There’s been a lot of news coming out of Ecuador recently. To wit:
Simon Romero, in the New York Times:
“Ecuador’s Leader Purges Military and Moves to Expel American Base”:
MANTA, Ecuador — Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa is purging the armed forces of top commanders and pressing ahead […]
It’s been a tense week in the Andes. On Saturday, Colombian forces launched a surprise raid on a camp inside the Ecuador border and killed a senior FARC member. The result has been an ongoing diplomatic kerfuffle between Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.
AFP has a run-down of the events: “Regional tensions rise after Colombia raid into […]
Reuters:
Ecuador’s leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
Correa has refused to renew Washington’s lease on the Manta air base, set to expire in 2009. U.S. officials say it is vital for […]
From Foreign Policy’s blog, Passport:
In a unique environmental scheme, Ecuador’s government is asking developed nations to pay $350 million for them NOT to drill for oil in a major field in the heart of the Amazon. The sum represents about half of the estimated revenue that Ecuador would receive from drilling in the Yasuni […]
My latest globorati post is about the Ecuadorian capital’s rejuvenated historic center.
Simon Romero had an excellent story in the New York Times yesterday about Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, fighting to defeat the high-altitude soccer ban I mentioned recently. I particularly like the lede (as well as the delightful image, above):
Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, donned a green jersey the other day, watched a llama sacrifice […]
Disappointing news for Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia: FIFA says no more international soccer games above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) in altitude. So much for the legendary home field advantage courtesy of the rarefied Andean air.
BBC News:
Football’s governing body, Fifa, has banned international matches from being played at more than 2,500m (8,200ft) above sea […]
According to the trend watchers over at BuzzFeed, Ecuador’s Mt. Chimborazo is currently all the rage in the blogosphere. That’s because the Andean peak is technically the tallest mountain in the world due to the fact that it sits on the equator’s bulge. (That’s when you measure distance from the center of the earth, not […]
CNN/Reuters:
Ecuador’s first female defense minister was killed on Wednesday after only nine days in office in a mid-air collision of two helicopters, government and military officials said.
The accident in the Andean nation further rocks the leftist government of President Rafael Correa, who has clashed with Congress over his executive powers and prompted street protests since […]
The AP’s Monte Hayes reports that Ecuador has elected a new president:
Ecuador’s president-elect Rafael Correa was once a Boy Scout, later a social worker in an impoverished highland Indian village and now describes himself as a Christian leftist.
Childhood friends still recall Correa’s natural leadership abilities and strong character on the soccer field.
But during his […]
Guinea pigs: they’re not from Guinea and they’re not pigs.
Discuss.
But seriously:
The CSM’s Chip Mitchell:
Guinea pig: It’s what’s for dinner in Peru - and the US: Farmers in Peru boost their income by exporting guinea pigs to immigrants in the US.
I tried this special dish on a couple of occasions when I lived in Ecuador — […]
Thanks to Google Quechua, Indigenous people in the Andes can now search the Web in their native tongue.
Economist:
Estimates of the prevalence of Quechua vary widely. In Peru, there are thought to be 3m to 4.5m speakers, with others in Bolivia and Ecuador. The language has long been in slow decline, chiefly because the children of […]
Thomas Swick has an exceptional travel story about Cuenca, Ecuador in Sunday’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel. As many of you know, I lived in Cuenca for a year and I can tell you this: Swick nailed that story. He captures the essence of the city in a remarkable way: the colorful characters, the bohemian feel, and […]
This delightful image of indigenous Ecuadorian women conducting a penalty shoot-out comes from Mike F., a long-time friend of newley.com. You’ve gotta love it. Click on the photo for a bigger version.
An Ecuadorian, an American, a Thai, another American, a Nepali, and an Israeli walk into a bar in Bangkok…
Okay, so there’s no punchline, but there should be one. Regardless, here’s a pic from a recent night on the town. The nationalities I mentioned in my setup are accurate, from left to right.
Imagine my […]