Off to the airport, where I'm flying American Airlines for the first time. It's always been Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, even though they have resumed flying, it wasn't worth the uncertainty.
Chau.
P.S. My wordpress blog is far from complete..I have yet to add links, a better banner picture, etc.
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Photos: Reuters
I'm convinced that Evo had his sights on the Presidency just to be able to participate in these types of sporting events. He even broke his nose in a recent game running into an overeager goalkeeper. These games have become a staple of official visits to rural villages where the President can interact with locals.
]]>The debate over educational reform has been considered a failure, not only because of the failed conference, in which Education Minister Felix Patzi has sent mixed messages about religious education, but also because of a perceived lack of focus. Valuing native languages and requiring students and teachers to learn quechua, aymara or guarani is much different. Escalante was recently asked about the current educational debate, and he believes that this emphasis on native language could take away much needed time to teach the students to compete on a global level.
]]>OH! What should the new reform accomplish?
The reform should improve, not reverse it 500 years. Studying languages or talking too much about indigenous groups will not get us anywhere. We must be up-to-date with current global technology. We must instruct the students how to study in order to advance to the next grade level. Currently, they are not ready and it is evident when they take university entrance exams. When they don’t pass, they end up crucifying themselves or enter a hunger strike. There is no quality education.
It is obvious that professors do not know how to evaluate the students’ capabilities. There are no bad students, but they are traumatized into thinking that they cannot pass. That’s why they run to the psychologists.
The adminstration must also be concerned with keeping the professors up to date. I’m worried that they continue to teach Baldor, which came out 50 years ago. If they don’t change all that, the new reform will also be a failure.
Sadly, my blog has had to resort to this.
]]>]]>Linera indicated that President Evo Morales is putting the final touches on the MAS proposal that will be presented on August 6, in which reelection is not part of it. Five years is enough for the current government to carry out the structural reforms.
"In the final document, which is being reviewed by the President, the proposal for reelection is not included and this has come out of the debate among the constituent candidates that took place three weeks ago," said Garcia Linera.
Q Thank you. Alana Foster (ph), Westport, Connecticut. Speaking of oil-producing countries that are not friendly to the United States right now, I'm very concerned about what's going on in Venezuela and Bolivia and all, the coalition of Hugo Chavez. I wondered what your strategy was going to be, or what you're working on in that respect.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I am going to continue to remind our hemisphere that respect for property rights and human rights is essential for all countries in order for there to be prosperity and peace. I'm going to remind our allies and friends in the neighborhood that the United States of America stands for justice; that when we see poverty, we care about it and we do something about it; that we care for good -- we stand for good health care.
I'm going to remind our people that meddling in other elections is -- to achieve a short-term objective is not in the interests of the neighborhood. I will continue to remind people that trade is the best way to help people be lifted from poverty; that we can spend money -- and we do in the neighborhood -- but the best way for there to be growth is to encourage commerce and trade and prosperity through the marketplace.
I want to remind people that the United States stands against corruption at all levels of government, that the United States is transparent. The United States expects the same from other countries in the neighborhood, and we'll work toward them.
We'll continue to work with forces like the Central -- countries like the Central American countries, where we passed a free trade agreement called CAFTA, to remind the people in that area that relations with the United States will be beneficial to their people. There's a lot of things we're doing.
Thank you very much. I'm concerned -- let me just put it bluntly -- I'm concerned about the erosion of democracy in the countries you mentioned. (Applause.)
Why is Ms. Foster concerned about what is going on in Bolivia? Will it mean even higher gas prices for her van? Sure, blame Evo Morales for the $3.50/gallon price hanging on the local gas station sign. The poor oil companies, after record breaking profits, are the victim here.
Perhaps she is concerned about poverty in Bolivia and that could mean even more immigration from Bolivia.
I wonder if Bush was worried about the erosion of democracy when Goni took office and divvied up the government and had no accountability to the population. Is democracy considered eroded when only a select few get an opportunity to govern and corruption runs rampant? Bush makes it sound like Evo Morales had just undone a flawless democracy that politicians helped create the conditions for a MAS government.
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Johnny Fernandez, former chief of Unidad Cívica Solidaridad (UCS), a political party which had not much success in recent elections, resurfaced with a bit of flare for the dramatic. Even though one of his half-million dollar country homes was auctioned off to pay back taxes, Fernandez laughed it off. Fernandez has been largely M.I.A. since his sixth-place presidential finish in 2002. (Photo: El Nuevo Dia)
]]>After some of his posessions were auctioned off at the National Tax Service (SIN), Johnny Fernandez called a press conference at his house in the neighborhood of Las Palmas, where he denied that he was in bankruptcy, which was a rumor that circulated in political and economic circles. He even showed the press a suitcase with dollars that he received from the interest of his CDs (Certificates of Deposits) in the United States.
“It was only a problem of liquidity. I have more than ten million dollars in properties in Bolivia and I am not bankrupt. I also have property investments and CDs in other countries, but it’s difficult to withdraw. I am even thinking of a strong return to politics,” said Fernandez.