Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil, has been talking with Germany about a direct fiber optic cable between the two countries. For Latin America this would be a great thing because virtually all traffic currently is routed through the US. This would offer faster Internet connectivity between the EU and Latin America and would likely drive the expansion of connections in the region near Brazil.

Many people, probably most people see Bitcoin as yet another currency. The big question then becomes "why would I want to use just another currency?" Trying to see it as a very different thing is difficult.

If you are trying to sort this out, a discussion between Andreas Antonopoulos and Stefan Molyneux available on AllThingsBitcoin.org is a good time investment. It is titled Bitcoin vs. The Federal Reserve.

This is what Nicaragua needs !! Carnival

http://entretenimento.br.msn.com/carnaval/rio-de-janeiro/quem-foi-a-gran...

That would bring the tourists. What say you, Granada or SJdS ?

Or dispense with the feathers,, etc, and just paint the costume on as we did in Key West during Fantasy Fest:

http://entretenimento.br.msn.com/carnaval/salvador/giro-carnaval-5-de-ma...

Just don't read the caption above the pic . . . .

The President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, who turn 69 years old this year and who suffers from lupus, a disease which shortens the lifespan of the afflicted, unexpectedly cancelled a meeting in Managua with the President of Peru, , Rafael Correa.

http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2014/02/28/poderes/184597-ortega-suspende-reu...

It is hard to compare country X with country Y in a meaningful way because so many indices are meaningless. To offer a simple example, saying that heating oil is cheaper in Minnesota than Nicaragua is meaningless when you don't need any in Nicaragua.

Enter the Legatum Prosperity Index. (That link points to the Nicaragua entry.) While there is an overall rating list, the details are available and pretty interesting. You can compare Nicaragua to your home country on all sorts of items.

Earlier this morning I read an article about US Corporate welfare with Boeing at the top of the list. (Corporate Welfare) Then I just read a newsletter that actually talks about a government is here to help you. The specific government that is being talked about is Chile and the subject is agriculture but the article is an interesting read.

Hi everyone! My SO has been unable to load state.gov links that I've sent her for at least the last week. Is anyone else experiencing this? I know there was talk of implementing a law about what could be said online in Nicaragua some time ago (maybe a year?), but IDK much about these things.

Help is much appreciated!

Mods: I wasn't really sure where to put this so feel free to move.

Just found this at Slashdot today: "Water Filtration With a Tree Branch"

Russia in planning to expand its military presence into other areas including Latin America. As bad as this may sound, it is certainly not unique to Russia.

First, Merco Press has an article about Russia's plans:

An ex-general of Venezuela interviewed on CNN said his country is being taken over by Cuban military. It made me wonder.

Later I read this rather interesting comment,

"Where is the outcry of the free world about the invasion of Cuban troops in Venezuelan soil? The silence or omission of the press about this..." by Susana Font-Fontenot, NYT (2/25)

This petroleum-rich neighbor would certainly be a feather in Cuba's cap, assuming they could keep a string of Ma-burros in the presidency there, and an army of street toughs as their dupes.

Ten prisoners managed to break out of jail last night in Jinotepe at around 4 a.m.

Within half an hour the police were combing through the poorest barrios in town looking for them. This is the first time most residents of these barrios can remember the police entering these places except to sell confiscated goods to the local fences.