DAILY LINKS
The Nation has a long, wonky, wonderful article on Mexican maize cultivation, the effects of NAFTA, and the dangers of genetically-modified seeds. Author Peter Canby backs up his excellent writing with piles and piles of meticulous research. Not to be missed. [link, via SM] (Image from Joel Penner.)
Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas ended his hunger strike yesterday after 134 days. Farinas decided to end his strike after the Cuban government said it would release political prisoners rounded up in the "Black Spring" crackdown of 2003. Get well soon. [link]
The Uruguayan selection, which has made it to the quarter finals of the World Cup, just received a shipment of half a ton of fine cuts of beef for the mother of all asados in preparation for a contest against Ghana on Friday: "450 kilos of lomo, 200 of entrecot, 75 of vacío, 75 of colita de cuadril, 150 of ojo de bife and 50 kg of picaña." [link]
Hitmen have assassinated the PRI candidate for governor of Tamaulipas State, Rodolfo Torre Cantú. Torre was gunned down along with six others at about 10:30 this morning on a highway on the way to a campaign event. Drug mafias are assumed to be responsible. [link]
From the days when coups were something of a regional sport, new documents detail a famous British ballerina's role in a plot to topple the government of Panama. The plan was to use her yacht to gather men and arms, then "land somewhere and collect in the hills." It didn't work. [link]
Mexico's Attorney General's Office has posted on its web site irrefutable evidence that gold-plated AR-15s and diamond-studded pistol grips are not nearly as cool-looking as they sound. The deadly knick-knack collection is said to belong to Valencia Cartel leader El Lobo. [link]
Two Brazilian ranchers were sentenced to 30 years in prison apiece for ordering the killing of an environmentalist nun: "Prosecutors said the pair offered to pay a gunman $25,000 to kill the 73-year-old [Dorothy] Stang because she had prevented them from stealing a piece of land that the government had granted to a group of poor farmers." [link]
This video of a kidnapping and car chase in Mexico is notable mainly for the bad-assitude of the TV journalists who were on this like white on rice. Well done, gentlemen.
The Economist takes a peak at the Mockus phenomenon in Colombia: "His moustacheless beard gives him the air of a Baltic pastor... He is financing his campaign with a bank overdraft. His supporters rely on Facebook and make their own posters; street vendors sell unofficial campaign T-shirts." [link]
Some cruise lines will cease traveling to Antarctica after this cruise season, as a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil goes into effect next year. The ban came after a 2007 incident when a Gap Adventures ship got punctured by ice and sank, causing a mess. [link]
Monthly Archives: April 2010
Christ the Redeemer tagged
Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue was vandalized by intrepid ne’er-do-wells who scaled scaffolding that was in place for cleaning the statue. Rio’s mayor called the vandalism of the 120-foot statue “a crime against the nation” and promised the vandals “will go to jail.”
Coca soft drink goes on sale in Bolivia
A soft drink containing coca leaf extract is now on sale in Bolivia. The drink is totally non- coincidentally named “Coca Colla,” after the Colla indigenous people. The news seems a bit old, but for whatever reason it’s now making the rounds, and I’m posting this to see if someone will send me a six [...]
Posted in Bolivia, Odd, Side notes, War on drugs Leave a comment
Kissinger and Operation Condor
The good folks at George Washington University’s National Security Archive project report that recently-declassified memos show U.S. Secretary of State and Nobel Prize winner Henry Kissinger directly ordering underlings to cancel warnings against launching Operation Condor to military dictatorships in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay . Four days later, a car bomb killed former Chilean foreign [...]
Posted in Argentina, Chile, History, Human Rights, Uruguay Tagged Argentina, Chile, Kissinger, Operation Condor, Uruguay Leave a comment
The curious case of the Ice Cream Spies
Enforcement of the law in Venezuela is highly selective these days, so when a well-publicized arrest takes place, there’s usually some reason. In the latest international tiff between Venezuela and Colombia, Venezuelan law enforcement arrested eight Colombian residents for taking pictures of power lines and transformers. The eight were owners and employees of an ice [...]
Bomb goes off at U.S. consulate
Someone threw a bomb at the U.S. consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The incident took place at night, so no one was injured. The small device broke some glass. No word yet on what it was or who is taking responsibility. It’s the second recent attack on U.S. government personnel/installations after three people related [...]
In another blow to tropical monoculture, African palm oil trees in Colombia are being ravaged by an unstoppable disease. Authorities had hoped palm oil cultivation would be a viable alternative to coca, but now 60% of the trees are dead. “They’ve held Masses to bless one tree at a time. Nothing works.” [link]
Posted in Colombia, Environment, Side notes Leave a comment
The AP has called the Juárez turf war, and the winner is: The Sinaloa Cartel, led by El Chapo. Along with a little the help of the Mexican army, Chapo’s people have taken the Juárez cartel out of business and now own that trafficking route. [link]
A fighting chance
What does Mockus have going for him? And where are his votes coming from? In an excellent piece of analysis this morning, Semana takes a look. The most interesting bits: Uribism is not a philosophy or a party – it’s a personality, says an analyst. Santos and others can try to take on Uribe’s mantel, [...]
Costa Rica and China have signed a free trade agreement. The agreement comes three years after the two countries formed diplomatic relations for the first time and removes tariffs on 90 percent of goods traded between them. It’s the first FTA China has signed with a country in Central America. [link]
Posted in Costa Rica, Side notes, Trade Leave a comment
Rolling southward