Delfin en Guayaquil

The king of Tecnocumbia Andina.

Some music for Chavez (some soothing music for my Venezuelan Friends)

Los Apodos

Siempre me llamó la atención que en la generación de mi hermano los amigos de el eran los que tenían apodos más llamativos. Los Mellocos (un par de gemelos); Huevo (ni idea porque) Lepra (este ha de haber estado lleno de granos y feo pero nunca supe); Perlita (mi hermano); Rama Seca (flaco esquelético con un color de piel cetrino y el pelo claro tierra)

En mi generación de amigos; Cura cabezón (muy juicioso y crítico con todo el mundo y una época andaba con la cabeza rapada); Lengua de Limón (habla mucho y es agrio); Cabezón (yours truly); Hominus Albañilis (un pana que dizque era aniñado pero tenia cuerpo y facha de albañil); Fredy Krueguer (una amiga que tenía los dientes igualitos a los de tal infame personaje); El abuelo (un amigo algo veterano -8 o 10 años más- en el grupo); El chagra (un amigo de guayaquil, que aunque no era serrano hablaba como serrano por herencia del padre); El conde (este era igualito al conde contare de plaza sésamo).

En guatemala ocurre similar cosa; El pelos (este con una exagerada vellosidad en el cuerpo, era tan famoso que muchos se habían olvidado del verdadero nombre y solo lo conocían así); Chanok (otro de Guatemala que parecía una caricatura de allá)

Esos son los memorables, pero habían más dado que todos tenían un apodo.  Esto a propósito de un correo electrónico que me envio un familiar reproduciendo un artículo sobre apodos que salió en el Diario el Universo de Guayaquil y que reproduzco a continuación:

Cuban artists granted asylum

This is an interesting story, 50 cuban artists left wife, families to escape one of the last socialist paradises on earth. And Cuban leaders say that nobody would like to leave the communist paradise.

Head of the OAS resigns

Yesterday at 5 Miguel Angel Rodriguez Secretary general of the OAS resigned. What a pitty, the press says that he recived a personal loan from a Minister that received the bribe:

“The evidence seems damning enough: Rodriguez’s close friend and former housing minister, Jose Antonio Lobo, now under house arrest while cooperating with authorities, told prosecutors last week that then-president Rodriguez demanded a cut of the lucrative deal. Rodriguez claims the money was not a bribe but a personal loan, a loan that ended up in a Washington bank account held by his wife. There is no paper trail, according to Rodriguez, because it was a deal done con el pelo del bigote — from the hair of his moustache — a Costa Rican idiom for word of honor. “

Check the story by Marcela Sanchez of the Washington Post (registration required). Lets hope this is all a coverup of the guy in prison and Miguel Angel is innocent. I don’t know him personally, but I have spoken with him a couple of times over the phone to invite him to conferences and he has always struck me as a very accesible and humble person. I have known from other people that he is a very honest and principled man. His resignation could only mean that he is a very principled man that gave out his post to defend his dignity.

Se acabó la fiesta en Venezuela (The party is over in Venezuela)

Only weeks after the national recall referendum Chavez is tightening the grip on the opposition. For those who believed in the legitimate democracy of Venezuela and its blessing by Carter and the Gaviria’s OAS, how can they explain this?

Constantine Menges

I met Constantine Menges last year when I was working to organize a conference on Argentina at a joint project between Atlas and Hudson Institute. Later on he helped me put together the conference about Venezuela, and to host some visitors that came to DC to network in the area. At all times it struck me that Constantine was a very accommodating person, willing to listen to anybody with a good idea. He was humble and not infatuated by an aura of punditry, although his impressive career would have allowed him to do it. The only thing I regret was not to have befriended Constantine in a more personal way. Rest in peace, and my depest sorrows for his family. The US has lost one of the most clever experts on Latin American security issues. Check also Atlas tribute to him.

Freedom in Ecuador

In a recent discussion in a private forum with a group of friends I have been discussing why my home country is in trouble economically, even though we dollarized in 2001. My main argument is that the lack of continous reforms toward more freedom are the main reason why Ecuador is still in crisis.

Lazy Congressmen in Mexico

Thanks Eneas for this funny piece of news. A Mexican congressman affiliated with the Green party applied to participate in the newest edition of Big Brother Mexico.

Not only bad news from Venezuela

Yesterday the Devil’s Excrement a Blog on Venezuela posted a note on the current legalization process of land by the planning office of the Baruta district of Caracas. The interesting thing that it’s mentioned is the fact that for the first time, people is really getting land titles, not just the land, but a legal document that they can use to mortgage the property and do all sort of commercial transactions. A revolution in the pure De Soto’s style to resolve the mistery of Capital. CEDICE has been also working on the issues of the informal economy and recently Wladimir Zanoni its Chief analyst on the issue was mentioned on NPR

Territorial conflict between Chile and Bolivia

This morning the Washington Post Published and interesting report on the current sparks between Bolivia and Chile about their territorial conflict because of the land that Bolivia lost in the 1870 Pacific War with Peru and Chile.

Venezuela on NPR

National Public Radio (NPR), has been running this week a special on Latin American cities. Although I have disagreed with the comments on Guatemala because of the innacuracies yesterday, today’s comments on Venezuela about informal economy were superb. It featured Wladimir Zanoni from CEDICE’s projects on Informal economy. CEDICE the free-market think tank was recently recognized within Atlas’s Templeton Freedom Awards Program

Good News in El Salvador

Yesterday general elections in el Salvador between presidential candidates Tony Saca and Schafik Handal took place. The victory for Saca apparently was overwhelming given the high percentage participation of the voters, over 60% for a country used to see rates of barely over 50%.

Right Now Venezuela is another Cuban province

I heard last night on my way home a funny note on NPR radio about how Cuban doctors that have been brought to Venezuela to help move forward Chavez Bolivarian Revolution. Nonetheless this doctors once they settle have been trying to flee Venezuela through the Colombian border or going into hiding. The comment from one cuban doctor was “Right Now Venezuela is another Cuban province”

Civil War

If things continue as they are currently most likely civil war is going to break out in Venezuela. Unfortunately, Chavez again and again has deceived the opposition leaving two possible solutions, either he resigns or allows the referendum to recall him.

One point for the Mexicans Zero for the Rule of Law

It seems that the Mexicans are going to get away of the increased controls of the USA new Visit program that has raised so many concerns from the advocates of privacy and from Latino leaders in the US that complain about the fact that Latin travelers are asked to be fingerprinted and taken a photo at the port of entrance, while Europeans don’t get any sort of treatment like this.

For those who came late

Searching for information on how the explain the Venezuelan conflict to the ones that are just getting in touch with it I came across a video in several languages that is worth seeing to understand the whole conflict. Of course there is a little bit of propaganda on them, but nonetheless very accurate on the reasons why Chavez must go.

Another protest or time is running up for Chavez?

It seems that Chavez is scared of what happened to Aristide. Otherwise he won’t be vociferating all his attacks against the US, and saying that he would not leave power as runaway Aristide.

Chavez mira lo que te espera (Look what is waiting you)

At this point in time the landlord of Miraflores (the Venezuelan White House) must be worried about what has happened in Haiti. Colonel Hugo Chavez has some similarities with run away president Aristide. Both share Marxist-populist ways of governing, both have used their fierce rhetoric to enchant the masses and the international community.

The day after

By now it seems that only a miracle or Vodoo can save President Aristide of being ousted from Port Au Prince.

Haiti

Things in Haiti seem to be getting out of control since President Aristide has called to the attention the fact that some of the opposition leaders are former members of the now defunct army. Add to that the fact that this sort of events are never peaceful and you have things like the US trying to solve the problem.