"Costan Ricans Protest trade with U.S."

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2633519120070227?pageNumber=2

It seems that protesters in Costa Rica's capital, San Jose, have gathered in the streets to protest the signing of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Tens of thousands of educators and students marched together in an attempt to get the government, led by Arias, to vote against the measure. It is expected that the measure will pass though. If passed, the bill will create a free trade zone between the United States, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Citizens worry that this would cause privitization of state run utilities and ruin the common farmer. Ironically, Costa Rica is the only nation not to have approved the bill yet. It is just funny to see that not everyone is in favor of the globalization that is currently occurring. Further, it shows that there may be problems in these free trade agreements.

Venezuela Spending on Arms Rises to the Top of the List

Venezuela has now taken the lead of Latin American countries in weapons purchasing and even spends more than Iran and Pakistan, spending $4 billion in the past two years. Venezuela officials claim they are building up their weapons before the US puts on a ban on the sale of American arms to the country and just in case the US mounts some sort of military aggression towards them. I'm sure this has President Bush shaking in his boots. Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/world/americas/25venez.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.

Police officer thought to be vigilante killed in Rio

Story Highlights
• Violence rising in Rio as vigilantes take control of slums from drug gangs
• Slain officer fired, accused of leading vigilantes; 40 bullets pumped into his car
• Off-duty police officers, soldiers and firefighters form militias
• The militias charge slum residents and shopkeepers protection fees

Check out the rest of the story here

Vigilante Justice in Rio

A police officer was found dead in Rio, suspected of directing a vigilante militia that battles drug gangs in the slums of Rio. Violence is on the rise in Rio de Janeiro as such groups have attempted to take control of many of the city's poverty-stricken slums. The government has denounced such groups, comparing them to paramilitary organizations in Colombia and other Latin American countries. Read more here.

Colombian hostages

Ingrid Betancourt, a former Presidential candidate in Colombia, has been held hostage by the FARC guerilla organization for the last five years. FARC officials say they are willing to strike a deal, however the government of Colombia says the only solution is a military rescue of Betancourt and about 60 other hostages held with her. See more here.

Incan Mummies

After doing research about Peru's history, I found this article very interesting. It is from a women's website called BellaOnline. It states that scientists recently uncovered around 2,000 mummies around Lima Peru. The mummies are thought to be from the time of the Incan Empire. It will be very interesting to see what the scientists can learn from these mummies about daily life in the ancient empire. Here is the website for the article.

Mexican Police Crack Down on Crime

It seems that Mexican Federal Police have vowed their support in order to keep the tourist areas of Acapulco safe. Due to a recent increase in crime, the newly elected president has dispatched extra forces to the area. The police clad in black and carrying assault rifles have apparently been targeting any large vehicles with tinted windows due to their popularity among drug runners. Specifically, the police have been focusing on the area of Acapulco ridden with hotels frequented by foreigners. This is interesting because it shows Mexico's interest in their tourism and relations with foreigners. They realize that a large part of their economy is their tourism and they need to protect its interests in the country. I find this interesting because this is just one more case where American interests and citizens are playing a large part of policy in foreign nations. The president has vowed that the presence will be permanent and that the region will continue to be safe despite recent problems.

National Geographic: Guns, Germs and Steel

Hey everyone!
I do not know if you have already heard of this, but there is a National Geographic Special that you can rent on DVD that is on the book Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. It explains Diamond's theory on why western cultures gained dominance over other countries and regions, like Latin America, due to Guns, Germs and Steel. Anyways, I know a lot of people have started to read the book but have not finished it, so this is a quick four-hour summary. Although I have not finished watching it yet, I highly recommend it. The title is National Geographic: Guns, Germs and Steel.

Aristide Returning to Haiti?

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the former president of Haiti who was ousted from the country three years ago, has said that he is planning on returning to Haiti, depending on "judging the security and stability" of Haiti. Current president Rene Preval has made no comment on whether he will welcome Aristide back into the country.

To read more, please click here

"La Ciudad y Los Perros"

"La Ciudad y Los Perros" is a novel written by the famous Peruvian writer Maria Vargas Llosa. This novel narrates the story of a group of teenage boys who attend a military school in Lima. The main characters represent different sectors of Peruvian society. What is most interesting and relevant to our studies is the rivalry between the Serranos and the more elite students.

Police arrested for the killings of Parliament members

Today there were arrests of four Guatemalan police officers for the killings of three politicians who represent El Salvador in the Central American Parliament. The three men were shot and then set on fire before they died. The motive is most likely political. To find out more, visit this site.

Mas de Libro de Manuel

In my continuation of the Cortazar novel Libro de Manuel, the confusion has continued but with some plot developments (to my understanding). As far as I can deduce, there are three overlying themes in this revolutionary novel; (for those who aren't familiar with the novel please humor me). La Joda is meant to represent change inthe form of violent revolution. Andres sees progress coming via "culturalization", be it filosofia, el cine, libros, etc., and Lonstein sees change coming through a sexual revolution, confronting topics considered taboo. The role of "El que te dije" is not an omniscient narrarator, but a compiler inserting his own views and writing from his own perspective, hoping the truth lies somewhere therein.

Ecuador President Threatens to Resign

Leftist president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, stated Saturday that he would resign if his supporters did not win control of an assembly to rewrite Ecuador's constitution. Correa took office on January 15th and was voted in last November and pledged to lead a "citizen's revolution" against a political establishment that is generally viewed as corrupt. Ecuador has been known for its political instability, having 8 presidents in the last decade, and 60 percent of the country living in poverty.

To read more about this controversy, go to this link.

Paraguayan Women and Tall Tales

On a lighter post, I read this article about a Paraguayan women who made up a story about her husband being eaten by a boa constrictor. Apparently, the lady had reported to a radio talk show in Puerto Piasco that a 10 meter long boa constrictor had eaten her husband as he was boating in a river. She then claims that after wrapping him up and eating him, locals helped to kill the snake and retrieve the man's remains. In the end, the story gained national attention and was even printed on the front pages of many newspapers. Upon this fame, the lady began to ask for donations for her and her three children. Ultimately, a state prosecutor found the story to be fabricated and found the husband alive and well working on a ranch. The lady aknowledges that she made up the story, but justified it due to the fact that "she felt abandoned." And thats what makes the news these days.

Leftists and Populists in Latin America

On Washintonpost.com, I found a little map of Latin America. You can click on each country and read a little bit about the leaders there, and the map makes a point to highlight those countries with new "leftist and populist leaders." It's an interesting little insight into Washington's idea of Latin America being very left.

See the Map Here

libro de circunvolución

I started reading Juilo Cortazar's Libro de Manuel this week. This is easily one of the most difficult to comprehend books I've ever read. One character, Lonstein, not only uses highly technical and/or archaic castellano, sometimes he makes up his own words. The narration switches between Andres and "El que te dije", thourghouly confusing me. Written as a journal, it includes actual newspaper clippings of the era (early 1970's) commenting on violence against leftist idealists. Hopefully as the book unfolds I will have a better understanding (or any understanding) of the drama.

Peruvian President Questioned in Massacre

The Peruvian president Alan Garcia was recently questioned about his actions during a massacre of Maoist guerrillas during the 1980's.

Haitian Corruption

After viewing The Agronomist this week in class, I was interested to learn more about the country of Haiti. I found The Haitian Times online and perused all of the articles. There were editorials commenting on Chavez's Venezuela, the new immigration laws and fees of the United States, and an article about a former New York police officer that covered up the torture of a Haitian man. All of these provided an interesting and alternative viewpoint than the one generated by the media of the United States. The article about the police officer really struck me because it blatantly shows that racism against Haitians is still a very large problem. One other article I read was about Socabank. This was Haiti's third largest private bank. It is in the news because the bank stole its clients money and would not pay them back. This story becomes even more interesting because the Federal bank of Haiti stole money from the Socabank just as the Socabank stole from its customers. It is practically a cycle of corruption. I think this illustrates a common problem facing many countries in Latin America, the tendency for corruption. This article ends by stating that the government needs to regulate the private banks and prevent them from committing corrupt actions. With the removal of corruption, more money and time can be put towards development in Haiti. Here is the link to the article:

Referendum on Ecudor's Constitution

Ecuador will have a national referendum on holding an assembly to rewrite the country's constitution. There's some more at this link.

Brazil, Bolivia reach natural gas deal

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Bolivian President Evo Morales finally came to an agreement on the 14th about how much Brazil would pay Bolivia for Bolivian natural gas. This issue had been unresolved for about a year now, but the two countries' leaders finally reached an agreement after a bargaining session. The leaders are scheduled to sign an official agreement today. None of the details have been made public yet.

Click here to find about more about the problem and the solution.