Daily Headlines: September 12, 2013

* Brazil: The Brazilian government is reportedly looking into creating its own network equipment in order to protect information privacy and prevent alleged surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency.

* Mexico: Thousands of striking teachers took to the streets of Mexico City as part of their protests against government-backed educational reforms.

* Venezuela: Venezuelan officials rejected a recent World Bank arbitration panel decision claiming that the South American country had “failed to act in good faith or properly compensate” ConocoPhillips for the 2007 nationalization of oil projects.

* Colombia: John Leguizamo was selected to play the late Medellin Cartel boss Pablo Escobar in a Hollywood biopic set to begin shooting this January.

Video Source – YouTube via euronews

Online Sources- The Guardian; USA TODAY; Reuters; Bloomberg; The Latin Americanist

Today's Video: "Chicano Militant Minute"

I hate to sound like a whiner, but one of the main reasons why posting has been a little off this past week is since yours truly has been bitten by the flu bug. While I was resting on top of a mountain of tissue boxes yesterday I watched "Ice Age" for the first time and noticed that John Leguizamo was one of the character voices. (Yes, I'm slightly behind with the times).

Back in the mid-90s, Leguizamo starred in a Latino-oriented sketch show called "House of Buggin'". The ensemble included the likes of David Herman and Luis Guzman, and poked fun at "West Side Story" and anti-immigrant measures. (One sketch on a horny priest predated the Padre Alberto controversy by about fifteen years).

Sadly, the show (which I watched religiously) lasted less than a season but the innovative show left plenty of great memories. Take the "Chicano Militant Minute", a recurring sketch on the reexamining of history:

ONline Sources- YouTube, Wikipedia