Friday Latin American Round-up, Chinchilla Blogging, & Shuffle!
Now Playing: Zero 7 / When it Falls / Warm Sound
Blackalicious / Blazing Arrow / Brain Washers
Lady Sovereign f. Riko / Vertically Challeneged / Random (Menta Remix)
Big & Rich / Horse of a Different Color / Six Foot Town
Outkast / Speakerboxxx / The Rooster
Pretty Girls Make Graves / The New Romance / All Medicated Geniuses
Talib Kweli f. Novel & Vinia Mojica / Quality / Stand to the Side
Tears for Fears / Tears Roll Down / I Believe
Fatboy Slim / Palookaville / Song for Chesh
Overseer / Wreckage / Meteorology
The major international news from Latin America continues to be the focus in Mexico on US immigration policy, and the fallout from Bolivian President Evo Morales's decision to renationalize the country's oil production:
El Diario, Bolivia. "Petrobras will continue investing in Bolivia" the largest investors in Bolivia's oil infrastructure is the Brazilian state oil company Petrobras. News that they will not leave the country is
El Diario, Bolivia. "Bolivia will negotiate a separate price for natural gas with Argentina & Brazil." Bolivia will also continue to be a partner in the planned US $22B South American multinational oil & gas pipeline. Chavez, ever the populist, creates a fake enemy: "This meeting is a direct blow to those who are playing and will play on [South America's] division."
La Razon, Bolivia. "[Congress] finds another use for the budget surplus." The Bolivian government is running a 5 a US $625M surplus (2.7% of GDP), on their budget of US $3.6B (16.1% of GDP). The surplus is going to the purchase of gasoline and auto repair.
La Razon, Bolivia. "Mission Impossible III released today" Bolivia is excited that they were added to the initial release, though to some extent this is to help combat piracy. Also, I'm clearly out of the loop, because if I had been in the loop I would have made more fun of Philip Seymour Hoffman for taking this role so soon after Capote. I guess he could have taken Dumb and Dumberest. The article never names Keri Russell's character, saying only "Hoffman plays an evil drug trafficer that Cruise must confront to free the beautiful Kery Russell." Is the Bolivian Press more honest, that Russell's only purpose in the movie is to look pretty? Discuss.
El Economista, Mexico. "Lopez Obrador rejects changes to his campaign, despite polls." AMLO, the center-left candidate who led in Presidential polls until the last few weeks, is starting to play up the class warfare card on the campaign trail.
El Universal, Mexico. "Hardening after the marches." A summary of polling data that shows increased support for right-wing seal-the-border solutions to the immigration problem.
