Kirchner up against it

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 4, 2010

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s ballsy victory on Central Bank reserves is starting to look awfully Pyrrhic. The opposition reacted swiftly. Not only has a judge blocked the use of reserves to pay debt, but the opposition (now with a majority coalition in the Senate) is moving to fire her Central Bank president.

Today, in a characteristically flamboyant speech (video), Cristina lashed out at the opposition and the judiciary, accusing them of “revenge” and “abuse of power:”

There’s no “co-government” here. I am the president.

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Facepalm

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 4, 2010

In Costa Rica, some genius with a semi-truck load of fertilizer thought he’d try driving across a rickety, one-lane wooden bridge. Things did not go as planned.

Posted in Costa Rica, Odd | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lightning not crashing

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 4, 2010

The lightening.

One of the coolest natural phenomena on the continent is the Catatumbo Lightning, a peculiar electrical storm that occurs at the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it empties into Lake Maracaibo, in Venezuela. The 10-hour storms normally happen 140 or so nights out of the year, and are characterized by almost constant electrical discharges, without thunder. The energy it produces in 10 minutes could light up every light bulb on the continent, and they say it’s the greatest single generator of ozone on the planet.

And for some reason, the Catatumbo Lightning has stopped. Reports EFE:

“Since the end of January until tonight, the Catatumbo Lightning has not been seen. It’s the longest disappearance (of the phenomenon) in 104 years,” said (Venezuelan environmentalist Erik) Quiroga to EFE.

Quiroga linked the problem to the “El Niño” phenomenon, which is causing Venezuela’s longest drought since 1947 and has affected the Catatumbo River, where the lightning takes place.

The Wikipedia page on the Catatumbo Lightning says it is caused by gases rising from a swamp to meet cooler air descending from the Andes Mountains. The meeting of the two currents creates an electrical charge that is discharged as lightening. Apparently some element of that mechanism has been interrupted by the drought. Quiroga blames “extreme sedimentation of the Catatumbo River and deforestation, which are degrading the marshes in Ciénagas National Park.”

Here’s a video of the lightning during better times:

(Image from Wikimedia Commons, courtesy Thechemicalengineer.)

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Crying over spilt wine

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 4, 2010

Crash? (Via fiveinchpixie)

When news of the Chilean earthquake broke, oenophiles around the world must have grasped at their empty wine glasses with trembling hands and wondered: Will their favorite Chilean wines now be harder to get? The Washington Post answers this morning with a resounding “maybe.” First, the nightmare scenario:

Much of the damage came when massive storage tanks, stainless steel vats more than 15 feet high, toppled. Violent shaking snapped tank legs bolted to the ground, knocking the vats over and causing a domino effect as tank after tank crashed to the ground. Wine stored in barrels was also lost as the barrels rolled off racks, cracked open or popped the seal, flooding warehouses.

Son of a bitch. The loss just in spilled wine was worth almost US$1 billion retail, according to the national wine producers association.  “Sources” add that perhaps 20% of the total stored wine was lost, which would shake up the industry.

However, the Washington Post also reports that publicly, many wine producers say the damage wasn’t as bad as they’d first thought and that business proceeds as usual. Also, you have to wonder if wine producers would really store a billion dollars worth of product in containers that would just fall over in an earthquake.

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Who’s to blame for tsunami deaths?

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 3, 2010

Heads still attached.

Now that the shock of Saturday’s massive earthquake has started to fade, Chileans want to know who’s to blame. A lot of them are pointing fingers at the government. The thing is, it’s starting to look like the tsunami following the earthquake killed more people than the earthquake itself. As you can see from the video below, some coastal towns in the country’s south-central region were practically wiped out by the tsunami, and it’s precisely the coastal towns that have registered the most deaths.

This is significant because when it came to sounding the tsunami alarm, the government massively screwed the pooch, and most everyone is pointing fingers at the Navy, including National Emergency Office head Carmen Fernández:

Even after saying she wouldn’t discuss the matter, speculation in the media forced her to defend her agency: “At least three times the Navy told us that there was no chance of a tsunami,” she said, distancing herself from responsibility for a fact that meant numerous deaths.

The head of the Navy has defended the fact that it reported a tsunami a full half hour after the earthquake, calling this “acceptable.” Other reports say the Navy erroneously concluded that there would be no tsunami because the quake’s epicenter was so far inland.

President Michelle Bachelet is not happy with the finger-pointing: “Everyone claims to be a general after the war,” she said in a radio interview.

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Fine architecture

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 3, 2010

For a good cause.

Colombian actor Cecil Avendaño has the heart of a social activist and the brain of a Madison Avenue ad man. So what does he use to draw international attention to a national monument that’s crumbling into disrepair?

Boobies, of course!

Avendaño and a trio of buxom, topless women are doing some sort of writhing, performance-arty thing on an old stone jetty, waving around other country’s flags and reciting poetry and whatnot, to the delight/horror of the handful of tourists that visit the site. He’s trying to get the Colombian government (or anyone else who might be interested) to pay to have the site restored, so more tourists will visit.

So far, the publicity campaign is working! You’re reading this, aren’t you? The jetty was designed by a Cuban engineer and built in 1893 in Puerto Colombia. Though the government has declared it a National Monument, Avendaño and his people say it’s been mostly abandoned. A large section of it was destroyed by waves some time ago. And that’s pretty much the deal.

Avendaño (who unfortunately for the ladyfolk maintains his own modesty during the performances) said he’s going to keep doing his protests and adding more half-naked women as he goes. Which, let’s face it, will probably be way more interesting that a mouldering dock.

(Slightly NSFW article, with very much more NSFW photo gallery.)

Posted in Colombia, Odd | Tagged | 2 Comments

Less money, mo’ problems

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 3, 2010

Price of oil over the last 18 months.

Chávez’ innovative experiments in centrally-planned capito-socialist economy are looking pretty shaky these days. For one thing, the Venezuelan economy shrank 3.3% last year, which isn’t surprising except for the fact that the slump worsened in the 4th quarter – to 5.8% – just as the rest of Latin America is beginning to recover. The oil sector alone contracted 10%.

(Also, it’s a neat trick to have your economy shrink even while inflation is at 26%.)

It may get worse. Economists say a drop in demand due to the currency devaluation at the beginning of the year will depress GDP growth again in 2010, possibly keeping the economy in recession. Constant power outages are sure to be a drag on production as well.

Meanwhile, the government’s attempts to prop up the bolivar by auctioning massive amounts of dollar-denominated bonds have been an utter failure, as the parallel-market bolivar is at its lowest point in six months. The dollar auctions have stopped.

And to top it all off, the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce says the government still owes US$12 billion for property it has expropriated (including private petroleum services contractors who were bought out last year) and US$7 billion in forex promised to exporters who need dollars to keep goods flowing to a country that no longer produces anything but oil domestically.

Which, speaking of, happens to be Chávez’ only way of financing his capito-socialist experiment. But because global crude consumption fell last year, there’s a glut on the market, meaning prices will have a hard time going up and might actually go down.

Did I mention Venezuela has legislative elections in September?

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Whack-a-mole

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 3, 2010

According to a report from the U.S. State Department, drug cultivation in Mexico has soared recent years, massive drug war notwithstanding. Here’s Malcom Beith’s crunching of the numbers:

In 2005, the year before Calderon took office, Mexico cultivated 3,300 hectares of opium poppy. In 2006, it was 5,000 hectares. In 2007, it was 6,900 hectares. In 2008, it was 15,000 hectares. Figures aren’t yet available for 2009, but you get the sense of where this is going.

It’s the same story for marijuana: 5,600 hectares in 2005, 8,600 in 2006, 8,900 in 2007, and 12,000 in 2008.

Gancho wonders if there are some measurement issues (could they be growing less marijuana on more land?). In any case, I think it’s hard to escape the conclusion that things are not going the way they’re supposed to given the millions spent every year to stop the production and flow of illegal narcotics.

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On holiday

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 2, 2010

Trying to relax.

I guess drug kingpins need vacations too. Honduran Security Minister Óscar Álvarez is saying that Sinaloa Cartel head Joaquín “El Chapo” (Shorty) Guzmán is hanging out in Honduras, getting a little R&R. He’s rumored to be staying in an area known as “El Paraíso” (paradise). Among evidence cited is the possibility that Mexican narcocorrido group Los Tigres del Norte was spotted playing a party in the area.

Apparently, “El Chapo” is a big fan.

Though “El Chapo” is one of the last big Mexican drug kingpins still on the loose and is wanted by the Mexicans, the Americans, INTERPOL, and God knows who else, the Hondurans don’t sound especially fired up to go out and bring him to justice:

Asked if after learning this information, the Honduran authorities were setting up an opperation to find “El Chapo” Guzmán, the minister said he had just recently taken the job (as security minister) with President Porfirio Lobo’s new cabinet less than a month ago.

Sounds like Álvarez plans to live to be security minister next month too.

Posted in Honduras, Mexico, Odd, War on drugs | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Portillo back in the clink

By Peter Krupa | Published: March 2, 2010

After 10 days in a military hospital, Guatemalan ex-President Alfonso Portillo is being transferred back to prison. A court finally ruled that according to a medical examination, his health problems were not serious enough to merit hospitalization. During his stay in the military hospital, it was never clear why exactly he had been transferred there. The United States has officially requested Portillo’s extradition to try him on charges of launder millions of dollars embezzled from the Guatemalan people.

Posted in Guatemala, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

  • 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]