From Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe : Free trade isn’t a battle that countries (or states) win or lose. It is a human right – the liberty to engage in voluntary transactions that leave both participants better off. If John wants to sell something that Mary wants to buy, it should make no difference to the lawfulness of their exchange whether they are residents of different neighborhoods, different states, or different nations

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The "Human Right" of Free Trade

In the comments, Susan Aaronson says : The WTO does not cover labor standards explicitly, but policymakers who are concerned about the trade spillovers of China’s labor laws have leverage on China. China recently reformed its labor laws, and it did so in a transparent accountable manner at the national level.

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Non-Violation Complaints and the Enforcement of Domestic Labor Laws

Caracas, January 9, 2009 – Yesterday’s violation of Venezuelan airspace by a P-3 US military combat plane is another example of the escalation in provocations against Venezuela and evidence of the danger US military presence in the region represents. During a live television broadcast on the evening of January 8, President Hugo Chávez revealed that at approximately 12:55pm earlier that day, a US P3 combat plane took off from the air base in neighboring Curaçao and entered Venezuelan airspace during a 15-minute period. By Eva Golinger- Postcards from the Revolution read more

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[analysis] US Combat Plane Stationed at the Military Base in Curaçao Violated Venezuelan Airspace Yesterday

In mid-2008, the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) came under strong criticism from both Brazil’s Lula and Venezuela’s Chavez. Lula said, “The waging of armed struggle as a means of achieving power should end in Latin America. The belief that armed struggle can solve anything is out of date.” Chavez mirrored these views, saying, “The guerrilla war is history

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[analysis] The Future of Bolivarism: The Long March in Latin America

Over the 17, 18 and 19 of December the first conference of activists and militants of the Venezuelan Hip Hop movement was held. Convened and organized by the Hip Hop Revolution collective and with the participation of activists from over 8 states from the west of the country, the [congress] discussed and debated the creation of urban art schools, a joint project of the HHR Collective and the Ministry of Communes

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[analysis] Venezuela: The Hip Hop Movement Gets Organized

Caracas, January 8, 2009 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced a devaluation of the official exchange rate of the bolivar currency and the creation of a second rate denominated the “oil bolivar” for non-essential imports, in a nationally televised address on Friday.

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[news] Venezuela’s Chavez Announces Currency Devaluation, Two-Tiered Exchange Rate

Important scholarly magazine “The Amurikan Specktater” published a very serious article this week about the important issues in contemporary Honduras. Did you know that this violent coup actually SAVED Honduran democracy, from Hugo Chavez

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Haha the American Spectator Spells Everything Wrong, The End

Historically Latin America has been of great importance to the United States on numerous counts: the region has in the past, provided the US with a trade surplus; its outflows of licit and ill-begotten funds to US banks, numbers annually in the tens of billions; the US has been, up to recently, the major trading partner in the region; Latin America has provided a lucrative outlet for US buyouts of oil, telecoms, banking and related strategic mining companies during the golden age of imperial pillage (1975 – 1999). By James Petras – The People's Voice read more

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[analysis] U.S. – Venezuelan Relations: Imperialism and Revolution

From the NY Times : Is the National Football League a single entity, or a collection of 32 teams that compete against one another every week? The question forms the core of an antitrust case that will be heard by the United States Supreme Court next week.

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The Single Entity Theory of Sports Leagues

Not many Londoners can be happy as they grope through the frozen murkiness of the commute to their first days back at work after the winter break. Adding to their misery is London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, who has made their journey much more expensive with huge fare rises. By Alex Holland – The Samosa read more

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[analysis] No fare deal for London or Venezuela

Via Sallie James of Cato , I came across this story : Minnesota recently enacted a plan to tax electricity generated by carbon-intensive methods in North Dakota–specifically, a carbon fee of $4 to $34 per ton of CO2 emissions in addition to the normal cost of coal power. Naturally, North Dakota's utilities are none too happy about this development.

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Carbon Tariffs on Out-of-State Coal Energy

Slavery is almost over in Bolivia, yo. I mean life still sort of sucks for most of the Guarani people and it ain’t going to be easy in the next year or generation or two or whatever but can we just all take a deep breath and acknowledge that fucking race-based SLAVERY, which has existed in Bolivia since colonial times until like LAST YEAR, is just about gone now

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Why We Fight

The 1990s was the worst that America has ever lived. The debt crisis — with its consequences: IMF, letters of intent, tax adjustments, etc… — Military dictatorships opened the way for it to impose neoliberal governments in almost every continent. We became the world region with the greatest amount of neoliberal governments and their more radical procedures.

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[analysis] Latin America’s Decade

I am a great admirer of President Chavez, its government and what is doing for Latina America. I am however in complete disagreement on the position on Iran. I understand that “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” but the Iranian government is a dreadful religious fascist dictatorship which stands against most if not all the thing we support as socialist

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[letter] Policy towards Iran

Mérida, January 4 th 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Following months of regular blackouts in some regions of Venezuela, the government has implemented energy saving measures, requiring companies to submit plans to save 20% of their electricity usage, regulating the usage of lighting for advertising, and creating schedules of electricity usage for shopping centres, casinos, and bingo halls. The Ministry for Electricity’s measures went into effect on 21 December, and the state owned National Electricity Corporation (Corpoelec) is charged with implementing them. By Tamara Pearson – Venezuelanalysis.com read more

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[news] Venezuela Implements Measures to Curb Commercial Energy Use

For the last thousand years or so, the United States has led the world on its March toward Freedom with such unique innovations as the free market and the three-fifths compromise and the Snuggie, only to find that sometimes the Free World just cold stabs us in the back or otherwise tragically refuses to embrace our awesomeness. Now we find out Brazil is inexplicably ignoring its Jeffersonian values by…talking with Chinamen? This is an utter betrayal, obvs, but also it is super confusing, for journalists .

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Dear Brazil, WTF? We Treated You Like Family

Merida, January 3 rd , 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – According to a study carried out by the Venezuelan Institute of Data Analysis (IVAD), Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s approval has dropped slightly, to 60.3%, from 62.4% last October. IVAD performed the study from 12 to 20 December, interviewing 1,200 people directly in their homes.

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[news] Venezuelan President Chavez’s Popularity Steady at 60%

Merida, January 3rd, 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuela’s National Anti-drug Office (ONA) confiscated over 60 tonnes of drugs in 2009, the organisation’s director, Nestor Reverol, informed the press. He said the figure was an increase from the 54 tonnes confiscated in 2008.

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[news] Venezuela Confiscated 60 Tonnes of Drugs in 2009

Hey will you check out this brutal image of police repression in Iran? It is very terrifying, yet strangely inspiring, what with the brave idealistic kids facing down the armed goons of dictatorship. When it ran on the France 2 teevee channel last it was meant to document the widespread human rights abuses carried out by the Baseej at the behest of an illegitimate government only..

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Oops: Footage of Iranian Repression Turns Out To Be Just Another Day in Honduras

Caracas, December 31, 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – After five years of economic growth fuelled by high oil prices, Venezuela’s economy entered into recession at the end of 2009 with a decline of 2.9 percent, according to a central bank report released Tuesday. Despite the recession Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has vowed to maintain social spending. “According to estimates by the Venezuelan Central Bank, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) experienced, in real terms, an inter-annual contraction of 2.9 percent in 2009,” the bank’s end-of-year report said

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[news] 2009 a “Tough” Year Says Venezuelan President Chavez

Dear Venezuelanalysis, Thank you so much for the indispensable and beautiful news and information you provide readers like me with everyday. As a young revolutionary living in a world of war, oppression and hate, the Bolivarian Revolution is one of the beacons of light that gives me hope–that is why I read about it everyday on this website.

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[letter] How can we defend Venezuela?

Wall Street Journal crazylady declares WAR , on PEACE, in Colombia. Chaos, death, and military coups for Latin America: Newsweek has published its annual Christmas wish list ! Florida Senator is deeply inspired by Honduran example, particularly the “constitutional process that resulted in the removal of its president and elections .” Hey look it’s a Colombia vs. Venezuela chess set ! On the Uribe side, “the rooks are represented by U.S.

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Titulares & Asininity

December 23, 2009 — “Nobel War Prize winner walked in and out of a secret door, and that is the way capitalism and the United States Empire will end up leaving the planet, through a secret back door.” So spoke Venezuela President Hugo Chavez from the plenary podium on the last afternoon, December 18, of the 12-day long Copenhagen climate conference (COP15). By Ron Ridenour – Tlaxcala read more

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[analysis] COP15: An Insider’s Report from the ALBA Delegation

Mérida, December 29 th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – The Colombian government, which recently announced that it will build a new military base near the Venezuelan border, is planning to simulate the existence of an encampment of Colombian guerrilla insurgents in Venezuela in order to justify an attack on Venezuelan territory, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on Monday.

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[news] Venezuela Says Colombia Planning Attack in Venezuelan Territory

Shut up, ok, it’s Christmas , and we’ve been “busy.” Anyway we’re coming out of hibernation because gay banking pamphlet The Financial Times published something funny yesterday! Apparently the board game Eternal Debt (tag line: “Can You Beat the IMF?”) was a top Christmas seller in Argentina again this year. The point of the game is to help your country survive by avoiding the world’s largest predatory lender, only this is made difficult by the fact that the IMF is fucking everywhere , right? Sounds like fun! So just how big a seller is this hilarious game?

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Argentina Stimulates Economy With Anti-IMF Christmas Board Game!