I was witness to a conversation between an Aussie girl and an Israeli guy that went on for far too long about how they could make millions from selling fan hats to backpackers in Central America.  (A fan hat being a hat with a mini fan attached somewhere on the peak.)

Business plans were verbally drawn up, marketing campaigns planned and a brand name created. It would be called the Fanhat (h being silent in Español, of course).

The Fanhat would be worn by all backpackers with a slogan I’m cool. The sweatshop workers who’d make the Fanhat would also wear them. It would become a worldwide success. Their idea became so involved that they even want online to order a proto-type Fanhat.

In the swealtering Granada heat boredom drove two backpackers to become friends over a ridiculous concept that on that night seemed possible.

Straffe wind, verraderlijke stromingen, schrikwekkende reptielen, muggen, moerassen en een rasechte hold-up: het kano-avontuur was iets avontuurlijker dan verwacht. En bijgevolg al voortijdig beëindigd. Een kroniek van twee dagen into the wild.

Vrijdag, 04.31 uur. De wekker is net afgegaan. Francobollo steekt zijn slaperige kop vanonder het muggennet en ik volg gewoontegetrouw vijf minuten nadien. Het is nog on-biologisch vroeg, maar `s morgens is het water veruit het kalmst en kunnen we dus meer afstand afleggen. We zoeken onze bagage, rijst, brood, onrijpe bananen, tonijn in blik, eieren en 18 liter drinkwater bijeen en sloffen door de duistere, stoffige straten richting haven, waar onze roeiboot tegen het steigertje ligt te klotsen. Een halfuur later kiezen we het ruime sop.

Vrijdag, 06.55 uur. Ik heb er mijn eerste shift van anderhalfuur aan de riemen opzitten. De zon is intussen opgegaan en we maken van een eenzame rots gebruik om van plaats te verwisselen. De kleurenpracht van het ontwakende meer is onaards mooi; de oevers wijken terug om plaats te maken voor eindeloze velden van riet en mangrove, waar honderden vogels huizen.

Vrijdag, 09.10 uur. Ook Frank heeft zijn ding gedaan en ik heb terug overgenomen. Drie keer al zijn we ei zo na met ons hebben en houden ondersteboven gekeerd, maar we krijgen El Bolivar steeds beter onder controle. De haven wordt steeds kleiner, maar niet zo snel als gedacht. De eenzaamheid is een beetje schrikwekkend; al uren weg en nog geen mens gezien. Als er dan toch een bootje opduikt, verklaren de inzittende vissers ons stapelgek – maar we blijven positief!

Vrijdag, 11.35 uur. De wind wakkert voortdurend aan – en hij blaast nìet in ons voordeel. Ik begin een idee te krijgen van wat de mentale toestand van de gemiddelde Romeinse galeislaaf moet geweest zijn. Frank zit intussen terug aan de riemen, maar krijgt het moeilijk als we een eerste kaap ronden. We dreigen af te drijven in een verraderlijke onderstroom en Francobollo moet bij de oever uit de boot springen om hem verder te trekken. Ik volg even later, tot aan de hals in het water worstelend door de woekerende mangrove. “De krokodillen zijn hier niet zo groot. Ooit heeft er eens eentje een koe opgegeten, maar dat is al lang geleden.” De woorden van Lenin, onze bootverkoper, klinken nu toch een beetje wrang. Adrenaline!

Vrijdag, 14.50 uur. We zitten al een tijdje terug aan het roer, na de akelige passage op de kaap. De eerste blijnen zijn een feit en als er grassig land in zicht komt, is de keuze snel gemaakt: aanmeren, tentje opzetten en koken! Eens dichterbij, blijkt dat voor een stuk moeras te zijn met vreselijk veel muggen, maar daarachter ligt een stukje droog land met zelfs enkele koeien erop. De tentharingen van onze Ogre Thump gaan als een mes door boter en even later staan eieren, bananen en rijst te koken op het gasvuurtje. De calorieën zijn welkom!

Vrijdag, 18.25 uur. Het is donker, de muggen hebben ons de tent in gedreven en TikTak is weer gedaan – dus wij ons bed in. Voor wat een rustige nacht had moeten worden.

Vrijdag, 21.10 uur. Ik wordt wakker van een immens kabaal; Frank is al/nog wakker. Stemmen klinken dreigend en er wordt met zaklampen in onze tent gepriemd. Plots roept een man luid dat we met de handen omhoog uit onze tent moeten komen. Ik kijk naar buiten en zie tot mijn verbijstering de blinkende loop van een volwassen shotgun. Een overval, schiet me door het hoofd. Frank en ik kruipen in onze onderbroek naar buiten, de handen omhoog en verblind door het licht. In hakkelend spaans probeer ik snel genoeg te antwoorden op de vragen van onze belagers. Enigzins tot onze geruststelling blijken het vee-wachters te zijn, die dachten dat wij de bandieten waren. Ze laten niet na om ons nog eens de stuipen op het lijf te jagen met waarschuwingen over de vermeende criminelen. We zijn blij als we – uiteraard volgestoken door de muggen – terug in onze tent mogen, maar de schrik zit er goed in. Altijd te vinden voor een brok avontuur, maar dit gaat er nèt over.

Zaterdag, 06.28 uur. Na een onrustige nacht zitten we alweer in de roeiboot, zakdoeken om de handen om de blijnen te sparen. Het was even schrikken, maar de statige reigers en overzeilende albatrossen maken veel goed. Met hernieuwde moed roeien we de zonsopgang tegemoet!

Zaterdag, 11.05 uur. Het roeien gaat een stuk minder snel dan gedacht en is loodzwaar. Bij de kleine, afgelegen nederzetting van San Ramon leggen we aan om iets te eten; na de boa in San Francisco, zien we ook hier weer een slang door het gras ritselen. De onzekerheid over de dreiging van die beesten in de mangrove, de fysieke ontbering en vooral ook de onverwachte onveiligheid op de oevers van het meer… Ik hoop op beterschap en wil nog graag doorgaan, maar Frank ziet het niet meer zitten. We besluiten dan ook onderdak te vragen bij de oude vrouw in wiens achtertuin we beland zijn, doña Philomena. Zijn we de eerste blanken ooit in San Ramon? De kans zit er dik in.

Zaterdag, 12.15 uur. Doña Philomena heeft in geen tijd een kamertje in haar boerderijtje ontruimd om ons een slaapplek te geven. De vrouw blijkt met haar broers, zoons, schoondochter en kleinkinderen in het huis te wonen. “Overleven” is eigenlijk een beter woord. Met het oog op visvangst toont doña Philomena voorzichtige interesse in ons roeibootje. In de wetenschap dat het voor de goede zaak is, besluiten Frank en ik om El Bolivar aan de arme vrouw te verkopen – voor de helft van het geld dat ze zelf al aanbood. Daar eindigt ons kano-avontuur, een stuk sneller dan verwacht, maar alles bijeen vermoedelijk de beste beslissing.

De weinige tijd die we bij doña Philomena en haar familie mochten verblijven, was op zich een geweldige ervaring. De vrouw was enorm gelukkig met de aankoop van ons bootje. `s Avonds kwam ze ons ongevraagd een heerlijk avondmaal brengen en we bleven tot een hele tijd na zonsondergang zitten praten met de familie over ons leven in België en hun leven daar op de oevers van het Lago Managua. Dagelijks dertien kilometer stappen naar de bus (enkel), werken voor een hongerloon op de boerderij van rijke Lybiërs (vrienden van de socialistische president Ortega), amper een dokter in de buurt hebben (laat staan medicijnen)… Maar een pracht van een familieband, dat wel. “Pobre, pero unidos”, zoals doña Philomena zelf zei.

`s Anderdaags konden we, na opnieuw een stevig ontbijt en hartelijk afscheid, een lift versieren met de lokale melkboer. Via Tipitapa belandden we dan in Masaya, waar we enkele dagen geleden nog een vulkaan hebben beklommen. Zo kwamen we in Granada terecht, een koloniale parel die sterk aan Antigua in Guatemala doet denken. Van hieruit gaat het richting Zuid, over Isla Ometepe naar de Rio San Juan, wat opnieuw een primitief avontuur wordt, en zo Costa Rica binnen. Dat alles met verschillende boten – zo blijft de spirit van ons nautisch avontuur toch nog ergens bewaard

foto "Volantino iniziativa" - dal sito www.manitese.it -

Come ogni anno “Mani Tese“ cerca volontari che dal 5 al 24 Dicembre dedichino un po’ di loro tempo per impacchettare i regali natalizi acquistati c/o le Librerie Feltrinelli di tutta Italia.

Le offerte raccolte sosterranno Mani Tese nel suo impegno in Italia e nei Paesi del Sud del Mondo per garantire a tutti i popoli il diritto di decidere le proprie politiche agricole ed alimentari.

Chiunque volesse aiutare Mani Tese può contattare l’ufficio Nazionale di Mani Tese a questi recapiti:  Mani Tese, Ufficio Volontariato in Italia telefono 02-4075165 volontari@manitese.it oppure riempire il modulo on line a questo link: (Fai la differenza: diventa volontario).

Le città in cui sarà possibile fare volontariato presso le Librerie Feltrinelli sono:

• BERGAMO
• BIELLA
• BOLOGNA
• BRESCIA
• CATANIA
• COMO
• CREMONA
• FERRARA
• FIRENZE
• GENOVA
• MANTOVA
• MESTRE
• MILANO
• MODENA
• MONZA
• NAPOLI
• PADOVA
• PALERMO
• PARMA
• PAVIA
• PERUGIA
• PRATO
• ROMA
• SALERNO
• TORINO
• TRIESTE
• VARESE
• VIGEVANO

E quelle persone imbranate come me, che prima di riuscire a fare  un pacchetto decente, riescono ad autoimpacchettasi annodandosi fra fiocchi e nastro adesivo?

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Check out my new post on the Kiva Fellow’s Blog. It is part 3 of 3 of a series about remittancse I did with two other Kiva Fellows. We all took a very different approach to the topic, so it is really interesting to read them all together (at least I thought so).

http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2009/11/24/microfinance-migration-and-a-constant-stream-of-remittances-part-3-of-3-of-the-remittance-series/

PS As you read this I will probably (hopefully) be on a bus down to Costa Rica for Thanksgiving!!! I’m meeting up with some other Kiva Fellows there.

Are you ready to retire? With the real estate market in a full-blown meltdown, the U.S. on the verge of a recession, and the stock market tumbling, it is not a fun time to consider retiring. In fact, many potential retirees are having to extend their working years later and later just so they can scrape by. It just doesn’t seem fair.

What happened to living the good life in your “golden years”? Where did your dreams of finally relaxing after years of hard work vanish? Do you worry about how you’ll ever make ends meet?

If you are feeling the pinch and punch of this “uncomfortable” time in U.S. history, you are certainly not alone. Countless thousands of individuals in their late 50s, 60s, and even 70s, both those already retired as well as those ready to retire, are being faced with the prospect of having to keep working or even return to the workforce just to get by. Once respectable nest eggs and savings are quickly diminishing with the fall of the stock market, and with rapidly falling house prices, the money many expected they’d make on their home sale, just isn’t going to pay out.

Dreams of retiring to such domestic hotspots as Florida, Arizona, or California just aren’t feasible any more. But, don’t fret; more and more Americans are realizing there is an alternative. More and more retirees are pulling up their roots and beginning one of the biggest, most exciting adventures of their lifetimes – they’re choosing to invest in one of the world’s best-kept retirement secrets: Nicaragua!

Though Nicaragua is commonly seen as a “land of the poor,” the wealth of the land is in­comparable to that of any other country. Filled with gorgeous mountains, splendid green­ery, and some of the cleanest lakes that you ever will see, Nicaragua is truly a sight to see.

In fact, over 5,000 Americans have already made the decision to see it and call Nicaragua home, and that’s in addition to thousands of English-speaking expatriates from around the world who make Nicaragua one of the most desirable locations to retire.

There’s never been a better time to live and invest in Nicaragua. With the recent hurricanes, prices are at an all time low. The rebuilding effort is in full swing and retirees are scooping up cream of the crop properties at seriously discounted prices. Add to that the fact that the government is welcoming foreign retirees who want to live the Nicaraguan experience by offering rebates to foreigners over the age of 45 looking to buy property.

According to the “Law of Resident Pensioners and Retirees,” foreigners over 45 that choose to move to Nicaragua can be eligible for extra benefits as long as they have a monthly income that totals at least $400. Retirees that meet this requirement don’t have to pay taxes on earnings that come from out of country – this is huge! In addition, retirees don’t have to pay duty or import taxes on imported household goods up to $10,000, or on an imported car intended for personal use.

Once reserved for the world’s elite and most savvy investors, Nicaraguan real estate investing is quickly becoming the best way for retirees to find their own seventh heaven and begin living the lives they always dreamed were possible. If you’ve ever dreamed of living, investing, or retiring to your very own private paradise, don’t miss the opportunity to start living the good life you deserve.

“Nicaragua has beaches?” When a friend recently asked me this question, I was shocked! Well known for its steamy, dense jungles and mountain trails, many Americans are just now discovering what is perhaps Nicaragua’s best kept secret: Its breathtaking beaches!

With beaches on both coasts (and many along its numerous lakes and rivers), Nicaragua is a beach lover’s paradise. With over 190 miles of beaches on Pacific Coast and 280 miles on the Caribbean Coast, if it’s fun, sun, and sand you’re after, you really can’t go wrong in Nicaragua. Once you experience a Nicaraguan playa, you might never want to leave…but that’s okay since there’s never been a better time to invest in local real estate than right now.

From white sand to stony shorelines, from lavishly developed to wooden shacks along the shore, there is something for every beach lover in this land of twin coastlines. To make sure you curl your bare toes in softest sand, take a look at my top 3 picks for your perfect piece of paradise.

Montelimar – Luxury at Its Best
One of Nicaragua’s largest and busiest beach resort towns and arguably one of the best places to relax on the Pacific’s white sandy beaches in all of Central America, Montelimar has the finest collection of luxurious resorts, hotels, and casinos – each designed to cater to your every desire.

Whether you are an average Joe or the President of the United States, you can expect to be treated like royalty by a friendly people everywhere – from eating in a fine restaurant or catching up on some much-needed sleep in your hotel room. Service is first rate and accommodations rival those found in the best beach destinations around the world.

If you’re looking for a pampered vacation spot, filled from start to finish with all the rest and relaxation you desire, then Montelimar is the best sandy spot for you.

If you’re looking for activity, Montelimar is for you. From horseback riding, scuba diving, and kayaking, you will find none better in the world. And, if you’re up for hanging ten, the locals can point you in the direction of great surfing hot spots, too.
Indeed, possibilities are endless on this side of paradise, and, if on the rare occasion you do not have a blast, at least you will go home with a nice tan.

La Boquita Beach – Inexpensive, Clean, and Colorful
With its rocky and sandy beaches, La Boquita has earned a sparkling reputation as one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Nicaragua. Located on the Pacific coast, La Boquita is filled with chic hotels, world-class restaurants and bars – offering an all-inclusive vacation experience.

With seafood that is to die for, you could spend your entire vacation eating freshly caught food and dining on the amazing wealth of tropical delights that grow in and about this little slice of heaven.

As an established destination, tourists can feel comfortable knowing that they’ll find the modern amenities you’re looking for and transportation, accommodations, and day-to-day necessities are all easily accessed and enjoyed.

Important: If you cannot tolerate large crowds of people, this is not the place for you, especially around national holidays. But, surprisingly, despite being overrun by a constant stream of tourists, La Boquita is touted as one of the cleanest beaches in the country, and even with the high-class accommodations, you’ll find it’s really inexpensive, too.

Lake Nicaragua
You don’t have to be on the coast to enjoy the beach. Nicaragua is home to many lakes, lagoons, and rivers that offer incredible beach experiences. The most popular lake in Nicaragua is Lago de Nicaragua, or Lake Nicaragua, also known as the Sweet Sea.

Like the country itself, Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in all of Central America. Even though this is a freshwater lake, it still contains an abundance of sea dwellers like sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. Grab your snorkeling gear and get ready for fun (sharks optional)!

When you go to Lake Nicaragua, you must visit Isla de Ometepe. It’s 171 square miles of pure adventure and beauty. Filled with untouched forests, wildlife, and indigenous culture, this island getaway will be unlike any you’ve ever experienced. Hiking in its many amazing forests, you’ll discover monkeys, armadillo, opossum, anteaters, deer, bats, and more. Then, be sure to kick off your sandals, enjoy a papaya or guava juice (with local rum, of course), and take a break on the glorious white sand beaches.

If you’re up for an adventure, aren’t a fan of large crowds, and are ready for a quiet retreat into one of the world’s most beautiful and lush island landscapes, then Isla de Ometepe is a must.

As you can see, Nicaragua is much more than humid rainforests and volcanoes…it’s also a beach lover’s paradise. But, shhhh, don’t let the secret out. Let’s keep it just between us, okay? So, next time you’re planning a sandy vacation (or even a permanent move), put Nicaragua at the top of your list and be sure to visit one of these incredible beach paradises.

I just came over from Aldo Vidali’s Luminous Compass where I found a very rare video of John Kennedy from his days in office where he gives the system a true lambasting. I dare say Republicans must have been soiling their pants at this one and are probably regretting that it has resurfaced. Especially now!! Eva Colinger is on the prowl again this time in Nicaragua and pointing out that the U.S. is up to its old tricks again. I wonder if anyone in the White House is savy to any coup attempts down in South America? It seems to me that there is some rattling of War Drums in the air.

You might want to go over to the Luminous Compass and read the latest.

The Dangerous View Ahead

You might also want to check out these articles. They are in Spanish but not a good translator can’t handle.

EEUU manipula a sociedad civil en Nicaragua, dice experta

“No debemos de ceder espacios”

Nicaragua denuncia financiamiento de EE  UU

Chaves might want to tighten up the borders for any “Spooks”. No doubt they are already crawling around. Remember 2002!!!

Nicaraguan national water and sewerage utility Enacal has started work on the second phase of a US$40mn potable water project for Chontales department capital Juigalpa, local press reported.

“This is a unique project in Nicaragua. It’s the first time water has been taken from lake Cocibolca, which is the second largest lake in Latin America,” Enacal spokesperson Jackson Orozco told BNamericas.

The first phase of the project was completed earlier this year, and involved construction of a pumping system to transfer some 270l/s from the Cocibolca lake, also known as lake Nicaragua, according to Orozco.

The second phase involves replacing and installing some 48km of the city’s potable water pipeline network, which was first installed 25 years ago, paper El Nuevo Diario reported.

Work also includes the construction of storage tanks, the expansion of existing potable water treatment plants, and the construction of a new plant that will treat some 180l/s, the report said.

The project is slated for completion in 2012, and will be partly financed by a US$15.9mn loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea, which was approved by the country’s congress in January 2009r.

Source: Catherine Setterfield, BNamericas.com [subscription site], Nov 2009

Leía esta mañana en facebook el deseo de que no hubiera necesidad de conmemorar el día Internacional Contra la Violencia de Género, porque eso significaría que habrían desaparecido las agresiones a mujeres.

Hermanas Mirabal

Así lo espero, pero para que ello suceda las hermanas Mirabal deben permanecer en la mente de todos nosotros.

Poc@s adolescentes han oído hablar de “Las mariposas” y reproducen comportamientos preocupantes en sus relaciones afectivas.

Me temo que habrá muchas mariposas que hoy son larvas y que confían en que no serán pasto de los pájaros… pero nunca se sabe, porque aún hay quien dice que la cosa no es para tanto…  ¿no lo será para tanta vida perdida? o simplemente no será para tanto para el que  no quiere ver.

Por eso hoy mi recuerdo vuela con Teresa, Minerva y Patria.

]]> http://ilobservatory.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/reconocimiento-venezolano-de-osetia-del-sur-y-abjasia/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:35:04 +0000 ilobservatory http://ilobservatory.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/reconocimiento-venezolano-de-osetia-del-sur-y-abjasia/

Por Sebastián Béndiksen

En el marco de su visita a Rusia, el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez anunció el reconocimiento por parte del Estado venezolano de Osetia del Sur y Abjasia como Estados independientes y soberanos¹. Georgia y la mayor parte de la comunidad internacional consideran que estas regiones no son sino provincias renegadas que integran el Estado de Georgia. A la fecha² los únicos Estados miembro de la ONU que han reconocido a Osetia del Sur y Abjasia son Rusia, Nicaragua y Venezuela. Abjasia, Osetia del Sur y Transnistria (una región de la República de Moldavia que no ha recibido reconocimiento por parte de ningún Estado) se reconocen mutuamente. Ahora bien, antes de entrar en análisis de lo que implica el reconocimiento venezolano de estos dos Estados es importante un breve repaso de su historia.

Abjasia

Entre los siglos VIII y X, Abjasia fue un reino y, posteriormente, entre el Siglo XIII y 1864 fue un principado³. En 1810 el Principado de Abjasia fue incorporado como protectorado al Estado ruso, siendo el principado posteriormente anexado totalmente en 1864. Durante la era de la Unión Soviética Abjasia conformó una República Socialista Soviética soberana hasta que Stalin la incorporó como República Autónoma bajo la República Socialista Soviética de Georgia en 1931. Después de la caída de la Unión Soviética, una creciente tensión entre Abjasia y Georgia desató la Guerra de Abjasia (1992-1993) entre el Estado de Georgia y las fuerzas separatistas abjasasianas, la cual resultó en la pérdida de control sobre la región por parte de Georgia. Consecuentemente, Abjasia adoptó constitución propia en 1994 y declaró formalmente su independencia en 1999⁴.

Osetia del Sur

Osetia del Sur fue incorporada al Imperio Ruso en 1801 y tras el colapso del mismo formó parte de la República Democrática de Georgía. Sin embargo, los osetianos manifestaron su inconformidad y deseo de independencia con una seria de enfrentamientos entre 1918 y 1920. Después de la invasión soviética de Georgia se hizo de Osetia del Sur un Óblast Autónomo dentro de la República Socialista Soviética de Georgia. En 1990 Osetia del Sur declaró su independencia de la RSS de Georgía considerándose soberana dentro de la Unión Soviética. Sin embargo, el colapso de la URSS precipitó un conflicto armado resultando en la Guerra de Osetia del Sur (1991-1992) en la cual Georgia perdió control sobre esta región.

Guerra de Osetia del Sur de 2008

Desde 1992 y 1993 Osetia del Sur y Abjasia estaban bajo control de gobiernos locales apoyados por Russia. El 7 de agosto de 2008 Georgia lanzó un ataque militar a gran escala con el objetivo de recuperar la región de Osetia del Sur. Rusia intervino en el conflicto enviando tropas para combatir contra las fuerzas georgianas. Dos días después, el 9 de agosto de 2009, se abrió un segundo frente en contra de Georgia por parte de las tropas rusas y abjasianas. Un cese al fuego se firmó por parte de Georgia el 15 de agosto y por Rusia al día siguiente. Nuevamente los gobiernos locales mantuvieron el control de las regiones de Osetia del Sur y Abjasia por lo que el 26 de agosto de 2008 la Federación Rusa reconoció como Estados soberanos a sus aliados de guerra. El 5 de septiembre de 2008 Nicaragua extendió el mismo reconocimiento y Venezuela, a su vez, el 10 de septiembre de 2009.

Efectos del Reconocimiento

El reconocimiento de estas dos regiones por parte de Venezuela resalta los problemas que tiene esta institución de derecho internacional. Existen dos teorías acerca del reconocimiento de estados: la teoría constitutiva postula que el acto de reconocimiento es una condición necesaria para la existencia del Estado, y la teoría declarativa que considera que el acto de reconocimiento no es más que la aceptación de un hecho existente⁵. La mayoría de los doctrinantes aceptan un teoría mixta en la que el reconocimiento es declarativo de un hecho pero necesaria para la posibilidad de la totalidad de relaciones bilaterales⁶. Es decir, la existencia de un Estado es un hecho y no un acto jurídico, argumento que se encuentra consagrado no sólo en la doctrina sino también en tratados. El artículo 3 de la Convención de Montevideo Sobre Derechos y Deberes de los Estados establece que “[l]a existencia política del Estado es independiente de su reconocimiento por los demás Estados…” Este enunciado se copió textualmente en el artículo 13 de la Carta de la Organización de los Estados Americanos. Por ende, entre los criterios para establecer si un territorio es un Estado no debe incluirse el reconocimiento por parte de terceros Estados. La Convención de Montevideo en su primer artículo establece criterios legales que debe reunir una entidad para ser considerada un Estado, a decir: “(a) población permanente, (b) territorio determinado, (c) gobierno y (d) capacidad de entrar en relaciones con los demás Estados.” El criterio (c) se refiere a un gobierno central que opere como cuerpo político con control efectivo sobre el territorio⁷ mientras que el último criterio se entiende como independencia de injerencia por parte de ordenamientos jurídicos ajenos⁸.

Revisando de cerca estos criterios es evidente que tanto Osetia del Sur como Abjasia los han cumplido desde 1991 y 1992, respectivamente, y aún así no han sido reconocidos como Estados. La realidad del reconocimiento es que no se puede considerar una obligación sino que es una herramienta política para que cada Estado conduzca sus relaciones internacionales⁹. Es por esta naturaleza política que cada Estado determina para sí qué entidades califican como Estado. Esto afecta a Osetia del Sur y Abjasia ya que a pesar de que su existencia como Estados no depende del reconocimiento por parte de terceros, sin éste no lograrán establecer relaciones bilaterales formales¹⁰. Es decir, el reconocimiento tiene efectos prácticos ya que a falta del mismo es prácticamente imposible que Osetia del Sur y Abjasia participen en la comunidad internacional. En últimas, el acto de reconocimiento es constitutivo de ser sujeto de derecho internacional, aunque no de ser Estado¹¹.

Teniendo claros los efectos del reconocimiento se puede entrar a analizar las declaraciones venezolanas. El reconocimiento por parte de Venezuela no es el impulso para el reconocimiento internacional que tanto anhelan Osetia del Sur y Abjasia. El presidente de Abjasia, Sergey Bagapsh, espera que el reconocimiento venezolano lleve a reconocimiento por parte de otros Estados¹², sin embargo es poco probable que ese sea el efecto de la actuación de Venezuela. A pesar de lo que le gustaría pensar a Chávez, Venezuela no es potencia mundial y el hecho de tener gran influencia entre los Estados miembros de ALBA o la izquierda latinoamericana, este poderío no es suficiente para convencer a una comunidad internacional fuertemente renuente al reconocimiento de Osetia del Sur y Abjasia. El reconocimiento por parte de Nicaragua no convenció a Chávez, un aliado del presidente Daniel Ortega, de reconocer a estas regiones. Venezuela reconoció a Osetia del Sur y a Abjasia cuando este acto era práctico para los fines del Estado venezolano. En concreto, la necesidad que tiene Chávez de acudir a Rusia por armamento hizo que el reconocimiento de ambas regiones se convirtiera en una opción viable para acercar a Venezuela a la Federación Rusia.

En términos económicos tampoco es probable que se creen fuertes lazos entre Venezuela y Osetia del Sur o Abjasia. Ambas regiones están atravesando por dificultades económicas y dependen en gran medida de Rusia. El caso de Nicaragua sirve como ejemplo ya que después de un año de reconocimiento aun no tiene vínculos económicos con la región.

Estos efectos (o mejor dicho, falta de efectos) del reconocimiento por parte de Venezuela, Nicaragua y Rusia demuestran, como se argumentó con anterioridad, que la institución de reconocimiento de Estados adolece de serios problemas. Un ejemplo que tanto Osetia del Sur como Abjasia han utilizado para argumentar su independencia es el caso de Kosovo. Este Estado recibió reconocimiento por la gran mayoría de la comunidad internacional después de declararse independiente de Serbia. El reconocimiento veloz y el argumento de que este es un caso sui generis que no genera precedente vinculante demuestra como el derecho internacional se ve afectado por los intereses políticos de los Estados¹³. Es precisamente por consideraciones de índole política que algunos Estados reconocieron a Kosovo y a la vez se rehúsan a reconocer a Abjasia o a Osetia del Sur. Entre los argumentos presentados está la consideración de que estas regiones existen únicamente debido a una intervención militar ilegal por parte de Rusia, lo cual implica la pérdida de integridad territorial de Georgia a través de una intervención militar extranjera ilegal¹⁴. Esto significa que el reconocimiento de Osetia del Sur y Abjasia no depende de si cumplen con los requisitos para ser un Estado sino de consideraciones sobre la licitud de la actuación Rusa, lo cual, a su vez, aunque fundado en el derecho internacional, depende de la posición política de cada Estado.

Con todo, se debe concluir que el reconocimiento que Venezuela extendió a Osetia del Sur y a Abjasia no ayudó a estas provincias a mejorar su situación de Estados sin reconocimiento aunque sí favoreció un acercamiento de la Federación Rusa con Venezuela. Este ejemplo de reconocimiento y no reconocimiento por parte de la comunidad internacional ha demostrado la naturaleza política de esta institución y la falta de criterios fáciles de establecer para otorgar representación legal dentro del orden internacional.

Vi har fået en opfordring fra Roben & Knud… De synes ikke vi skriver nok dyreindlæg, så det har vi gjort noget ved nu!

En enkelt gang har jeg set en grøn regnskovsfrø – jeg ved faktisk ikke hvad den hedder, men det er den som man typisk har set i National Geographic. Den er overvejende grøn og har store orange øjne med sorte pupiller og så er den blå på underkroppen. Den er rigtig flot og for mig symbolet på det tropiske dyreliv og dets mysterier.. En aften hvor vi skulle grille sad der en frø der lignede dens farvestrålende tropiske fætter… eller måske var det dens kone? den var nemlig  mindre farvestrålende som hunner i naturen nogle gange er, men ellers mindede den meget om den førnævnte.

Den grønne larve huserede på skaftet på et af vores rengøringsredskaber. Da jeg så den larve fik jeg straks associatoner til Ringenes Herre… Se lige dens pansrede brynje og det faretruende gevir – alle gode kræfter må samle sig for at kunne nedbryde den onde fyrste…

En lørdag formiddag gik vi forbi der hvor vores udlejere bor. De driver en slags dyrelægeforretning og har en stor glasdisk tæt på indgangen til forretningen. De vinkede os over da de ville vise os en lille tigerkilling de havde der i disken. Det er faktisk en lidt sørgelig historie, og det er også ulovligt at have dem i fangenskab. Ejerne fortalte historien således. En mand fra Mayagnastammen var kommet ned i forretningen med den lille tigerkilling og forklarede at han havde en bror der var kommet galt afsted med sin arm, som nok var brækket og han ville derfor høre om han kunne sælge den lille tiger. Javier som ejeren hedder forklarede at den slags jo er ulovligt og at den bør sættes ud igen men han endte alligevel med at give manden et mindre pengebeløb for at hjælpe ham og vil så selv sætte tigeren ud i regnskoven igen.

Jacob

Everyone goes on about how good Nicaragua is for surfing, so much so that I really feel that I might have to try to give it a go at some point.  It wasn’t going to be on this beach trip, but I did experience what it was that is supposed to make these waves so good.

Las Penitas and Poneloya are the beaches within easy reach of Leon.  There has recently been a new road built out there, too, so you’re not going to be bumped and bundled about the whole way.  You’ll be pretty packed, though; be prepared to either have the person next to you in the aisle practically on your lap, or else to be standing yourself, trying hard not to soak up someone else’s sweat.

The first thing that should have given me a clue that the surf is a bit fierce was the fish.  As we walked along the shore a bit, we noticed random fish dotted along the tide line.  And they were clearly fresh, too; I mean, not quite gasping for breath, but definitely not disintegrating in the sun yet, either.  The buzzards that circle around the place hadn’t even made it over to the feast yet.  I was quite confused – until I realised that the waves, which were still strong enough to knock you over ten metres from the shore, were washing the fish up and then rushing back too fast for them to get safely back in the water.  And it was loads of them!

And of course, the other sign was that I was mushed about underwater, dragged along the sand, I was constantly rearranging my bikini in the name of decency and for hours afterwards I would lean forward and salt water would dribble out of my nose.

This is a seriously lovely beach.  If you go right, you get to the surfer area, if you go left you end up in the small bay, where the Nicaraguans spend their time in boats and on the shore with their families.  Apart from the crazy waves, though, there’s one more word of warning:  The sand is darker than average.  It is hot.  You have to do the cringing, walk-on-hot-coals run down to the waves as quickly as possible.  You know, “Ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-Aaaaahhhhhh!”

By Meg Gray, KF9 Nicaragua

This is Part 3 of 3 in a series of blogs discussing remittances that were inspired by a recent UN Human Development Report on migration. As you will see from our posts, there are many perspectives to look at and the issue is by no means simple. I encourage you to read Part 1 posted by Rob from Kyrgyzstan and Part 2 posted by Agnes from Samoa earlier today.

Aurelia is one of many CEPRODEL clients I have met who aspires to work abroad someday.

“Half of Nicaragua lives in Costa Rica,” said one of my coworkers at CEPRODEL when I asked him about remittances, “Everyone has someone sending them money.” This is an exaggeration of course, but his statement does hint at the tremendous importance remittances and migration play in Nicaragua’s economy. Roughly 10% of Nicaragua’s population abroad is living abroad with 48% of this group living in Latin America and 44% living in North America. More than 400,000 Nicaraguans live in Costa Rica alone, accounting for more than 10% of Costa Rica’s population. With a significant portion of its population abroad it is no wonder that remittances account for 12.9% of Nicaragua’s GDP. The significant number of people moving back and forth between Nicaragua and Costa Rica in particular hints at the complexity of migration and remittance flows. It isn’t just developing countries sending people to developed countries. It is much more complicated than that. As if to mirror this complexity, while working at CEPRODEL, I keep coming across clients, programs, and stories that demonstrate elements of this convoluted theme.

On my first visit to CEPRODEL’s branch office in Nagarote, I handed branch manager Miguel Calderón a list of Kiva borrowers that I wanted to visit. Looking at the list, Miguel slowly shook his head and said, “You can’t meet Juana. She left. She went to Costa Rica to look for work.” I never got to speak with Juana about why she left, but after doing a little research the economic incentives for leaving Nicaragua were clear. When I ask Nicaraguans what the unemployment rate is they usually ballpark the number at about 30%.  Officially, the unemployment rate in Nicaragua was only 5.6% in 2008, but it is expected to rise considerably by the end of this year. The underemployment rate, however, was 46.5% in 2008 and this is also expected to rise dramatically in 2009 due to the worldwide economic crisis. Underemployment is defined as a worker who is employed, but not employed to their desired capacity in terms of hours, pay, or skill level. For instance, I have met many people here who make and sell bread or ice cream or nacatamales from their home. If this is their only form of income, they are likely underemployed since depending on the scale of their sales this income alone is probably not enough to live on. Despite a rise in unemployment in Costa Rica due to the economic crisis, it is still viewed as a land of opportunity for Nicaraguans. Though moving to the United States or Spain is the ultimate dream of some, Costa Rica is closer, cheaper, and easier to get into (both legally and illegally).

Despite the economic opportunity being created by microfinance organizations like CEPRODEL, every day I hear about clients, friends and family members who have left the country to look for work. Since Juana, I have come across only one other Kiva client who has actually left the country, but everyone seems to have a daughter, son, or sibling who is living abroad.  “My daughter moved away 15 years ago,” said María Nieves wistfully, “There was more opportunity there. More jobs.” The UNDP Human Development Report from October 2009 suggests that “for many people in developing countries, moving away from their home town or village can be the best—sometimes the only—option open to improve their life chances. Human mobility can be hugely effective in raising a person’s income, health and education prospects.” One concrete example of benefit the report gives is that “a family who migrates from Nicaragua to Costa Rica increases the probability that their child will be enrolled in primary school by 22 percent.” Anecdotally, I have heard of many more direct benefits received. I have talked to people who receive remittances specifically for school fees, mammograms, medicine, and more.

Though the economic benefit to leaving may be fairly clear, the overall picture is much more complicated. Miguel, the CEPRODEL branch manager, laments the effects of migration. “It is wonderful to see our loans helping businesses develop,” he said, “but the really great thing is that these people haven’t left the country to look for work.” He went on to explain that if people had enough economic opportunities in Nicaragua they wouldn’t have to leave. When people leave, families are torn apart and mothers can’t have dinner with their children he continues, a situation which he finds tragic. Besides the effects on families, many people talk about the tension migration creates between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I’m going to Costa Rica to visit other Kiva Fellows for Thanksgiving. When I told a coworker this he said, “Don’t tell them you’re from Nicaragua. They won’t let you in.” Costa Rican immigration policies are a hot button issue and every Nicaraguan seems to have a story about an atrocity committed against a Nicaraguan while they were working in Costa Rica. They run the gamut from horrible working conditions (for which there is a lot of evidence) to Nicaraguans being killed by angry mobs (for which I have found less evidence). Despite these negative effects, the flow of workers and remittances continues, suggesting that the good outweighs the bad.

Remittances from Costa Rica are so ubiquitous that organizations like CEPRODEL are creating programs to facilitate the remittance process. CEPRODEL partners with FOLADE (Foundation for the Development of Latin America) so they can offer remittance services to CEPRODEL clients through Remesas Instantaneas (Instant Remittances). Through this program, Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica can go to various stores and businesses throughout Costa Rica and to send money to family or friends back home in Nicaragua for a small fee. The Costa Rican stores and businesses are selected as sending points because they are near large Nica communities or frequented by a large number of Nicas. The money is then sent to the CEPRODEL branch that is closest to the recipient and the family member in Nicaragua only has to go to the branch and show their ID to pick up the money. About 500 people send money back to Nicaragua every month using this service. Just a drop in the remittance bucket.

There are several things that make CEPRODEL’s program with Remesas Instantaneas more popular with clients than more widely known methods of sending remittances such as banks or Western Union. First, it is cheaper. There is a $3 commission to send a remittance with Remesas Instantaneas. CEPRODEL gets about $1 of the commission and FOLADE gets the other $2. Other methods are generally more expensive. Western Union for example charges $16 and the Banco Nacional charges over $11. Take a look at this chart for more details. Second, the person sending the remittance does not have to be in Costa Rica legally. To send a remittance from Costa Rica, the client must supply the ID information for the person who is going to receive the remittance, but they do not have to show their own papers. This is very important to a lot of people, Doña Eligia, the Director of CEPRODEL’s program said. Right now, CEPRODEL’s remittance program is only set up to accommodate remittances from Costa Rica. They think a similar program would be popular for remittances coming from the United States in the future, but would also be harder to set up since Nicaraguan immigrants are not as geographically concentrated in the United States.

Interestingly enough, the remittance program is often the first contact CEPRODEL has with both the sender and the receiver of the remittances. Occasionally, CEPRODEL has clients sending remittances directly to loan officers with instructions to use the money to pay off an outstanding loan (either their own or a family members). It is more common, however, that CEPRODEL has never met either party and can use the remittance program to spread awareness about other programs. Doña Eligia told me that it is fairly common for the remittance recipients to begin getting loans for their small businesses from CEPRODEL as well.

Leaving the country permanently is one method of taking advantages of Costa Rica’s relative prosperity, but there are others. When I asked Kiva borrower Aurelia Hernandez, what her goals for the future were, she said she would like a larger loan to help her get into the clothing business and to pay for her to travel to Costa Rica to sell the clothing. Aurelia, who currently works making tejadas (which are similar to banana chips, only made out of plantains), is not the only Kiva borrowers I have spoken to who has this desire. In fact, many people are already doing this. Kiva borrower, Reyna Ruiz buys clothing in Nicaragua where it is cheaper and then goes to Costa Rica for 4-5 days at a time to sell it. Many other Nicaraguans work seasonal jobs in Costa Rica helping with the coffee harvest or in the tourist industry. As you can see, the flow of immigrants, remittances, and other monies between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is by no means clear-cut. In every case, there are positives and negatives. What is clear is that people are going to continue to move in search of economic opportunity especially if they live in a country where this is lacking relative to its neighbors or the rest of the world. I, for one, think that microfinance is one way to begin creating a world where fewer people need to leave their loved ones and communities behind in order to find economic opportunity.

Meg Gray is a Kiva Fellow in Nicaragua where she works with Kiva’s Field Partner CEPRODEL. Make a loan to a CEPRODEL entrepreneur now or introduce a friend to Kiva with a gift certificate!

IRAN

Iran and Brazil signed 13 cooperation agreements on 24 November 2009. These bilateral agreements include commerce, banking, science and technology, agriculture, lifting visa requirements, academics, sports, and culture among other items.

IRAN

Iranian Minister of Industry, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, announced on 18 November 2009 Iran’s plans to produce 16,000 vehicles in 2010 in its new car plant in Venezuela at a meeting in Tehran with Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Maduro. Iran and Venezuela signed the agreement to open the car plant at a meeting in 2006, during which the two countries discussed collaboration in a variety of other fields.

CHINA

A Chinese flotilla, consisting of a 6,400 ton destroyer and a supply ship stopped in the port of Valparaiso, Chile this week. The fleet is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic, and it will also stop in Peru, Ecuador and French Polynesia. (November 2009)

MEXICO

Officials from the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the Secretary of Public security (SSP) attributed more than 40 organized crime-related executions over the last three months to Arturo Beltran Leyva, alias ‘El Barbas’ and ‘El Jefe de Jefes’, leader of the Beltran Leyva Cartel. Motives behind the executions, which have been carried out in Mexico State, Guerrero, Morelos and the Federal District, were reportedly betrayal of the organization and expanding operations without approval from Beltran, the latter of which could presumably endanger current alliances between the Beltran Leyva Cartel and the Gulf/Zeta Cartel. (November, 2009)

MEXICO

Reported on 19 November 2009, SEDENA announced plans to increase basic salaries for soldiers from $US 536.19 to $US 688.14, to be implemented by 2012.

MEXICO

On 15 November 2009 Mexican Army soldiers discovered a drug-manufacturing site located on a one-kilometer stretch of land in Los Duarte village in the city of Sanalona, Sinaloa state. Eight camps and 20 tents were found and authorities seized 52, 200-liter containers filled with chemicals, 3 refrigerators, 49 sacks of caustic acid, 27 cans of acetone, 59 tanks of gasoline, and a total of 1,718.35 kilograms of crystal meth in solid and liquid form, enough for 3,436,700 doses.

MEXICO

On 9 November 2009 Federal officers and Mexican soldiers seized an arsenal of weapons reportedly belonging to La Familia Michoacana leader Servando Gomez Martinez, alias ‘La Tuta’, inside two refrigerators buried in Pinbalete near the villages of El Platano, Coyuquilla and Capori, in the La Union Municipality of Guerrero. The weapons seized included several rifles, shotguns, fragmentation grenades, ammunition and bulletproof vests, which according to intelligence reports were to be used against rival organizations including the Los Beltran Leyva Brothers and Los Zetas, as well as federal mobile and aerial units operating in the area.

MEXICO

A migration report produced by the Studies Service of BBVA Bancomer found that the massive return of migrants from the U.S. forecasted for this year due to the economic crisis has not materialized. The study calculated that of the eight million jobs lost in the U.S., 10% were those of Mexican migrants mainly working in commerce and manufacturing sectors; however, it found that Mexican workers in the U.S. have been able to transfer to industries such as tourism, transport and agriculture, and have thus not been as adversely affected by the crisis compared to the general population. (November, 2009)

NICARAGUA

The National Police and Army engaged in a firefight with alleged members of the Sinaloa Federation at 3AM on 16 November 2009 off the Pan American highway in northern Nicaragua. They seized an arsenal of weapons that included 53 AK-47 rifles, 4 M-16 rifles, 2 mortar tubes, 19,000 rounds of ammunition, an M-79 grenade launcher, ten M-19 grenades, ten 200-gram bags of TNT and another 10 bags of 400-gram dynamite.

PANAMA

Authorities arrested on 14 November 2009 two Middle Eastern individuals in El Vigia, Herrera with alleged ties to the FARC. The two had been living in Panama illegally, are involved in the truck transport business in Herrera, and at least one of them had alleged ties to FARC leader Jorge Briceño, aka Mono Joyjoy.

COLOMBIA

The FARC has carried out 148 attacks so far in 2009, a significant rise from the 78 from 2008. Areas with notable increases in attacks include the southern provinces of Cauca and Nariño. They have not managed to gain any significant strategical ground, however. This year, confrontations between authorities and FARC members have left 259 uniformed members as well as 289 FARC guerrillas dead. (November 2009)

COLOMBIA

Metropolitan Police in Cali seized 100 Chinese-manufactured AK 47 rifles that entered through the Port of Buenaventura. The weapons were reportedly intended for the sixth front of the FARC. (November 2009)

ECUADOR

Of the 25 front line aircraft Ecuador has at the Tauro airbase, only one (a Mirage F-1) is currently operational. The 12 Kfirs Ecuador owns are awaiting parts from Israeli leaders who are “delayed”, and of the six Mirage 50’s given to Ecuador by Venezuela only three have arrived. (November 2009)

ECUADOR

Since President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency in the cities of Quito, Guayaquil and Manta on 30 September 2009, authorities have conducted 4,685 raids resulting in a total of 20 criminal gangs disbanded and 846 people arrested. (November 2009)

PERU

Officers of the National Police found 350 sticks of dynamite and four and a half kilos of fuses in a house located near Simón Bolívar School in the urban area of Picchu San Martín, northwest Cusco. (November 2009)

PERU

Residents of the town of José Olaya in Pangoa district, Satipo province (Junín), requested the withdrawal of the military base in the area given the recent increase in terrorist activities in the region, specifically the SL. (November 2009)

BOLIVIA

Bolivian authorities have destroyed 133 drug factories this year in the La Paz and El Alto region. La Paz is also considered a transit zone for Peruvian drugs, with 40% of the more than 22 tons of seized drugs this year originating in Peru. (November 2009)

Posted on Tuesday, 11.17.09

Voice of America expands its Latin American audience

BY JUAN O. TAMAYO

jtamayo@ElNuevoHerald.com

Facing a group of presidents loudly critical of Washington, the U.S. government’s Voice of America broadcast is expanding its audience in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, VOA officials say.

VOA’s Spanish-language division also will step up its use of Radio/TV Martí’s production facilities in Miami because of budget pressures on both broadcasters, the officials added.

The VOA effort to grow its Latin American audience comes as the Obama administration tries to counter the attacks on U.S. policies by several presidents in the region: Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia, Rafael Correa in Ecuador and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua.

“Our focus is on the Andean region because of the upheavals that are going on there,” said Spanish division director Alberto Mascaro. “Our second priority is Central America, especially Nicaragua and Honduras.”

The Andean region includes Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia, Colombia and Peru. Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, a Chávez ally, was ousted in July and is seeking to return to power.

VOA — which only broadcasts internationally — transmits its reports via shortwave radio, local FM affiliates and satellite television as well as its Web pages. Funded by the government, it is required to observe standards of “accuracy, balance, comprehensiveness, and objectivity.”

“We need to contribute to informed dialogue” in the Andean region and Central America, Joan Mower, VOA public relations and development director, told El Nuevo Herald in a telephone interview from Washington.

Mower said VOA has 319 affiliated radio stations in the Andean region that broadcast its free programs — 199 in Bolivia, 77 in Colombia and seven each in Ecuador and Peru. It also has 95 television affiliates, with the largest number, 23, in Colombia. The Spanish division has 21 staffers and a 2009 budget of $3.1 million.

VOA’s ruling Board of Broadcasting Governors decided to increase the broadcaster’s reach into the Andes and Central America after three board members toured the two regions this summer, Mower said.

The broadcaster, looking to hire a marketing specialist to increase the number of affiliates, recently completed a major update of its Spanish-language website and last month gathered 17 Latin American freelancers in Washington for training, she added.

Starting next month, VOA will run training sessions for journalists in Bolivia, Argentina, Panama and Haiti on how to cover the swine flu epidemic. It’s also working to give affiliates easier Internet access to broadcast-quality video and audio materials.

VOA’s most recent surveys in the five Andean countries plus Cuba showed a total audience of 1.9 million adults — 1.4 million on radio, 500,000 on television and 200,000 on the Internet, Mower said.

Mascaro said the increased use of Radio/TV Martí’s Miami studios is the result of budget pressures on both broadcasters.

“In a time of tight budgets, we see a need to maximize resources, and the OCB has a great infrastructure,” said Mascaro, a Cuban American who was chief of staff at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), in charge of the Martí operations. He was hired by VOA in August.

Radio/TV Martí now has about 170 employees and a 2009 budget of $34.8 million, but its 2010 budget is under attack by congressional critics who argue that Cuban government jamming blocks virtually all TV Martí reception on the island.

In August, Radio/TV Martí began shedding 35 employees amid expectations that Congress would cut $4.2 million from its proposed 2010 budget. But a recent proposal in the Senate would cut $15 million, in effect killing TV Martí.

Mascaro’s hiring by VOA and the plans to use the Martí production facilities have fueled speculation that the Miami stations will eventually be folded into VOA, perhaps with the Spanish division moving from Washington to Miami.

Mascaro and Mower said they could not comment on the speculation, and noted that no staff moves to Miami are included in VOA’s proposed 2010 budget. “

Por Eugenio Perdomo, a propósito de un spam.

Usted captura puercos cimarrones encontrando un sitio adecuado en la floresta y tirando un poco de maíz en el piso. Los puercos vienen diariamente a comer el maíz de gratis. Cuando se acostumbran a venir diariamente, Usted construye una cerca a un costado del sitio en donde ellos se acostumbraron a venir. Cuando se acostumbran a la cerca, ellos regresan a comer el maíz y usted construye otro lado de la cerca. Ellos vuelven a acostumbrarse y regresan a comer. Usted va poco a poco hasta instalar los cuatro costados del cercado alrededor de los puercos, al final instala una puerta en el último lado. Los puercos ya estarán acostumbrados al maíz fácil y a las cercas, comienzan a venir solos por la entrada. Es ahí cuando Usted cierra el portón y captura a todo el grupo.”

- “Así de simple, en un segundo, los puercos pierden su libertad. Ellos empiezan a correr en círculos dentro de la cerca, pero ya están sometidos. Luego, empiezan a comer el maíz fácil y gratis. Se quedan tan acostumbrados a eso que se olvidan cómo cazar por sí mismos, y por eso aceptan la esclavitud.”

Una situación similar se da en Latinoamérica, se ve suceder en Nicaragua, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador y lastimosamente aunque de forma mas difusa o híbrida, en Dominicana. Donde los gobiernos dictatoriales, escondidos bajo el manto “democrático”, empujan hacia la perpetuación de sus líderes tirando maíz gratis disfrazado de programas de ayuda de dinero, misiones, planes, impuestos diversos, leyes de “protección”, subsidio para cualquier cosa, expropiaciones indebidas, programas de “bienestar social”, en algunos casos médicos cubanos y medicinas “gratis”, siempre y siempre nuevas leyes inconsecuentes, etc.; todo a costilla del sacrificio de la libertad, “migaja a migaja”.

Debemos siempre recordarnos que “No existe comida gratis” y además que “No es posible que alguien preste un servicio más barato que el que uno mismo hace”.

Seamos pues consecuentes con nuestro futuro y dejemos las pendejadas, rechacemos esas canastas navideñas que le costaran mil millones al erario público para beneficio de sabrá Dios quien, cortemos las tarjetas solidaridad, pues además de que ello no sirve de nada, no son mas que un sello para nuestra pobreza, recuperemos la dignidad y decoro renunciado a nuestras botellas, participemos si podemos de servicios privados de salud, pues el gobierno no debe obligar a nadie a ser parte de un sistema de salud inservible, renuncia al bonogas, rechaza la ayuda de ese familiar corrupto y enrostra su enriquecimiento ilícito, no le des cabida social a esta gente que debería estar presa, en vez de haciendo alarde de su progreso.

Tengamos siempre pendientes que: NADA ES GRATIS y por favor colabora para llevar este mensaje a todos nuestros hermanos dominicanos y dominicanas que no tienen acceso al internet, llevemos esto a nuestros barrios, a nuestras comunidades, a nuestros pueblos. Hacer un volante, imprimirlo y sacarle fotocopias no cuesta nada, hagamos algo, seamos parte del cambio. Evitemos que mas gente se deje llevar por esas tentaciones maquiavélicas, ante las penurias de sus miserias y quienes se aprovechan de ello para crueles maquinaciones. Les reitero: ¡Seamos parte del cambio!

El gobierno de Panamá inició el proceso para separarse unilateralmente del Parlamento Centroamericano (Parlacen), al que considera “oneroso” e “inoperante”. El canciller panameño, Carlos Varela, notificó la decisión al Sistema de Integración Centroamericana (SICA), organismo al que pertenece el Parlamento. La determinación causó polémica en la región. Analistas consultados por BBC Mundo advirtieron que la salida de Panamá de este órgano legislativo no puede tomarse de manera unilateral.

“El ingreso de ese país al Parlacen fue difícil, tardó cinco años en incorporarse como miembro de pleno derecho. Y salirse no será muy sencillo”, explicó César Micheo, presidente del Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Políticos (INCEP).

Mientras, la polémica sube de tono. El canciller Varela aseguró que su país ha destinado US$25 millones al Parlamento sin obtener beneficio alguno, mientras que el presidente de Panamá, Ricardo Martinelli, ha dicho que el foro es un espacio “de perdedores”.

En respuesta el líder del Parlacen, Jacinto Suárez, llamó “tozudo” al presidente panameño, pues al abandonar unilateralmente el Parlamento pone en riesgo el sistema de integración en Centroamérica.

Sacudida

El Parlacen se instaló el 21 de octubre de 1991 y actualmente está conformado por 120 diputados de Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, República Dominicana y Panamá.

La sede central se ubica en Guatemala, aunque existen representaciones en las capitales de los países miembros.

Antes que Panamá anunciara la salida del Parlamento, el foro había sido cuestionado por el excesivo gasto que representa su funcionamiento.

En marzo pasado, por ejemplo, el SICA ordenó una auditoría al Parlacen al descubrirse que gastaba más dinero del que tenía como presupuesto.

Otra de las críticas es que las decisiones del Parlamento no tienen carácter vinculante, es decir, no son de cumplimiento obligatorio para los países miembros como sí ocurre en otras regiones, como la Unión Europea.

Sobreviviente

Según el presidente del INCEP, la salida de Panamá es una sacudida al Parlacen pero no significa que vaya a desaparecer.

“El Parlamento empezó a funcionar con sólo tres países, y ahora creo que sí va a subsistir. Pero necesita una profunda reflexión sobre el trabajo que realiza actualmente”.

La decisión panameña tampoco pasará desapercibida, pues debilita proyectos de desarrollo en la región.

“Los países de Centroamérica tenemos poca potencialidad solos”, explicó Micheo.

Por lo pronto, la Junta Directiva del Parlacen analiza la separación de Panamá. El presidente Jacinto Suárez ha dicho que ese país no puede abandonar el Parlamento sin la autorización de los países que integran el SICA.

La semana pasada Martinelli pidió el apoyo de Guatemala, Nicaragua y El Salvador para concretar la salida del Parlacen, pero los mandatarios de esos países negaron el respaldo.

A pesar de ello Panamá formalizó su separación por la vía unilateral prevista en la Convención de Viena sobre el Derecho de los Tratados, un argumento que según Suárez no procede en el caso del Parlacen.

Fuente: BBC Mundo

Among one of the best blends from the Carlos Torano family of fine cigars. Carlos Torano Signature cigars are flawlessly handmade with a robust, complex-tasting blend of Dominican & Nicaraguan Cuban-seed Ligero long-fillers, a broadleaf binder, and an oily, sun-grown Brazilian Maduro wrapper. – From Famous Smokes who seems to have better prices than some of their competitors.

igar: Carlos Torano Signature
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: Robusto 5 x 52
Wrapper: Sun Grown Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Broadleadf
Filler: Dominican Cubano Ligero, Nicaraguan Habano Ligero

I had a very long day in front of the computer handling edits in my normal job as an erotic romance author and needed a cigar.  I lit this up looking for something different than my normal Padron or Cuesta Rey and seeing as how I have a few of these now in my humidor along Fonsecas and other stuff, I figured I’d try one again.

Wow, what flavor!  Peppery spice hit my palate upon lighting up that mellowed into a toasty flavor with undertones of refined earth and dark coffee.   Due to the maduro wrapper I picked up notes of cream too.  Firm ash that held on for the first inch suggested good construction.

I smoked with this Roibos tea in front of the Good News Cafewhile reading.  I’ll probably try to pick up a box or so.

A very nice smoke that lasted about an hour or so.    The maduro leaf used brings out a lot of flavor and even an hour or so later I’m still tasting it.  Nothing about this cigar is overpowering though it’s rated as a medium bodied cigar.   FYI, tis is one of the only maduros the Torano family makes and will become a staple in my humidor.  I picked this beauty up in a five pack from Cigarbid at a decent price but checking out box prices at Cigar.com puts it at a similiar price to my beloved Padrons.

For over a year Coquitos Bar reigned as king of the live music scene in San Juan del Sur.  Unfortunately, Coquitos is no more.  As anyone who is familiar with our town knows, there is a constant coming and going of people and businesses… but the energy remains the same.  Fortunately, two great local venues have stepped up to continue to keep live music happening in San Juan.

The legendary Open Mic Nights have moved to Pau Hana (aka Kenny’s place) on the beach just down from the Eskimo.  Pau Hana is also hosting Sunday night jazz.  The Irish House bar, just down the street from the market, is offering live music on many Friday and Saturday nights.

Of course the Crazy Crab disco occasionally offers live music to their regular disco offerings; Bambu Beach has been known to host the odd really great concert and various other events happen spontaneously and regularly.  We try and keep up here at San Juan del Sur Guide… but some of the best gigs are so last minute it’s almost impossible!  Keep your eyes and ears open, and you’ll find the fun.