southern woes and southern comfort

From Common Dreams: Latin America Shifts Left: It's the Economy by Mark Weisbrot looks at some of the economic obstacles faced by Latin American countries, especially Bolivia which recently elected its first indigenous president Evo Morales.

And from the Washington Times: Hugo Chavez suggests the formation of a regional "Bank of the South" that would help reduce foreign debt in Latin America, and offer no-strings loans in competition to the U.S.-backed IMF.