Poker and the art of self-mastery

Hi there. I’ve been playing Hold‘em poker on and off for about 5 years now, and it’s only recently that I finally seem to be getting something of a handle on this infinitely confounding game. It’s a pastime that at turns frustrates, baffles and depresses but despite all this I find it as a game to be absolutely fascinating. I think poker has a lot of good life lessons for us in relation to power, discipline, strategy and opportunity and it’s no fluke that millions worldwide now play poker regularly on the innumerable websites that have sprung up over the last 15 years or so.

So, what makes poker special for so many? Well, games of chance can be addictive and exhilarating in any case, but in poker particularly the effective player must exercise an array of differing skills to succeed. A truly skilled player is field marshal, psychologist, businessman, intelligence officer and frontline warrior all rolled into one. What a rush!

Here’s a few tips for those starters to the game looking to get a foothold in Hold‘em, the traps to avoid and the times to cash in.

Are you winning?

Although poker is popularly famous for its bluffing, when players represent a huge hand when actually they have little or nothing, the truth is that in most instances people play their hands according to what they perceive their true value to be. Players that bluff a lot will quickly find themselves in deep trouble because of the simple fact that somewhere in a poker table of four or more people it’s probable there will be a good hand out there pitted against you. So, as a starter, learn what hands are the best and when it comes down to your hand and betting, cut your cloth according to sensible assumptions. Say you hit pocket 8s and are feeling pretty pleased with yourself preflop, only to see the flop itself come down something like Js, 4c, 9h. From feeling pretty good, you now have to realise that anybody with a 9 or jack has instantly made a higher pair than your previously coveted 8s. Watch the betting carefully either by placing a modest bet or checking. If you see signs of confidence from somewhere on the table it’s generally wise to assume you are not winning at this time. Review whether it will likely serve you to remain in the hand.

Play sparingly

Beginners find poker intoxicating - the idea of making quick money is a powerful drug and it’s funny just how many people have an overpowering belief that their somewhat mediocre hand will win the day against all comers. Just like the serial bluffers, these kinds of players quickly bite the dust. Believe it or not, more than winning, I believe learning when to lay down your hand is the biggest part of success in poker. Of course you need to win to succeed and get the chips in, but you only need to win a hand once every while to make good progress. Having to lay down your cards by contrast comes in the vast majority of hands and is something you need to get used to doing. It’s very easy to get carried away on false hopes, putting more and more into the pot when really you haven’t got a prayer.

Leave pride at the door

Another potential obstacle to success in poker is something we all have to varying extents, pride! Pride has been many the downfall of an otherwise good player. When I first started playing I always went out early, itching for action which always got me into deep waters. It took me a while to develop the presence of mind to realise a skilled player only goes for the jugular when he, literally, holds all the cards. Now, imagine the scenario: you are on a table with one of those poker bullies who consistently raises preflop and then looks to scare everyone off the hand by raising disproportionately. It gets boring. You start to resent him. He can’t have great cards every time, you think to yourself. You’ve had enough and decide to give him a taste of his own medicine with your pocket 7s or king-jack. Stop! As soon as you let emotion get the better of you in poker it only leads to bad things. Pride will cause you to make unreasonable calls, insane re-raises and take you to the point of bankruptcy just to prove a point. It will kill your God-given instincts and natural feel for your opponents and blind you to the possible hands which are likely ranged against you. Develop the ability to fold, let him have his small victory and wait and watch. Be cold-blooded. Sooner or later you’ll get a massive hand with which you can confidently take him down, or watch with satisfaction as someone does the work for you. Remember, to win you have to be the last man standing. Learn patience, hold fire and wait for your moment.

Recognise opportunity

There are times when your customary reserve and patience simply must be cast aside as with great ruthlessness you go single-mindedly for victory! This point relates closely to my first - learning to make sensible assumptions based on what you have in your hand, what the board says and how your opponents are behaving. There are times when you are delivered a powerful hand, perhaps a pocket pair where the three of a kind is made on the flop, a flush, straight or even a high pocket overpair on a relatively low flop. In situations such as these you can assume you are in a strong if not commanding position and are in a position to dictate play accordingly. Bet strongly either to make your hand pay off or to prevent drawing hands from taking you from behind.

Collect intelligence

How do you make a call when you have a reasonably strong hand, but face an intransigent opponent spoiling for a showdown? Sure, when you’ve got a monster hand fewer calculations need to be made as you push confidently for victory. But much more often you are literally in the dark as to what your opponents may have in terms of hands. The solution to this problem is imperfect and yet improves in reliability as you mature as a player: intelligence collecting. The old saying in poker instructs, “Don’t play the cards, play the man” and this gives you some idea of the principle involved. The way you get to know the man is observance and as a consequence it really is in your interest to make mental notes of how loose or tight a player may be, the kinds of hands he calls with and the kind of raises he makes in certain situations. All of this information is available for free…you just need to sit back and watch. That way when you are facing him and he makes a large re-raise you can hark back to how he has behaved in the past and better get a grip on the situation. This is not an easy skill to learn and must always be weighed up with a consideration of the hands that could beat you and a record of the player’s betting during this particular hand.

Good luck!

Promotional sample Flower People

About us page

Flower People takes pride and pleasure in supplying bespoke floral designs for you and your special occasion.

Your occasion…

Our unique crafted gifts are suitable for any special day: weddings, birthdays, commemorations, corporate, or flowers for that special person just because ...

Our service to you…

Based in London, the owner and his team of professional designers place special emphasis on making your particular wishes come true and are ready to provide bouquets here in the city or at locations across the country.

Our philosophy…

Here at Flower People we see flowers as an essential companion to a life well-lived, helping to bring nature’s beauty to our hearts. We think flowers help transform our thoughts into something unique for that special person.

At Flower People we recognise and love the fact that everyone has a unique personality. That’s why we create stylish, striking bouquets and arrangements that are just a little bit different...

Corporate & Business

Brighten up your office today with green plants, trees, orchids or cut flower arrangements from a top London florist.

Let our designers breathe beauty into your working area, lobby or reception, or provide an unforgettable gift for that important client.

We offer a faster, more convenient and personalised way of delivering the finest in custom floral arrangements, premium gift baskets and plants.

Pressed for time? We’ll even water and maintain your plants on a regular basis.

For something extra special, try our exclusive Gourmet Baskets which feature luxury combos of fruit, chocolates select wines and champagne.

Corporate Discount

We offer a number of plans enabling special rates for your employees on all their floral needs when they shop with the best florist in our area. Please call our friendly staff for details.


Environmentally Friendly

As a responsible company, we like to look after our environment.

We use recyclable paper shopping bags and bio-degradable cellophane wherever possible and we encourage recycling of our packaging.

For our deliveries we use LPG powered/Smart vehicles.

Wherever possible we use British flowers. This helps support our British growers and reduces the carbon footprint.

You can support Friends of the Earth by making a donation here, or at the checkout.

Delivery

Need it delivered? Just place your order and you can be assured of a friendly and efficient drop-off at a location of your choice.

Please call before 3pm for same day delivery.

Call our friendly staff for details.

10 steps to safer travel

There’s certainly an air of pessimism around at the moment with the recession biting and job prospects looking increasingly dim. So it’s no surprise many people, young and old are considering an extended trip away from it all, some even opting for a career break to do something completely different.

The biggest destinations for adventurous Brits include the perennially popular Australia, Canada and Europe, places where travellers can be reasonably sure of good infrastructure, reliable services and a culture not too dissimilar from their own. But for another large portion of budding explorers the safe option just won’t cut it, and they set sail for more challenging destinations in South East Asia, Africa or Latin America, places with vastly different standards of conduct and lower levels of development.

Needless to say, in these far flung places your average western traveller needs to be more aware of the potential risks while travelling. A lot of things you’ll encounter will be very different and at times in these countries things will go wrong. Here’s a list of ten brief steps designed at raising awareness for newby travellers, helping you towards a safer trip and a happier attitude.

1. Plan your travel buddies

Here’s the decision: do you go lonesome or take your mates or partner? It’s easy to see why many people set off with friends. A buddy on the road gives you steady companionship through thick and thin and a measure of safety as you watch each others’ backs. Room rates may be cheaper and your money will go further. However, travelling in the third world can be tough, draining and boring and there’ll be times when you want to strangle each other. At times one person will want to do one thing, the other person, another. Can your friendship take it? Soloists will avoid these kinds of issues but may in turn face greater isolation, loneliness and possibly danger, especially for the girls. But also funny things happen when you travel solo: people will approach you more and become friendly, you may be ‘adopted’ as a family member and get invited to places you wouldn’t normally go. The decisions are entirely yours and a lot of people get huge satisfaction from that.

2. Eat well

Food is so essential to your overall quality of experience that it cannot be overstated how important it is to eat well. You are what you eat and if you eat little, substandard or downright dangerously then you might as well just go home. It’s so easy on a shoestring budget and with a bus to catch to miss a meal here, not have the time there and before you know it you are losing your appetite and getting miserable. Of course the tucker will be different from anything you have encountered and you may not even like it, but make sure you find the best food possible and eat properly.

3. Do your best to stay healthy

Anybody travelling in a place like India for a while is likely to get the runs, it’s just a fact of life and sometimes no matter what you do, you’ll get sick. The most common traveller’s ailments include stomach troubles, sunburn and fungal skin infections. The main thing is to do what you can to stay out of their way, especially if your trip is just a short one. Drink bottled water, use sun cream, eat good quality stuff, use condoms and stay clean! Get yourself kitted out with a good first aid kit and a reliable book on travel health. Oh, and get insurance with worldwide cover.

4. Let the animal out!

Having a great time is what it is all about and the people that have the best time always get stuck into every experience with relish and abandon. Learn to leave your British reserve behind, forget about being shy and retiring, and get involved. Often in these countries people are more passionate and instinctive, which is great! Do as they do and you’ll find yourself fitting in and having fun like you never believed. Leave your negative stuff at the door. Sure the conditions on the bus may be cramped, the train is late, the food tastes of crap and its 32 degrees in the shade, but hey these people deal with this every day! Get out there and enjoy yourself.

5. Learn to laugh…a lot.

On the road you just have to learn to laugh at everything; take all the mishaps and ridiculousness seriously and you’re headed for certain meltdown. Try not to be one of those miserable people who criticises every little detail of the country they are in, always whingeing about some lacking service or etiquette difference from home. Accept that in these places things go wrong all the time. They don’t have the same levels of development, life is tough and some people are desperate. If you can develop thick skin and learn to laugh in the face of adversity you’ll do much better.

6. Don’t get bored

Boredom is a killer, they say, and in a strange place where you’re possibly on your own and far from friends, the saying rings true. Get bored and you’ll feel depressed, lonely and generally rubbish. You may have your reasons - the money is low, you don’t know anyone, you have a few days to kill - but always, always plan loads of stuff to do. Motivate yourself with exciting trips and push yourself into interactions with people. Give yourself projects, for example photography, writing, even buying souvenirs. Humans live best from diversity so always arrange activities to do and have a Plan B. No money? Volunteer in a local church or orphanage for a few days or weeks. Don’t be wistful and melancholy, be a man (or a woman) with a plan!

7. Money - don’t suffer!

Lack of budget is almost like a point of pride for some travellers, as they see how far they can go on ten dollars a day or some such rubbish. If this is you and you’re happy living an extreme lifestyle, then fine, go with that and get prepared for substandard sleeping, gut wrenching illnesses from bad food and encounters with the worst kind of people. Smart people realise what they are doing is the experience of a lifetime and that money is a means to an end, the medium through which we have the most fun possible, stay safe and get the most out of the trip. Don’t be a miser, be good to yourself and take that incredible trip. If you don’t, the chances are you’ll never be back here again in your life and will kick yourself you didn’t take the chance while you could. Money worries? Just borrow it or stick it on the credit card and work it all off when you get home, no regrets. Come on, you’re worth it!

8. Go softly

Always try to find out as much as you can about where you are going before you set off. You’ll appreciate the people and the places you are seeing so much more and develop an appreciation and respect for the place which will come across in your interactions with the locals and thus be reciprocated. Avoid comparing what they have to what you have at home, and go softly and respectfully through their land. Open your eyes to what’s around you, learn as much as possible of the local language and be open and friendly. You’ll be amazed where a good attitude will get you.


9. Don’t give a fool a chance

Most people you meet will be fine but along the way you will inevitably meet unsavoury characters or those not to be trusted. It’s not a nice feeling to have something taken from you and your positive vibe evaporated as you wonder which scum nicked your camera from your dorm room. The rule is to adopt security measures, guard yourself against theft and trouble, in short don’t give a fool a chance. There’s a plethora of stuff you can get to protect your luggage and documents these days but the most important steps are just being careful with your stuff. Don’t carry your camera about your neck in a dodgy area of the city. Don’t leave bunches of money in an open suitcase by your bed. If someone seems dodgy, get away. Trust your instincts, stay safe and stay smart.

10. Get home ok

Wow. The trip of a lifetime all done and home you are. Now get ready for the post travel blues. After such an amazing trip and one long high, it’s inevitable you’ll feel down in the dumps as you get back to nice safe home. It’s so quiet. So predictable. Where has the sun gone?! Try not to dwell on it, get your photos organised, your friends on Facebook and dive back into life with good memories that will be with you forever.

Tyson

Oh God. As I write this I have on the sofa opposite me a pit bull-staffy cross called Tyson. He’s currently writhing around on his back, frantically yelping and barking, trying to scratch his neck while biting his tail at the same time. His paws have just kicked my landlady’s favourite (and most expensive) knitted throw violently to the ground. There are bits of chewed wood everywhere from the filthy mangy stick he has dragged in and eviscerated with his teeth. What a mess. Thank you, Tyson.

It’s just me on dog duty today as my housewife and co-husband are both out either painting windows or practicing gardening skills. He probably just needs some attention. In a while he pads over and starts methodically licking every bit of exposed skin on my forearms, his tail wagging wildly, ears back in aerodynamic mode, his brown eyes hopeful. I’ll take you out in an hour, Tyson. You can help me in the field pick sloes and damsens to make a home-brew vodka.

To be brutally honest I wasn’t the happiest camper when the idea of rehousing an unwanted dog of a breed notorious for savagery was first brought up in our house. Our nice clean house. So quiet. So clean. So respectful. A staffy-pit bull cross?! I toyed with the idea of moving out.

The thing is that people, such as they are, tend to remember bad experiences and in my case it had been Brig, a cracking little border terrier we had when I was 13 or 14. Like Tyson, he was a rescue case, but had been mistreated by his previous so-called owner. Meanly, the guy had kept him outside in a kennel and by all accounts beaten him around a lot. Brig was a fantastic dog despite his bad start in life, happy and playful with that coarse badger-like grey-blue coat typical of the Border. Sadly though he must have been hit one too many times as we could never get the upper hand at home or out and about. Poor Brig would escape at any given opportunity; walking in the field, between people’s legs out the front door or even Houdini-like from the heavily fortified fencing of the back garden. My parents eventually called time when he got out and somehow chewed his way into our neighbour’s guinea pig cages. His terrier retrieval instinct probably told him he was doing the right thing by savaging them to death and then dutifully bringing them back to our front lawn, laying the bodies out for us one by one. Oh dear.

Tyson’s first experience of us, and our first experience of him was equally traumatic. Oh, and very noisy. As we sat down last year to eat our Polish Christmas eve dinner he cried and wailed in despair, writhing and yelping and biting the bars of the tiny cage he had arrived in. I wondered however we would sleep with this demented beast now in the house. How would the neighbours survive this racket? How would he react to us when let out of the cage? All things considered, it was not the quietest and most serene Christmas ever.

Of course to your average non-dog loving Joe Public, staffys and pit bulls spell trouble. The media simply loves a good dangerous dog story and quick trawl through the internet confirms the stereotype we have been fed. “Girl, 8, requires 175 stitches in her face after being mauled in horrific dog attack” screams the Daily Mail. “Blind woman tells of horror as pitbull mauls her guide dog”, reports the London Evening Standard. One local news website even poses the question, “Too violent for society?” Recently the tabloids adopted the moniker “Devil Dogs” for certain breeds after another gruesome attack. It doesn’t inspire confidence in the public, particularly at a time when Battersea Dogs Home is turning away staffy crosses in their droves, unable to cope with the numbers of unwanted Tysons.

With a press like this it’s really no wonder the public have such a fear of the staffy and its various permutations, but what, you may ask about our very own Devil Dog? Well, as is typical of his breed, Tyson has shoulders and chest bound with muscle, a head built like a brick, a big mouth, masses of sharp teeth and incredibly strong jaws that close lightning quick exerting a viselike grip.

Sounds forbidding? You’d be right. But what you don’t hear much about from the tabloid hacks and prim newsreaders is the truth about the character of the breed. Dig deeper and you’ll learn about the Staffordshire’s loyalty, gentleness and affection for people. Of course like any dog they require plenty of exercise, human companionship and commitment but their temperament makes them recommended particularly as family dogs. Staffys also have a reputation as playful creatures, fooling around clownishly at home.

Our resident killer is no different. His favourite game is to grab the nearest object in his mouth, be it your trainer, sock or the door jam, guffaw cheekily and then make to run off. Life is a game for Tyson. He’s frighteningly fast when running about after sticks in the field but then collapses in a heap when we get home, puffing and wheezing like a heart attack victim. It seems bursts of energy are his thing over endurance.

In the morning he’s a yelping happy mass of snout and paws, his body bending under the pressure of wagging so hard, continuously racing around in search of play or attention. He’s incredibly clumsy, walking into people’s legs and falling over or power sliding headfirst into a kitchen unit while chasing a ball. Luckily he seems to be made of steel, almost indestructible. One time he careened down the stairs head first landing with a sickening thud only to pick himself up, shake himself down, wag, and plod off to his next play project.

Does Tyson display a potential killer instinct? Well, we have to be aware as owners of this breed that they do have it in their blood to show aggression to other dogs. We are careful to put him on the lead when strange dogs and small children are around. That said, I can happily say in 10 months of having him, and despite his name he has never shown any outward nastiness to anyone, person or animal. I’m happy to say that unlike my previous dog, Tyson seems well-adjusted, intelligent and quick to learn. He’s stubborn when told to get off the couch, still jumps up on people who arrive at the house and is a needier than a small baby for love and attention. However he does respond to our commands at home and when out in the field and is amazingly loving, loyal and funny.

He’s just jumped up on the sofa and started licking me again. There’s another dirty paw mark on my jeans now. Thank you, Tyson.

Goodbye money

“Now then mate, I know you’re a London boy and all that, but where we’re going isn’t Leytonstone – they’ll be plenty of dodgy characters and you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.” No good. Louis rolls up his combination of dollars, pesos and pounds into a thick wad, clipping them tight with a shining silver-plated piece resembling a prop from a 50 Cent video. Into the back pocket they go. Nice one mate.

On the upside, Louis is determined when he wants to be and has got us all tickets to see Colombia take on Peru at the Estadio Metropolitano. The national team have their home matches here in a textbook piece of South American strategy. But where in Bolivia they try to starve the opposition of oxygen by playing games at high altitude, the Colombians instead attempt to roast their visitors to death by playing in the infernal coastal crucible that is Barranquilla.

No surprise then that today is a hot one-muchisimo calor- and as dust kicks up around the street corners the battered yellow taxi chugs up outside my apartment. Nixon gets out first, I shout down from my window, and soon with embraces and plenty of cheek kissing we greet the usual posse: friends, colleagues, cousins, friends of cousins and so on. In Colombia where there is fun there are always plenty of participants.

Because it’s a national game there shouldn’t be much trouble on the terraces today and Nixon proves himself as guia yet again, taking us way up to the highest part of the stadium where we get the best view, the most shade and a sparse crowd - it’s perfect. Louis the diehard Spurs fan isn’t content with this kind of thinking though, and rushes off with a couple of lads from Bogota down to the rowdy front. It’s fair enough – he wants a taste of the real Colombia and in that sweaty heaving throng he’ll definitely be feeling it.

Luckily for us, the football is good today. Defence isn’t one of the strong points in South American matches and this particular game is as open as beach soccer. All I can say in the sweltering heat is thank god for ice-cold Aguila, the local beer in this part of the world. Aguila comes with an added bonus - if you don’t like the taste you can check out the bikini-clad girls of all shades and colours they have wrapped around the side of the can. You could look all day...

Soon Peru are flagging, wilting in the tropical heat, and by the end of the match they’re five down to the jubilant Colombians. The worst heat of the day has reduced to a simmer by now, and as we look to the exits Louis comes back up the gangway sullen-faced. They used the usual trick to fleece him of his cash. One of them grabs your ankle, and while you're trying to work out what the hell he's doing, the other guy comes up behind you and it's goodbye currency. Poor old Louis, his first match and all.

Death becomes him?

Claims have emerged that FARC's spiritual leader and founder Pedro Antonio Marín, alias ‘Manuel Marulanda’ or ‘Sure Shot’ may be dead.

The news was reported in Colombia's Semana magazine and if true represents another shattering blow to the crumbling edifice of the leftwing guerrilla organization.

Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos announced in the interview that military intelligence sources had confirmed that the FARC number one died on 26th March at 6.30 in the afternoon.

Minister Santos confirmed that heavy aerial bombardments had been underway for days on presumed guerrilla targets around this date although FARC sources are said to have reported an apparent heart attack as cause of death.

With the veracity of the reports and cause - if any - of death yet to be confirmed, Colombia sits on a knife edge.

Marulanda has led the FARC since it's beginnings 45 years ago and is thought to be nearly in his 80s. With desertions at an all-time high and several high-ranking captains captured or killed, this latest blow could be the beginning of the end for the rebel group.

FARC on the brink?

Could things finally be about to change in war-torn Colombia?

This is Nelly Avila Moreno, the latest high-ranking member of rebel group FARC to hand herself in to the Colombian authorities.

Comandante Karina, as she was known to her comrades, is said to be responsible for a string of murders and abductions over the course of several decades in her native Antioquia province.

Her detention represents another coup for hardline President Alvaro Uribe in his fight against the cocaine and kidnap-funded Marxist insurgents.

Of late the FARC, who have operated freely in the countryside for close to 50 years, have suffered major morale-shattering reversals as prominent members have been either killed or brought in from the countryside.

In March, Ivan Rios - a member of FARC’s seven-man secretariat - was killed by his own bodyguard. The man who had formerly acted as guardian turned assassin and offered up his former employer’s severed hand and laptop as proof of death to the authorities.

The killing of Raul Reyes - another high-ranking captain - in the same month was described by Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos as the “biggest blow so far” to the FARC.

Now safely in government custody, Karina has spoken out on national television, appealing to her former comrades to give up the fight and follow her example by handing themselves in.

And so what seemed unthinkable up until a short time ago - an end to Colombia’s perpetual state of insecurity - now seems to be within reach.

But while the president may justifiably feel he has turned a corner in the fight against internal terrorism, military actions close to the border have lead to simmering tensions between neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela. Diplomatic relations, particularly with Venezuela's volatile Hugo Chavez, urgently need attention.

Whether Mr Uribe can prove himself as effective in international diplomacy as he has in national defence remains to be seen.

Pioneering Spirit

A new era of travel has arrived in Colombia with the arrival of new 'ultra-low' budget airline, Spirit.

On 8th May Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Florida, opened a new route between Fort Lauderdale and Cartagena on Colombia's north coast. The airline says it is celebrating the new route with introductory fares of $49 USD to be followed with everyday value season fares of $119.

The route to Cartagena represents the airline's first experimentation with the country and, if successful, could bring momentous change to both the national economy and the freedom of movement of its people.

For years the Colombian air travel market has been dominated by its two major domestic players, Avianca and the smaller Aerorepublica, but with prices out of reach for most ordinary Colombians air travel has mostly remained a preserve of the elite.

Spirit, which has based its successful low cost model on companies such as Ryanair, says it is planning to include Bogota as a destination in 2008 and is studying the possibility of including other cities in the future.

The news will be greeted with jubilation by both the Colombian diaspora within the United States and for those nationals seeking to expand their horizons overseas. With the arrival of Spirit, many Colombians will now feel the world is somewhat closer than before.

Extradition

The DEA have finally got their man. The 42 year old recognised as one of the most powerful of the jailed paramilitary leaders, Carlos Mario Jimenez, alias Macaco, has finally been extradited from Colombia to the US where he will face drugs charges.

Jimenez is thought to have been at the head of the now demobilised AUC, known in Spanish as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or United Self-Defences of Colombia. The organization he formerly ran has long been linked with drug trafficking and money laundering as a means of personal enrichment and for the procurement of arms to continue the supposed struggle against left-wing guerrillas.

Before extradition was finally granted by the Supreme Court in Bogota, Jimenez himself was a resident of Colombia's most notorious jail, La Combita, where US authorities allege he continued to control illegal activities.

President Alvaro Uribe, in his quest to ensure continuing stability in Colombia, has long been operating a system of demobilization and rehabilitation of former paramilitary and guerrilla members. Members are promised light sentences and immunity from extradition if they confess to their crimes but in the case of Macaco it seems being in jail was no barrier to further illicit activities.

Speaking at a meeting for businessmen in Medellin, Mr Uribe said, "We're not going to reward people who revert to crime."

Caribbean Revolt

After rioting in the capital over food prices, Haiti’s Prime Minister has been thrown out by the country’s 27 senators.

In a country ranked poorest in Latin America and the Caribbean, prices have risen over 100% in the last year and with most of the population living on an average income of only $2 per day widespread discontent has finally turned to violence.

On 5th April four people were killed while clashing with security forces in the southern town of Les Cayes, and one United Nation peacekeeper has also been reported killed in recent unrest.

The Haitian president, Rene Preval, who has the power to remove the Prime Minister, has called on the population for calm:

"To those who are stirring up violence, I order you to stop because it is not going to solve the problem.”

Seeking to ease the problem, President Preval has promised to finance 15% reductions in the price of rice using international aid and revenue from the private sector.

Despite executive assurances, there are reports of shops shut, roving armed gangs on the streets and widespread looting. The airport has been closed to international flights and many families have locked themselves at home while the troubles continue.

Haiti, like many Caribbean nations, relies heavily on imported food in order to feed its population, and with already impoverished agricultural land and dense population, the rising price of rice in the last year has brought the country to economic breaking point.

Analysts suggest this could be the first of many problems in the world’s poorer countries as supply for staple food crops outstrips demand and global prices rise.

High Fever

Governor Sergio Cabral of Rio de Janeiro is to consider contracting foreign medics to deal with the current severe outbreak of dengue fever affecting the city and its environs.

With current medical resources stretched to the limit, more help is expected to arrive from other states from within Brazil, but Governor Cabral has not ruled out requesting the help of Cuban doctors who dealt with their own epidemic in the 1980s.

Cases in Rio state this year are currently close to 37,000, with 67 deaths reported so far, and with medical services currently overwhelmed by the number of people affected there has been much official finger pointing.

President Lula said on Monday night that all levels of government were to blame for the extent and impact of the health crisis while Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao blamed Rio's municipal authorities, citing the failure to spray against mosquitoes early enough to control the outbreak.

Dengue fever, like malaria, is a tropical infection spread by infected mosquitoes that often breed near stagnant water. Symptoms include muscle cramps, headaches, weakness and fever. It is hemorrhagic in tendency, sometimes resulting in bruising and internal bleeding and in rare cases it can prove fatal.

From 630,000 reported cases in 2007 in Latin America, 183 resulted in death.

Bid for Freedom

As tensions continue to simmer between Ecuador and Colombia, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has meantime reconfirmed his commitment to the liberation of kidnapped former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.

According to Bogota’s El Tiempo newspaper, Mr Sarkozy sent a message to FARC leader Manuel Marulanda – known in Colombia as ‘sureshot’ – requesting her immediate liberation. The French president referred to the reportedly frail state of Miss Betancourt and emphasized the responsibility of the rebel group for her ultimate safety:

“Don’t waste this opportunity which has presented itself, it would be a grave political error, a humanitarian tragedy, a crime. You would be responsible for the death of a woman.”

Mr Sarkozy’s Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, confirmed there would be a temporary suspension of the military effort against the rebel group, commenting, “A humanitarian medical mission is in progress for the kidnapped citizens.”

Miss Betancourt, who possesses dual French-Colombian nationality, was taken prisoner 6 years ago while campaigning near San Vicente de Saguan, Caqueta province, and is said to be suffering badly from Hepatitis B in an unknown jungle location.

For the Colombian government, the last few months have seen unprecedented progress in terms of hostage release and in the structural weakening of the FARC leadership. Mr Uribe, one of Colombia’s most popular presidents of recent years, has been credited with a growing improvement in national security and confidence although rural areas still suffer the effects of insurgency and in the cities high levels of crime make life difficult.

The Aftermath

As widely predicted, tensions between the nations of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have calmed after a week of turmoil.

In the end the matter was resolved at a regional summit with Brazil playing a major role in calming tensions between its northern neighbours. Shaking hands with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Ecuador's Rafael Correa stated, "With the commitment of never attacking a brother country again and by asking forgiveness, we can consider this very serious incident resolved."

The outcome is positive in more ways than one: as well as defusing a potentially disastrous regional conflict, it shows the increasing solidarity and efficacy of a unified league of South American nations.

Colombia in particular can move forward with optimism after the latest events. The government appears to have succeeded in their aim of further weakening rebel group FARC and of placing on the agenda the contentious issue of cross-border rebel activity.

A risky gamble indeed to have gone into Ecuador's territory, but one which seems to have paid off particularly given the latest blow delivered to the FARC.

Just as the nations gathered at the peacemaking summit news emerged that another notorious rebel leader, Ivan Rios, had been killed at the hands of one of his former commanders. Pedro Pablo Montoya murdered his boss, a member of the rebel Secretariat, ostensibly to gain a $2.5 million bounty offered by the Colombian government.

Debate is currently underway in the country as to whether such a cold-blooded character should benefit from such a large and official reward. Critics would say it sends out a message that terror may be beaten with terror; more realistic observers would point out that in Colombia more than most places, the means justify the ends.

Colombia and a short history of the pre-emptive strike

In the wake of the strike launched against the FARC, both Ecuador and Venezuela have reacted indignantly and threatened Colombia with legal action and military retaliation.

The incident itself consisted of an aerial and groundforce action just inside Ecuadorian territory which resulted in the death of Raul Reyes, one of the most powerful and oldest commanders of the rebel organisation. But while Ecuador cries foul and claims its sovereignty has been violated, the demise of Reyes represents a huge blow to the guerrilla group which for over 40 years has terrorized Colombians.

Ecuador can claim with justification that its rights have been infringed in this instance and the matter looks set to go before the OAS, the Organisation of American States and possibly the United Nations. Colombia, armed with good intelligence it seems and in the midst of an internal conflict, employed a tactic which we have seen throughout the history of nations: the pre-emptive strike.

Perceiving themselves threatened, states have long used the method to stun and disable their opponents in order to head off danger. And as history shows us, law-abiding best intentions and the stark choice of survival rarely make the best of friends in times of crisis.

What better example than that of Pearl Harbor? Choked of supplies and raw resources by the Americans on one side and threatened with a belligerent Russia on the other, the decision was made in 1941 that Japan would seize the vital oilfields of south-east Asia. It was thought at the time that only the American fleet could pose a significant threat to Japanese intentions, so a brilliant strike was conceived: to knock out the US naval aircraft carriers while at anchor in a single surprise blow. Thus could the Japanese disable a dangerous opponent without the risk of costly full frontal war. As we know the strike itself, while daring, ultimately failed in its objective of neutralising enough enemy aircraft carrier capacity. In America, the only emotions greater than moral indignance were the sense of profound shock at the nature of the attack and massive relief that all had not been lost.

In May 1967, Egypt massed troops and tanks on its Sinai border in response to rising tensions between its enemy, Israel, and the surrounding Arab states. With Syria, Jordan and Egypt building up their forces north, east and south, Israel found itself almost totally surrounded and facing the prospect of military annihilation as the world looked on. What followed has become legendary in military history: a devastating surprise attack which left all three Arab armies shattered, shocked and in total disarray. The Israeli airforce crippled its Egyptian counterpart in an overwhelming surprise strike and the army swiftly followed up by seizing the Sinai peninsular in the south and Golan Heights from Syria in the north. Jordanian forces were forced quickly from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, leaving the borders of Israel largely as they are today. Israel, seen as something of a pariah by many, is regularly criticised by countries in more peaceable regions for its aggression and readiness to strike. But Israel sees itself as living constantly on the brink and remembers all too well what it means to have destruction brought upon its people.

Controversy still rages over the Royal Navy's sinking of the ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands war of 1982. In early May the British nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine HMS Conqueror detected the warship close to the Burdwood Bank, south of the islands. Although outside the declared exclusion zone of 200 miles by radius from the centre of the Falklands, Prime Minister Thatcher consulted with her staff and decided the warship and its group presented a clear threat. On May 2 two torpedoes hit and sank the ship resulting in the deaths of 323 men. Despite the fact that the threat to the fledgling and precarious task force was effectively eliminated, the case quickly became a cause-celebre for anti-war activists. To this day criticism is directed at the warlike British leadership of the time.

Colombia v. Venezuela: The Background

Most commentators agree that hostilities between Colombia and Venezuela or Colombia and Ecuador are unlikely at present.

Hugo Chavez has a long history of blustering about the graces of socialist principles and of threatening military action against any likely aggressors, be they from arch enemy the United States, or as in this instance their ally, Colombia.

But in the wake of the killing of FARC number two Raul Reyes, Chavez has ordered tank batallions to the border, ostensibly outraged at Colombia's incursion into Ecuador territory to carry out the fatal raid on rebel camps.

Chavez himself has been accused of harbouring FARC rebels in the past, and his latest move has been seen in some circles as an admission of guilt.

While Ecuador have now reopened the possibility of appointing another Colombian embassador to Quito, having ejected the first, the Venezuela line remains hard, leading Colombian newspaper El Pais to label the local crisis "the worse in recent times."

Colombian political parties have moved their support firmly behind their president for now, asking that he be respected by President Chavez.

During his tenure in office President Alvaro Uribe, criticised in some quarters for his hardline policies, has achieved great successes in winning back large tracts of land from guerrilla control. In a country plagued for decades by the threat of kidnap and extortion, vehicle jacking and sabotage, Mr Uribe has managed to reopen major routes to vital movement of trade and people with uncompromising use of his army.

War between Colombia and Venezuela is unthinkable given their closely matched military capabilites on land, sea and air and yet the contentious border zone where any face-off is likely to take place is long, lawless and regularly used by smugglers and rebel groups. Commentators have made the point that any incident could potentially escalate quickly.

It remains doubtful, however, whether the populations at large have any stomach for the fight; far more likely the people of Colombia and Venezuela will as usual moan about their leaders and keep on with the business of life in the sun.

From Joy to Crisis

For Colombia, it’s joy to crisis in the space of a week.

After the release of two high profile FARC hostages in January, four more were released to scenes of joyous reunion on Wednesday. As with the release of Clara Rojas and Consuelo González, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez once again combined forces with Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba in working for the freedom of the latest four after their enforced captivity in the jungle. Gloria Polanco, Luis Eladio Perez, Orlando Beltran and Jorge Eduardo Gechem, all former Colombian legislators, were reunited with their families in the Simon Bolivar International airport near Caracas on February 27.

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, who has had a tense relationship with Chavez in the past, thanked the Venezuelan premier for his mediation efforts and called for the FARC to release all of those held in captivity. The newly released hostages soon spoke of the poor health of Ingrid Betancourt, previous Colombian presidential candidate and the highest profile captive currently in the hands of the left wing rebel group. Miss Betancourt, who possesses dual French-Colombian nationality, is said to be in a fragile state of health, suffering advanced Hepatitis B as a result of inhumane treatment delivered at the hands of her captors. French president Nicholas Sarkozy added to the calls for her immediate release, stating he will come to Colombia to pick her up himself.

Scarcely days after the released captives were able to return to their families, news broke of the surprise attack and subsequent death of FARC number two Raul Reyes, killed in his jungle camp close to the Colombian border in Ecuador. One of the longest standing and most influential leaders of the insurgency, real name Luis Edgar Devia Silva, Reyes was killed in a predawn airstrike launched on his camp by the Colombian airforce. Shortly after the strike, Colombian soldiers were sent the approximate two kilometers over the border to secure the camp and recover the bodies.

The demise of Raul Reyes, the FARC’s chief spokesman, was seen as a major coup for hardline president Alvaro Uribe but triggered strong criticism and protest from Ecuador, who prepared a note of formal protest. Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez reacted to news of the Colombian incursion with an angry response of his own:

"President [Alvaro] Uribe, think about it long and hard. You had better not get the idea of doing this on our territory because it would be a 'causus belli', cause for a war."

The latest news from Venezuela confirms that Hugo Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to the border and the closure of the Venezuelan embassy in Bogota in preparation for what could potentially be a war in South America. Speaking on his weekly television slot, ‘Alo Presidente’, he called the slaying of Raul Reyes “a cowardly murder, all of it coldly calculated”, and has labelled the government in Bogota “a terrorist state” for its violation of Ecuador’s territorial sovereignty.

Despite recent steps forward with hostage releases, the relationship between Colombia and Venezuela remains fractious. Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe has achieved great success in securing large parts of the country from the threat of the left wing FARC and remains suspicious about the motives and involvement of professed Fidel Castro fan Hugo Chavez. Chavez for his part perceives Colombia as a staunch ally of what he sees as a dangerous American imperialist empire. Although the United States and European Union officially list the FARC as a terrorist group, President Chavez has refused to do so, instead calling them a legitimate insurgent force.

The Jamundi Massacre

Fifteen soldiers of the Colombian national army have been declared guilty of the massacre of ten anti-narcotics agents and one citizen in what has become one of the most scandalous episodes in the nation's recent history.

The bloody events of May 22nd 2006 quickly became notorious first in Colombia’s south-western Valle del Cauca province and then around the nation. Near the outskirts of Jamundi, a town to the south of Cali, a group consisting of a Colonel, Lieutenant and 13 soldiers on anti-guerrilla operations came upon and shot dead a group of 10 anti-narcotic agents and one civilian.

Initially reported as a tragic case of ‘friendly fire’ between police and military, in some quarters doubts were expressed. An investigation was begun and a short time later, Colombian attorney general Mario Iguarán sanctioned the arrest of all 15 soldiers in a move which shocked the nation.

Now the commander of the battalion in action that day, Lieutenant Colonel Bayron Carvajal and his men are to be considered intellectual authors of the homicide in a ruling handed down by a judge in Cali.

Attorney General Iguaran has refused to rule out the possibility that the massacre was carried out “under orders from narco-traffickers,” and has repeatedly referred to the actions as an “ambush”, terminology which has lead to inevitable accusations of corruption and collusion on the part of the army.

Although during the investigation the name of cartel boss Diego Montoya has reportedly “come up,” at the current time only the soldiers remain under investigation.

In the murky world of Colombian drugs enforcement it is often difficult to know who is working for whom. The well-financed drugs gangs are able to run multiple agents inside the police and judiciary, and in many cases duplicity in the scams and pay-offs have run to the highest levels.

Calming the waters

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has sought to calm the waters over an incident on the high seas involving the Colombian navy and Nicaraguan shrimping vessels.

The Nicaraguans claim the incident of February 10 involved a Colombian frigate which “intimidated” flag-bearing fishing and shrimping boats in Nicaraguan waters.

A note of protest delivered to the Colombian ambassador to Nicaragua claimed the latitude and longitude of the standoff confirmed its position in Nicaraguan territorial waters and stated:

“…This can only be considered a violation of Nicaraguan sovereignty.”

The note went on to request that “measures be taken so that events of this nature may not be repeated.”

The diplomatic incident is the latest in a series of confrontations involving the contentious dividing lines between Nicaraguan coastal waters and the island territories of San Andres, Providence and Santa Catalina, ceded to Colombia through the 1928-1930 Esguerra-Bárcenas Treaty.

In mid-December a United Nations court was called upon re-affirm the treaty’s terms in the face of Nicaraguan requests to rule on sovereignty.

Speaking from Bogotá in response to this latest incident, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe sought to ease tensions, striking a conciliatory tone:

“I call upon my compatriots to be completely respectful of the coast and waters of Nicaragua and the status of the 82nd Meridian.”

He added that Colombia was a country characterized by its respect for law and “not bellicose towards its neighbours.”

Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s recently re-anointed president, has argued in the past that the treaty was in fact annulled by his Sandinista government in the 1980s. He has also claimed it to be legally invalid as it was signed at a time when Nicaragua suffered US occupation.

Colombia's hostages

After the recent release of two high profile hostages, Colombia’s FARC are reportedly considering the freedom of more kidnapped citizens.

Clara Rojas and Consuelo Gonzalez, formerly high profile politicians, were released by the insurgent guerrilla group in early January. The pair were plucked from a high-mountain location by Venezuelan Red Cross helicopters in a deal brokered by Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Liberal Party Senator Piedad Cordoba.

Now Senator Cordoba claims more hostages, as yet not identified, will be released “very soon, in the next few days.” Work to release the next hostages is being negotiated through similar channels, claims the senator. She additionally remarked three days ago that she is currently working hard to secure the release of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt “very soon.”

During her long senatorial career, Miss Cordoba has herself been kidnapped briefly by paramilitary groups in Medellin and frequently caused a stir in this most conservative of countries for her work with the black community, women's rights, familial violence and gay rights. Recently she has courted much criticism again by working alongside controversial Hugo Chavez in negotiations with the rebels. Senator Cordoba has been perceived by many conservatives as dangerously leftist, but has regularly spoken out against the hardline style of Colombia’s current president Alvaro Uribe despite death threats.

If the senator does manage to secure the freedom of Miss Betancourt, the most famous victim of kidnap in Colombia, the nation’s institutions and the world will surely recognize her efforts and hope her good work may be repeated again and again. But with the number of hostages currently being held by the FARC estimated to be around 750, many families will remain, for now, waiting.

Storm clouds gather

The United Nations Climate Change summit in Bali packed up shop yesterday as news networks announced a positive deal had finally been reached. But with heavy criticism directed at the blocking delegations and some environmentalists labelling the deal a "suicide pact", are we really any closer to solving one of the biggest problems of our time?

It took a last-minute intervention from the United Nations Secretary General to salvage something significant from the two week-long meeting of 189 nations in Indonesia. Despite European Union efforts to secure a textual pledge of 25 to 40% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 for developed nations, countries such as Japan, Canada and of course the United States ultimately frustrated the wording in the final document. Achieving any consensus at all seemed unlikely at one point, and it took an eleventh-hour intervention from the UN chief to break the impasse. Ban-Ki moon promptly flew in to deliver a surprisingly gentle rebuke given the circumstances:

"I come before you with great reluctance. Frankly I am disappointed. With a spirit of compromise and flexibility I think you have made much progress over the last week."

But it seemed to work. Finally the United States cast aside ruthless brinkmanship and agreed to consensus on the heavily watered down document which finally emerged from the negotiations. Perhaps the US delegation realized at the last just how much enmity their implacability would provoke around the world. Or perhaps they recognized just how much they had got away with, as the agreement itself obliges no nation to cut emissions and is certainly no successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Much similar to the recent meeting of Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Annapolis, the product of Bali 2007 is only a roadmap - these were talks about talks. The next climate change summit of substance will take place two years down the line, in Denmark in 2009.

Upon inspection, the main points of the Bali agreement seem positive. In it, nations acknowledge that planetary warming is "unequivocal" and that "deep cuts in global emissions will be required to achieve the ultimate objective" of the UN climate convention, namely "avoiding dangerous climate change". There are promises to review forestry policy, support poorer nations suffering from some of the most pronounced impacts of climate change and to remove obstacles to the development of cleaner energies.

But crucially, there are no binding targets on carbon emissions and while UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn hailed the agreement as "a historic breakthrough", the masses of environmental campaigners camped outside the meetings had evidently hoped for so much more. Bill Hare of Greenpeace remarked, "I've never seen such a flip-flop in an environmental treaty context ever", and Hans Verolme of the WWF commented, "The [ US] administration was out on a wrecking mission." International development agency Christian Aid stated that it welcomed "the last minute agreement... It is dismayed, however, that crucial target figures for cutting carbon emissions in rich countries were removed from the final agreement." Former US Vice President Al Gore, recent recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, accused his own country of putting progress on climate change back by a decade.

Aware of the significance of climate change in the news this week, UK newspapers have run with some interesting accompanying stories. At the beginning of the week the government announced its plan for 7,000 wind turbines to be installed off the British coast by 2020, providing about one third of UK energy needs. But only days later Sir Bob Geldof was quoted in the press describing renewable energy sources as "Mickey Mouse" solutions to climate change, calling instead for a "scramble for more nuclear power." The Guardian ran critical reports on the big oil companies: Shell, who recently sold off most of its solar power, and BP, who has recently started buying into the dirtiest and most polluting form of oil production in the form of Canada's oil sands. This week also saw planned protests over the rising costs of fuel in the UK failing to garner as much support as similar protests in 2000. Prices of petrol in this country now cost upwards of one pound a litre in places, with as much as 65% of the cost going straight to government.

In many ways, climate change and all things green have been the story of the year: from the Live Earth concerts to the summer flooding, from the melting polar regions to the Bangladesh cyclone and from the Bali conference to the debate on renewables. Measuring our carbon footprint has become a whip with which we like to punish ourselves in the UK as we hear constant moralistic reminders to switch off the lights, offset flights and recycle as much as possible.

It is interesting to note that in the US, by contrast, the Bali climate change conference has hardly been covered by news networks, and the green issue as a whole trails in terms of importance in the upcoming presidential elections. It lags behind Iraq, illegal immigration (always a winner) and the economy, stupid. Other developed countries around the world obviously have far bigger fish to fry and those poorer nations for the moment, and quite rightly, would rather focus on survival and somehow improving living standards in a harsh world.

So it is that vast obstacles lie in the way of progress on climate change. The overriding consumerism juggernaut of free market capitalism has become more than a way of running our world, it has become an intoxicating and possibly fatal addiction which drives our policy and trade terms. Given this fact, few sane nations will willingly hobble themselves by being more prudent with resources in a rampantly competitive global economy.

All of which brings us to the crux of the matter. Approaches to global warming and climate change must be run in tandem with co-operative and binding agreements governing world trade and wider national and international cultures of prudence. Consumerism, unfettered spending and production will have to be tempered and nations will have to see the good of the greater whole above their own lofty ambitions. In short, things will have to be slowed down. History, however, shows us that nations have a poor record in acting together effectively when presented with a clear threat, preferring instead procrastination.