A Salute to the Best Bolivian Journalism of the Year

Newsflash: U.S. President George Bush has terminated the services of Ambassador Phillip Goldberg, and has announced that he is appointing a new Ambassador to Bolivia, former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada.

Update from the Constituent Assembly: Leaders of the body, from all parties, have decided to extend its deadline again to permit it to finish its work. The new deadline is the year 2025.

From Cochabamba: Governor Manfred Reyes Villa has released new evidence that he is being followed by spies again, this time of some mysterious Caribbean origin.

Presidential Shocker: Evo Morales has just announced his religious conversion to Islam.

These are just a few of the stories brought to us this week in the annual satire edition of the Cochabamba daily newspaper Opinion. The paper, produced in miniature form, is a tradition to coincide with Cochabamba's annual celebration of La Alisitas, a celebration of everything miniature. At the Feria de la Alisitas you can get everything from miniature closets (Barbie size) to miniature U.S. passports (not suitable for entry, just in case Homeland Security is reading). If you have a kid under 10, go! I am hoping to find some miniature feet [inside joke].

But the newspaper, for me, is the best part. I like to imagine the reporters and editors brainstorming ideas, not to mention the killer artwork that goes with it (see above). Some additional highlights:

On the Ambassador Goni story: "Ambassador Goldberg resigned from his diplomatic career in order to help Evo Morales arrange the change of location of Disney World to Orinoca [Morales' hometown near Oruro]."

On Manfred and the Spies: "Evidently the men [according to a Manfred spokesman] not only walk, but dance behind Manfred, incapable of imitating Andean rigidity." The article is accompanied by a photo of street dancers.

The "International Committee of Sucre" has made a demand to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway that the prize be renamed from Nobel por La Paz to Nobel por Sucre.

And the new Bolivian constitution will include a provision requiring Evo Morales to run for reelection for the rest of his life. The doctored photo of an aging Evo in his 14th term of office looks disturbingly like he had his DNA mingled with Carlos Mesa.