South America

Dear Barack Obama,
I am writing to you fraternally, and to express concern and indignation at witnessing the destruction and death spread across various countries in the name of “freedom and democracy”, two bastardised and meaningless words that are used to justify the killing which is today celebrated like a sports event.

Quickly and unexpectedly, Marta Lucas, humanist sculptor and ceramicist has gone into the Light. A victim of meningitis, “the sculptor of fire” as she was known in the artistic circles of the city of Mendoza where she lived, died last night. A wake took place in the Small Hall of Silo’s Message located in Don Bosco and Primitivo de la Reta.

A document published in March by UNESCO reports that more than twenty-eight million children in those countries affected by conflicts do not receive education. If rich countries transferred monies from their military spending for just six days over to education, in 2015, the objective of Education for Everyone could be achieved.

Bolivian President Evo Morales today rejected the military attacks against Libya, which began on Saturday with an attack by the French air force. According to Morales, the actions against Tripoli violate human rights and lead to violence. During the inauguration of the third meeting of the ALBA social commission, he stated that the countries were interested in seizing the oil.

In the occasion of the visit of Barack Obama to Chile, he was sent today, via Miss Angie Quackenbush, the person responsible for protocol at the U.S. Embassy, a gift in reference to his being a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with wishes for inspiration in using his influence in the construction of a new and better world.

The Obama administration is locked in a diplomatic row with Argentina over allegations a U.S. military warplane brought unauthorized cargo to the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. The Argentine government says a U.S. Air Force jet was found to be carrying a number of items, including weapons, drugs and spying devices, without proper clearance.

President Lula begins the last week of his presidency on Monday with various ribbon-cuttings and farewells throughout the country.
After his weekly Coffee with the President radio program today, he will inaugurate the new offices of the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development in the capital, where the last annual meeting of that organization will be held.

In a group studying the present moment, made up with O. Cevey, J.J. Coscarelli, D. Ergas, J.G. Feres, P. Figueroa, T. Hirsch, M. Icarte, A. Koryzma, F. Palumbo, V. Piccininni and J. Vergara an attempt has been made to understand the current state of our American continent, without attempting to arrive at a conclusive view. We thought it interesting to publish it anyway.

The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) begins today a new stage with Guyana as temporary president, making firm steps towards regional integration.

The report, presented by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa during the inauguration of the fourth Summit held in Georgetown, marked the favorable course of discussions.

The Hungarian-German, French-Italian, Portuguese-English versions of the book were not presented at this time as the Camilo Mori room became overcrowded with an audience almost exclusively Chilean. The project coordinators, G. Tomas Hirsch and Rafael A. Edwards explained the meaning of the book and the difficulties overcome in order to publish it.