In a new world record time, Ollanta Humala's honeymoon period ends before becoming President of Peru

And the moment it ended for the bigoted mediamogul dumbasses that think they run Peru is when he said these words (translated from the direct quote here) to Bolivia's President Evo Morales during his visit to Bolivia today:

"I dream of the reunification of Peru and Bolivia. I dream that one day the frontier disappears and we go back to being one nation, a single country."

Hah! I can just imagine the inherently racist Lima hoi-polloi wondering if they'll really have to share their wealth with the small brown people....this one is now over. He also dared to call Evo "compatriota", which is best translated as the slightly clumsy "fellow countryman" to get the feeling right but will likely be transformed into 'comrade' once the spindoctors you tend to read and believe have done their bit. 

Chart of the day is....

...GDP per capita in Bolivia, 1990 to 2010, data from the World Bank.

It accompanies this text extract from Bolivia Weekly:

The World Bank representative in Bolivia, Óscar Avalle, said yesterday that Bolivia is about to graduate from a “concessional” country to join the ranks of countries like Brazil and Argentina. Avalle explained that this “graduation” was provoked by a prudent macroeconomic policy begininning in 2006 and that Bolivia may transition from a poor country to a middle income country in the next two years. During these years Bolivia has averaged a 4% growth rate despite the global recession. Avalle reminded listeners that the World Bank forgave $1.5 billion of Bolivia’s national debt in 2006 and then began loans again in 2008 which now reach $257 million dollars. Avalle said that World Bank disbursement rates have risen from 9% to 22% which brings Bolivia on par with other countries.

It must be really frustrating for the rabid Evo opposition in Bolivia to see the country progressing so well under a Commie Pinko, no?

No nationalizations in Bolivian mines

Bolivia Weekly has the English language scoop on it, which includes:

"Last week, Coeur d’Alene announced that the Morales administration had assured it that it wouldn’t be nationalized; now it appears that the Pan American Silver’s San Vincente and Swiss-owned Sinchi Wayra’s mines will not be affected."

The reason? It seems that the unions at the mines don't want them to be "recovered" (i.e. nationalized) by the State. Meanwhile the deputy mining minister said, "A recovery of the mines that were owned by the State mining company Comibol and had been passed over to private mining companies for their administration and exploitation had been considered; but the condition was that the unions working in each of the mines were to agree to this (recovery). All the unions are against (this move), it's not going to happen."

Read more at Bolivia Weekly here.

Bolivian holiday traditions

aaah, the good old days....

One thing we know about Evo Morales is that he sure likes May 1st to make Presidential decrees:

• In 2006 he chose May 1st to nationalize the oil and gas industry in Bolivia
• In 2008 he nationalized a telephone company then run by Euro Telecom Intenational
• In 2010 he took over four electricity companies, including that of GDF Suez (which pissed off the French press for some time).

Though let's point out before going on that none of these were straight expropriations and Bolivia always reaches a negotiated agreement on the buy out price for the companies. So anyway, what's in store for May Day 2011? Well, let's check on what he said yesterday according to AP:

"AP: President Evo Morales announced the nationalization of some mines that previously belonged to the State. Without giving further details of the companies that may be affected, he said that he would emit an Executive Decree on May 1st "....to nationalize some mining companies that previously were of the State." while assuring that those mines that have always been in private hands would not be touched. "We are going to respect private property", he said."

Which mines come out of this reverse lottery in less than a month is still unknown, but all fingers are currently pointing to Pan American Silver's (PAA.to) (PAAS) San Vicente mine, Coeur D'Alene's (CDE) San Bartolomé mine and Glencore's Bolivian subsidiary company 'Sinchi Wayra' that runs five mines in the country including JVs or Mining Operations Contracts with Bolivia's Comibol State mining company at three of them.

Fortunately, those people your author contacted today with exposure to Bolivia via junior mining companies (this humble scribe has none) seem to think that this won't affect them at all....because Evo said so. Meanwhile your author will feel much more comfortable today as soon as the monkey stuck in his butt has flown out of said part of anatomy.

Bolivia's deterioration: A first-hand account

This arrived in your humble scribe's mailbox this morning, in its original French version and in the English translation you see before you. The author of the letter has given specific instructions to publish the words as widely as possible and so your author is pleased to do just that.

That crimes are committed in any country is a sad but clear reality. But if crimes are left uninvestigated by the country's police forces and, even worse, the victims are treated with total disrespect, the result is something far more dangerous for the future. IKN leaves you with the words of long-resident academic in Bolivia, Mme Demélas.

Dear friends and colleagues,

Last Tuesday at 9 o'clock in the evening, my eldest daughter Bertille was attacked by three men, raped and beaten up. The police thereupon kept her in their station from 10 o'clock  till 4 in the morning, without giving her the slightest attention nor informing her family or the consular services.

Like any mother whose children have been treated like this in a town where delinquency is constantly growing, such behaviour raises doubts as to whether any investigation will be carried out, or the guilty men ever be punished.

Therefore, since strikes and protest marches are not part of my culture, and considering that I have worked for 38 years to provide Bolivia with the results of my research in the service of her past, I have resolved not to write a line, not to give another course nor a single lecture in the service of this country until this crime has been punished.

I trust to those among you who manage Spanish as well as French the care of translating this announcement, and I thank them in advance.

Marie-Danielle Demélas

Honorary Member of the Bolivian Academy History
Chevalier e la légion d'honneur
 

Chers amis et collègues,

Mardi dernier à 9h du soir, ma fille aînée, Bertille, a été attaquée par trois hommes, violée et passée à tabac. La police l'a ensuite gardée dans ses locaux de 10h à 4h du matin, sans lui donner le moindre soin ni aviser sa famille et les services consulaires. 

Comme toutes les mères dont les enfants sont ainsi traités dans une ville où la délinquance ne cesse de croître, un tel comportement peut faire douter qu'une enquête soit menée, et que les coupables soient un jour châtiés.

Aussi, comme la grève de la faim ni la "marcha" ne font partie de ma culture, et rappelant que depuis 38 ans j'ai travaillé à offrir à la Bolivie le résultat de mes recherches au service de son passé, j'ai résolu de ne plus écrire une ligne, ne plus donner un cours ni une conférence au service de ce pays tant que n'aura pas pris fin l'impunité du crime.

Je confie à ceux d'entre vous qui manient aussi bien l'espagnol que le français le soin de traduire cette annonce et les en remercie par avance.

Marie-Danielle Demélas
Membre honoraire de l'académia de la historia de Bolivia

Chevalier de la légion d'honneur