We have previously looked at why Guatemala feels it is a victim in the South America to North America cocaine pipeline and that Guatemala's President has been pretty outspoken about the idea of legalizing drugs in his country as a way to pass the problem on to those who are actively involved: suppliers and users. Most of this has been from the perspective of the President of Guatemala and how the US is opposed to his ideas.

There has been a lot of discussion about the bad side of happenings in the Catholic church all the way to discussions about how the now ex-pope will be protected from prosecution because what was Vatican City became the nation Holy See. These internal issues along with the fact that most Catholics are in Latin America are likely to have influenced the selection of the first Pope from Latin America as well as first from the Southern Hemisphere.

A blog in Smithsonian Mag talks about what one Gringo is doing in Ecuador and why it makes health sense. As I read the article I saw so many parallels to Nicaragua -- from the smell of burned vegetable oil near typical fritangas to an ample supply of coconuts.

First, here is the why:

A bit of regional news on Monsanto vs. Latin America. This Activist Post article tells us a bit about what is happening here. It includes some specific information on what is currently happening in Costa Rica.

If we think the war on drugs flowing from South America to the US is working because we are hearing of less incidents, think again. What has happened is that organized crime had added a new front in the war: the media.

An article in Insite Crime tells us the sad story of what is happening in Mexico.

That is, a source where news from around the world is presented in English. The web site is worldmeets.us. The tag line is Connecting Americans with the World. The following is from the About page

Worldmeets.US is a nonprofit journalism project that gathers and translates the world's news and views about the United States.

Linked to the fake journalists case, Nicaraguan and Russian authorities have linked up to apprehend more Zeta-related traffickers. These were apparently involved in trafficking cocaine to Europe and Russia. From an AP article in the Windsor Star:

With the recent legislaiton in Colorado and Washington to legalize pot and hemp, Kentucky's interest in industrial hemp, and Guatemala's interest in decriminalizing we have brought up both pot tourism and industrial hemp production for Nicaragua here.

See http://links.org.au/node/3246 for actual graphs, which I am unable to reproduce here.

* * * By Jake Johnston and Sara Kozameh March 7, 2013 -- Center for Economic and Policy Research -- Below is a series of graphs that illustrate the economic and social changes that have taken place in Venezuela during this time period.

1. Growth (average annual percent)

Source: Banco Central de Venezuela

This graph shows overall GDP growth as well as per-capita growth in the pre-Chávez (1986-1999) era and the Chávez presidency.

A CSM article addresses the question of whether Nicaragua can protect the waters it won in it's ICJ case against Colombia. Most previous articles following the ICJ ruling were about Colombia not being happy with the decision. It's about time to move on.

The issue is real as this is the area where much of Colombia's big cash crop, cocaine, passes through.

As typically happens with discussions of "visa resets", http://www.nicaliving.com/node/21010 has regressed into something far from useful. Rather than beat a dead horse, I would like to take up a related subject. What do you feel the Nicaraguan government should do with regard to the situation of residents without residency. That is, people who are perpetual tourists.

I just read a personal experience article about a person traveling from Liberia Costa Rica to, ultimately, San Juan del Sur. I have labeled it personal experience because it is just that. What I am saying is that it covers what one family experienced. It is not a good guide for how to do it but it might help you get the feel and possibly avoid some of the mistakes they made.

Can anyone give me any ideas about going to Costa Rica to get my new 90 day visa for Nicaragua?

Do they make you stay the full 72 hours?

Any problem with taking a vehicle?

nice but inexpensive place to stay within a couple of hours from the border?

I need some schooling!

Gregorio

Bits from foreignpolicy.com posted almost a year ago, 11 Apr 2012, by Roger F. Noriega, titled After Chávez, the Narcostate:

"In my estimation, the approaching death of the Venezuelan caudillo could put the country on the path toward a political and social meltdown. The military cadre installed by Chávez in January already is behaving like a de facto regime determined to hold onto power at all costs. And Havana, Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing are moving to protect their interests."