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]
Category Archives: Venezuela
A Venezuelan court annulled the election of an opposition mayor “on grounds that he failed to pay $292 in local taxes.” He’s being replaced with the guy he beat in the election – a Chávez loyalist – until a new election can be held.
Also posted in Human Rights, Politics, Side notes Leave a comment
Venezuela’s busiest port is shut down, as businesses and workers say the state-run port authority at Puerto Cabello hasn’t paid them in four months. Puerto Cabello handles 70% of the country’s container traffic.
Also posted in Economy, Side notes, Trade Leave a comment
The OAS drops a bomb
So it’s come to this. After 11 years of back and forth debate over what the Bolivarian Revolution means for Venezuela, the OAS’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has an answer: It’s bad. Real bad. In an amazing 319-page report, the IACHR finally confirms what Venezuelan human rights groups have been denouncing for years: In [...]
Chávez and Uribe started “yelling and called each other names, using obscene language” during a private dinner at the “Unity Summit” taking place in Mexico. The 31 Latin American countries in attendance are supposedly in the process of forming a regional political group that excludes the U.S. and Canada.
RCTV International says it will obey Venezuela's media laws about official government broadcasts if it is allowed back on cable. Company president Marciel Granier said the channel will maintain an editorial stance that critical of the Venezuelan government.
Also posted in Human Rights, Side notes Leave a comment
Insulza is not the issue
With its typically retrograde, myopic, Inside-the-Beltway perspective on Latin America, The Washington Post lobbed a grenade a couple weeks ago when it strenuously objected to a second six-year term for José Miguel Insulza as secretary general of the Organization of American States, implying that the U.S. should “press for change,” whatever that means. Others much [...]
Why is Chávez picking a fight with Polar?
First, last week, Chávez ordered food company Polar – which most famously produces beer and arepa flour – to move its brewery in Barquisimeto, as the government is going to use the land for a public housing project. Polar protested, and now Chávez has issued a threat: “If you keep on like this, I can [...]
Business is business
Beggars can’t be choosers. Faced with an electricity crisis that’s forcing rolling blackouts during peak use hours, Venezuela is considering Colombia’s offer to sell it some juice. Initially, Vice President Elías Jaua had said Venezuela would not buy electricity from Colombia, as relations between the two countries have been “frozen” since the middle of last [...]
Also posted in Colombia, Politics Tagged Chávez, Colombia, electricity, mudslinging, Venezuela Leave a comment
Time to get some new lawyers