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: Side notes
The judges deciding whether to extradite ex-Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo to the U.S. said they received death threats. An anonymous caller to the court threatened to kill the three judges’ families if they did not suspend proceedings. Though the judges later approved Portillo’s extradition to face money laundering charges in the U.S., he has to [...]
Also posted in Guatemala, Politics | Leave a comment
Right whales off the coast of Argentina are dying in large numbers. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, 308 have washed up dead since 2005, and it is estimated that 28% of calves are dying, an unusually high number. A BBC report blames seagulls, which have bred in large numbers due to nearby fisheries and [...]
Also posted in Argentina, Environment Leave a comment
After getting disastrous results, the U.S. government is suspending work on a virtual fence that was eventually supposed to extend along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. The AP says this basically means the project is dead. The $50 million in stimulus funds earmarked for the pilot project will now be wasted elsewhere. The virtual fence has [...]
Also posted in Mexico, War on drugs Leave a comment
The final numbers are in for the Feb. 27 earthquake and tsunami in Chile: 700 dead and an estimated $30 billion in damage. The death toll had previously been up near 800 after a local government mistakenly added the missing to the list of the deceased. [link]
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On Sunday, Nahum Palacios became the third journalist to be killed in Honduras in two weeks. The radio and television journalist was gunned down on Sunday night by men traveling in two vehicles who sprayed his car with 42 bullets. Police say they have no leads. Journalists all over the country marched to protest the [...]
Also posted in Honduras, Human Rights, War on drugs Leave a comment
In its report as an observer of the Colombian legislative elections, the OAS is complaining that lots of vote-buying went on. Apparently the going rate for a vote is $10 and a sandwich. The report also complains that the election material was hard to understand and the system of telephonic results reporting was chaotic. However, [...]
Also posted in Colombia, Politics Leave a comment
Only in Cuba could a two-vehicle accident leave seven dead and 40 injured. The accident took place yesterday when two trucks carrying passengers collided. Because of the scarcity of all forms of transportation in Cuba, people pack into old cargo trucks to get from place to place. [link]
Also posted in Cuba, Odd Leave a comment
Chile inaugurated billionaire Sebastian Piñera as its new president on Thursday. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs has produced a brief document giving an excellent overview of the history of U.S.-Chile relations and the historical and political context in which Piñera takes office. [link]
Also posted in Chile, Politics Leave a comment
Mexico’s state oil company, Pemex, is struggling to keep production up. In six years, production has dropped by 1 million barrels a day, to 2.5 million, and if the free-fall continues Mexico will become a net importer of petroleum within the decade. The largest potential new oil reserves are in deep water in the Gulf [...]
Also posted in Economy, Mexico Leave a comment
The New York Times reports that lithium is the next big commodities boom, just as soon as people start buying millions of electric cars. The metal was never in much demand before, but now it’s a principle ingredient of lithium ion batteries. The world’s largest lithium reserves are found in Bolivia, but multinational companies are exploring [...]
