Comision Federal de Electricidad, Mexico’s largest state power company, will take over Luz y Fuerza del Centro, the smaller money-losing state power company, Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont said in a press conference in Mexico City.

“This is a measure to preserve responsibly the fiscal resources of all Mexicans,” Gomez Mont said. Luz y Fuerza provides power to a metropolitan area of 20 million people and several states surrounding Mexico City, transmitting 30 percent of the entire country’s electrical output.

President Felipe Calderon issued a decree today ordering the liquidation of Luz y Fuerza, according to a notice published today in the nation’s official gazette. Local media outlets reported that federal police officers seized the power company headquarters and other facilities by 11 p.m. yesterday.

Calderon is seeking to bolster Mexico’s fiscal position as it faces the threat of a lower credit rating from Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, both of which have a negative outlook for Mexico’s sovereign ranking.

Calderon is increasing taxes and closing three ministries, while also cutting some government spending. On Sept. 8, Calderon submitted to Congress tax law changes that would generate 176 billion pesos ($13.2 billion) in additional revenue next year and spending cuts of 218 billion pesos.

Unsustainable Situation

The financial situation of Luz y Fuerza is unsustainable, Gomez Mont said. If Luz y Fuerza were left to continue, the federal government would have to transfer to the company about 300 billion pesos by 2012, he said.

Between 2003 and 2008 Luz y Fuerza generated sales of 235.7 billion pesos, while its costs reached 443.2 billion pesos, according to the decree. By June of 2009 the company reported a loss of 30.6 percent of the power that it distributed.

“Almost no other power company in the world shows a percentage of power loss registered by Luz y Fuerza,” the decree said.

The severance costs for the federal government could reach 20 billion pesos, Finance Minister Agustin Carstens said at the same press conference.

The federal government will absorb the pension liabilities from Luz y Fuerza, Labor Minister Javier Lozano said at the conference. Mexico Anticipates to rehire “an undefined number” of Luz y Fuerza workers, Lozano said.

CFE, as the Mexico City-based company is known, and Luz y Fuerza are the only companies allowed to sell and distribute power in Mexico. Private companies are allowed to generate power and sell it to the state-owned distributors or export the electricity.

Under the government decree, the Secretary of Energy will have three days to publish the legal conditions to start liquidating Luz y Fuerza del Centro.

Reactions to this shutdown have been many. Positive reations from most if not all of Luz y Fuerza’s clients, tired of the corruption and the low quality of service. Negative reactions from the left and the union. The Electricity Worker’s Union have been protesting and do not agree with this decision (of course). AMLO and his gang are jumping on the wagon as well to denounce this action, which in my eyes seems to be pretty just. They claim it is against the constitution to dissolve this company, since – according to the constitution – only congress could do this. Problem is that Luz y Fuerza was conceived as a presidental decree, and as such it has no protection from the congress to be dissolved.

In order to enforce this shutdown, police and military took Luz y Fuerza’s installations in Mexico City, Cuernavaca and other places – to ensure the continuity in electricity supply – since the union said they would not be at fault if Mexico City and nearby communities ended up without electricity during this conflict.

Mexico has the worst electricity supply in the western hemisphere, and probably the highest prices. It is time somebody did something about it. Way to go, Calderón!

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNN) — Bishop Richard Williamson, who last month denied the existence of the Holocaust in an interview with Swedish television, was ordered Thursday to leave Argentina within 10 days, the Ministry of Interior said.

“The bishop has repeatedly forged the true motive for his stay in the country, having declared that he is an employee of ‘La Tradicion’ Civil Society when, in reality, his true activity was as priest and seminary director of the Society of Saint Pius X in the neighborhood of Moreno,” Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said in a written statement.

Williamson and three other bishops who belong to the Society of Saint Pius X were excommunicated in 1988. The society was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebrve, who rebelled against the Vatican’s modernizing reforms in the 1960s, and who consecrated the men in unsanctioned ceremonies.

“Williamson has had public notoriety following his anti-Semitic statements to Swedish media in which he questioned whether Jewish people were victims of the Holocaust,” Randazzo continued.

“For these reasons, along with the strong condemnation from the Argentine government of how statements like these harm Argentine society, the Jewish community, and all of humanity by trying to deny a historic truth, the national government has decided to demand that the Bishop leave the country or be expelled.”

In the interview with Swedish television, Williamson said, “I believe that the historical evidence is strongly against — is hugely against — 6 million Jews having been deliberately gassed in gas chambers as a deliberate policy of Adolf Hitler.

“I believe there were no gas chambers,” he stated.

Williamson, who had already been removed from his seminary post in Argentina, made headlines in January when he and three other ultra-conservative bishops were welcomed back into the Roman Catholic Church, more than 20 years after Pope John Paul II excommunicated them on a theological question unrelated to the Holocaust.

The rehabilitation of Williamson sparked condemnation from Israel, American Jewish leaders and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among others.

The Vatican pointed to several statements by Pope Benedict XVI condemning the destruction of European Jewry. The pope said he did not know of Williamson’s views on the Holocaust when he lifted the excommunication.

The Vatican said Williamson will not be allowed to perform priestly functions until he recants his Holocaust denial.

Williamson apologized for “distress” his remarks caused the pope, but has not retracted them.

Last week, a German court refused to intervene on behalf of Williamson, who is facing prosecution for denying the Holocaust — a crime in Germany.

Yet another issue with the f….ing church… why don’t they just throw him out take the catholic (and other churches) posessions and give them to the people? Religion is bad, religion hurts, religion kills. All religions are bad, no exception. As soon as you start believing in a being above yourself that controls you, you are lost.

The Legionaries of Christ, an influential Roman Catholic religious order, have been shaken by new revelations that their founder, who died a year ago, had an affair with a woman and fathered a daughter just as he and his thriving conservative order were winning the acclaim of Pope John Paul II.

The Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado in October 2001.

Before his death, the founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, had been forced to leave public ministry by Pope Benedict XVI because of accusations from more than a dozen men who said he had sexually abused them when they were students.

But most members of the Legion continued to defend Father Maciel, asserting that the accusations had not been proved. Father Maciel died in January 2008 at the age of 87, and was buried in Mexico, where he was born.

Now the order’s general director, the Rev. Álvaro Corcuera, is quietly visiting its religious communities and seminaries in the United States and informing members that their founder led a double life, current and former Legionaries said.

The order is not publicly confirming the details of the scandal.

Jim Fair, a spokesman for the Legionaries, said only: “We have learned some things about our founder’s life that are surprising and difficult for us to understand. We can confirm that there are some aspects of his life that were not appropriate for a Catholic priest.”

Some former members said they expected the order to renounce its founder, but Mr. Fair said: “He is the founder and he always will be the founder of the order. That’s one of the mysteries that we all see in life is that sometimes good things come out of less than perfect human beings.”

In Catholic religious orders, members are taught to identify with the spirituality and values of the founder. That was taken to an extreme in the Legionaries, said the Rev. Stephen Fichter, a priest in New Jersey who left the order after 14 years.

“Father Maciel was this mythical hero who was put on a pedestal and had all the answers,” Father Fichter said. “When you become a Legionarie, you have to read every letter Father Maciel ever wrote, like 15 or 16 volumes. To hear he’s been having this double life on the side, I just don’t see how they’re going to continue.”

Father Fichter, once the chief financial officer for the order, said he informed the Vatican three years ago that every time Father Maciel left Rome, “I always had to give him $10,000 in cash — $5,000 in American dollars and $5,000 in the currency of wherever he was going.”

Father Fichter added: “As Legionaries, we were taught a very strict poverty; if I went out of town and bought a Bic pen and a chocolate bar, I would have to turn in the receipts. And yet for Father Maciel there was never any accounting. It was always cash, never any paper trail. And because he was this incredible hero to us, we never even questioned it for a second.”

Mr. Fair said he had no comment about whether Father Maciel had misappropriated money, fathered a child or sexually abused young men.

The Legionaries, founded in 1941, have grown as the church in many countries has shrunk. It has 800 priests in 22 countries, and 70,000 members worldwide, many of whom are lay people in its affiliate, Regnum Christi.

Tom Hoopes, managing editor of The National Catholic Register, which is affiliated with the Legionaries, posted an apology on the Web on Tuesday for having dismissed the sexual abuse accusations, saying, “I’m sorry to the victims, who were victims twice.”

Anyone surprised? Again? When will people burn down the churches, take back all the riches stolen from the people and distribute these riches to the poorest people (which also made the biggest contributions)???

This country is getting even more crazy. Especially the teachers, supposed to teach our kids. One day they are demonstrating , closing highways and making other people’s life miserable. The other day, the teacher’s union buys 59 Humvees (!) to give away to leaders.

A humvee costs between 35 000 and 75 000 USD here in Mexico. Given that a teacher makes far less per year, it’s quite surprising that the union would choose to give away these luxury vehicles to teachers.

No, wait a minute. They were not given to teachers. They were given to union leaders!!!! Go figure.

Worker’s unions should be prohibited in this country. They are known to be corrupt. All of them. It makes me so mad!!!!! I hate unions.

Evangelist Billy Graham was hospitalized Saturday after tripping and falling over one of his dogs the night before at his home in western North Carolina, a hospital statement said.

Evangelist Billy Graham, pictured in 2005, has suffered a number of physical ailments.

Graham, 89, had discomfort and bruising from the accident Friday night. He was listed in fair condition at Mission Hospital, the facility said in a statement.

“His physicians report that X-rays showed no broken bones,” the statement said.

Doctors evaluated Graham’s condition late Friday, and the Southern Baptist minister chose to stay overnight because of the late hour, the hospital said. “According to his nurses, Mr. Graham had an uneventful night and was able to sleep.”

Graham hopes to return to his home in Montreat later Saturday, the hospital said.

In February, Graham had elective surgery to replace a shunt that maintains normal pressure in his head, the hospital said. The shunt was installed in 2000 to combat symptoms of hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a buildup of fluid on the brain, according to Graham’s Web site.

Graham also has faced prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease. He underwent hip replacement surgery after fracturing his pelvis in a fall in 2004.

The founder of the Billy Graham Evangelical Association has preached to millions over six decades, and has provided counsel to generations of U.S. presidents, beginning with Harry S. Truman.

He will celebrate his 90th birthday November 7.

Graham fell

That’s what we say in Sweden when somebody says “too much”… this crazy Palin – that actually has congregated with witch doctors and priests that are supposed to “protect her from evil”, and that says the war in Iraq is a “mission from God” now talks about Obama knowing a person that did some bad things 40 years ago…

Palin slams Obama over ‘terrorist’ association

Sarah Palin has slammed Barack Obama’s acquaintance with a former anti-war radical, accusing him of associating “with terrorists who targeted their own country.”

Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 30 (UPI) — A poster with the headline “Jesus Loves You” put up by a student council president candidate at a Florida elementary school has prompted some criticism.

Lexi Hayward, 11, told WJXT-TV in Jacksonville that she just wants to promote her faith. The poster’s full text is “Jesus Loves You; Lexi For Prez.”

“My friends say it’s cool, and they’ll vote for me and stuff,” Lexi said.

So far, officials at Thunderbolt Elementary School in Fleming Island say they are letting the poster stay up.

“It’s a poster created by a student, not by the school, not by the district,” said Darlene Mahla, a spokeswoman for Clay County. “It doesn’t insult anyone. Again, it’s not inflammatory and it’s not what the law calls school-sponsored speech.”

The school has received at least one anonymous letter from someone who described herself as the mother of a Thunderbolt student. She said that although she is a Christian she finds the poster “scary.”

But most parents waiting outside the school Monday said they have no problems with Lexi’s campaign. One did say she could see some people might find it offensive.

So… is it offensive or not? I find it offensive. If someone would have set up a sign saying “Mohammed loves you, Hamid for Prez” there surely would have been negative reactions. What’s the difference? Religion is religion, whatever belief you have. There is no place in schools for religious superstitions.

…been a while since I posted anything here. Been away (I am away, actually) but finally found some time to write something. Firstly I am really glad the Venezuelan people did take democracy into their own hands and reject Chavez’ bid for a new constitution, that would have included a “no limit” on the number of terms he could be president, among other things. The social reforms in this constitution are admirable, but they can be done without being written into the constitution – which proves that Chavez was only looking to cement his position as a leader, and to gain more power. The elections in Russia are a sorry example of what Chavez is looking for, an extreme�close connection between a government and a party, which essentially erases democracy.

Update on the “generalissimo Chavez”: he appeared on TV yesterday insisting the opposition’s victory was a “shit victory”… “una victoria de mierda”. All smooth talking and “accepting defeat”, etc was worth nothing. So he says he is going for a second round, trying to impose his will on the poor Venezuelan people – that already rejected him.

Anyway, hope to be able to write something again soon.

A few days ago I read in the newspaper about a fraction of the right wing voters forming a new party, called the “humanist party”. I jumped in joy, because I thought I would find a political party that shares my ideas for welfare and economy, but would exclude religion and church…. I was so wrong.

In Mexico, the right wing party, PAN are generally deeply religious. I think that politics and religion don’t go to well together… look at the middle east, look at Israel, look at the US, etc. What the world needs is politicians that set religion aside and work for the benefit of the people, not the clergy – be it catholic, evangelist, jewish, muslim. Unfortunately church (everywhere) has too much power and money, so it will naturally attract powermongers (e.g. politicians).

The Humanist Party then? Looking at their ideas here, one really gets fooled by their smooth talking. But suddenly they start talking about moral and ethics, that people should “act according to the ethics of society, set down in the legislature”…. what the hell is that? Obey the law – good. Act according to the law, because the law automatically sets the ethics rules for people? Not good. They also say that one should respect life. That’s great. Thet say that one should respect life from it’s conception until death. Now that is wacked.

Life starts – in my eyes – when a child is delivered. Not before that. Not after that. It’s fun to see church say that life starts at conception, but a child isn’t part of church until it’s baptized. Meaning, that life starts at baptism. When you go get a driver’s license, they seldom ask for your date of conception. At least, that hasn’t happened to me yet. They ask for your birth date, because common sense tells us that when you are delivered, is when life begins. I believe abortion rights should be taken with much responsibility. Nevertheless, it is ALWAYS a woman’s choice to keep her child or not. The respect for life doesn’t cover the woman? This new party is bullshit. They try to set the woman on a pedestal but at the same time restrict one of her foremost and most primal rights – the rights to her body.

Just finished watching an English documentary called “The Great Global Warming Swindle“. It’s a documentary that aims to prove that the idea of man causing global warming, is a myth that is used politically. I tend to agree, after seeing this documentary. Generally, global warming is said to be caused by humans releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. However, there is no correlation between temperatures and CO2 levels.

Only 0.054% of the Earth’s atmosphere consist of CO2. To say that humans – that release about 8% of what the oceans release of CO2 each year – contribute in any way to global warming, is a complete hoax.

�The period between 1945 and 1975 is when the greatest amounts of CO2 were released into the atmosphere by humans. Global temperatures, however, fell during this period.

Then what is causing the global warming? Studies show that the sun is responsible for the historical fluctuations in global temperature. Apparently, intense solar activity increases global temperature, as no solar activity cools global temperature.

�That said, I am of the opinion that we should take care of our environment and the Earth. But to use global warming as a reason to do that, is not right.

[youtube]8f8v5du5_ag[/youtube]