Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

Archives for April 2016

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The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

ARGENTINA
Newton’s Third Law at work:
For every action Argentina reiterates claim to Falklands, there is an equal and opposite reaction Falklands MPs reject Argentina’s claim to islands

Argentina Said to Revise Nuclear Pact With China to Favor U.S.

BAHAMAS
An Island in the Bahamas Where Pigs Swim Free. On Big Major Cay, tourists and pigs play together on the sand and in the water.

BOLIVIA
China’s Sinosteel Signs Contract for Mill at Bolivia Iron-Ore Mine

BRAZIL
Brazil’s Vice President Michel Temer Aims Higher. Having led his party out of President Dilma Rousseff’s embattled government, former ally turns foe and angles for presidency

Brazil Investigator Alleges Connection Between Murder and Corruption Scandal. Judge Sergio Moro alleges money siphoned from Petrobras may have been used to cover up death of Celso Daniel

In January 2002, Mr. Daniel, the former mayor of Santo André, a suburb of São Paulo, was found shot to death a few days after being kidnapped. Six men were convicted and sentenced to prison, but the case has been reopened and closed several times since.

Mr. Moro on Friday alleged funds siphoned from the state-owned oil company at the center of the complex web of bribery and coverups, Petróleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, could have been used to pay hush money related to Mr. Daniel’s murder.

Brazil Court Crimps Judge’s Probe. Sergio Moro’s aggressive probe of a bid-rigging-and-bribery scheme at state oil company Petrobras has put him in open conflict with President Dilma Rousseff—and made him a star to her many detractors.

CHILE
Bolivia Suing Chile at The Hague over Water Dispute

COLOMBIA
Thousands protest government handling of peace process in Colombia

Colombia unsure about hostage numbers before talks with ELN rebels

CUBA
Cuba After Obama Left

Obama’s Cuban Disgrace

This Is Not the Path to Cuban Freedom

In Cuba, image is king – whatever horrors lurk beneath it

Hypocrisy update of the day: Castro regime seeks reparations for slave trade

ECUADOR
Kiwi drug accused Scott Elliott speaks of ‘dreadful situation’ in Ecuadorian jail

JAMAICA
Jamaica, Beyond the Beach. The nation is recasting itself as a glamour and eco-tourism destination, but its African-inflected culture is what lulls you.

MEXICO
Argentine Experts Question Report on Missing Mexico Students

NICARAGUA
Miami Fugitive on Run for 20 Years Found in Nicaragua

PARAGUAY
Can Paraguay Escape Decades of Despotism, Ineptitude, and Corruption? Despite promising one of the biggest turnaround stories in the southern hemisphere, President Horacio Cartes has more work to do.

PERU
The drug mule’s makeover: Incredible transformation of ‘Peru Two’ Brit as she shows off new blonde hair and smarter, slimmer look in first interview since leaving jail for smuggling £1.5million of cocaine

PUERTO RICO
Why Puerto Rico’s super restructuring is bad policy

VENEZUELA
Venezuela’s Economy, As Told by A Hot Dog. Like the Famous Venezuelan Hot Dog Pepito, the Chavista-made Economic Crisis Comes in Layers



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Colombia: Andrés Sepúlveda, hacker

Interesting article on How to Hack an Election: Andrés Sepúlveda rigged elections throughout Latin America for almost a decade. He tells his story for the first time.

Three days after arriving at Bogotá’s La Picota prison, he went to the dentist and was ambushed by men with knives and razors, but was saved by guards. A week later, guards woke him and rushed him from his cell, saying they had heard about a plot to shoot him with a silenced pistol as he slept. After national police intercepted phone calls revealing yet another plot, he’s now in solitary confinement at a maximum-security facility in a rundown area of central Bogotá. He sleeps with a bulletproof blanket and vest at his bedside, behind bombproof doors. Guards check on him every hour. As part of his plea deal, he says, he’s turned government witness, helping investigators assess possible cases against the former candidate, Zuluaga, and his strategist, Hoyos. Authorities issued an indictment for the arrest of Hoyos, but according to Colombian press reports he’s fled to Miami.

Read the whole thing.

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The Council Has Spoken!! Our Watcher’s Council Results

At the Watchers’ Council,

The Council has spoken, the votes have been cast, and the results are in for this week’s Watcher’s Council match up.

“Good courage in a bad affair is half of the evil overcome.”
– Titus Maccius Plautus

“He who does not punish evil commands it to be done.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

“Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering.” – Seneca

“The trouble with Islam is deeply rooted in its teachings. Islam is not only a religion. Islam (is) also a political ideology that preaches violence and applies its agenda by force.” – Dr. Wafa Sultan

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_nEAkWOufFU/T366WMxCdrI/AAAAAAAABOg/easpV-8FMnM/s1600/Joshua_Dali_Sun.jpg

This week’s winning essay,Joshuapundit’s’s How Pakistan Celebrated Easter …And The Message it Sends Us Is my reaction to certain events that occurred in Pakistan on Easter Sunday…and their wider meaning for the rest of us. Here’s a slice:

Today was Easter Sunday, and many people took their families for an outing. In Lahore, Pakistan, many Christians took their children to Gulshan-e-Iqbal park for a special outing in an area set aside for them.
[Read more…]

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Mexico: Cartel smugglers in action

Ildefonso Ortiz posts,

The reporters are able to film for several moments without the cartel smugglers noticing that they were being recorded. When the two smugglers noticed that they were being filmed they waved at the reporter to stop filming and continued talking into the radio alerting their crew that they were being filmed.

After a few tense moments the narco-smugglers ran back towards the fence and were able to climb over it in a matter of seconds. The reporter can be heard in the video saying “I am only doing my job, son,” as the smugglers go back into Mexico.

Video in Spanish,

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Venezuela: The new Zimbabwe

Socialism for the 21st century!

The Economist gets it,

Following the Mugabe model. Spot the difference: Venezuela today looks like Zimbabwe 15 years ago

the key similarity between the two regimes is not their thuggishness but their economic ineptitude. Both believe that market forces can be bossed around like soldiers on parade. In both cases, the results are similar: shortages, inflation and tumbling living standards.

In other Venezuelan news,

Low Water Levels Mean Lights May Go Out in Caracas – they already do.

Does A PDVSA Bond Exist If Nobody Pays Attention To It?

Fun with numbers, Datanálisis style. Your no-BS breakdown on the latest Datanalisis poll, which is basically quantified doom-and-gloom.

Venezuelan Crisis Hits Everyone, Soccer Stars Included.Once the Game Ends, Rondón Turns to Family Concerns

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