Today’s Video: All hail the glorious chivito!

Tonight is the 100th episode of "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" with the acclaimed chef and author visiting the French capital of Paris. During the five years the show has aired Bourdain has visited locations around the world as well as the Americas. In Puerto Rico he noshed on succulent lechon while he enjoyed cuy (a.k.a. guinea pig) during his visit to the Peruvian highlands. The following video came from his trip to Uruguay where he "stared deeply into the abyss of mind-scrambling sandwichness" that was the chivito:

Online Sources - Travel Channel, YouTube

Daily Headlines: September 6, 2010

* Guatemala: The corruption trial of ex-president Alfonso Portillo began with prosecutors accusing him of embezzling millions of dollars of public funds.

* Latin America: According to the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean exports throughout the region are expected to grow by 21.4% yet "warned against the heavy reliance on earnings from...natural resources".

* Brazil: With less than a month to go in the race for the presidency ruling party candidate Dilma Rousseff continues her massive lead over Jose Serra in the polls.

* Venezuela: Vice-President Elias Jaua denied that the government violated the rights of farmer Franklin Brito who died last week after a lengthy hunger strike.

Online Sources - BBC News, Reuters, Canadian Press, UPI
Image Source - EPA

De Musica Ligera: Fun in the sun

Though Monday may be Labor Day here in the States we won’t be taking the day off and we’ll be posting on that day. For now, we leave you with a great song from Spanish musician Pablo Díaz-Reixa a.k.a. El Guincho. His next album entitled “Pop Negro” will be released on September 13th. The following song entitled “Antillas” has been aptly described by the Stereogum music blog as a “five-minute bundle of clattering loops and sunny harmonies”. It is an ideal summer song whether that season is near its end as it is in the U.S. or soon to commence in several South American countries.

Online Sources- elguincho.com, YouTube, Stereogum

World Watch: Baby steps?

* Middle East: Some progress was made this week yet plenty of obstacles still remain to be tackled in future discussions between the leaders of Israel and Palestine.

* Portugal: Six men including a former TV presenter were sentenced after being convicted of child sex abuse at an orphanage.

* New Zealand: No major damages have been reported in a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that shook New Zealand.

* Pakistan: At least 53 people were killed when a bomb exploded at a political rally in southwestern Pakistan.

Image – CNN (“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas make a public display before Hillary Clinton.”)
Online Sources- CNN, BBC News, Voice of America, Christian Science Monitor

Daily Headlines: September 3, 2010

* Latin America: The chairman for Indian-owned Tata Motors said that the firm has plans to sell the “world’s cheapest car”, the $2500 Nano, in Latin America.

* U.S.: Officials in Ohio are putting restrictions on Puerto Ricans who want to obtain state IDs and licenses due to concerns over birth certificates.

* Peru: According to researchers the Amazon River is at its lowest level in nearly 40 years in northeastern Peru; thus endangering the local area’s economy.

* Colombia: Police seized over $28 million that may have been linked between Colombian and Mexican drug gangs.

Image – cnet.com (The Tata Nano was first unveiled in late 2008 and the basic model includes cost-cutting innovations such as having a singe windshield wiper and no radio or air conditioning.)
Online Sources- Bloomberg, Xinhua, AP, BBC News

Cribs: 'La Barbie' Edition

As we highlighted earlier, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, aka 'La Barbie', was arrested this week in Mexico, ending his run as one of the top capos in the business. This video (in Spanish) of Valdez speaking after his arrest shows La Barbie looking forlorn and dejected, a far cry from the high-flying lifestyle he led as a top drug boss in Mexico.

La Barbie was taken as the home pictured above - check out more pictures of the pad here. It wasn't exactly Pablo Escobar's famous "Hacienda Napolés," but with flat screens, Cartier and Gucci boxes, pool tables, and a decently stocked bar La Barbie certainly had a comfortable spot during his last free moments.

Even before his arrest, La Barbie couldn't exactly enjoy the huge profits from the reported ton of cocaine he sent into the US each month, as he was in a vicious struggle with Hector Beltrán Leyva for control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel after the death last year of former boss Arturo Beltrán Leyva. The battle resulted in a grizzly internecine conflict that recently saw the headless bodies of four associates of La Barbie hung from a bridge in Cuernavaca with warning notes that the same fate awaited others who assisted him. A few months earlier one of his top 'enforces' was beheaded on camera in a grizzly assassination posted on the Blog del Narco.

Image Source: Huffington Post via AP

Online Sources: BBC Mundo, Huffington Post, BBC News, Reuters, Dallas Morning News, Yahoo! News, YouTube, Blog del Narco

More Details Emerge on Killed Migrants

Last week we told you about the migrants massacred in Mexico.

But as more details are emerging about the murder, many are wondering, what really happened that night?

Today, the AP reported that another victim, initially kept secret, had survived.

An 18-year-old Ecuadorean had previously been known to escape and tell Mexican marines what happened. He is now in a witness protection program in his home country.

The outing of the Hondruan, the second survivor, angered the government, who called Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa irresponsible to divulge the information.

As of Wednesday, they had identified 16 Hondurans, 13 Salvadorans, five Guatemalans and one Brazilian among the bodies found Aug. 24.

The AP also reports that authorities think that the massacred migrants couldn't pay ransoms and refused to work for the gang.

The survivor told authorities that the killers intercepted the migrants on a highway with five cars, jumping out of the vehicles and saying they were Zetas.

They tied them all up and took them to the ranch, where they were killed for refusing the gang's demands, according to the AP.

The New York Times tells the story of one family waiting to receive the body of what might be their son, a victim.

The Zetas are a drug gang that's been known to extort migrants.

Sources: AP, NYT

Photo: topnews.in

Reality Show Patrols Border

The second season of "Border Wars" premiered this week, showing Border Patrol agents prowling the border.

In "Checkpoint Texas," one of the premiere episodes, agents follow footprints and assist sick migrants they find in the desert. Catching some in the dusty desert, they also disturb a drug cartel as their narcotics-filled van plunges into the river.

In one case, the agents narrate their search to the cameras as the follow a group through the dust.

"Hands on your head!" they tell migrants in Spanish, as night vision cameras record the scenes.

"There are seven in all, and they look exhausted from their journey," the narrator tells the audience.

The travelers say they're from Brazil and Sri Lanka, which the narrator explains is unusual -- they are usually from Mexico.

It's just in time, he adds.

"A few minutes later, and they could be in a van, headed toward Houston," the narrator said.

"it's a bitter end to a harrowing journey," the narrator said, as the man from Sri Lanka said he had been traveling for two months to escape war in his county. In broken English, he explains how he flew to Brazil first, traveling from there.

The team also encountered an injured woman and her daughter, who had been walking by themselves for two days. They're dehydrated and barely walking.

The mother explains that at first, they were told they would only need to walk for two hours, but after crossing the border, they were told seven or eight hours. Her daughter had an asthma attack, and the group left them alone.

Later this season, you can follow the team find a car with ammunition hidden in the console in "Contraband Highway" and determine whether twin girls are really escorted by their father in "Last Defense."

Source and Photo: National Geographic

Today’s Video: Ghost town

No the following video is not a Brazilian version of "28 Days Later", but it's footage of the eerily quiet streets of Sao Paulo while Brazil plays a pivotal match in this year's World Cup. It truly is a ghost town:

190 milhões sem ação from Xlab on Vimeo.

(Hat tip: The Offside.)

Online Sources - Vimeo, Wikipedia, The Offside

Daily Headlines: September 2, 2010

* U.S.: According to the Pew Hispanic Center illegal immigration into the U.S. has plummeted since 2007, especially in immigrants from Latin American countries other than Mexico.

* Mexico: The government confirmed that a second migrant survived the massacre of 72 people last week at a Tamaulipas ranch.

* Cuba: In an interview this week Fidel Castro said that he was “responsible” for widespread discrimination against gays during his time in power.

* Bolivia: Iran loaned Bolivia over $250 million that could be used to “fund mineral exploration and the development of the textile industry.”

Image – AFP
Online Sources- Voice of America, AP, The Latin Americanist, CNN, BBC News

Daily Headlines: September 1, 2010

* Mexico: Suspected drug capo Edgar Valdez Villarreal “el Barbie” could be extradited to the U.S. after he was arrested near Mexico City on Monday.

* Brazil: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would help fight poverty throughout the Americas after he leaves office at the end of this year.

* Venezuela: A farmer who staged eight previous hunger strikes against the government passed away this week after fasting for months.

* Argentina: Francisco Varallo, the latest surviving player of the first World Cup final in 1930, died at the age of 100.

Image – The Telegraph
Online Sources- Voice of America, Canadian Press, AHN, BBC News