The Sarko in Mexico Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Cross-posted

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. If you would like your posts included in next Monday's Carnival, please email me: faustaw2 "at" gmail "dot" com.

The big stories last week were Hugo Chavez's nationalizing American food producer Cargill in Venezuela, and the change in the Cuban Communist regime. Developing this week: Nicolas Sarkozy's first state visit to Mexico, and Lula's visit to the White House on Saturday.

The Sarko visit, in today's podcast:
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni spent the weekend at the beach and touring Aztec ruins with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Sarkozi's first state visit to Mexico starts today. He's expected to discuss the upcoming G-20 meeting, economic crisis and the Florence Cassez case.



Other links from the international media on the Sarko visit:
Le Figaro: Mexique : Sarkozy et Calderon évoquent «l'affaire Cassez»
Libération: Affaire Florence Cassez : transfèrement «probable»
France24: Cassez case casts long shadow over Sarkozy's state visit
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is visiting Mexico on a mission to boost trade with the Central American country. He will also plead the case of Frenchwoman Florence Cassez, who is languishing in a Mexican jail on kidnap charges.
El Universal: Calderón-Sarkozy: una cita en tierra de dioses
Sin actos protocolarios, los presidentes de México, Felipe Calderón, y de Francia, Nicolas Sarkozy, recorrieron ayer las pirámides de Teotihucán
UK's Mail: Sarkozys' stay in £3,000-a-night Mexican villa sparks outrage in recession-hit France

LATIN AMERICA
Border lawmakers fear narco-nuke terrorism link

Bad news for Latin America

ARGENTINA
El kirchnerismo analiza nacionalizar el comercio de granos

BAHAMAS
Double digit unemployment recorded in Bahamas

BOLIVIA
Bolivia Exports Decline 32.9% in January From a Year Earlier

BRAZIL
Nine-Year-Old's Abortion Outrages Brazil's Catholic Church

Reaping the rewards of indolence:
Some of the unreformed aspects of Brazil’s economy are now helping to limit the damage from the world downturn—but its prudence in recent years is helping too

Brazil Said to Be Considering Reducing Primary Surplus. Reaction? Negative

COLOMBIA
We Recommend Shunning Shares of Ingrid Betancourt. The Revelations of the Three Americans Finally Break an Absurd Code of Silence

Via IBD Blog, Colombia says troops kill guerrilla commander

An article by Marc Gonsalvez: I Was Held Hostage in Colombia, and My Captors Should Face US Justice

An unmended fence: Colombia gained much and suffered little from its raid into Ecuador

CUBA
The Queen

Fidel not a hands-off political leader

CT Blog: Is Removal of Cuba From “State Sponsors” List Inevitable?

Richard Brown Pérez, Cuban Political Prisoner of the Week, 3/8/09

Como vacas al matadero

Ex-ministers admit “errors”

The other Castro stamps his heel: Two senior figures are dismissed after tasting “the honey of power”

Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the cold
US companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo

Cuba regime purge may be defensive act

ECUADOR
Narcotrafico de las Farc se beneficio en frontera con Ecuador tras ruptura de relaciones

El Salvador
El Salvador's Presidential Election, March 15th 2009

MEXICO
Via the Baron, EXCLUSIVE: 100,000 foot soldiers in cartels
Numbers rival Mexican army

Make Mexico's War A Higher Priority

Mexican criminal insurgency comes to Houston

Mexico Finally Rises Near the Top of the Agenda

US Federal agent cautions travelers headed to Mexico

Lech Walesa receives the Legion of Liberty Award - IPEA

Hasta la vista, baby

The Financial Storm Hits Mexico : Their politicians aren't doing much to staunch the bleeding.

PERU
A rare victory in the judicial war in Peru

Las casas ALBA en el Perú

PUERTO RICO
Coast guard rescues 1 man, searches for another, while 11 others rescued in Puerto Rico

VENEZUELA
No more arepas for you

Government to “intervene” areperas?

Hugo Chavez Calls On Obama To Follow Path of Socialism

Zombie capitalism

Chavez tightens state control of food amid rocketing inflation and food shortages

Venezuela seizes Irish company's tree farm

Chavez Sets Up Showdown With Mendoza After Seizures

Venezuela May Take Over More Rigs to Allow Drilling to Proceed

Chavez sours Latin American investment climate

Inmates at Venezuelan jail play football with inmate's severed head

Special thanks
to Ada, the Baron, Eneas, Larwyn and Maggie.

The week’s posts and podcasts
In the face of the Cuban cosmetic change, Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the cold
Viva Maria Conchita
Chavez calls on Obama to follow the path of socialism. UPDATE: “Go wash your *ss, Mr. Obama”
Chavez’s full digestive cycle: First the rice, now the toilet paper - all in today’s podcast!
Today at 11AM Eastern: Unannounced Fidel Sightings
Chavez and the food supply
The real Ingrid Betancourt in captivity, and today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern
¿Por qué no te callas?, part 2

At RCW
The Cuban cosmetic change
Brazil’s Lula to visit Obama
Raúl Castro's House Cleaning

You can also find all the week's tango posts here

The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.

If you would like your posts included in the Monday Carnivals, please email me your links, faustaw "at" yahoo "dot" com.

Last week's big story was Castro's resignation. I did a huge roundup and follow=up, but Babalu did an excellent job covering the story. Babalu's Val Prieto was in our podcast.

Let's start with some humor:
Top Ten Reasons Fidel Castro Is Retiring

MEDIA:
New Spanish TV channel – online and totally free

BAHAMAS
How Castro's Exit will Affect Cuba and the Bahamas

BRAZIL
Raul prefers Lula over Hugo? Lula and McCain are on the same page

Whodunnit? A strange theft of oil and gas secrets

COLOMBIA
Betancourt: 6 Years As Colombian Captive

Big Labor Can't Handle the Truth About Colombia

No Mas Farc, by Mario Vargas Llosa (in Spanish)

Kouchner in Colombia gets told by Uribe

Colombia rebels get foothold in Venezuela

COSTA RICA
Costa Rican National Parks, and Costa Rican Food.

CUBA
Freed dissidents expose Castro's brutal regime

Perhaps Michael Moore could talk with these gentlemen

Attention Gitmo protesters, the only one torturing political prisoners on the Isle of Cuba is Castro

RAUL CASTRO'S LONG HISTORY OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

Ending Embargo Won't Free Cuba

MARK FALCOFF: CASTRO RAISES A TOAST

Castro Resigns! Sanctions Work!

Council on Foreign Relations: Manners Over Life?

By Tottenpundit, Golf courses will return to Cuba

Cuba Warms to the US

Raul Disses Hugo

Cuba's Phony Transition: Fidel Resigns, Raul Reigns, also at HACER

Castro's Legacy, the Economist's cover story.

Fidelistas forever

La victoire des barbudos a réveillé en l'intelligentsia française une vieille passion française pour la révolution

Via Larwyn, Selective Ignorance

El cadáver insepulto de Fidel Castro

Statement on Cuba's Transition from Secretary Condoleezza Rice

Fidel Castro urges changes in U.S., not Cuba
Retired leader says democracy in Cuba would mean 'annexation' by U.S

CUBA LIBRE: NEXT STEP FOR ISLAND SHOULD BE DEMOCRACY

History will never absolve Castro

Models for Cuba

People Don't Improve What They Don't Own

ECUADOR
Correa is Truly Aligned in Every Sense with Chavez

MEXICO
Mexico under siege, via Real Clear Politics.

NICARAGUA
Ortega burps: "Castro is still the leader"

PARAGUAY
Mengele in Paraguay
On the jungle trail of the Nazi doctor. Via Meganpundit

Paraguay in a panic over yellow fever

PUERTO RICO
McCain gets Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s Political Melodrama Plays On, With Its Governor in the Lead Role

London Times Story Urges Travel to Cuba Before 'Golden Era' Ends

Castro: Not a president

TRINIDAD TOBAGO
Radical Islam in the Caribbean

VENEZUELA
The Bolivar obsession

Tragedy strikes one more time on Venezuelan air

Chavez Officially Merges with Iran

Rationing cards, another smart Chavista invention coming soon at a PDVAL market near you

An interesting series of events:
Los lodos que traen los polvos de Hugo Chávez, Estalla artefacto explosivo en sede de Fedecámaras - Un muerto, and Fuente: Carlos Arreaza director de PoliChacao

Exxon v PDVSA? Hugo Chavez v Venezuela actually

Special thanks to Siggy, Larwyn, Maggie, Maria and Elisa.

I started this Carnival with humor, and I'm ending it with humor: Yesterday Pat's Carnival featured the dancing Fidel:


UPDATE
Commenter Joated requested news on Guyana:
Guyana's crime challenge
Massacres cutting into Guyana tourism
Guyana struggling to cope with tragedy
I'll make sure to include Guyana news in all future carnivals.

Blogging about the Carnival
GM Roper



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The first CARNIVAL OF LATIN AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN

Welcome to the first Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Today's top Latin American news is that Argentina's first lady, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is now its president.
Here's the BBC video report

The campaign has been colorful, to put it mildly, between those auctioning their votes on line to that suitcase with $800,000 that Chavez (allegedly) sent the Kirchners last August

Argentina To Elect New Evita - Or Is It Hillary?

From The Heritage Foundation: Argentina: Implications for the U.S. If First Lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner Becomes President. One thing for sure: expect more populism.

This week's Spanish-language roundup: Martha Colmenares's roundup on the Argentinian elections
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BAHAMAS:
Road Rage in the Bahamas

BOLIVIA:
The women's civic committee of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, shows how the police have tried to repress protestors. Bolivia Confidencial posts their video here (Such is Evo's repression) in Spanish.

BRAZIL:
Learn To Surf In Floripa

CHILE
Subjective Lens photoblog Chile

CUBA:
Leonard Weinglass' seditious activism on the Cuba 5

Cuba, Bush, and The Lives of Others

El che lives at the UN

ECUADOR:
ECrisis posts on International terrorist rings in Spain and Latin America, and links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps

Also at ECrisis, Banco del Sur is a Slush Fund for Sponsors of Terror, Drug Running, Criminals, Mafias, Racketeers and Propagandists

MEXICO:
The Rehabilitation of Miguel Hidalgo

AfroMexico - Mexicans of African descent (via Mexico in English)

Anything but no, when it comes to travelling with the dog.

NICARAGUA:
Ortega's Nicaragua: Another Tropical, Socialist Paradise?

PERU:
Alvaro Vargas Llosa on Fujimori's Shadow

PUERTO RICO:
La Casa's Leticia Rodriguez Continues Legacy

VENEZUELA:
The Venezuelan bloggers are doing a line-by-line review of Chavez's proposed constitutional reforms. You can read it all here: Venezuela's Constitutional Reform.
Veneuela-USA looks at
Constitutional reform - Article 100

Alive and blood thirsty (comments on the Che influence over chavismo)

Another shameful day in Venezuela's democracy

The hunt for the liter of milk

Chavez is Adored by His Subjects - NOT!

The dope from Venezuela

The Prophetic Scent of repression.

The Human Rights Foundation: Artists Reunite for Human Rights in Latin America; Concert Tour in New York to Stress the Plight of the Caracas Nine

The Venezuela Connection: exhibit F, as a Royal Navy warship seizes 3 tons of cocaine from Venezuelan vessel
More at the Royal Navy website.

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Blog Carnival

If you are a Latin America or Caribbean blogger who wants your post featured in next week's Carnival, please send me your link: faustaw "at" yahoo "dot" com.
One link per blog, please.

Special thanks to Lady Godiva for her kind words and support.

Don't miss also the resources at the Hispanic Center for Economic Research for more information on Latin America.
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Others blogging on this:
The Astute Bloggers
Doug Ross@Journal
Dr. Sanity
GM's Corner
Obi's Sister
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred



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