The Larry Palmer Saga

It's the story that doesn't seem to want to end. Back in August, President Obama nominated Larry Palmer to be the US ambassador to Caracas.

During Palmer's Senate confirmation hearings, he got put in between a rock and a hard place. To secure his nomination he needed to talk a little tough on Hugo Chavez (nothing wins political points like bashing Chavez, after all). So in response to questions from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Palmer noted that there was dissatisfaction among the Venezuelan military and that Colombian guerrilla movements operated out of Venezuela.

It didn't come as too much of a surprise then that Chavez refused to accept Palmer, saying, "How can you think I'd accept this gentleman coming here?...You'd best withdraw him, Obama. Don't insist, I'm asking you."

Obama (well, State) did insist. And so did Chavez. In return, the US revoked the visa of Venezuela Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez.

And then Palmer's nomination expired and it seemed like the US was ready to move on. But then State decided to stick to its guns (after pressure to not let Chavez dictate anything), and said they still wanted Palmer to head to Caracas.

Chavez has his favorites for the job: Oliver Stone, Sean Penn, Noam Chomsky or Bill Clinton. (Bill Clinton?)

Never one to miss an opportunity for a joke, Chavez mentioned his recent meeting with Hillary Clinton at the inauguration of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff: "I said to Mrs. Clinton 'How is your husband?' But I was wrong because I speak very bad English and I said ‘How is your wife?’"

And still no ambassadors in Washington or Caracas.

Image Source: New York Magazine

Online Sources: AFP, Google News, Wall St. Journal, El Universal, Washington Post, Americas Quarterly

Daily Headlines: March 23, 2010

* Haiti: Former U.S. Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton visited earthquake-ravaged Haiti while the E.U. approved a $1.36 billion “development aid” plan.

* Brazil: Good news for Brazil’s economy – inflation has slowed down.

* Venezuela: The country’s domestic energy woes are likely to worsen as hydroelectric output is expected to decrease.

* Argentina: The government is one step closer to going through with an exchange of about $20 billion of defaulted bonds.

Image – Christian Science Monitor (“A man looks from inside his tent at a homeless earthquake survivors camp ahead of rainy season in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday.”)
Online Sources- BBC News, BusinessWeek, MSNBC, Bloomberg, UPI

World Watch: 20 years later

* South Africa: Celebrations including a reenactment walk through the gates of Drakenstein prison were held on the twentieth anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s freeing from jail.

* U.S.: Ex-Bill Clinton was reported to be “in good spirits” after being hospitalized in New York to undergo a heart procedure.

* Iran: The country’s Revolution Day was commemorated by the government but also condemned by detractors including a few hundred protestors in Tehran.

* U.K.: British fashion designer Alexander McQueen died of an apparent suicide at the age of 40.

Image – Sky News (“Nelson and Winnie Mandela, on his first day of freedom” twenty years ago.)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, CNN, Times Online, BBC News

Weekend Headlines: October 3-4, 2009

* U.S.: Police located safe and sound a week-old baby who was kidnapped by a lady who passed herself off as a fake immigration agent to take the child.

* Latin America: Environmental group Greenpeace blasted Spanish companies for their “arrogant attitude” and illegal practices in Latin America.

* Haiti: Ex-president Bill Clinton defended the trade embargo he placed on Haiti in the 1990s though he admitted that he “hated” doing so.

* Peru: Midfielder Nolberto Solano announced that he would retire from international soccer after Peru’s World Cup qualifiers later this month.

* Colombia: Authorities near the U.S.-Canada border have arrested a Colombian con man who is wanted by over half a dozen countries.

* Cuba: The House of Representatives dealt a blow to the White House’s plans for Guantanamo by voting against the transfer of detainees to the U.S.

Online Sources- Washington Post, LAHT, Reuters, CBC, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist
Image- AP (“This photo provided by the Nashville Police Department shows Yair Anthony Carillo of Nashville, Tenn.”)

Bill Clinton's Visit to Puerto Rico in Support of His Wife Didn't Translate

Former U.S President Bill Clinton was in Puerto Rico earlier this week, stumping for his wife Hillary before the island holds it's Democratic Primary on June 1st. But was Bill Clinton's message heard?

But on Monday, the culture gap between Clinton and Puerto Ricans, who were granted U.S. citizenship in 1917, sometimes seemed insurmountable. When Clinton walked into the rally in Barceloneta, he sat on a stage and listened as four local politicians introduced him in Spanish. One introducer, among 18 local politicians at the event, turned away from the microphone and looked back at Clinton, eager to interpret for him.

"When I say 'presidente,' " the mayor said, "that means I'm talking about you."

Clinton flashed a thumbs-up and smiled wanly, but he looked distracted during the Spanish speeches. Then he walked to the microphone, shielding his eyes against the 90-degree sun. He rattled off a thank-you list of Spanish names and mispronounced two of them.

As about 1,000 people crowded under white awnings to escape the heat, Clinton proceeded to give a jargon-heavy speech in English about health care and energy efficiency. Nobody interpreted, and only a handful of audience members seemed to understand him. The crowd -- raucous and dancing a few minutes earlier -- remained mostly silent during the 10-minute speech. Some people left. Others chatted on their cellphones.

"What is he saying? Do we clap now?" asked Jerry Nieves Rosario, a college student who speaks only Spanish. "If I had known about this, maybe I would have stayed home."

I should note that the granting of U.S. citizenship in 1917 wasn't something that was asked for by the people of Puerto Rico and that Puerto Ricans cannot vote in the November general elections.

Source : Washington Post

Quote of the Day: Clinton numero uno!

"I'm a Republican. But for me, Bill Clinton was the best president in U.S. history. The economy was strong. They threw Monica Lewinsky at him, and he just kept going. That will help his wife."

--Havana, Cuba resident who goes by the name of “Lorenzo.”

Guys like Lorenzo gather at a part of Havana’s Central Park deemed as the “Hot Corner” where they rant and rave on topics like politics, women, and water shortages.

Source- Yahoo! News

Image- MSNBC (According to the caption: “Fans debate baseball all-year around at Parque Central in Havana. Here men discuss the baseball team's win over Australia during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in August”)