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]
Author Archives: Peter Krupa
Sales of imported vehicles in Venezuela dropped 90% in January, while overall new car sales were down by 50% compared to last January.
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The kid can dance
Can a 7-year-old be Rio's Carnival Queen? A Brazilian judge is thinking about saying "no," on the grounds that it sexualizes children. Her father, on the other hand, said, ''Any man who looks at a 7-year-old child and feels any sort of excitement should go see a doctor."
According to the latest polls, less than 50% of Colombians support a third consecutive term for President Uribe.
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Piñera clearing the air
Piñera took action on Friday and committed to selling off his 26% stake in one of Chile's major airlines.
Floods rock Mexico City
Mexico City is experiencing the worst floods in two decades after 48 straight hours of rain.The government has declared a state of emergency, and the sheer volume of water has completely overwhelmed the city's underground drainage system. Thousands have been effected.
The drug war and the H1N1 virus conspired to make 2009 the worst year ever for Mexico's tourism industry.
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Estado de what, now?
This video is a couple days old, but still worth posting. It shows excerpts from a heated debate between Uribe and several academic luminaries that took place on Wednesday at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University.
Modest proposal
A member of Honduras' National Congress makes an intriguing suggestion.
The murder of a pregnant woman in Guatemala and the theft of her fetus bear the signs of Mexican organ traffickers, according to an NGO.
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A freak hailstorm clobbered Mendoza yesterday, causing the loss of up to 80% of the region's delicious, delicious wine grapes.
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