NEWS/BLOG

Arms in the Sky

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department are seeking permission from foreign governments to let U.S. pilots carry firearms on international flights. The idea doesn’t sit well with representatives of foreign countries where gun ownership is highly restricted.

In Sweden, for example, even trained air marshals are banned from carrying weapons aboard planes. In an attempt to compromise, the U.S. suggested that Swedish citizens trained as air marshals be allowed aboard U.S.-bound flights. No deal. “Sweden would rather not see any weapons aboard airplanes,” said the homeland security liaison at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, adding, “There’s a concern about arms and very sensitive equipment inside airplanes.”

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Iceland: Investment vs. Environment

Fire and ice, volcanoes and glaciers - Iceland is like no other place on the globe. The standard of living is high, the literacy rate is 100% and the air is so pure that the Kyoto Protocol gave Iceland the right to increase its greenhouse emissions by 10% from 1990 levels.

For years the center-right government has actively sought international investment. Already in the central highlands, where two powerful rivers flow north from Europe’s largest glacier, is a network of tunnels and reservoirs which are changing the face of the wilderness. This is the Karahnjukar Hydropower Project, designed to generate electricity for a new aluminum smelter owned by Alcoa, the world’s largest aluminum company. In addition, three more such projects are under consideration.

The company plans to close two of its smelting plants in the U.S. and open new ones in Iceland, using the electricity from the government-subsidized dams there to reduce costs. The project has been contracted by Bechtel. Those defending the project assert that harnessing Iceland’s hydro-electric power allows aluminum to be produced with far less greenhouse gas emissions than occur in plants of similar size elsewhere in the world.

Icelanders have not been known to demonstrate publically, but an anti-dam demonstration drew thousands. They see the projects as endangering the rivers and waterfalls, causing soil erosion and threatening the lives of reindeer and numerous birds. Not only that, they point out that the dam is unstable, having been built on a thin, fractured crust of earth near one of the most volcanically volatile areas in the world. What’s more, a large glacier nearby is melting rapidly because of global warning.

For more about Iceland, its lifestyle and its landscape, both of which are extraordinary, see http://www.liveabroad.com/articles/iceland.html.

Retiring Early? Try Panama

If you have $500 a month from a government agency or a defined-benefit pension plan, you’re eligible for Panama’s pensionada program. You don’t even have to be retirement age to qualify. The plan offers generous discounts on all sorts of things from hotel rooms and restaurant meals to closing costs on home loans.

If you’re going to Panama to start a business, the government there makes that easy, too. There’s high-speed internet access. Oh, and the currency here is U.S. dollars.

Panama has something, or somewhere, for every lifestyle. In Panama City, you could live in a high-rise condo with a ocean view or a restored villa with baroque touches in an old-town atmosphere. You could choose a community, perhaps a gated one, with other expats from around the world. Or you could live in a rural area surrounded by lush tropical plants. There’s something for every budget, too. Whatever your preference, your living costs will be between half and 65% of what they’d be in the U.S.

For more information on Panama, see the article and resource listing at http://www.liveabroad.com/articles/panama.html.

Cuba - Here We Come!

An Associated Press poll showed that 40% of U.S. adults said they’d be interested in vacationing in Cuba if the travel ban were lifted. This is striking, considering that about 75% of U.S. citizens do not have passports, and a majority have never traveled abroad. Asked if the U.S. should resume diplomatic relations with Cuba, 62% said yes.

Chavez to Rule by Decree

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has succeeded in persuading the National Assembly to give him power to legislate by decree for the next 18 months. Although he is a democratically elected president, this isn’t the way a democracy works.

He is expected to use his powers to nationalize certain companies, which would allow the country’s resources to benefit Venezuelans. It’s not yet known whether he’ll offer a market price for Electricidad de Venezuela, in which the U.S- based AES has a controlling stake or for CANTV, of which the U.S. company Verizon owns 28.5%. Some experts think he’ll drive a hard bargain, while others believe he’ll simply expropriate these and other companies.

But that’s not all. What has people worried is the ever growing sphere of his control. He has said he will not renew the license of RCTV, a television station that has aired criticism of the government. He believes the station is biased in favor of the U.S., however, his critics include members of his own party. Silencing dissident voices would strike a hard blow to civil liberties in Venezuela.