Can't Believe I've Been Silent for So Long!

Okay so honestly, I've been quiet and quit blogging regularly going on two weeks now. But there's something addictive about all of this, especially since it lets me vent the frustration that comes with my daily news fix...

I suppose I could start talking about Israel and keep talking about it all day, but what's most worth noting for the time being is that Hizbullah rockets have hit deeper into Israel than they had previously, some thirty miles south of the Israeli-Lebanon border. These are apparently a new type, but whether or not they have the capability to hit Tel Aviv is at present unclear. AP's got it here; I'll get commentary from other blogs soon.

Two news stories that have been underreported but deserve to be highlighted from Latin America. First of all, in Nicaragua, former Sandinista cauldillo Daniel Ortega looks poised to win his country's upcoming presidential election. Needless to say, he's close amigos with everyone's favor dictator Hugo Chavez. This is also part of a larger trend of political amnesia that's sweeping Latin America (see Garcia's reelection about two months ago, after he already ruined the Peruvian economy in the 80s). What I'm unsure of is whether this is part and parcel of the short-sighted renunciation of neo-liberal economics or something marginally different.

The second and equally disturbing story is that Russia and Venezuela have inked a series of arms deals for military helicopters and and aircraft. Although details, such as models, are hard to come by, the package was apparently valued at more than $3 billion and included 24 planes and 53 helicopters. While Chavez is mum on their purpose, I have a guess: regional intimidation. Reports claim he's been in league with FARC in Colombia, no doubt an attempt to destabilize our strongest ally in the region, and though an all-out war is rather unlikely, such arms deals (which Chavez can clearly afford with oil at its current price) may be a sort of warning shot across the bow of the Colombian ship of state.