News Tidbits About the World

Before I get into the news tidbits, I have to share a link to an article that lampoons the "creative" names that parents give to their children. The names in the article don't hold a candle to the names I assigend to some characters in a short story I've been working on: Poison, Rumour, Mexican, and Cataclysm.

Some items in the international news that I found of interest:

• Chile has banned the import of beef from Argentina due to an outbreak of hoof & mouth disease in that country; beef importation into Chile from Brazil has been suspended since last October. Those two countries account for 84% of the beef consumed in Chile. Argentina, alone, accounts for 55% of all meat consumed in Chile. Obviously, the cutoff of beef from Argentina will dramatically impact prices for beef in Chile. Estimates on the size of price increases range from 10% to 50%.
• The U.S. government recently forced a U.S. owned Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City to evict Cuban officials who were staying in the hotel. The Mexican government said it would apply the full force of the law against the Sheraton if it were determined a crime was committed. I found it interesting that I could not find any report of this event in the U.S. media; I had to go to wire services and non-US media to find it. I personally find this action by the U.S. government to be reprehensible and an afront to both the U.S. company affected and to the Mexican people. In exploring this issue, I came across the Cuban website, http://www.ahora.cu/. There is an English language version (not exactly like the Spanish version...likely the English version is intended primarily as propaganda). This is a link to the Cuban perspective.
• This year's Mardi Gras in New Orleans will offer an insight into the people who still inhabit that badly battered city. I read that one display in the Krewe du Vieux parade yesterday asked France to buy Louisiana back. I've never been to Mardi Gras, but I understand it's traditional for some of the Krewes to poke barbs at government, companies, etc. The Krewe du Vieux display certainly does!
• The head of the UN drive to contain the bird flu virus told a Portuguese newspaper that the virus is only "two mutations away" from a form that could cause a worldwide pandemic.
• This isn't so much news, as it is an item of interest. I heard on All Things Considered yesterday an interview with the author of a book called The Reindeer People. It was a really interesting piece and I recommend reading about it online and listening to it. I probably won't buy the book any time soon, because I have too many other books I want to read but have not, but I will put it on my wish list. The link above includes an excerpt that makes me think I would find the book extremely interesting.
• A tiny town called Vernon, California (adjacent to Los Angeles) is in the L.A. news because of its actions to evict some newcomers who were planning to run for election. The town hasn't had a contested election since 1980.
• An article in the San Francisco Examiner says shipping in San Francisco is enjoying a resurgence, which may translate into growth opportunities for my sister's business endeavors (intermodal container repair).
• It will be interesting to follow how Evo Morales, the new president of Bolivia, will mold his policies that permit coca cultivation, but prohibit its trafficking as cocaine.
• Is real diversity coming to Huntsville, Texas? The first Festival of United Cultures was held at the Walker County Fairgrounds last Thursday night. They say 1000-1500 people attended. It sounds like a very good idea, to me.