The last province of a Latin American country to break away and become an independent republic was Panamá which with US military intervention broke away from Colombia in 1903. This weekend the Bolivian province of Santa Cruz aims to move towards breaking with the central government in La Paz headed by Evo Morales. A provincial referendum, deemed illegal by the Morales government, on regional autonomy is scheduled and polls show that it will pass by a 70% to 30% margin.
But it does not end there. Three other provinces – Beni, Tarija and Pando – have scheduled referendums on regional autonomy for June. They are all likely to pass by overwhelming margins. The four provinces make up half of Bolivia’s national territory. The question that remains is these provinces will settle just for regional autonomy or if they will opt for full independence. It is hard to foresee any Latin American country recognizing an independent República de la Santa Cruz but the spector of a Bolivian civil war does seem to be looming.
Here is the By The Fault Weekend Reader, a series of interesting articles.
David Alexrod, Obama’s Number One Fan
Barack Obama’s campaign strategist David Alexrod is profiled in the Washington Post. I’d like to think that I am his number one detractor but I think Paul Krugman has that title right now. His latest op-ed, Party of Denial, rips Obama a new one in the New York Times.
The Progressive: Obama, No Thank You
The Progressive Magazine has a piece by University of Pennsylvania Political Science Professor Alfred Reed on why Obama makes no sense.
A Four Day Work Week: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Aaron Newton, author of A Nation of Farmers, provides 16 reasons to consider a 40 hour but 4 day work week in this article on The Oil Drum.
Global Food Crisis
The struggle to feed China and India and its impact on the global food markets is covered in this article from Germany’s Der Spiegel.
The Great Firewall of China
Chinese censorship of the World Wide Web is profiled in this article from Germany’s Der Spiegel.
Just in the time for the Olympics, the Chinese government has proved itself to be a pioneer as well as a top exporter in cutting-edge online censorship methods. And Western firms still give Beijing their active support.
The rights of conscience inalienable are not negotiable. Can someone please tell the butchers in Beijing that?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the US Jobs Report for April 2008. Overall, the unemployment numbers were better than expected. Nonfarm payroll employment was little changed in April (-20,000), following job losses that totaled 240,000 in the first 3 months of the year. Both total employment, at 146.3 million, and the employment-population ratio, at 62.7 percent, were little changed in April. Over the month, the labor force participation rate held at 66.0 percent; it was the same rate a year earlier.
The number of unemployed persons (7.6 million) and the unemployment rate (5.0%) were little changed in April. A year earlier, the number of unemployed persons was 6.8 million, and the jobless rate was 4.5%. Over the month, the unemployment rates for most major worker groups–adult
men (4.6%), teenagers (15.4%), whites (4.4%), blacks (8.6%), and Hispanics (6.9%)–showed little or no change. However the numbers continue to belie two other trends in the US labor market:
* Large numbers of Americans are no longer able to find jobs and have given up trying to enter the labor market.
The Indianapolis Star today endorsed Senator Clinton for the Democratic Nomination for President citing her experience, breadth and depth of knowledge, toughness and realism as the differentiating factors between her and Senator Obama.
Clinton offers a clear-eyed view of the way things are. She offers nuanced positions on how to address the war in Iraq, trade with China and economic expansion. Her depth of knowledge is remarkable.
As impressive as Obama appears, he is still in his first term in the U.S. Senate, and only four years ago was serving as an Illinois state senator. His inexperience in high office is a liability.
Clinton, in contrast, is well prepared for the rigors of the White House. She is tough, experienced and realistic about what can and cannot be accomplished on the world stage.
Louisiana’s First Congressional district holds a special by-election on Saturday to fill the vacancy left when Bobby Vindal became Governor. The Democrat in the race, Don Cazayoux, a conservative state legislator faces Republican Bob Jenkins, also a former state legislator. Cazayoux stands a good chance of winning the seat for the Democratic Party for the first time in 34 years. Grover Norquist’s Club for Growth is running ads against Cazayoux accusing him of voting on tax increases. Does Grover Norquist, who wants to drown government in a bath tub, care for anything else but taxes? The full background on the Louisiana by-election in today’s New York Times.
Here is Friday’s edition of interesting reads from around the world.
Being Gay in Nepal
Nepal’s Blue Diamond Society is touted in this story from the Los Angeles Times.
Tackling the Food Crisis
One of the subjects that this blog will devote significant attention to is the world’s growing food crisis. As the spector of food riots and wide spread famine loom, a new report by the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) looks at the policy options. The European Tribune has more details. In a related story, President Bush is proposing $770 million in emergency food aid for Africa. If President Bush has a success story to tout about his Presidency, it has been his advocacy of issues affecting Africa from HIV to malaria to famine relief. There is more on President Bush’s proposals in the International Herald Tribune.
British Labour Party Suffers Worst Defeat in 40 Years
British PM Gordon Brown suffered a severe setback today in his first electoral test as prime minister with Labour’s national share dipping to 24% – its lowest level since the 1960s. With results available from 100 councils, the Tories were up 147 seats, Labour down 162 and the Liberal Democrats at a virtual standstill, up just 9. More from the UK Guardian and the Times Online.
Thailand Urges Creation of a Rice Cartel
Thailand, the world’s biggest rice exporter, said that it wants to form an Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries-style cartel with four South-east Asian neighbours so that together they have more control over international prices of the commodity. Rice prices have tripled this year, with the regional benchmark hitting US$1,000 a metric ton for 100 percent Grade B white rice. The full story is in The Straits Times.
Local or Global? Angry Bear asks the question taking a look on NAFTA’s impact on Mexico’s corn harvests.
Raúl Castro Implementing Reforms in Cuba
Inspiring Cuba’s new President Raúl Castro is the mix of consumerism and pragmatic authoritarian politics that energized growth and reinforced Communist Party rule in China and Vietnam. Vietnam, in particular, is seen as a model for economic development in Cuba. The story in the New York Times.
Zimbabwe Election Update
Deadlocked all-party talks hosted by Zimbabwe’s electoral commission resumed on Friday in Harare. The Agence France Presse and the BBC have more on the story.
