This story about a Bolivian boy who stowed away on a truck to be found in Chikle is an example of how resourceful and determined a child can be. In a way, I think modern parents tend to underestimate what their own children are capable of doing, leading to worrying too much about exaggerated risks and being overprotective. That's not to say this boy didn't take on an irrational risk, because he didn't really know better, but that's just due to the ignorance of youth. I'm glad that this story has a happy ending, he and his mother are very lucky.

You think you'd have a better plan than to completely end subsidies cold-turkey like this. Maybe a plan to gradually remove them over a year or two so that markets can adjust and that the new revenues can be put to work visibly.  Instead, you get protests, rioting, and people stockpiling basic necessities.

Color me surprised.  Bolivian players in the EPL are few and far between afaik.  Was Jaime Moreno the last one to play in England?

Está establecido que Samuel Galindo tendrá un salario de aproximadamente 15 mil dólares en el Arsenal, club inglés que recientemente lo fichó tras la aprobación del entrenador francés Arsene Wenger.

Facteas Deportivas

With the World Cup barely a year away, there's a packed slate of results I'll be watching this week.  Will the US continue its relatively straightforward qualification to another appearance?  Can Bolivia maintain the slimmest hopes of qualifying alive?

I sincerely hope that both parties are negotiating in good faith and trying to prevent further violence and bloodshed.  But that's me, I'm a bit of an optimist that way.  When Morales says he will get his constitution approved "Por las buenos, o las malas", essentially translated as "By any means necessary", its difficult to believe that the opposition would come to the table and make many concessions.

Things continue to deteriorate in Boliva. First, Evo's government expels the U.S. ambassador - but at the same time sent a letter to Dept. of State indicating that Bolivia wants to "maintain bilateral relations." Me thinks someone should explain to him what expelling an ambassador indicates. The eastern provinces are in basically full rebellion against the central governnment.

Heading into 2008, Bolivia is fundamentally polarized such that no resolution seems possible.  Granted, it has been like this for almost four years now, but with both sides unwillingly to concede or even talk, you have to wonder how much longer lines on a map will continue to hold it together.  The LA times summarizes the situation saying Bolivia's Morales faces divided nation.

Bolivia's Constituent Assembly, charged with rewriting the country's constitution by December 14th, has suspended its work indefinitely.  Campesinos and other indigenous groups plan to march through the streets of Sucre peacefully to advocate national unity.  But what's does national unity mean when the MAS party, the party of the president, changes the assembly rules, so that they can unilaterally vote on changes and amendments. 

The always insightful MABB Blog, has been keeping an eye on the Tags: Bolivia

It's been one year since Evo Morales became Bolivia's president.  While the goals of his administration - refounding the country on a more equitable foundation - are hard to argue with, his methods and results are disastrous.  He's used demagougery and stirred up his supporters to cause civil unrest and blockades around the country in the hopes that his party, MAS, will get its way.  All this culminated in bloody confrontations in Cochabamba, between MAS and its opponents, that left 2 people dead and over 100 injured.  Today, the country is more polarized, violent, and d

As usual, MABB has an informative analysis of the situation in Bolivia, where 4 of the 9 departments have elected to reject the new constitution if the Constituent Assembly revokes the 2/3 majority rule.  Governments and opposition forces have had some violent confrontations, resulting in almost 70 people wounded during one altercation.