Daily Headlines: August 15, 2007

* Was 1992 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Rigoberta Menchu discriminated against by Cancun hotel personnel?

* Yale University promised to give back artifacts from Peru’s Machu Picchu that were taken by U.S. explorer Hiram Bingham nearly a century ago.

* Amazon rainforest deforestation has gone down by 25% according to figures from the Brazilian government.

* Colombian ambassador to the U.S. Carolina Barco claimed that the U.S. will cut aid to the Andean country by about 10%.

* The Cuban-born daughter of “Che” Guevara became a nationalized Argentine citizen over the weekend.

* Follow-up: Actor Mel Gibson dined with Guatemalan president Oscar Berger approximately one month after meeting with Costa Rica’s head of state.

Sources- Monsters & Critics, Newsday, ABC Online, People’s Daily Online, Melbourne Herald Sun, TIME, The Latin Americanist

Image- Cambio Sonora

Mel Gibson meets Oscar Arias over possible donation

Mel Gibson took time away from yelling at Central American studies professors to meet with Costa Rican president Oscar Arias on Monday (image). Gibson- whose previous experience with Central America also includes the 2006 film Apocalypto- discussed a possible financial pledge to Costa Rican natives and told reporters that he brought a house on the country's Pacific coast.

Last word on the story goes to celeb blog Defamer:

“We imagine Gibson's new Costa Rican neighbors will be eager to pitch projects to the high-profile resident and benefactor. Still, aspiring local screenwriters may be disappointed to learn…that the last thing Gibson is interested in exploring is "a native Costa Rican take on What Women Want," having his heart set instead on a 9-page treatment outlining a 90-minute, real-time flaying to death of a single Indian by Spanish Conquistadors.”

Sources- Defamer, The Latin Americanist, IMDB, MSNBC

Image- USA TODAY

Mel Gibson loses his cool at Central American studies prof

Actor Mel Gibson lost his temper against an alleged “heckler” during a screening of his film “Apocalypto.” During a question and answer session, Gibson told assistant professor Alicia Estrada to “f*ck off” after she accused him of racially stereotyping Mayan culture in “Apocalypto.”

Estrada requested that Gibson apologize not only to her but “the Mayan community and members of the Mayan community,” though Gibson’s publicist labeled her as “rude and disruptive inasmuch as the event organizers had to escort her out.” (This naturally gives him the privilege to drop the F-bomb on her. Oy vey!)

Gibson has not been a stranger to controversy whether it be over “The Passion of the Christ” or drunk misogynist outbursts at comely policewomen.

Links- Daily Breeze, BBC News, UPI, CBS News, CNN, Hollywood Gossip

Image- TMZ.com (Photo of Mel Gibson as he was supposedly arguing with Alicia Estrada)