER, Egon. Aspectos do trabalho policial. São Paulo: Editora da USP, 2003.
BRAGA, Simone Kilian. Projeto do Curso Superior de Polícia Militar: o perfil, habilidades e competências. 2006. 84 p. Monografia de Conclusão de Curso (Curso Avançado de Administração Policial Militar). Academia de Polícia Militar, Porto Alegre.
GOLDSTEIN, Herman. Policiando uma sociedade livre. São Paulo: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2003.
PEREIRA, Gerson Nunes. Segurança pública a em debate. Porto Alegre: Gráfica Calábria, 2006.
REINER, Robert. A política da polícia. São Paulo: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2004.
RUDNICKI, Dani. A formação social de oficiais da Polícia Militar: análise do caso da Academia da Brigada Militar do Rio Grande do Sul. Tese de doutorado. Porto Alegre, 2007. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sociologia.
RUDNICKI, Dani; ZAIDAN, Fatten eid. Os Direitos Humanos na Brigada Militar. Relatório de bolsa de Iniciação Científica da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre, abr. 2003/fev. 2004. 15 p. (Processo FAPERGS nº 2511198).
SANTOS, José Vicente Tavares dos. Dominación y control social: los dilemas del trabajo de policía. Palestra, Buenos Aires, Pré-ALAS de sociologia del trabajo, 2002.
1 Translator's note: all quotations in the text were freely translated from Portuguese.
2 Available at <www.umontreal.ca/divers/police/police.html>. Accessed on 26 August, 2003.
3 Available at <www.umontreal.ca/divers/police/police.html>. Accessed on 26 August, 2003.
4 Verb used in the Military Police to mean the use of the second person singular verb conjugation, as the French verb "tutoyer."
5 Goldstein, in diverse combinations and with varied intensity, categorizes the arguments in support of higher education for the police as: (1) those that claim the police should draw their personnel from individuals who attend college whether or not it can be clearly demonstrated that a college education is of value for policing; and (2) those that contend, more specifically, that the college experience will produce a better police officer. (Goldstein, 2003: 353)


text:
Perl 5 autovivifies hashes and arrays when an undef is used as a hashref or arrayref. Normally you see this when using multidimensional data structures like this:
my %hash;
$hash{foo}{bar} = 1;
The value in
$hash{foo} is undefined, so Perl 5 turns it into a hashref so it can lookup the key
"bar" in it. This is somewhat dangerous because you can create keys without meaning to:
if ($hash{bar}{baz} == 1) {
say "found "bar/baz";
Here the key
"bar" will be added to the
%hash if it doesn't already exist. To prevent this we must check every level but the last with
if (exists $hash{bar} and $hash{bar}{baz} == 1) {
say "found "bar/baz";
When I think of autovivification, that is all I normally think of, but today I realized you can use it for more than that. I have a couple of hashrefs I want to set the initial size of with
keys. I was saying
my $hashref = {};
keys(%$hashref) = 1024;
As I wrote that I wondered if autovivification would turn an
undef in $hashref into a hashref for me, and sure enough it will:
use 5.012;
use warnings;
use Scalar::Util qw/reftype/;
my $hashref; #not really a hashref yet
keys(%$hashref) = 1024; #but now it is
say reftype $hashref;