Thursday, June 08, 2006

The Left In Latin America

Foreign Affairs has an excellent article on the Left in Latin America. Castaneda has couched his analysis as Social Democracy versus Leninism. The Leninism he opposes is no longer Bolshevik but the 'populist' left, like Chavez and Morales, who will use the state to nationalize while embracing a cooperativist movement of the poor from below. Chavez is populist, not a socialist

This meme is being used in the media now to attack the Chavez/Morales Left as being authoritarian verus the left like Lula in Brazil and the new Socialist President Michelle Bachelet in Chile, who are more amenable to capitalism and imperialist demands.

Ironically populism is the basis of the new right in Canada and the United States, it is the source of the popularity of the Klein, Manning, Harper new right, in Canada as well as the base of the U.S. Republican party. Of course the commentators who denounce the populist left in Latin America do not apply the same critique to the Populist Right in North America.

The populism of the Left is being described as authoritarian when in reality it is not. But Castaneda sees it for what it is. That the seizure of state power is limited, where it will go, nowhere as in the case of Brazil, or towards a dual power situation as in Bolivia, Argentina and Venezuala with popular assemblies, worker community control is the real question. The latter is what scares the bejezus out of the right and liberals like Castaneda.

Latin America's Left Turn
Jorge G. Castañeda
From Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006

Summary: With all the talk of Latin America's turn to the left, few have noticed that there are really two lefts in the region. One has radical roots but is now open-minded and modern; the other is close-minded and stridently populist. Rather than fretting over the left's rise in general, the rest of the world should focus on fostering the former rather than the latter -- because it is exactly what Latin America needs.

JORGE G. CASTAÑEDA is the author of Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left After the Cold War and Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara. Having resigned as Mexico's Foreign Minister in 2003, he is currently Global Distinguished Professor of Politics and Latin American Studies at New York University.



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Oil Verbs


Love these screaming headlines. Oil Verbs like; slip, plunge, fall, tumbles, slumps. Really? Which is it? Seems like it moved a little. I like slips, it actually is accurate. Oil slipped a little from $71 to be still above $70 per barrel yesterday. Hardly a drop in the bucket, nor a market plunge. Just a slip. Oil. Slip. Get it.

Oil slips towards $70 after US inventory builds

Oil prices plunge below 71 dollars

Oil slumps on rising US fuel inventory

Oil tumbles on rising US fuel inventory


But wait it gets better what is the actual price it supposedly fell to?

Oil prices fall to $70.40 a barrel

Oil Prices Fall to $70.53 a Barrel

U.S. crude oil traded 21 cents down at $70.61 a barrel

Crude oil for July delivery fell $1.68, or 2.3 percent, to close at $70.82 a barrel

What the hell price is being set here. Its all the same futures market. So why the 39 cent gap in all these prices. That gap is huge when it comes to stock investing.

Prices are still UP from last year. Prices are up 32 percent from a year ago.

So all this clamour and sturm and drang is for naught. A blip. Away to give a false image of the market falling. Chicken little headlines.

The real headline is:
Oil Still ABOVE $70 regardless of US reserves and Iran

But wait it gets better this headline runs counter to all the rest.

Oil eases towards $72 after positive Iran signal


If dropping a few cents leads to verbs like plunge, tumble, fall, drops, etc. why not replace eases with rockets, surges, leaps.

And which oil price are we talking about for our headlines, Brent Oil or Light Sweet Crude? Cause the latter is ABOVE $72.

Light sweet crude for July delivery fell 25 cents to $72.25 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, midmorning in Singapore.

Opps and here we go again what did light sweet crude actually drop to?

Light sweet crude for July delivery fell 35 cents to US$72.15 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe.

Wait now I am really confused.

Oil Prices Continue to Fall
Light sweet crude for July delivery fell $1.68 to settle at $70.82 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, where gasoline futures slid by more than 5 cents to settle at $2.124 per gallon. July Brent crude futures on London's ICE Futures exchange fell $1.62 to finish at $69.19 a barrel.

Yep let the market decide our futures say the right wing neo liberals. Decide what? They can't even settle on the prices of Oil, whether it is above or below, up or down. Ain't capitalism grand. And this is the market that the right wing wants to dominate our society.


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Carnival

The following Carnivals are now out, which your humble scribe has contributed to.

The Carnival of History.

The XVI Carnival of Feminists is here!



And don't Forget the Carnival of Socialism

And your humble scribe will be hosting the next round so send your contributions to me at eugene@union.org.za

Deadline is before June 11.

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Oil Spill


The Oilers were defeated last night in a shut out 5-0 by the Oilers. Not only the ex-Oilers playing for the Hurricanes, but the Oilers strategies of blocking, and assault. Leaving the Oilers to shadow box with themselves. Looking forward to them getting their s*** together for the Saturday Night Showdown. It should be a Whale of a game.


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Deep Integration

Despite the rosy picture painted by CEO's in Canada lobbying for deep integration, an economic union with the U.S. and a common dollar, here is what happens to the Canadian economy. The U.S. Fed burps and the loonie falls.
Canada dollar slips on Fed comments, bonds mixed

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Nude News

With the success of my previous nude news review: The Naked Truth, success of course being all those hits when folks google for nude, naked, etc....., here is this weeks nudes in the news....


More naked truth from the naked city. You remember that movie and TV show; Naked City...There's eight million stories in the naked city.....it was about the dark noir of New York and of course since the world is a Global village, we are all New York now.... “Cap d'Agde - The Naked City

The Not-Quite Naked City

Naked City
Austin Chronicle, TX

Talk About the Naked City



This weeks nude revue

The naked and the dead...
SYDNEY (Reuters) - There's a time and place for everything, local Australian governments have ruled as they move to stop brothels opening near cemeteries.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio Tuesday that cemeteries were places for quiet reflection by families who should not have to put up with "a brothel going on next door.""It's totally inappropriate. There's a place for brothels and a place for cemeteries and we don't believe the two mix," he said.

Hmm besides the fact that there is the kinky possibility of Necrophilia. Nah that just happens in funeral homes not brothels.

Heather Mills’ nude photos hit the tabloids

No wonder the McCarthy's broke up.

Of course she will not be financially hurt by this unlike this lass

Nude snaps end Miss England hopes
A FINALIST has been throw in out of a beauty competition - after it was discovered she had posed as a nude model.

PETA would be happy.

The naked vets