Monday, January 29, 2007

I Wonder If They Sent an Invitation to Sacha Trudeau?

I actually wonder if Sacha has been packing his bags and on stand-by to fly to Cuba.............

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Posted AT 2:27 PM EST ON 29/01/07

Miami readies celebration for Castro's death

Associated Press

Miami — The city of Miami is planning an official celebration at the Orange Bowl whenever Cuban president Fidel Castro dies.

Discussions by a committee appointed earlier this month by the city commission to plan the event have even covered issues such as a theme to be printed on T-shirts, what musicians would perform, the cost and how long the celebration would last.

Such a gathering has long been part of the city's plan for Mr. Castro's death, but firming up the specifics has been more urgent since Mr. Castro became ill last summer and turned over power to his brother, Raul.

City Commissioner Tomas Regalado, a Cuban American, came up with the idea of using the Orange Bowl, noting that the stadium was the site of a speech by President Kennedy in 1961 promising a free Cuba, and that in the 1980s it served as a camp for refugees from the Mariel boatlift from Cuba.

“Basically, the only thing we're trying to do is have a venue, a giant venue ready for people, if they wish, to speak to the media, to show their emotions. It's not that we're doing an official death party,” Mr. Regalado said Monday.

Former state Rep. Luis Morse stressed the need for an uplifting theme for the party — one not preoccupied with a human being's passing.

Critics have accused the city of dictating where people should party, with many preferring to celebrate on the streets of Little Havana. The city says the Orange Bowl celebration would not preclude that.

“This is not a mandatory site,” Mr. Regalado said of the Orange Bowl. “Just a place for people to gather.”

Ramon Saul Sanchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement organization, worries about how a party to celebrate a man's death would be perceived by people outside the Cuban exile community.

Mr. Sanchez also pointed out that, even after Castro dies, his communist government still will be in place.

“The notion of a big party, I think, should be removed from all this,” Mr. Sanchez said. “Although everybody will be very happy that the dictator cannot continue to oppress us himself, I think everybody is still very sad because there are still prisons full of prisoners, many people executed, and families divided.”

© Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Chavez is Engineering his Fall?

Looks like Chavez is bankrupting his country, and spending like there is no tomorrow (i.e. sending 100,000 poor citizens to vacation in Cuba).

After the "heydays" are over, or whenever oil price slumps, Chavez will definitely be in lots of trouble. It is sad to see the head of state of a nation has no sense of public policy. Time will be tougher for Venezuela down the road........

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Can oil-rich states endure price pinch? Russia, Iran and Venezuela have escaped a political backlash, but the U.S has hopes

Report on Business: The Wall Street Journal

RESOURCES DAVID LUHNOW, BILL SPINDLE AND GUY CHAZAN Wall Street Journal

29 January 2007
The Globe and Mail

B13

2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MEXICO CITY, TEHRAN, MOSCOW -- Softening oil prices over the past few months have spurred hope in Washington that less revenue for oil-rich states could weaken the hand of governments that the United States considers worrisome - particularly those in Iran, Venezuela and Russia.

The three nations are potentially vulnerable: Oil and gas revenue accounts for between two-thirds and three-quarters of government income in both Venezuela and Iran, and only slightly less in Russia. So, a big drop in oil prices would slow economic growth and hit government finances, forcing them to cut back spending increases that have boosted the popularity of all three governments at home and emboldened them abroad.

But it is far too early to expect the changing economics of oil to have big political effects. For one thing, although the price of oil has fallen 28 per cent since hitting a high in July of $77.03 (U.S.), it is still high by historical standards. The three nations, having weathered crises before, have all built up substantial currency reserves to cushion against a further fall in prices.

"Fifty-dollar oil doesn't put any of them in any grave danger," says Michelle Billig, director of political risk at PIRA Energy Group, a New York-based consultancy. "After all, it was only a few years ago that we were talking about an oil windfall for these places at $30 a barrel."

March crude oil futures settled at $55.42 Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up $1.19 on the day.

Equally important, it isn't clear that any of the trio would radically alter their policies even if squeezed harder economically. Under President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB spy, Russia has put a priority on reasserting its political might and reclaiming the global influence it wielded during the Soviet Union's heyday. Generations of leaders in Tehran have made the development of nuclear power a stated goal - and asserted the country's hypothetical right to a nuclear weapon - no matter the price of oil.

Venezuela might have the hardest time pursuing the assertive foreign policy of President Hugo Chavez, a populist former army officer, if oil prices were to drop much more. Over the past few years, the fiery leader has used oil money to try to counter what he sees as harmful U.S. influence in Latin America. Caracas has helped finance some neighbours' debt, and it handed out cut-rate oil to dozens of countries, including Fidel Castro's Cuba - and even some U.S. communities through the state oil company's Citgo subsidiary.

Unlike Russia, and to a lesser extent Iran, Venezuela has been much more reckless in spending its oil windfall. Last year alone, public spending grew 43 per cent, widening the gap between total government income and outlays to about 1.5 per cent of the total economy, according to
estimates by Morgan Stanley, the New York investment bank.

So far, falling oil prices haven't dented Mr. Chavez's spending habits. Just last week, he announced a program to send 100,000 poor Venezuelans each year to vacation in Cuba. He also recently offered the army's services to build a road in Nicaragua at a projected cost of
$350-million.

While economists unanimously agree that Mr. Chavez's free-spending policies may eventually shipwreck the Venezuelan economy, they say that won't happen - if it happens at all - for at least another year. The main reason: Venezuela has accumulated more than $36-billion of
reserves.

But there are signs Mr. Chavez could be headed for trouble, even without a much bigger drop in oil prices. He recently ordered an increase in gasoline prices - which the government has long subsidized - in order to raise federal revenue. And some economists view his recent nationalization of Venezuela's biggest telephone and electric companies as a sign his administration is eager to raise more money to keep up its spending.

A further drop in oil prices, then, might leave Mr. Chavez with some tough choices about where to trim the fat. High on the list would be his foreign aid. The chief beneficiary of Mr. Chavez's largesse, by far, is Cuba, which receives 103,000 barrels a day of refined petroleum products
in exchange for the services of Cuban doctors and other specialists. Analysts believe aid to Cuba totals about $3-billion a year.

Cutting back on such aid would be a relief in Washington, which worries about the spread of Mr.Chavez's socialist gospel, and could also be welcome at home, where many Venezuelans resent Mr. Chavez's free spending toward others when Venezuela has seen little progress on issues such as reducing poverty. Indeed, a recent study by Claudio Loser, a former International Monetary Fund official, showed that Venezuela's real per-capita income has grown a cumulative 1 per cent since 1998, the year Mr. Chavez took power.

Mr. Chavez also might be forced to cut back on the domestic front. Last year, Venezuela had Latin America's highest inflation rate, about 17 per cent - and it is expected to climb sharply this year.

Russia is much less vulnerable to oil prices. Under Mr. Putin, the country has built up $300-billion of foreign exchange reserves, an $89-billion rainy-day oil fund and runs big yearly budget surpluses. Mr. Putin is loosening the purse strings this year in the run-up to presidential elections in early 2008 with a 26-per-cent increase in spending from 2006. But the budget would still break even with oil as low as $38 to $40 per barrel. However, lower oil prices could hurt earnings at energy companies that form the backbone of Russia's economy, possibly leading to slight downgrades in forecasts of economic growth.

Iran is more exposed to the vagaries of the oil market. As revenue has soared with oil prices, Iran's public-sector spending has expanded almost as fast. In order to pay for massive subsidies for most daily goods - including gasoline, bread and heating fuel - the government has borrowed in each of the past two years from a special rainy-day fund set up to retain some oil revenue for when prices fall again. But that aggressive spending has ignited inflation, now running around 15 per cent.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad introduced a budget early last week that included an additional 20-per-cent increase in spending for the Iranian fiscal year that begins in March. He said the government, whose ultimate authority is held by a council of Islamic mullahs, would be able to add to its rainy-day fund if oil prices remain above $33 per barrel, the level the budget assumes for Iranian oil.

But some private economists doubt the budget calculations.

After the fall

The Bush administration hopes declining oil prices will force some governments to temper behaviour it finds troubling:

U.S. Accusations WHY OIL MATTERS Iran Sponsors terrorism; threatens neighbours; nuclear ambition fuels arms race; suppresses freedom Revenue funds subsidies that foster political stability; big trade partners reluctant to join tough sanctions Russia Thwarts democracy; improperly meddles in business arena; tolerates political violence Huge oil fund buys complacency at home; European dependence on supply mutes opposition to Kremlin policies Venezuela Fosters despotism; pursues socialism at expense of economic freedom Revenue finances populist agenda; foreign aid secures allies on international stage

SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Tories Attack Ads

Found part of those ads on CTV.ca.

Well, those are actually pretty good attack ads, especially when Iggy told Dion "we did not get it done", and Dion yelled "That's not fair". Dion looks like a whining baby.

On the other hand, it is true that the Liberals did not get the job done when they were in government. All critics know that the Liberals committed to Kyoto, but did not have a plan to reach the target. At least the Conservatives have been more frank in telling the truth that it is pretty much impossible to meet the target.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Is Dion Crazy or He Really Thinks the Liberals are Invincible?

I just couldn't believe what I read when I saw this article.

What kind of strategists does Dion have? Or he is just pure crazy?

Or maybe he is a closet Conservative????

I am puzzled.