Anatomy of a Theft

Over the past 3 years I've spent 18 months in Managua, Grenada, SJDS, and places inbetween. Heard lots of horror stories - usually by someone who heard from someone who said he knew someone who had heard...type of stories. This past January I returned to my hotel in Managua and there's a couple of mid thirties guys speaking in English in the courtyard. Introduced myself, and we blew away the afternoon and evening drinking Tonas. One was a Los Angeleno, a professional freelance fotographer. The other, a fellow Canuck. They were single, hot to trot and were going clubbing that nite. I passed, the beer suggesting sleep more than hot trotting. Told the boys where not to go - the danger areas. The following noon, they're sitting at the same patio table, commiserating over a robbery. The fotographer decided to go out early that morning to shoot stuff he might be able to sell. In one of the toughest barrios in the city. Mucho peligroso! Cabbies don't even want to go there at night.(Picture him if you will: dressed akin to what you might see in Eygpt at the pyramids, in khaki shorts, cameras and lenss drapped around his kneck, a massive camera bag hanging off one shoulder. He shot several rolls, and was returning to his hotel on foot.. Altho he went where I advised him not to go, he at least followed one bit of advice: walk in the middle of the street so u can see on both sides around you. In his case, that advice was useless. Two guys with matchetys rushed him, and he was relieved of a mass of cameras, lenses. Plus (he said) about $5000. That's right, $5000. The bandidos were never caught.

About three weeks later I had to go to the computor shop. Small problem with my laptop. Very very safe calle. Lot of stores. Lots of shoppers. Good computor place in a good location. I walk in to find a cocked revolver aimed at my head. On the floor to my left are two men sprawled out, arms outstretched, on their bellies. I didn't get down fast enough so the guy who greeted me at the door shoved the pistol into the nape of my neck, hard. Never argue with a gun, is my mantra. (He got behind me to frisk my pockets.)Ahead of me are several employees also on their bellies, arms outstreched, two other hombres hovering over them with cocked revolvers. A fourth was rummaging through drawers, looking for cash. It was a well planned robbery. At the right moment, a car pulled up, and the four took with them all the portables, about a dozen, mine included, plus about $1000 which I was going to wire to my daughter. It took the Managua police almost 45 minutes to arrive on the scene! As of my departure 3 months later, the investigation was still on going. Is Nicaragua safe? U betcha.I could just as easily have been in the wrong place at the wrong time in Toronto. Am returning to Nicaland again this autumn for another 6 months. But this time, I'll try and avoid being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Being robbed in Esteli didn't tarnish Nicaragua's safe reputation, as far as I'm concerned. It was the opposite, the place lulled us into complacency, or as you say Doug, we dropped our guard. As soon as I find my notes I'll tell.

What motivates a child to steal? Moral ambiguity? Societal anarchy? Or the challenge, without fear of punishment? In Saudi Arabia children (under 18) are tried as adults for their crimes. A guilty sentence can result in flogging, amputation, or death. For theft the hand is chopped off - a very powerful deterrent. Muslim law, the sharia, is concerned with "the poor souls who are mugged and robbed and hurt by the thieves. " Three children were executed to death in 2007, 12 in recent years. (July 08 Atlantic).

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Doug, what you've quoted about Bremer is from the Organic Consumers Association of Minnesota. It appears to be a totally radical ad-lib. That information is better used to fertilize organic crops, in other words.

When I read the Coalition Provisional Authority Order 81, in full at http://www.trade.gov/static/iraq_memo81.pdf, it simple spells out patent laws and laws for registering a new breed of plant, and certainly doesn't restrict farmers from doing what they have done. Though for a newly registered plant variety, this law protects it and authorization from the breeder is necessary to use it. Standard legal stuff.

I can't believe I wasted an hour looking into these allegations.

and the band plays on. Just wait until you have to rent/pay for your own genes or stem cell, dna, property rights to the corporations that have identified and own the rights to them.