Smokin' Mirrors

Chavez, OPEC & oil George W. can't control by Willhemina Wahlin It’s a little over four years since the failed military coup took place in Venezuela. On April 11, 2002, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Pedro Carmona, and Carlos Ortega, head of CTV, a trade union with strong political ties to the old political establishment in the country, forcefully removed from office the most popular president in Venezuelan history: Hugo Chavez. Such is his popularity among the majority of Venezuelans, that it was the ordinary voter, loyal to the last, who marched on the palace just two days later to demand the return of their President, and by April 14, he was back in his elected place. More This article was orginally published for Cheers Magazine on Friday 26 May 2006. Pic: Panorama, Venezuela

An Oita Sea-Change by Willhemina Wahlin On a recent trip to Oita Prefecture, on Kyushu Island, for Golden Week, my husband's parents booked us into an "onsen" (hot spring) hotel in the mountains just outside Oita City. After a quiet afternoon nap, I was the first to wake and make my way down to the bathhouse, where I found steamrooms, saunas and a variety of tubs, one even filled with roses of every color. Just when I was thinking that a girl could get used to this kind of indulgence, I was off for a 10-course meal, meticulously laid out on small plates. Most definitely, this is one of my favourite parts of Japanese culture. Next we went to stay with my husband's aunt in Hita, also in Oita Prefecture. "Do you want to go to the onsen?" she asked after dinner. Feeling a little onsen-ed out (if there is such a thing), I was hesitant, until my husband pointed out it was a private onsen - for friends only. Now that's what I'm talking about.

Just Keep Rovin' On... by Willhemina Wahlin In a dramatic twist in the long and drawn out saga that is the Valerie Plame case, Karl Rove was charged this week with perjury and lying to investigators about how and when he discovered that Ms Plame, also known as Ms Wilson, was a CIA operative, and whether he shared that information with reporters, reported Truthout’s Jason Leopold. Back in 2003, when the White House was pleading ignorance through the mouth piece of Scott McClelland at a press briefing, a reporter asked: "Weeks ago, when you were first asked whether Mr. Rove had the conversation with Robert Novak that produced the column, you dismissed it as ridiculous. And I wanted just to make sure, at that time, had you talked to Karl?" To which McClellan replied: “I've made it very clear, from the beginning, that it is totally ridiculous. I've known Karl for a long time, and I didn't even need to go ask Karl, because I know the kind of person t

Japan and Stiglitz Spice Up World Bank Parley By Willhemina Wahlin (pic: PBS News Hour) What do Japan and the US economic rebel Joseph Stiglitz have in common? For one, they have both, at one time or another, challenged the fundamental economic philosophy on which the World Bank bases its policies. They are also, ironically, two of the most prominent contributors to this month's World Bank ABCDE Conference, which will be held in Tokyo on the 29 and 30 May. Along with some of Japan's most important economists, Stiglitz himself will be one of the special keynote speakers. In a world full of dry, dull conferences, the ABCDE Conference is beginning to look a little spicy. Japan has an interesting history with the World Bank. According to Dr. Kaoru Natsuda, a Political Economist and Official Development Assistance Consultant with Ernst & Young ShinNihon in Tokyo, Japan and the World Bank have disputed the role of the state in economic development since the 1980s. "Japan in