Peru = Block

It's the only keyword you need.

Peru plans to block homosexuals from its police force. It will also bar anyone caught having an extramarital affair. The reason for both groups beng barred is so as not to "damage the institution". Hopefully these new laws will only apply to new recruits and not existing officers, as your humble correspondent wouldn't like to see 30% of the country's police out of a job so quickly.

The Peru block on flights to and from Mexico has been lifted. The mortality rate is shaping up at 1%, so even though it's nasty it's not the end of the wooooooooooooooorld.

The Peruvian town of Choropampa has blocked the road to Yanacocha, South America's biggest gold mine that's run by NEM and BVN. They are complaining about the total lack of everything aimed at them from the now famous mercury spillage nine years ago. We covered the story last year and here's the link to the article. The basic truth is that these people are forced to break the law and bring Yanacocha to a standstill before anyone, company or government, bothers listening to them. This humble corner of cyberspace applauds Choropampa and shouts "BOO HISS" to Yanacocha. Shame on you, Newmont. Shame on you, Buenaventura.

Mercury is funny stuff

Here's a list of interesting facts about Mercury (Hg) and some of the things that happen to people who come into contact with it (and some of the things that don't happen, too).

Almost certainly know:
Mercury is a very dangerous substance, highly toxic and can be ingested through simple touch.

Probably know:

Eight years ago in Peru there was a spillage of 151kg of mercury. The truck was servicing the Yanacocha gold mine and splashed mercury at various points on its route, including the village of Choropampa. Other places affected were Chotén, San Juan, La Calera, El Tingo and Magdalena.

Choropampa in all its glory

Might know:
Of the 151kg of mercury spilled, 49.1kg was recovered, 17.4kg was absorbed into the earth, 21.2kg evaporated and 3.3kg is still unaccounted for (all official numbers).

Unlikely to know:
The mayor of Choropampa, Vicente Zárate Minchán, died early Monday morning, 10th November 2008. He was 34 years old and had been displaying symptoms typical to mercury poisoning.

Very unlikely to know
According to the local doctor (please note the singular), there are 80 other people displaying the same symptoms as showed Mr Zárate, a syndrome known as Guillain-Barré. The local doctor also says that 10 people have already died that were displaying the same symptoms. This is the point where lawyers for Yanacocha mine will tell the world that there is no proven connection between the death of Mr. Zárate, the other symptoms shown by locals and the mercury spillage. They will also show the world pieces of paper to prove their point. That's fine by me. This is also the point when Otto tells Yanacocha's lawyers to go **** themselves with a sharp stick.

I'd be extremely surprised if you knew:
In the eight years since the accident, the medical infrastructure in the village of Choropampa has not changed an iota. It is still reliant on a Medical Post that has one obstetrice, one doctor, one nurse and one technician. Yanacocha claims that all locals have access to private health coverage, but the villagers note that to claim on the insurance they have to travel to the city of Cajamarca, a mockery for those seriously ill.

Funny stuff, mercury. Hilarious, in fact.