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The Zwamp News2005

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Feb 14 2005

Happy valentine

  Can you believe my owner runs three miles everyday to look young. She need to look in my creek, she's getting to be old transsexual

To stay healthy keep your distance: Virus can only travel 3 feet

Government to conduct studies on cows to kill bug that produce the methane gas in them. Cows produce 8.5% of worlds methane gas. They will start on termites as they have same stomach. 

  It's official: Porn is addictive

  Red states winner; Want 81.9 billion to fight war. Will cut hiring of cops from $119 million to $19 million in USA. In Iraq need $5.7 billion to train soldiers and police, in Afghan need $1.3 billion to train cops. HUH!

A video that has sparked investigations into a minister close to Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa is unlikely to dent the leftist leader's popularity or alter his plans to overhaul debt.

Ecuadoreans are dismissing the daily ins and outs of a complex scandal and still look to Correa, a U.S.-educated economist, to lower the cost of borrowing and lift them out of poverty, analysts and experts said.

Ecuador's top prosecutor and the Andean nation's Congress are examining a video, released on Monday, showing Economy Minister Ricardo Patino making ambiguous remarks about debt that have fueled opposition charges of market manipulation.

The recording shows Patino mentioning the advantages of scaring a market. Patino's Economy Ministry in February said it would miss the payment of a coupon on global bonds maturing in 2030. Two days later, Ecuador made a U-turn and said it would pay.

International investors are keenly watching the controversy surrounding the country's bonds, which soar and plunge on comments from Correa and Patino, who have vowed to renegotiate the $10.37 billion national debt.

"This is definitely the biggest scandal Correa has faced so far, but he has proven to be quite good at defusing scandals," said Gandhy Espinosa, a pollster with Informe Condifencial.

"He is a communications-savvy president who hires his own pollsters to plan his next move," he added.

The charismatic Correa has easily weathered accusations from critics that he rallied mobs of supporters to pelt opposition lawmakers with sticks and stones.

"Most Ecuadoreans do not really understand debt policy... they care more about Correa's position on subsidies and lower bank interest rates," said Carlos Cordova, a pollster with Cedatos Gallup. "However, people know this is very suspicious."

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