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Lina Ron Died on 5th March Due to Heart Attack
Lina Ron died on 5th March 2011 due to a heart attack. She died in the Clinique La Arboleda of Caracas. Her ending ceremony will be in La Plaza Andres Eloy Blanco which is next to Vice President and General buried in South Graveyard.
Lina Ron was born in September 1959 in Anaco and her full name was Ninette Lina Ron Pereira. She was a political leader in Venezuelan and was a founder and president on a political party known as Unidad Popular Venezolana similar to President Hugo Chavez.Lina Ron died on 5th March 2011 due to a heart attack. She died in the Clinique La... more-
- shaadimeo
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Facebook Poaches Google's Top Executive in Latin America
The fight for talent between Google and Facebook — or more precisely, the flow of Google employees to Facebook — is not just a Silicon Valley affair.
Facebook has hired Alexandre Hohagen, the top Google executive in Latin America, to be its vice president for sales in the region, the company said in a press release issued in São Paolo last week. Mr. Hohagen had helped to establish Google’s Latin American offices some six years ago and later served as general manager of Google Brazil and then as vice president of Google Latin America.
Facebook said the appointment of Mr. Hohagen underscored its commitment to the region and said it planned to build a local advertising team there.
Brazil has plenty of significance in the battle between Google and Facebook. It is one of the few large markets where Google’s social network, Orkut, is still larger than Facebook’s. Facebook has been expanding aggressively overseas. In July, it pulled even with Orkut in India. (Facebook is still struggling in other countries, like Japan, but its rivals there, and in other countries, are home-grown.)
Facebook has been growing at a healthy rate in Brazil. As of December, it had 12.4 million users, according to comScore. But it trailed Orkut, which had 32.7 million users, by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio. A year earlier, Orkut’s Brazilian audience was seven times larger than Facebook’s.
“Millions of people in Latin America are using Facebook daily to connect and share with their friends and families, which is an integral part of the Latin American culture,” Mr. Hohagen said in the press release. “Facebook’s sales team for Latin America will be able to help companies here navigate this unprecedented reach and engagement to create campaigns that will impact their businesses in meaningful ways.”
Facebook declined to explain its push in Latin America in more detail, but it was safe to assume that a big part of Mr. Hohagen’s mission would be to close the gap with Orkut in Latin America’s largest country.
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http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/facebook-poaches-googles-top-executive-in-latin-america/?ref=technologyThe fight for talent between Google and Facebook — or more precisely, the flow... more-
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Study finds blacks, Hispanics more likely to be stopped on drug suspicion
A possible arrest for drug possession might have just as much to do with one's race as it does with potential illegal activity.
According to a report by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Harry Levine, a sociology professor at Queens College, black and Hispanic citizens are more likely to be pulled over for suspicion of illegal drugs by the New York Police Department than white or Asian citizens.
An ongoing federal lawsuit was filed in 2008 by the Center for Constitutional Rights after it analyzed six years of the NYPD's data and found that almost 150,000 stops were made without reported justification.
Columbia University's Jeffrey Fagan analyzed the NYPD's stop and frisk data and found that race is the strongest way of predicting NYPD activity.
According to Darius Charney, a staff attorney at CCR, the NYPD's attorneys are currently motioning for the case to be dismissed.
"Plaintiffs are very confident that we will survive this summary judgment motion, after which the case will move towards trial," he said.
David Greenberg, a sociology professor in NYU's College of Arts and Science, said racial profiling reports may be misleading.
"You have to think when they stop someone, they would usually have no way of knowing if that person has marijuana in his or her possession," he said. "If virtually all of the people who are found with marijuana on them are going to be arrested and charged, there's probably no room for the race of the individual for it to make a difference."
At NYU, the university attempts to keep its drug policy clear. The university's policy on drugs, according to NYU's Office of Public Safety, is that in any case of "finding evidence of the unlawful possession, use or distribution of drugs on its premises by any student, the University will take appropriate disciplinary action, including, but not limited to probation, suspension or expulsion."
"Since I've been at NYU, I've known two people who have been caught with weed by the NYPD, both of whom were arrested," said one Gallatin freshman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I also know someone who was caught with marijuana in a dorm; they were put on housing probation and had to attend a three-hour marijuana class."
NYU students are also still reacting to an article in the New York Post, which said NYU students are more likely to get high than those at Columbia by a 5-to-1 margin. In 2009, according to NYU Public Safety, there were 610 total drug related incidents at NYU, while at Columbia, there were 121, according to the Post. The article did not, however, take into account the population of the universities — where Columbia has a population of 5,667 undergraduates, NYU has over 20,000 undergraduates.
http://nyunews.com/news/2011/02/09/09marijuana/A possible arrest for drug possession might have just as much to do with one's... more-
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Will Cuba Be the Next Egypt?
Developments in Egypt over the last two weeks brought Cuba to my mind. Why does a similar rebellion against five decades of repression there still appear to be a far-off dream? Part of the answer is in the relationship between the Castro brothers—Fidel and Raúl—and the generals. The rest is explained by the regime's significantly more repressive model. In the art of dictatorship, Hosni Mubarak is a piker.
That so many Egyptians have raised their voices in Tahrir Square is a testament to the universal human yearning for liberty. But it is a mistake to ignore the pivotal role of the military. I'd wager that when the history of the uprising is written, we will learn that Egypt's top brass did not approve of the old man's succession plan to anoint his son in the next election.
Castro has bought loyalty from the secret police and military by giving them control of the three most profitable sectors of the economy—retail, travel and services. Hundreds of millions of dollars flow to them every year. If the system collapses, so does that income. Of course the Egyptian military also owns businesses. But it doesn't depend on a purely state-owned economy. And as a recipient of significant U.S. aid and training for many years, the Egyptian military has cultivated a culture of professionalism and commitment to the nation over any single individual.
In Cuba there are no opposition political parties or nonstate media; rapid response brigades enforce the party line. Travel outside the country is not allowed without state approval. If peaceful dissidents with leadership skills can't be broken, they are eventually exiled. Or they are murdered.
The most striking difference between Cuba and Egypt is access to the Internet. In a March 2009 Freedom House report on Internet and digital media censorship world-wide, Egypt scored a 45 (out of 100), slightly worse than Turkey but better than Russia. Cuba scored a 90, making it more Net-censored than even Iran, China and Tunisia. Cellphone service is too expensive for most Cubans.
Yet technology does somehow seep into Cuba. When Fidel took the life of prisoner of conscience Pedro Boitel in 1972 by denying him water during a hunger strike, the world hardly noticed. By contrast, news of the regime's 2010 murder of prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo hit the Internet almost immediately and was met with worldwide condemnation. The military dictatorship was helpless to contain the bad publicity.
In a similar fashion, when the Ladies in White—a group of wives, sisters and mothers of political prisoners—walking peacefully in Havana were roughed up by state security last year, the images were captured on cellphones and immediately showed up on the Web. It was more bad PR for the Castro brothers and their friends like Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Spanish President José Luis Zapatero.
Technology-induced international pressure is making the regime increasingly reluctant to flatten critics the old-fashioned way. In an interview in Argentina's Ambito Financiero on Jan. 27, internationally recognized Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez said the "style" of state repression has shifted from aggressive arrests and long sentences to targeted attempts at defamation and isolation. Ms. Sanchez also said that uniformed police are "distancing themselves from the political theme, not by orders from above, but because they no longer want to be associated with the repression." Now, she said, the intimidation and arbitrary arrests are largely carried out by the secret police in civilian clothes.
A little more space has emboldened the population. Ms. Sánchez also said in the interview that she is "optimistic about the slow and irreversible process of interior change in Cubans. In that the citizen critic will grow, will have less fear, and will feel that the mask is increasingly unnecessary and that it doesn't any longer translate into privileges and subsidies."
Last week a leaked video of a Cuban military seminar on how to combat technology hit the Internet. It demonstrates the dictatorship's preoccupation with the Web. The lecturer warns about the dangers of young people with an appealing discourse sharing information through technology and trying to organize. Real-time chat, Twitter and the emergence of young leaders in cyberspace—aka "a permanent battlefield"—are perils outlined in the hour-long talk. The lecturer also shares his concerns about U.S. government programs that try to increase Internet access outside of officialdom on the island.
On Friday, the regime further displayed its paranoia by charging U.S. Agency for International Development contractor Alan Gross with spying. Mr. Gross has been in jail for 14 months for giving Cuban Jews computer equipment so they could connect with the diaspora.
With very limited access, Cubans are already using the Internet to share what has until now been kept in their heads: counterrevolutionary thoughts. If those go viral, even a well-fed military will not be able to save the regime. But for now, Cubans can only dream about the freedoms Egyptians enjoy as they voice their grievances.Developments in Egypt over the last two weeks brought Cuba to my mind. Why does a... more-
- UrbanGypsy
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Alcatel agrees to settle bribery case for $137 mln
Alcatel Lucent SA has agreed to pay more than $137 million to settle U.S. charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes to foreign officials to win business in Latin America and Asia, U.S. authorities said on Monday.
http://www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/reuters/Business/71465Alcatel Lucent SA has agreed to pay more than $137 million to settle U.S. charges that... more-
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IMMIGRATION ; issues BACK on the burner in Congress
In Congress, A Harder Line On Illegal Immigrants : NPR
by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON December 26, 2010, 11:05 am ET
The end of the year means a turnover of House control from Democratic to Republican and, with it, Congress' approach to immigration.
In a matter of weeks, Congress will go from trying to help young, illegal immigrants become legal to debating whether children born to parents who are in the country illegally should continue to enjoy automatic U.S. citizenship.
Such a hardened approach — and the rhetoric certain to accompany it — should resonate with the GOP faithful who helped swing the House in Republicans' favor. But it also could further hurt the GOP in its endeavor to grab a large enough share of the growing Latino vote to win the White House and the Senate majority in 2012.
Legislation to test interpretations of the 14th Amendment as granting citizenship to children of illegal immigrants will emerge early next session. That is likely to be followed by attempts to force employers to use a still-developing web system, dubbed E-Verify, to check that all of their employees are in the U.S. legally.
There could be proposed curbs on federal spending in cities that don't do enough to identify people who are in the country illegally and attempts to reduce the numbers of legal immigrants. Democrats ended the year failing for a second time to win passage of the Dream Act, which would have given hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants a chance at legal status.
House Republicans will try to fill the immigration reform vacuum left by Democrats with legislation designed to send illegal immigrants packing and deter others from trying to come to the U.S.
Democrats, who will still control the Senate, will be playing defense against harsh immigration enforcement measures, mindful of their need to keep on good footing with Hispanic voters. But a slimmer majority and an eye on 2012 may prevent Senate Democrats from bringing to the floor any sweeping immigration bill, or even a limited one that hints at providing legal status to people in the country illegally.
President Barack Obama could be a wild card.
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=132339014In Congress, A Harder Line On Illegal Immigrants : NPR by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS... more -
Chavez given power to rule by decree by outgoing National Assembly
His critics said the move turns the country into a near-dictatorship. It comes just two weeks before a new national assembly is sworn in with a larger opposition bloc that could have frustrated some of his plans to create a socialist state.
The firebrand leader had only asked his allies for the right to govern without referring to congress for a year. Instead, they handed him the powers for 18 months as proof of their "revolutionary commitment", said Cilia Flores, the national assembly president.
The official reason for the move was to allow Mr Chavez to deal with the devastating aftermath of weeks of floods by fast-tracking tax increases and funding for construction of new homes.
But amid a fresh wave of nationalisations of farms and businesses, he has already outlined a long list of new laws that extend far beyond relief and reconstruction.
He taunted the incoming opposition congressmen in a television address.
"You won't be able to make a single law, little Yankees," he said, deploying one of his favourite insults, which depicts his opponents as American stooges.
"We're going to see how you make laws now."
The 18-month period means the opposition will be blocked from any significant role in Venezuelan politics until just months before the 2012 presidential election.
The lame-duck parliament dominated by Chavez allies is also planning a revised "Social Responsibility Law" which would impose tough regulations on the internet and ban online messages "that could incite or promote hatred," create "anxiety" in the population or "disrespect public authorities". The country's broadcast media already faces similar controls.
The law granting presidential decree powers – for the fourth time in his nearly 12-year presidency – also will allow him to enact measures involving telecommunications, the banking system, information technology, the military, rural and urban land use and the country's "socio-economic system."
His foes accused him of taking advantage of the floods to stage a crude power grab by violating the constitution as he tried to impose a Cuban-style system.
Julio Borges, a recently-elected congressman, said the opposition will keep fighting and that "the Cuban project is going to fail."
The new congress takes office on Jan 5 with 67 of the 165 seats controlled by the opposition – which would have been enough to remove the two-thirds majority needed to approve some types of major legislation and to confirm Supreme Court justices.
Anticipating that shift, pro-Chavez lawmakers earlier this month appointed nine new Supreme Court justices, reinforcing the dominance of judges widely seen as friendly to his government.
Lawmakers on Friday also approved a separate law that describes banking as a "public service" and clears the way for increased state intervention in the sector. Venezuela's private banks make up about 70 per cent of the industry, while the government controls the rest.
The moves seem aimed at intimidating opponents and neutralising potential obstacles ahead of the presidential race. In September's parliamentary elections, the pro- and anti-Chavez camps emerged with a nearly even split of the popular vote.His critics said the move turns the country into a near-dictatorship. It comes just... more-
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Things you should know about Chinese Fashion Wholesale Markets
Chinese products were known as competitive price and good quality, and “made in China” logo could be found all over the world, from Asia to Africa. If you don’t believe, check around the items around you, you won’t be disappointed I promise.
If you want to do some small business or buy something from China, especially fashion related. There is something you really should know about before start.
Casual fashion clothing: Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shanghai. These 4 provinces are the main textile bases dominating the fashion business in China. Thousands of wholesale websites existing thanks to them, like casual dresses, skirts, t-shirts, blouses, pants, etc.
Jeans & Denim: Xintang (Guangzhou). The jeans and denim definitely could represent Xintang, it accounts for 70% of the share in the country. Production over 0.2 billion pieces every year. More important, the strategical partnership between the town and Alibaba has been signed.
Wedding dresses: Huqiu, Suzhou (Jiangsu). Every bride dreams about the perfect wedding dress. Suzhou known as “silk city”, and wedding dress is their characteristic. Most of the suppliers and companies could offer custom-made service. So it would be easier to get you a suitable and cheap wedding dress. There are also many wedding wear companies in Guangdong.
Shoes: Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shanghai. They are 3 main shoes manufacture bases in the nation. A joke was once said from CCTV, if these bases stop the production, we won’t have shoes to wear at all! A little exaggerated, but it makes sense.
Handbags: Guangzhou(largest), Yiwu(Zhejiang), Baigou (Hebei), and Tainan(Jiangsu). All kinds of bags, leather products could be found in these four main markets.
Accessories: Yiwu (Zhejiang -largest), Guangdong, and Qingdao. In the 1980s, Taiwan was the larggest accessories center in the world, but now Yiwu takes over the place, and the business grow rapidly. Their 70% products were exported.
Since you know these basic information about the Chinese markets, if you need the items in very large quantity, you can think about manufacture orders; but if you don’t need that mean, ordering some stocks from China will do. Like those Chinese online wholesale websites, Taobao, Eachnet, etc. You will need a reliable agency to do so if you can’t come to China personally.
For more information or any help, please visit Fashion Bop. Much more useful stuff waiting for you on our fashion resources categories too, one stop shopping!
[All rights reserved, please state it's from www.fashion-bop.com, thanks!]Chinese products were known as competitive price and good quality, and “made in... more-
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Wikileaks: Cuban spies have "direct access" to President Hugo Chavez
Then-US Ambassador William Brownfield wrote that Cuban spies had "direct access" to President Hugo Chavez.
Another cable sent in 2010 said Cuban agents controlled spying operations against the US embassy in Caracas.
The left-wing governments of Cuba and Venezuela are close allies and outspoken opponents of the US.
The secret diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks were published by the Spanish newspaper, El Pais.
Similar allegations of Cuban intelligence influence in Venezuela have been made by Venezuelan opposition groups, but US officials have not publicly expressed such concerns.
The leaked cable from Ambassador Brownfield says the ties between Cuban and Venezuelan intelligence are so close that the two countries agencies "appear to be competing with each other for the Venezuelan government's attention".
Indoctrination
The ambassador wrote that Cuban spies were so close to President Chavez that they provided him with intelligence unvetted by Venezuelan officers.
"Cuban agents train Venezuelans on both Cuba and Venezuela, providing both political indoctrination and operational instruction".
The ambassador concludes that the Cuban involvement could impact US interests directly.
"Venezuelan intelligence services are among the most hostile towards the United States in the hemisphere, but they lack the expertise that Cuban services can provide".
The level of Cuban involvement in other agencies of the Venezuelan government was harder to confirm, he wrote.
The embassy "had received no credible reports of extensive Cuban involvement in the Venezuelan military", but there were reports that Cubans were training Mr Chavez's bodyguard.
But Cubans were likely to be involved "to a great extent" in agricultural policy, as well as in an identity card scheme.
The ambassador added that it was impossible to tell how many Cubans were working in Venezuela.
Cuba's biggest and most public involvement in Venezuela is in the provision of tens of thousands of doctors and nurses who provide basic health services in poor areas.
In return, Venezuela provides Cuba with subsidized oil.Then-US Ambassador William Brownfield wrote that Cuban spies had "direct... more-
- UrbanGypsy
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USA Announces Strategic Brandsmart
BrandsMart USA Announces Strategic Partnership With PuntoMio to Offer Fast Delivery Services.BrandsMart USA (www.BrandsMartUSA.com), one of the largest per-store-volume retailers in the United States, is now expanding its cross-border online shopping capability to customers in Latin America and the Caribbean.BrandsMart USA Announces Strategic Partnership With PuntoMio to Offer Fast Delivery... more-
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Mustard Colored
A sequence of roofs, avenues and narrow streets, reproduced with plastic and paint. A small scale city, locked in the Model of Havana room in the Miramar neighborhood. Yellow glasses let you travel, at a glance, along the streets, around the corners, up the little elevations and along the serpentine coast. The same magnifying lenses help us to enjoy the Capitol dome seem from above, or the dark face of El Morro. A model in miniature of a city that from any tall building seems to go on forever, but here it is, captured in a diminutive duplicate, trapped in a few square yards of cardboard. A replica without building collapses, without holes, without decay; a capital of cardboard and plastic which actually seems more habitable than the real one.
The guide to this peculiar museum explains — once you enter — that the representation has been painted in four different colors: brown is for the constructions of the colonial period; mustard for the buildings from 1902 to 1959; bone-colored for the buildings erected in the last five decades; and white — striking and distant — for monuments and future projects. All the visitors and tourists end up saying the same thing, “Havana is mustard!” And I can see that yes, it’s true, while explaining a detail here, some twist or turn there.
Yes, my city is mustard, spicy and sour, seasoned by the old, increasingly distant from modernity. A sample at natural size, where there are days in which one would it like to be — like in the Model of Havana — made of plastic, or cardboard, but not suffering from so much ruin.A sequence of roofs, avenues and narrow streets, reproduced with plastic and paint. A... more-
- UrbanGypsy
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Coup in Ecuador
Police and Military are revolting against President Rafael Correa.-
- joshuaheller
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- 1 year ago
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Brazilian Congress clown forced to take literacy test
Attempting to demonstrate once and for all that politics is no laughing matter, the Brazilian courts are demanding that a clown standing in the country’s general election prove his ability to read and write to meet a legal requirement for members of Congress.
Tiririca, real name Francisco Silva, has already won over voters with zany and flamboyant videos posted on YouTube, featuring the TV comedian voicing his straight-up slogans, including: “What does a federal deputy do? Truly, I don’t know. But vote for me and you’ll find out.”
Many Brazilians do appear eager to find out what a clown can bring to the role of federal deputy, with polls suggesting that Tiririca – which means ‘grumpy’ in Portuguese – is likely to win over 1 million votes.
But the clown’s oversized grin could soon be wiped away, as failing the literacy test may mean being thrown out of office after the election on October 3rd.
A judge ordered Tiririca to take the test after a video posted online by popular news magazine Epoca appears to show him struggling when a reporter asks him to read an election poll question.
Approximately 10% of Brazil’s population cannot read or write.
It now seems up to Tiririca – who began his comedic career working in a circus, aged eight – to prove that the entry requirements for becoming a clown can indeed set you up for a career in politics.
A number of other well-known national faces are also running for Congress, including ex-footballer Romário – the star player of Brazil’s winning World Cup 1994 squad – and Suellem Rocha, a 22-year-old model and dancer who acquired the nickname Mulher Pêra – ‘Pear Woman’ – due to her curvaceous figure.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11423902Attempting to demonstrate once and for all that politics is no laughing matter, the... more-
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Chavez Loses Supermajority in Venezuelan Parliamentary Elections, Opposition Gains 52% of Popular Vote
Results from the voting centers finally came out early in the morning of September 27 starting at around 2:00 am after the parliamentary elections on Sunday went deep into the night. The results that have been announced by National Election Center (CNE) revealed that Chavez's PSUV has suffered a reversal to the opposition and lost the two-thirds supermajority that allowed his party to pass legislation without opposition.
The Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) or United Socialist Party of Venezuela and its allies controlled a total of 139 of 167 seats in the National Assembly before the elections.
The current election results now show that the opposition controls a total of 62 seats to the 94 by the PSUV, a huge pickup of seats for Chavez' opponents. The loss of the super majority now means that the opposition in Venezuela will effectively be able to oppose Chavez' agenda, which up until now, had been essentially unopposed.
The opposition also won the popular vote with 52% of the vote. However, gerrymandering on the part of Chavez' government has given more power to rural areas while dividing the opposition into different regions, preventing them from gaining an overall victory in delegates.
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What does this mean for Chavez' Bolivarian Revolution?
Feel free to leave comments.Results from the voting centers finally came out early in the morning of September 27... more-
- UrbanGypsy
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Shakira - Loca - Video Teaser (English) - The Daily Blender
A sneak peak at Shakira's video for "Loca" - the new single from her upcoming album Sale el Sol, which will be released Oct 19th 2010.A sneak peak at Shakira's video for "Loca" - the new single from her... more-
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Bill Richardson: normalize relations with Cuba and advance a new collaborative relationship in Latin America
Arizona's attempt to create and enforce its own immigration policy has once again amplified -- and politicized -- the immigration debate in this country. But the fallout of that debate extends beyond our borders. The anti-immigrant push in Arizona has further alienated our neighbors throughout Latin America, who had been hoping for better relations with the United States after President Obama's election. We need to turn this opportunity to our advantage and engage with our neighbors throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Latin America has perhaps the greatest impact, in terms of trade and culture, on the daily lives of most Americans. U.S. exports to Latin America have grown faster in the past 11 years than to any other region, including Asia. Hispanics represent the biggest ethnic and most sought-after voting bloc in the United States. And nearly every country in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean now has a democratically elected government.
The time is right to leverage our trade and partnerships and advance a more collaborative relationship with our neighbors to the south. The Obama administration should consider these five steps:
-- First, it should aggressively lobby Congress for a comprehensive immigration law. Such legislation would include increased border security; a crackdown on illegal hires; and an accountable path to legalization that requires the 11 million immigrants here illegally to learn English, pass a background check, pay fines and get in line behind those who are trying to enter our country legally. Illegal immigrants come to our country from Central and South America and the Caribbean. This is not just an issue with Mexico; it is a hemispheric issue that needs a comprehensive response.
-- Second, as a first step to changing our policy toward Cuba, the president should issue an executive order to lift as much of the travel ban as possible. The travel ban penalizes U.S. businesses, lowers our credibility in Latin America and fuels anti-U.S. propaganda. Lifting the ban would also be a reciprocal gesture for Cuba's recent agreement, negotiated among the Catholic Church, the Spanish government and President Ra?l Castro, to release political dissidents. Obama has taken significant steps to loosen restrictions on family travel, remove limits for remittance and expand cooperation in other areas such as expanding the export of humanitarian goods from the United States into Cuba. Loosening travel restrictions is in U.S. interests and would be a bold move toward normalization of relations with Cuba.
-- Third, embark on a new Alliance for Progress with Latin America and the Caribbean, modeled on President John F. Kennedy's vision for the hemisphere. This should not be a one-sided alliance preconceived on expansion of U.S. markets, nor an agreement that imposes a U.S. solution. We need a new partnership in which we close the gap between the haves and have-nots by addressing both human and economic needs and giving more priority to the indigenous people of this hemisphere.
The United States needs to craft a hemispheric agenda that includes and emphasizes solutions to energy demands and climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean. Perhaps we need a hemispheric agreement on renewable energy that provides the technical know-how for the Americas and dramatically expands the biofuel agreement with Brazil. We also need to move quickly toward a real carbon-trading system that would reward countries that protect their forests.
-- Fourth, we should continue to seek trade agreements that are free and fair and contain strong standards on labor, the environment and human rights. Pending trade agreements with Colombia and Panama should be approved by Congress and once again establish the United States as a reliable trading partner. Additionally, the Obama administration should seek a hemispheric agreement on common labor, environmental and human rights standards. This bold move would promote our interests and image in the region.
-- Finally, we need a hemispheric accord on crime and violence. In New Mexico, we are working with law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels and on both sides of our border with Mexico to share intelligence and stop the illicit trade of narcotics, illegal guns and human trafficking. These are transnational issues that involve a coordinated effort to protect the safety of law-abiding citizens of the United States and Mexico. We must not allow the immigration debate to distract from our national responsibility to engage with our neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Better hemispheric relations should be a foreign policy priority, not an afterthought.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081304982.htmlArizona's attempt to create and enforce its own immigration policy has once... more-
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Quo vadis, Venezuela?
[Translated from Spanish, by UrbanGypsy] This is an opinion piece, not written by me.
BY Oscar Espinosa Chepe
The parliamentary elections in Venezuela, scheduled for September 26, could mark a radical departure in its turbulent recent political history, becoming the beginning of the end of Chavez. This time 165 seats of deputies will be in play and, for the first time in several years, the fragmented opposition will present some degree of unity, which suggests that, for the first time, as a result of the disruption caused by the administration of the controversial Hugo Chávez, the Venezuelan people might be compelled this time to establish a limit to the abuse and mismanagement of a populist regime that threatens to turn one of the world's richest nations into a new Cuba, with its totalitarian model and all its dysfunctions.
Explaining the last 11 years is difficult due to the inconsistencies and absurdities. When Chavez came to power in 1999, aided by a significant political movement of change, with massive support from a population frustrated by the bad management of successive governments, the price of a barrel of oil was 10.40 U.S. dollars on the international market. Since then it has grown to a peak in July 2008 of 144 U.S. dollars, down at the end of that year to about $40, and then increasing, currently maintained at more than $70 - or 7 times the price of when Chavez came to power.
The substantial rise in the price of fuel should mean a great influx of financial income and should have resulted in the strengthening of the Venezuelan economy, but economic data shows the opposite. In 2009, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by 3.3%, while in 2010 the fall is projected to be at 3.0% by ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), and its projected rebound in 2011 of only 2.5% makes it the poorest in South America. Meanwhile, inflation rates have been stubbornly high around 30.0% in recent years, which has influenced the collapse of the real value of wages. At the same time, under the 11 year Chavez administration, Venezuela's currency has lost 90.0% of its value. Even the extraction of oil has fallen dramatically; if in 1998 was 3.5 million barrels a day, it currently extracts only 2.8 million, according to Venezuelan consulting firms.
Ironically, PDVSA, the entity responsible for managing oil, increased its workforce from 37,900 workers to the current 100,000, a story that parallels the decline in efficiency of the once-famous Cuban sugar industry after its nationalization by its Communist regime. In a global Competitiveness List for 2010, published recently by the World Economic Forum, Venezuela ranked 122nd; the lowest position in Latin America.
This data points to a very serious increase of shortages of commodities, something incredible given the considerable reserves of foreign currency that the nation should have. There have also been repeated incidents of power cuts, droughts that have affected the energy production, and evidence of the poor condition of power plants, which have not worked well in the absence of a proactive investment policy and lack of maintenance of the adequate facilities that are available.
In social terms, Venezuela has seen a great increase in corruption and violence. If in 1998 there were 19 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, in 2009 it reached 75, according to the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence, which indicates that Venezuela has become the most dangerous country in Latin America. It ranks 122nd globally in levels of violence after South Africa, according to the 2010 Global Peace Index that ranks 144 countries.
There has also been a continued deterioration in the political arena. The persecution against the opposition has increased and a significant number of television and radio have been silenced or forced to reduce criticism of the government through different methods. If there are still areas of freedom, they are the result of the Venezuelan people’s determination to uphold and fight for democracy, which has so far prevented the implementation of a Cuban-style totalitarian system.
Chavismo, by the delusions of grandeur of the leader, has been characterized by continued interference in neighboring nations. Interference which has ranged from sending suitcases of money to influence elections in other countries, to supporting sustained narco-groups, of which there is abundant evidence, as is in the case of Colombia. It has resulted in insane policy choices that have caused serious friction with Venezuela’s neighbors, including the danger of military confrontation with Colombia.
Chavez has tried to tackle the growing economic disaster, political and social, with the use of chauvinistic and demagogic rhetoric, full of insults and abuse, lacking credible arguments. He has also used as a political tool the import of tens of thousands of Cuban technicians, primarily in health and education to benefit the poor in slums. This has served as strong propaganda to tout Chavez's alleged accomplishments without mentioning the cost it represents for the country. For years, in exchange for cooperation, Venezuela has delivered about 100,000 barrels of oil a day to Cuba, with special prices and financing conditions, in addition to granting important loans. Venezuela has become the main economic and trading partner of the island, and has been busy taking the place, with its oil wealth, the old position that the USSR had until 1989 of providing the island’s lifeline. If Cuba, at this time of great difficulty, lacked the Venezuelan cooperation it depends on, the economic consequences would be devastating.
Of the many hopes and dreams aroused by Chavez, the Venezuelan people have lost many of them. Much of the original must trusted allies and companions of the leader have gradually removed themselves from his ranks, and many have become his staunchest opponents. From General Baduel, who participated with him in the 1992 coup attempt and aided his return to power in 2002 after a momentary loss, to until last February, the separation of the popular governor of the state of Lara, Henry Falcon, the number of disaffected is steadily increasing. Even allies still at his side, like the Communist Party of Venezuela, have refused to join the new Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and have repeatedly made criticisms of his management.
Polls show the decline in its popularity due to his continued mistakes, arrogance, as well as vulgar and aggressive rhetoric. President Chavez reached only 45.0% of support in Venezuela in 2009, 20.0% less than in 2006, while 81.0% of respondents indicated that private property is essential for economic development, according to a survey Latinobarómetro, a prestigious nonprofit organization based in Santiago de Chile, which since 1995 carries out opinion surveys on economic, social and political issues in Latin America. The survey also showed that the image of Chavez in Latin America has deteriorated significantly, with only a 40.0% approval, a level equal to that Fidel Castro. The leader with the most popularity was Barack Obama with a 70.0% approval, followed by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with 64.0%, Michel Bachelet close to 60.0%, and Felipe Calderón and Álvaro Uribe with about 55.0%, all showing growth in relation to previous surveys. The levels of acceptance of Chavez and Fidel Castro were the only ones with significant decreases in acceptance in Latin America.
From the above it follows that if the elections for deputies of the Venezuelan National Assembly are clean and fair, the chances of losing control of the National Assembly by Chavez are highly probable, which could have disastrous results for the fragile and dependent Cuban economy, especially if it has not foreseen this potential scenario.[Translated from Spanish, by UrbanGypsy] This is an opinion piece, not written by me.... more-
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Cuba to lay off 500,000 in 6 months, allow private jobs
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba announced on Monday it would lay off "at least" half a million state workers over the next six months and simultaneously allow more jobs to be created in the private sector as the socialist economy struggles to get back on its feet.
The plan announced in state media confirms that President Raul Castro is following through on his pledge to shed some one million state jobs, a full fifth of the official workforce -- but in a shorter timeframe than initially anticipated.
"Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining companies, productive entities and services with inflated payrolls and losses that damage our economy and result counterproductive, create bad habits and distort workers' conduct," the CTC, Cuba's official labor union, said in newspapers.
Castro had announced layoffs in August, but said they would occur over the next five years.
At the time, he said the government "agreed to broaden the exercise of self employment and its use as another alternative for the employment of those excess workers."
The drastic and unprecedented economic changes have many Cubans worried that jobs they had long taken for granted under the Communist government will no longer be guaranteed.
Others are hopeful that they will have more freedom to set prices and earn more than the average state wage of $20 a month.
The state currently controls more than 90 percent of the economy, running everything from ice cream parlors and gas stations to factories and scientific laboratories. Traditionally independent professions, such as carpenters, plumbers and shoe repairmen, are also employed by the state.
State media on Monday did not give details about where private enterprise would be allowed to grow or which sectors would suffer layoffs, but did talk about which areas are still strategic.
"Within the state sector, it will only be possible to fill the jobs that are indispensable in areas where historically the labor force is insufficient, like agriculture, construction, teachers, police, industrial workers and others."
The announcement avoided the word "private," but said alternative forms of employment to be allowed included renting or borrowing state-owned facilities, cooperatives and self employment and that "hundreds of thousands of workers" would find jobs outside of the state sector over the next few years.
Castro has launched a few, small free-market reforms since taking over from his brother Fidel Castro in 2006.
In April, for example, barbershops were handed over to employees, who pay rent and tax but charge what they want. Licenses have also been granted to private taxis.
For a couple of years, fallow land in the countryside has been turned over to private farmers. The more they produce, the more they earn.Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba announced on Monday it would lay off "at least"... more-
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Fidel Castro: "The Cuban Model No Longer Works"
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-cuban-model-doesnt-even-work-for-us-anymore/62602/
In an interview with journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, Fidel Castro admitted that "the Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore."
Could this finally legitimize the actions of the opposition that has been trying for many years to bring change to Cuba? What does this mean for the future of Cuba, that the leader of the Revolution itself believes that the economic model no longer works?
And also, what does this mean for Hugo Chavez in Venezuela who has time and time again held up Cuba as a model for Venezuela?
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Personally, I am glad that what Cubans in exile have been saying for 50 years has finally been admitted by Fidel Castro. I have only one word for this: Vindication.http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-cuban-model-doesnt-even-... more-
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Chavez threatens to cut off oil to U.S.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday said his country will stop exporting oil to the United States if there is a military attack stemming from escalating tensions between Venezuela and Colombia.
Speaking at a political rally, Chavez warned of a military attack from Colombia, and accused the United States of being behind such an attack.
"The Yankee empire has no limit to its manipulation," Chavez said.
Colombia and Venezuela are at odds over accusations that Colombian rebels have found refuge in Venezuela. Colombia called an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States last week, in which it provided photos that it said were evidence of camps belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- known by its Spanish abbreviation, FARC -- in Venezuela.
Venezuela denies the accusations, and in response broke off diplomatic ties with the neighboring country.
If there is an attack from Colombia, Chavez said Sunday, Venezuela would stop supplying oil to the United States, "even if we have to eat rocks" because of the repercussions.
"That would be a response of dignity and high caliber," Chavez said.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Venezuela is the fifth-largest supplier of crude oil to the United States, delivering an average of 894,000 barrels of oil per day.
He also warned there would be "internal measures" in Venezuela against the opposition and media in case of a war. He accused opposition governors of being in contact with the Colombian military.
Chavez said Venezuela rejected the possibility of any foreign guerrilla or paramilitary group to operate in his country.
Colombia has accused Chavez of supporting the rebels, and Chavez has said Colombian officials and right-wing paramilitary units have plotted his assassination.
Security analysts say FARC guerrillas operate mostly in Colombia but have carried out extortion, kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador.
FARC is said to traffic in cocaine to finance its insurgency.
Colombia has also accused another neighbor, Ecuador, of giving refuge to rebels. In 2008, Colombia carried out a raid in Ecuadorian territory that resulted in the killing of a top FARC leader.
Last week was not the first time Chavez cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia.
A year ago, Chavez "froze" the nations' relationship over Colombian accusations that Venezuelan weapons had made it into the hands of rebels.
Colombia said it had evidence that shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons recovered from FARC guerrillas were of Venezuelan origin. Venezuela denied the allegations and said the rebels may have stolen the weapons from a Venezuelan base.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday said his country will stop exporting oil to... more-
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