De Musica Ligera: Buen provecho!

A quick congrats to personal favorite Los Amigos Invisibles who will be one of the bands scheduled to be this year's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Hence, the video below of Los Amigos noshing on some delicious Venezuelan food:

Hungry anyone?

OAS to Chile: Court “biased” against lesbian couple

A tribunal linked to the Organization of American States ruled that Chile’s top court violated the rights of a lesbian couple.

According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Chilean Supreme Court overstepped their bounds by taking away custody of judge Karen Atala’s three children since she was in a same-sex relationship. The IACHR opposed the high court’s original 2004 opinion that the kids could be “psychologically damaged” by living with a lesbian couple and called on the Chilean government to take more active steps in combating discrimination based on sexual orientation.

One of Chile’s main gay rights groups- the Movement for the Integration and Liberation of Homosexuals- applauded the decision by the IACHR:

“Chile should end the practice of having first and second class citizens as soon as possible, so that homosexual mothers and fathers are never ever again separated from their children, just based on prejudice and ignorance.”

A spokeswoman for conservative president Sebastian Pinera said that the government would abide by the IACHR’s findings.

Image- BBC Mundo (Karen Atala’s relationship with Emma de Ramón led to a 2004 decision removing custody of her three children)
Online Sources- Santiago Times, BBC News, La Nacion

Study: Latino birth rate drops

One of the most terrible stereotypes against Latinos is that we fornicate like rabbits and families tend to have far too many children. (See the controversy around so-called “anchor babies”, for instance). Yet a U.S. government report has shown that the Latino birthrate fell in 2008.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) the overall birthrate in 2008 fell by almost 2% after previously reaching its highest point in two decades. Birth rates declined in nearly all categories; for example, the birth rate for teens fell slightly including a 4% drop among those ages 18 and 19. The “most dramatic change”, however, was among Latinos:

The most dramatic change, according to Stephanie Ventura, chief of the reproductive statistics branch at the NCHS, was among Hispanics. The overall birth rate for that group declined for the first time in years, with births to Hispanic teens declining by 5 percent to hit a historic low.

Ventura doesn't want to speculate about the decline in Hispanic births, but for the overall population, she says it's the economy. "As early as 2007," she says, "some job sectors were declining."

The NCHS data may be incorporated into the immigration debate since the national fertility rate fell to the point that “Americans were no longer giving birth to enough children to keep the population from declining.”

Image- Latina
Online Sources- Washington Post, NPR, Reuters, CNN, Orange County Weekly

Daily Headlines: April 7, 2010

* Brazil: At least 95 people are dead in Rio de Janeiro after floods and mudslides were caused by nearly twelve inches of rain falling during a 24-hour period.

* Peru: Human Rights Watch has called on the government to investigate the deaths of six people who were slain during clashes between striking miners and police.

* Cuba: Images of a now 16-year-old Elian Gonzalez emerged showing him attending the Cuban Young Communist Union conference.

* Argentina: Lionel Messi continues to prove that he’s the world’s best soccer player; yesterday he scored all four of Barcelona’s goals and led the Spanish side into the Champions League semis.

Online Sources- YouTube, Bloomberg, BBC News, MSNBC

Nuestro Cine: Mexico’s “narcocinema”

Normally in these weekly film posts I'll give a long-winded intro. In this case the following video by Vice Magazine on the Mexican "narco cinema" genre really does speak for itself:

Online Source - VBS.tv

U.S., Brazil reach deal in trade dispute (Updated)

Update:

Via the New York Times:

The United States and Brazil have reached an agreement aimed at settling a long-standing trade dispute over American subsidies to cotton growers, officials in both countries said Tuesday...

Under the preliminary deal, Brazil would hold off on retaliation in exchange for American concessions that include the modification of an export loan program and the establishment of a temporary assistance fund for the Brazilian cotton industry. The broader issues in contention would be deferred until Congress takes up the next farm bill, most likely in 2012.

Original Post:

A possible trade war between allies in the U.S. and Brazil may’ve been permanently aborted.

Last month Brazilian officials announced that they would subject import tariffs on over 100 U.S. goods as well as restrictions on a list of U.S. patents. The trade sanctions would’ve cost at least $830 million and were to be retaliatory after a 2009 World Trade Organization ruling against U.S. cotton subsidies. But Brazil decided to grant a temporary reprieve, thus opening the door for talks and hopefully a negotiated settlement:

Brazil postponed the higher tariffs until at least April 22 after the U.S. signaled it may revise cotton subsidies, ease requirements for meat imports and establish a $147 million fund to promote Brazilian cotton producers, Carlos Cosendey, head of the Foreign Ministry’s economic department, told reporters yesterday in Brasilia.

“Now we have a serious negotiating process,” Cosendey said, adding that implementation of the sanctions could be delayed another 60 days. “Given these signs, Brazil agreed to postpone the retaliation.”

The move seemed to have affected Brazilian investors with the benchmark Bovespa index rising in trading yesterday.

Image- Huffington Post
Online Sources- Washington Post, BusinessWeek, Reuters

Ecuador: Plaintiffs “faked” reports says Chevron

Was the evidence collected against Chevron in a multibillion dollar Ecuadorian environmental damages case fraudulent? The oil giant believes so and this week its lawyers launched its latest salvo against the South American country’s investigators.

According to Chevron one of the “technical experts” whose testimony was used against the firm suddenly retracted his claims. In 2004 U.S. biologist Charles W. Calmbacher made inspections of oil sites and reports were written in his name backing the plaintiff’s claims that Texaco illegally dumped contaminated oil in the Amazon. Yet in a deposition submitted last week he claimed that those “studies” were falsely submitted under his name. "The trial in Ecuador has been tainted from the outset," partly due to the "faked" reports said one Chevron lawyer in a press release by the company.

A statement by the Amazon Defense Coalition, which represents the plaintiffs, expressed “bewilderment” at Calmbacher’s this development:

"Dr. Calmbacher clearly agreed to have his signature placed on materials, including reports, that were to be submitted to the court, and he acknowledged he was actively reviewing the reports with our local, technical team," the statement said. "We are bewildered, frankly, at his testimony."

In the meantime, the Ecuadorian government said that it would appeal against a recent arbitration decision in favor of Chevron. "We are going to look to nullify this monstrosity," President Rafael Correa said days after a tribunal ruled that Ecuador violated international law.

Image- Huffington Post
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, San Francisco Gate, MarketWatch, Reuters, NASDAQ

Daily Headlines: April 6, 2010

* Mexico: The Mexican city of Mexicali has been declared a “disaster zone” in light of a powerful earthquake that struck Sunday night and killed at least three people.

* Chile: While Catholic Church leaders face mounting pressure over a series of sex abuse scandals, the archbishop of the Chilean capital of Santiago claimed that officials were investigating a few possible pedophilia cases.

* Argentina: The government predicts that the GDP is expected to grow by over 5% this year though other data estimates that inflation will also increase.

* Peru: At least six people were killed during clashes between striking miners and Peruvian police.

Image – MSNBC
Online Sources- AP, Xinhua, The Latin Americanist, Buenos Aires Herald, MSNBC

Today’s Video: Watching one's step

Today is the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action and according to UNICEF nearly 5200 people were killed in 2008 as a result of landmines and similar devices. The problem of landmines is not immune to Latin America, especially children whose lives have been forever changed by armed conflict and violence. Such is the case in Colombia as one can see in the jarring video below from Euronews:

Online Sources - UNICEF, YouTube

Sofia Vergara linked to “Smurfs” film

It’s hard to believe that there may be a worse movie in the works than the planned Speedy Gonzales live-action/CG hybrid. But believe it or not principal photography on a “Smurfs” movie began last week. “Audiences everywhere are in for a Smurfy good time,” boasts the film’s press release in what is set to be yet another 3D animated nightmare. The cast that has signed on to this likely debacle includes several names you may be familiar with:

Sofia Vergara, one of the stars of ABC's Modern Family, is joining the cast of the Smurfs movie. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vergara "will portray Odile, a powerful executive at a high-end French cosmetics company who is married to the live-action character played by Neil Patrick Harris"…

In addition to NPH and Vergara, the live-action cast includes...Hank Azaria as Gargamel. The voice cast includes Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, singer Katy Perry as Smurfette, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf, and Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf.

Vergara has also been linked to “Happy Feet 2 in 3D” along with the voices of Robin Williams and Brad Pitt.

In a stunning coincidence, the voice of George Lopez will be in both the upcoming Smurfs and Speedy Gonzales films.

Perhaps those films won’t turn out as terribly as I believe they will. Then again I have a hunch that some agents’ careers will be on the line after the aforementioned films come out.

Image- boston.com (“Rico Rodriguez, Sofia Vergara, and Ed O’Neill in ‘Modern Family’.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, PR Newswire, IGN, Paste Magazine

Venezuela, Russia strengthened ties

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Venezuela has thus far boosted ties between both countries.

After returning from his trip to Caracas Putin said that he was considering selling $5 billion worth in arms to Venezuela. According to the Russian press orders will be placed at thirteen of the country’s leading defense firms and that previous weapons deals with Venezuela “have spurred positive effects.”

Though no new arms deals were signed during Putin’s stop in Venezuela, Reuters noted that “Venezuela has bought more than $4 billion worth of weapons from Russia, from Sukhoi jet fighters to Kalashnikov assault rifles.” Indeed, Putin personally delivered four military helicopters to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez on Friday.

In addition, Putin and Chavez signed a number of energy and trade pacts last week including expanding oil exploration right to the oil-rich Orinoco belt. Chavez noted that the increased cooperation with Russia doesn’t signify the creation of “an alliance against the United States". That didn’t stop a State Department spokesman from teasing about a rumored Venezuela-Russia space program:

"We would note that the government of Venezuela was largely closed this week due to energy shortages and to the extent that Venezuela is going to extend resources on behalf of its people, perhaps the focus should be more terrestrial than extraterrestrial."

Image- AFP
Online Sources- Xinhua, Washington Post, BBC News, UPI, AFP, Al Jazeera English

Castro callously criticizes Cuban dissidents

In a speech yesterday Cuban president Raul Castro blasted dissidents on the island. "We will never give in to blackmail,” said Castro against political protestors he claimed where being manipulated by foreign countries. Castro also blamed the U.S. and Europe of "hypocritically holding up the flag of human rights" and declared that the Cuban human rights situation has slowly improved.

Castro’s comments echo those made last month by parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcon who said that a foreign-led “media campaign” was being run against the Castro regime.

The Cuban government has faced increased international pressure over a series of actions regarding political prisoners. Orlando Zapata Tamayo died in late February after going on hunger strike while the Ladies in White have accused authorities of heavy-handedness in breaking up a recent march. Dissident journalist Guillermo Fariñas has been in frail health while enduring his own hunger strike. Castro alluded to his condition in Sunday’s discourse:

"Everything possible is being done to save his life, but if he does not change his self-destructive attitude, he will be responsible, together with his backers, for the outcome we don't want," Castro said in a speech to a Union of Communist Youth convention.

"More than a half century of permanent combat has taught our people that vacillation is synonymous with defeat," he said.

Despite the Castro regime’s repression and staunch coercion against just about any opposition, the government denied that there are any political prisoners on the island.

Image- Guardian UK (Guillermo Fariñas has been on a hunger strike for over a month and has refused to leave Cuba in order to seek treatment).
Online Sources- CNN, MSNBC, LAHT, ABC News, The Latin Americanist, Washington Post, Reuters, BBC News

Bolivia: Mixed results in local elections

In a country where political, economic, and social divisions run deep Bolivians went to the voting booths in yesterday’s local elections.

The country’s ruling MAS party made some critical gains according to exit polls; MAS candidates are expected to easily win six of Bolivia’s nine provinces and they also captured the posts of mayor in three major cities. “This is an important leap for MAS,” said Bolivian President Evo Morales today while official results will be announced later this month.

The opposition was not shut out, however, and was able to consolidate their power in three eastern provinces. Surprisingly the MAS lost the mayor’s race in the capital city of La Paz against a candidate who accused them of running a “dirty war” during campaigning.

Both Morales and the opposition are trying to spin the electoral results in their favor. Yet as Baldwin Montero wrote in Bolivia’s La Razon neither side convincingly won:

The MAS did not accomplish their hegemonic control of power nor did the opposition pushback against the MAS’ popularity in the polls. Bolivians voted yesterday in favor of political equilibrium. – [ed. Translated text]

Image- Irish Times
Online Sources- La Razon, Americas Quarterly, AP, BusinessWeek, BBC News, La Prensa

Daily Headlines: April 5, 2010

* Mexico: At least two people are dead and 100 injured in Mexico after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook the northern part of the country as well as Arizona and southern California.

* Argentina: Tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands continued as Argentine President Cristina Kirchner repeated her country’s claims to the islands.

* Brazil: Dorothy Stang revisited - a Brazilian land rights activist was gunned down last week.

* U.S.: The largest Latino museum in the U.S. received a much-needed financial lifeline from the San Antonio City Council.

Image – AFP ("The temblor was forceful enough to move buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego in southern California.”)
Online Sources- AFP, The Latin Americanist, CNN, Houston Chronicle, LAHT

War Games!

Fidel Castro dies, Raul is assassinated in coup, and thousands of would-be refugees make their way for Guantanamo. No, it's not a late April Fools joke, but rather a post-Castro simulation carried out by the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American studies.

The Miami Herald laid out some of the potential actions and reactions that the simulation produced, and all seemed to underscore the point that when things change in Cuba, they may change extremely fast and have huge a impact on whichever US administration has to deal with them.

Though the stakes might not be as high as a recent war game simulation carried out by the Brookings Institution in the case of an Israeli strike against Iran nuclear facilities, the Cuba case shed some interesting light on how a rapid change in Cuba would ripple across the Florida straight.

Online Sources: Miami Herald, New York Times

Image Source: US News

Arte Para la Gente: Diego Rivera’s destroyed mural

As you may’ve noticed on Thursday we published a few hoax posts as part of April Fools Day. Hopefully you enjoyed them though I’m a bit upset that I didn’t publish other fake articles such as the surprise discovery of a piece from the famed “Man at the Crossroads” mural.

One of the most well known works by Mexican artist Diego Rivera, “Man…” was a massive 63-foot-long portrait of workers planned for New York’s Rockefeller Center. The artwork would eventually be destroyed under a cloud of controversy:

The painter believes that his friendship with the Rockefeller family will allow him to insert an unapproved representation of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin into a section portraying a May Day parade. The real decision-making power lies with the Center's building managers, who abhor Rivera's propagandistic approach. Horrified by newspaper articles attacking the mural's anti-capitalist ideology, they order Rivera to remove the offending image. When Rivera refuses, offering to balance the work with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the opposing side, the managers pay his full fee, bar him from the site, and hide the mural behind a massive drape. Despite negotiations to transfer the work to the Museum of Modern Art and demonstrations by Rivera supporters, near midnight, on February 10th, 1934, Rockefeller Center workmen, carrying axes, demolish the mural.

Rivera would go on to create a smaller version in Mexico City of the destroyed mural. Though he would never work in the U.S. again some of his works like “Detroit Industry” still stands today:

Online Sources- YouTube, The Latin Americanist, Wikipedia, PBS

Weekend Headlines: April 3-4, 2010

* U.S.: Rest in peace Mike Cuellar. The Cuban-born pitcher who co-won the 1970 American League Cy Young Award died yesterday at the age of 72.

* Haiti: A Duke University graduate student has found what is thought to be the only surviving copy of Haiti's Declaration of Independence.

* Peru: At least 28 people died as a result of a pair of landslides in northern Peru.

* Uruguay: Could Uruguay’s default in 2003 serve as a possible model for Greece to follow?

Image – MLB.com
Online Sources- USA TODAY, Voice of America, MSNBC, The Telegraph

World Watch: Undertow

* South Korea: Last week we wondered what caused the explosion that sunk a South Korean warship. According to some officials on Friday the answer may be a torpedo.

* Middle East: Earlier today a State Department spokesman called on the Israelis and Palestinians to engage in talks in order to quell Middle Eastern violence.

* China: State television revealed that there was “signs of life” among the 153 workers trapped in the Wangjialing mine.

* Russia: Authorities revealed that one of the female suicide bombers in Monday’s deadly blasts in the Moscow subway was the seventeen-year-old widow of a slain militant leader.

Image – Al Jazeera English (“South Korean rescue teams continue to search
for dozens of missing sailors.”)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, AFP, BBC News, The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times

Daily Headlines: April 2, 2010

* Bolivia: The Andean country is closer to launching its first telecommunications satellite after working out a deal with China.

* Colombia: In a week when the FARC freed two troops the rebels also handed over the remains of a soldier who died while held in captivity.

* Puerto Rico: As part of a Clean Air Act settlement oil giant Shell will have to upgrade its Puerto Rican refinery.

* Argentina: National soccer team coach Diego Maradona was discharged from a Buenos Aires clinic after one of his dogs bit him in the lip.

Image – BBC Mundo
Online Sources- MSNBC, Reuters, The Latin Americanist, AP, Canadian Press

Peru potato fest goes awry

In the spirit of Spain’s La Tomatina a few South American locales have attempted to copy such an unusual festival. One village in Peru tried to emulate the food fight fest by using potatoes. The results were more painful than messy:

Several dozen Peruvian revelers were injured when potatoes when heavy potatoes were launched in a parade similar to La Tomatina in Spain.

“I’ve never seen so many bruises” said the doctor of a clinic in the northern Peruvian city of Cajamarca after the “La Papallera” festival was held on Sunday.

In case you’re not familiar with La Tomatina, check out the video below. Now imagine being pelted by potatoes and you'll get a taste of what happened in Peru.

Online Sources- The Telegraph, Wikipedia, YouTube

Koalas discovered on Easter Island

It has always been common knowledge that koala bears are indigenous only to Australia yet a group of scientists may’ve made a vital scientific discovery.

In an article to be published later this month in Science Magazine, researchers from the University of Okoboji and Wossamotta U claimed that they found a new species of koala bear on Easter Island. “Unlike its brethren in Australia this new marsupial has a gray nose and black fur,” said lead researcher Brian Shaw in remarks made to us. Shaw added that the new species of koalas were remarkably found in a few of the mysterious stone structures ubiquitous to the Chilean island.

Chilean president Sebastián Piñera declared his surprise at the news and said that he would send a government expedition to Easter Island in order to confirm the scientists’ claims. The find could reverse one of Piñera’s perceived weaknesses according to a recent poll:

Three weeks after walking into shaky conditions throughout the country, President Sebastián Piñera has achieved a 52% approval rating, with only 18% disapproving…

His weakest virtue is “credibility and trustworthy,” which is a still respectable 63%.

Image- The Telegraph
Online Sources- Santiago Times, Science Magazine, PBS

From Barca to Barca for Messi?

Rumor has it that the world’s top soccer player is shockingly looking to leave Europe for South America.

At the age of 22, Argentine striker Lionel Messi has been stellar not only playing for his country but for one of the world’s elite teams in Spain’s FC Barcelona. He has dazzled fans and foes alike with his skills yet he was disappointed at a substandard individual performance in Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal draw against Arsenal. According to the local press, Messi threw a tantrum in the locker room after the game while lamenting how he went “to the wrong Barcelona.” “I should’ve gone to Guayaquil” reportedly said Messi, thus fueling allegations that he wants to play for Ecuadorian side Barcelona Sporting Club.

Barcelona S.C. coach Juan Manuel Llop couldn’t contain his excitement in remarks made this morning to one Ecuadorian daily:

“Are you @&%&* kidding me? I feel like I’ve won the *%^* lottery! This is the happiest day of my life!”

It was approximately one year ago that Messi fueled similar rumors when he claimed to seek a transfer to play in Major League Soccer. “If (Guillermo Barros) Schelotto can do it then so can I,” Messi proclaimed back then.

Image- The Telegraph
Online Sources- Diario Ole, Wikipedia, BBC Sport, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: April 1, 2010

* Guatemala: An appeals court overturned the parole granted last week to the man who assassinated Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi in 1998.

* Haiti: A conference yesterday on Haitian reconstruction led to the pledge of over $10 billion in “long term aid” from donors worldwide.

* Venezuela: Russia and Venezuela will reportedly sign a series of agreements later this week designed to strengthen ties between both countries.

* U.S.: Could the possibility that an Arizona rancher was killed by illegal immigrant help push necessary immigration reform?

Image – BBC Mundo
Online Sources- LAHT, CNN, Xinhua, Christian Science Monitor