Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Venezuela: Where was Sean Penn?

Last Friday I asked, Speaking of sh**holes, where were you?,

Were you outraged when Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez declared himself a Marxist and took over private property and the media? Would having people kill zoo animals for food qualify a country as a shithole?

Today Rachel Campos-Duffy wants too know Who is Sean Penn to lecture Trump about compassion?

So what has Sean Penn said about these horrible indignities and abuses suffered by the Venezuelan people? Nothing. Where is his “compassionate” op-ed to show concern for the victims of Venezuelan socialism and repression? Silence.

Well, I dug through this blog’s archives, and found this gem from 2011: Back then Hugo Chávez was still alive, and Sean had  invited Charlie Sheen to Haiti, as if the blighted country hadn’t had enough yet, and Charlie accepted.

I posted,

Sean’s meeting with Hugo Chávez (link in Portuguese) this weekend to discuss Hugo’s proposal to send a goodwill peace commission to Libya. Chávez claims (link in Spanish) Sean’s worried about what’s going on in Libya, as if there weren’t enough reasons to worry about what’s going on in Venezuela.

Once Sean and Hugo work out the Libya situation, Sean will be heading to Haiti with Charlie next week.

I never did find out if Charlie made it to Haiti, but Sean later on became pals with Argentina’s Cristina Fernández and Mexico’s drug lord El Chapo.

Sean wasn’t the only American actor hangin’ with Hugo. Kevin Spacey and Tim Robbins also did, and Hugo bankrolled Danny Glover to the tune of $20 million to produce two movies, [CORRECTION old link; go here for a current link] one of which was – wait for it – a bio of Toussaint D’Overture, the Haitian slave that led the revolt against the French and declared himself emperor.

Haiti’s per capita GDP is US$739.60.

So I ask again, where are they?

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The fake Syrian passports Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Today’s top story: Macri won yesterday’s runoff in Argentina. I’m working on a longer post for this afternoon. [Update: Post is up]

The most ignored story of the week so far is the one about all the Syrians in our Hemisphere using stolen and fake passports, even in the Tri-Border Area. But hey, don’t worry, be happy!

ARGENTINA
Keep it all in the family: Kirchner Supporters Urge Voters to Steal Relatives’ ID Cards.Facebook Page behind the Campaign Claims It Was All a “Joke”

Perfidy: Cristina Fernandez overspending to the last Peso and credit before leaving

Outgoing Argentine president Cristina Fernandez will be leaving not only the Central bank reserves exhausted but also a budget deficit which is estimated at 7% of GDP by the end of the fiscal year, equivalent to 400.000 million Pesos, according to the country’s National Auditing Office, AGN.

BOLIVIA
Three Australian backpackers arrested at Bolivian airport as they attempt to board a flight when ‘police find explosives in one of their bags’

Bolivia Protesters Threaten to Cut Flow of Gas to Brazil

BRAZIL
Perfect Storm at Petrobras, the World’s Most Indebted Oil Company. State-run firm went on a borrowing binge–but after Brazil’s currency and oil prices plunged, it faces tough choices

Brazilian economic activity contracts for the fourth straight quarter

Economic activity in Brazil contracted for the fourth straight quarter, central bank data showed this week as Latin America’s biggest economy plunges further into recession. The bank’s IBC-Br economic activity index indicates economic activity fell 1.41% in the third quarter from the previous three months.

CHILE
Advances in viniculture add to Chile’s attraction for investors

COLOMBIA
Santos to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Colombia by Executive Order. Decree Sets Groundbreaking “Export License” for Cannabis-Based Health Products

COSTA RICA
Regional Bloc to Consider Cuban Migrants

CUBA
Castro’s Refugees Aren’t Coming for Freedom.Havana’s Orchestrated Migrant Crisis Turns Up the Heat on DC

1,403 Arbitrary Arrests in Cuba under US Embassy WatchRegime Escalates Repression following Normalization of Relations

ECUADOR
With a name like Carlos Marx, what’s not to love? Ecuador the First LatAm Nation to Convict a Twitter Activist. Opposition Leader Given 15 Days in Prison for Libeling Labor Minister Carlos Marx

GUYANA
In Guyana, a Land Dispute With Venezuela Escalates Over Oil

JAMAICA
Bank of Jamaica Governor Says JA Dollar No Longer Devalued, Hopes to Boost Confidence of Investors

LATIN AMERICA
Extradition in Latin America: How to handle a drug gang. The pros and cons of outsourcing justice to the United States (emphasis added)

Extradition can create dependency by reducing pressure to clean up local justice systems. Although Colombia has broken up gangs, increased drug seizures and cut its murder rate, its courts and jails remain inefficient and corruptible by global standards. Because it now extradites even mob foot-soldiers, no one knows if it could jail a proper capo safely. Just 9% of murders there lead to a conviction.

MEXICO
Mexican Immigration to U.S. Reverses.More Mexicans are leaving the U.S. to return home than arriving, ending the largest wave of immigration in modern American history

NICARAGUA
Thousands of Cuban migrants stuck at Nicaraguan border in limbo amid political impasse

PANAMA
Panama Canal Traffic Jam Easing. Container ships were waiting up to 10 days to pass through the Panama Canal, but conditions are improving just in time for the holiday shopping season

PARAGUAY
Paraguay Strikes Blow Against Guerrilla Group the ACA, Armed Peasant Association, not to be confused with the US’s Affordable Care Act.

PERU
Foreign Correspondence: Ecuador or Peru – Which is better for rookie travelers?

PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Electric Wins Extension of Debt Restructuring Pact

URUGUAY
File this one under “No s**t, Sherlock!”: Uruguay Authorities Discover ‘Gray Market’ for Pot

Authorities in Uruguay say the country’s legal pot-growing clubs may be selling marijuana and cannabis products without approval, creating a kind of “gray market.”

VENEZUELA
Venezuela pair held by US for drugs ‘were kidnapped’. First direct comment on the case from a high-ranking Venezuelan official, who claims relatives of President Nicolas Maduro were ‘kidnapped’

You heard it here first: BCV is running out of hard assets. Financial statements prove the Venezuelan Central Bank is rojo rojito. As in, in the red.

A casual electoral prediction (election YV-5)

An Explosive Bag Of Doritos In Venezuela



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Our Weasel Of The Week!

At the Watchers’ Council,

Yes, once again, It’s time to present this week’s statuette of shame, The Golden Weasel!!

Every Tuesday, the Council nominates some of the slimiest, most despicable characters in public life for some deed of evil, cowardice or corruption they’ve performed. Then we vote to single out one particular Weasel for special mention, to whom we award the statuette of shame, our special, 100% plastic Golden Weasel. This week’s nominees were all slimy and despicable, but the votes are in and we have our winner by a nose…the envelope please…

http://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HS.144884438653&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0
Charlie Sheen, Actor, Blowhard And Irresponsible Jerk

 JoshuaPundit : I rarely pay attention to Hollywood or what passes for  celebrities there, but it’s finally come out that Charlie Sheen is HIV positive and has been for quite some time. While I sympathize with anyone who has this illness, Sheen apparently hid it from the world for quite some time, even paying millions to blackmailers. And he also hid it from a number of his sexual partners. 

Lawsuits will of course ensue, but how much money can ever compensate for someone infecting you with HIV and potentially taking your life and the lives of others whom never made the choice to have sex with Charlie Sheen, never even met him? How much would you settle for?

It was a truly despicable, weasel choice he made, simply to protect his own vanity and image. It’s the antithesis of anything remotely resembling manhood. 

Actors frequently get recognition for their talents, and they also get awards. The only thing I want to add to what was written above is this. You, Mr. Sheen can accept this award as recognition for your finest performance ever in  your role impersonating a man and a concerned, decent human being.

I hope somehow you come to terms with the damage your vanity caused to others, make true repentance and find peace.

-Selah-

Well, there it is.

Check back next Tuesday to see who next week’s nominees for Weasel of the Week are!

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum, and remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, and you won’t want to miss it…or any of the other fantabulous Watcher’s Council content.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

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Can’t wait for Charlie to do Radio City

Charlie Sheen bombs in Detroit, mocks his fans with “I already got your money, dude!”

His Violent Torpedo of Truth show is coming to Radio City on April 8 and 10. Prices range from $59 to $698.

There are lots of available seats.

Flashback,
Maybe Sheen should have The Brain rewrite his show.

The Brain: “Now come, we’ll go to a place where women are paid huge amounts of money to look beautiful and change their clothes frequently.”
Pinky: “Charlie Sheen’s house?”

Charlie Sheen, Ben Verreen, shrink to the size of a lima bean!

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Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, and Hugo Chavez to the rescue!

The dynamic trio are on the job to solve Haiti’s and Libya’s problems! Here’s how it’s developing:

Sean Penn has come to Charlie Sheen’s defense, saying that Carlos Irwin Estevez is “a guy who has a clearer view of the nature of the world around him than is sometimes comfortable to have”.

I kid you not:
Sean Penn Speaks Out on His Friend Charlie Sheen

Sean Penn on Sheen: “When you divorce the moral judgments, which I prefer to do, I see a guy who has a clearer view of the nature of the world around him than is sometimes comfortable to have. Those are the sort of people who have a tendency to find altered states. But he’s a very ironic character. He’s got pretension in the crosshairs of his wit. I think to a large degree he’s saying, ‘Guys, we’re only going to be here once, so lighten the f–k up.’”

I like that, “He’s got pretension in the crosshairs of his wit.”

Sean didn’t stop there; he invited Charlie to Haiti, as if the blighted country hasn’t had enough yet, and Charlie accepted while using an inappropriate metaphor (emphasis added),

In a conversation with “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush, Sheen said, “I’m excited as hell because, you know, if I can bring the attention of the world down there, then clearly this tsunami keeps cresting.”

Ugh. Poor choice of words, Charlie.

What the above articles don’t mention is that between bromides about pretension and invites to Haiti, Sean’s visiting Venezuela – and Sean’s worried “about what’s going on.”

Sean didn’t go into details about what that meant.

However, Sean’s meeting with Hugo Chávez (link in Portuguese) this weekend to discuss Hugo’s proposal to send a goodwill peace commission to Libya. Chávez claims (link in Spanish) Sean’s worried about what’s going on in Libya, as if there weren’t enough reasons to worry about what’s going on in Venezuela.

Once Sean and Hugo work out the Libya situation, Sean will be heading to Haiti with Charlie next week.

No word as to whether Sean will be introducing Charlie to Hugo any time soon.

Cross-posted in The Greenroom.

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