Francisco Madero was a revolutionary Mexican leader in the fight for property rights in the early part of the 20th century. Madero, a longtime politician, upset the very powerful seven-time Mexican President Porfirio Diaz by running against him in the 1910 election.

Diaz was willing to give up his presidency, but apparently not to Madero. Diaz imprisoned Madero on election day. Madero broke out and escaped to Texas, where he published his “Letter From Jail” — a manifesto for suffrage and term limits.

In this letter, the hint of agrarian reform and socioeconomic changes was enough to start the Mexican Revolution and seat him as the new president in 1911. While his presidency was a failure, his principles lived on.

After a bloody revolution from 1910- 1921, Mexico started implementing many of Madero’s suggestions, including free land distribution to peasants and constitutional social rights. These changes helped Mexico’s GDP grow sixfold between 1940-1970.

Nearly

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Below is an excerpt of a new interview with Mikhail Khodorkovsky published by Newsweek:

How do you feel about Vladimir Putin and Deputy prime minister Igor Sechin? Do you think the Yukos case was their handiwork?

I think the case was created and continues to run thanks to a great many individuals. In fact, right now the case is mostly being driven by bureaucracy that isn't even in the top echelon. Are Putin and Sechin involved? Yes, in the initial stages of the case they are the ones who shaped the political will. Now, I don't know. What's important to me now is to uphold my good name and achieve a fair court decision--the past cannot be recovered anyway.

Do you see a difference between Putin and Dmitry Medvedev?

Many commentators and experts go to extremes. The

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Good day… And a Marvelous Monday to you! Hereeeeeee’s Baaaaaacccckkkkk… Oh no! Just when you thought it was safe to open the Daily Pfennig and not get lectured on deficit spending… He’s back! Oh well, It’s been over two weeks, first to Vancouver, then on vacation.

We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, eh? Mike and Chris did a Fantastico job of taking the conn on the Pfennig in my absence… So thanks to them… But it’s back to me, and besides a couple of days in San Francisco later this month, I’m all yours! (I bet that just makes you smile like a Cheshire Cat… NOT!)

OK… Rather than beat around the bush this morning, Chris left me this note from Friday’s price action, so let’s go to the Friday round up and then onto today! Here’s Chris!

The currency markets were fairly calm Friday morning, but at around 9:00

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Many investors rarely think about Brazil as a place to put their investment dollars. They think Brazil is just a country that goes crazy over soccer and has a wild ‘Carnival’ every year in Rio. But Brazil is so much more. They may have the best economy in the Americas.

Brazil has made great strides under current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula. Lula took office on January 1, 2003 and he has, since being in office, run a very orthodox fiscal policy. The country has maintained fiscal and trade surpluses for the better part of his presidency.

Brazil’s highly capable central bank has followed a very strong monetary policy. They have maintained high levels of real interest rates, which prevented the economy from overheating and creating an over-expansion of credit – unlike the policies of others like the Federal Reserve.

In late April, the Brazilian central bank

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Being in the right place at the right time is the name of the game when it comes to investing. Understanding where the market is and where it will be is the key. When it comes to infrastructure the game tends to move along at a rather slow pace and then explode all at once. If an investor can see where the infrastructure play will happen, they can be well positioned when it does happen. In the infrastructure world, patience is the real need. If infrastructure is an area that seems appealing, buy in and wait.

Energy Services of America Corp., an energy services company, works to test electrical systems for utilities and industry while also offering construction and site services from initial site work to reconstruction and installation of water/sewer systems and electric power utility raceways. The company has recently exited winter related slowdowns and effects of the current

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In light of Barack Obama's visit to Russia, Forbes is publishing a number of new articles as part of a special report to remind everybody that the murder of their former employee, Paul Klebnikov, remains unsolved and politically stalled.  Here is just one from Nina Khrushcheva:

It is generally accepted that, in civilized countries, when a reporter loses his or her life it is while covering war or other armed conflicts. And when a businessman is jailed it is typically for proven acts of fraud. Not so in Russia, the country where Vladimir Putin once declared a "dictatorship of law," and where the current president, Dmitry Medvedev, reassuringly pledged a fight against "legal nihilism" not long after assuming office.

Out of the 250 journalists who have died in Russia since the end of communism, 150 were murdered covering normal, peacetime stories. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a businessman who

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