Today’s Video: “El Espinazo del Diablo”

Today is all about Halloween and it’s nice to watch the kids in my tranquil neighborhood with their costumes go trick-or-treating. My original plans to play dress up and make the trek to Manhattan to the Village Halloween Parade, yet I’m opting to stay home to watch “100 Scariest Movie Moments” on Bravo. (I’m a sucker for inane list shows!)

One of the films highlighted by the special is “El Espinazo del Diablo” (“The Devil’s Backbone”). Co-written and directed by Mexico’s Guillermo Del Toro, the 2001 flick centered on a boy caught up in the proverbial horrors of war.

Below is the trailer to the movie though no synopsis can do justice to the totality of the movie. It’s an arresting film which is truly a unique entry in the horror genre.

The Day of the Dead is being observed this weekend so don’t forget to pray and nosh on some pan del muerto!
Sources- YouTube, Bravo, imdb.com, Wikipedia, New York Daily News

Pessimism reigns over Argentine economy

A U.S. federal court yesterday put a monkey wrench into the government’s plans to nationalize ten private pension plans. District Judge Thomas P. Griesa ordered the freezing of Argentine pension fund investments in the U.S. based on a petition filed by bondholders. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that the argentine government owes bondholders $554 million from the country’s 2005 debt restructuring plan.

Earlier today, Standard & Poor's ratings agency cut Argentina's sovereign credit rating for the second time in less than three months. The move by S&P means that Argentina will become less attractive to investors as stocks and the country’s peso have been hit hard recently.

Could Argentina undergo a massive political and economic crisis like in 2001? The S&P managing director for Latin America told Reuters that she did not expect Argentina to default "in the short term". The long-term prospects for default may be a different story, however:

Argentina's dependence on the global economy will make economic adjustment inevitable. Given the worsening global panorama, the government's attempts to improve access to fresh funds have proved fruitless. The nationalization of pension funds reflects the government's unwillingness to implement fiscal tightening and raises doubts about sustainability and the possibility of a new default.

Image- seattlepi.com (“A woman speaks on her cell phone in front of a sign showing the exchange rates for the U.S. Dollar and Euro against Argentina's Peso in the financial district of Buenos Aires.”)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, newsday.com, Guardian UK, Bloomberg, seattlepi.com, BBC News, IHT, Reuters

Massa vs. Hamilton in F1 decider

The 2008 Formula 1 auto racing championship will be decided this weekend with Brazilian Felipe Massa hoping to win it in front of his home crowd.

Massa registered the fastest time during the first practice session earlier today as he aims to overcome a seven point deficit behind series leader Lewis Hamilton. “I have nothing to lose," said the Ferrari driver to the IHT as he hopes for a solid finish along with the same bad luck that cost Hamilton the title last year.

Racism has reared its ugly head in anticipation of Sunday’s race as a Spanish website has posted ugly taunts against Hamilton. F1 officials repudiated the site’s abuse against the British driver who is of Caribbean descent.

On a lighter note, a pair of Brazilian comics/Massa fans used unique tactics to try to jinx Hamilton including:

"Hamilton, we are here today to say that we like you very much and we are cheering for you," declared (comedian Vesgo), the co-presenter of the 'Panic on TV' show.

"In the name of all Brazilians who love you, we would like to give you this gift."

He then tossed a soft toy black cat, a symbol of bad luck in Brazil, on to the stage.

Hamilton, who thanked him and moved to pick up the toy despite being urged not to, may have had the last laugh however since black cats are generally considered to bring good fortune in Britain.

Image- BBC Sport
Sources- Canadian Press, IHT, AFP, Guardian UK, Times Online

FBI Continues to Harass Rican Independence Activists

Early morning on October 28, 2008, several vehicles full of FBI agents penetrated the neighborhood where the well known independentista Norberto Cintrón Fiallo lives, and waited until he left his house for work. During most of the morning, four vehicles follow the compañero while he carried out his work as an investigator for the Legal Assistance Society. The compañero detected them and headed toward the central offices of his employer in Río Piedras. From there he phoned his attorneys and several media outlets. The four FBI vehicles parked strategically around the offices of the Legal Assistance Society and stayed there, surveilling the area around the building, until mid-afternoon.

Source : Press Release

XVII Ibero-American Summit

Today marks the second day of the three day Ibero-American summit in El Salvador, and despite the nominal theme of "Youth and Development," all signs indicate that the themes of the summit continue to be dominated by the financial crisis.

All in all, the summit seems to be yet another opportunity for bloviating, with little hope for serious advances or accord:

Mexican President Felipe Calderón: "(We) need enormous flows of external investment, without which it would be impossible to finance our development."

Argentine President Christina Fernandez: "It is the failure of a model established at the end of the 80s,which dominated the international stage during the 90s, known as neo-liberalism or Washington Consensus."

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colóm: "Guatemala should not have to pay for the failure of a model that we never wanted... I hope they don't ask us for more poverty because we can't give more."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez did not attend, citing among several reasons El Salvador's alleged complicity with anti-Cuban forces (alas, there were no "porque no te callas" moments.)

I'll update next week to see what accords come out of the summit.

Sources: Reuters, Xinhua, Forbes, Youtube

Daily Headlines: October 31, 2008

* U.S.: Authorities arrested the former C.E.O. of a Postville, Iowa meatpacking plant involved in a massive immigration raid last May.

* Uruguay: Did you know that 600 Uruguayan troops are stationed in the war-torn Congo?

* Dominican Republic: Nearly 500 Haitian immigrants have been deported after violent clashes between Haitians and Dominicans.

* Costa Rica: Officials have censored against ads promoting contraception and birth control.

Image- Iowa Independent
Sources- The Latin Americanist, New York Times, Mercopress, CNN, Voice of America, Catholic News Agency

Today’s Video: McCain’s immigration stance

This week we have looked at numerous videos related to the U.S. presidential election ranging from the historical to the musical and even an infomercial.

Tonight’s video is an ad from John McCain’s campaign which is geared towards the Latino community. While most of his spots are ugly attack ads, the video below centers around his feelings on immigration.

Sadly, discussion on that issue has been kept taboo by McCain and rival Barack Obama. Hopefully the next president can make a serious push for immigration reform and make progress against a ridiculous and unjust status quo.

(Video link):

Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube

”Maletagate” jury at impasse

A U.S. federal jury has been deadlocked for nearly a week in the “Maletagate” trial. ''We cannot reach a unanimous verdict," said a note handed from the jury to Judge Joan Lenard on Wednesday. Her response today advised the jury to keep trying to find a verdict or else the case would be declared a mistrial.

So what is the “Maletagate” case all about? According to Bloomberg:

(Defendant Franklin) Duran, 41, is accused of working as an agent in Florida for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government without registering with U.S. authorities. He is also charged with conspiring to silence Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, a U.S. resident. Prosecutors said Antonini carried $800,000 in a suitcase from Venezuela to Argentina in 2007 to help presidential candidate Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was elected Oct. 28, 2007. The cash was seized at a Buenos Aires airport.

Duran’s attorneys argued that the accusations are untrue and that Duran was set up by the FBI.

Chavez and Kirchner have refuted the allegations of corruption with the Argentine president calling the case “garbage.”

Image- AP (“In this court room illustration, Carlos Kauffmann, the business partner of defendant Franklin Duran, is seen on the witness stand, left, as Duran is seen on right in a Miami courtroom Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008.”)
Sources- Bloomberg, AP, miamiherald.com, washingtonpost.com, BBC News

Mining protests shake Peru

Protests have been taking place in Peru as demonstrators are upset at the federal government. In one town, approximately 1000 marchers set a police station ablaze after officers shot tear gas near a school. In another part of the country, protestors blocked vehicular access on the Pan-American Highway.

Some of the demonstrators’ ire centers on a controversial law that affects the mining royalties received by provinces:

The current system levies taxes based on how much earth is moved at a mine, while the new law would shift the focus on how much mineral wealth is produced…

The law has been most controversial in the south of Peru, where most of the mines are run by Southern Copper, one of the world's largest mining companies…

Moquegua expects to get 20 per cent of the revenues from Southern Copper this year, while 80 per cent is set to go to Tacna.

Politicians in both provinces say they need the funds to develop basic services.

The past few months have been bad for President Alan Garcia, whose popularity has nosedived and is almost at single digits. Opponents criticize Garcia with doing little to reduce economic inequality despite modest economic growth. His cabinet resigned as a result of a massive bribery scandal involving a Norwegian oil firm. The Shining Path may be all but gone though that hasn’t stopped the guerillas from mounting several attacks this month.

Image- Living in Peru
Sources- Al Jazeera English, Angus Reid Consultants, Los Angeles Times, The Australian, Xinhua, Voice of America

The ravings of “Tito el constructor”

Sometime over the past few weeks the U.S. presidential election has jumped the shark. It wasn’t this. Or this. Last night it was nearly this.

No, fair readers. This was the moment:

Sarah Palin brought a guest along to her rally (on Monday), but it wasn’t a country star or a television personality. However, he is known by his first name: Tito the Builder.

Tito Munoz, who owns a construction company in Virginia, has been part of Palin’s stump speech for about a week since the McCain campaign discovered him three days before that at a rally for the top of the ticket in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Colombian-born Munoz who is now an American citizen defended Joe the Plumber to a few reporters and took them to task for looking in to the background of Joe Wurzelbacher.

That Munoz has become the de facto Latino representative of the McCain/Palin campaign isn’t the problem. (Heck, his presence shows that the Latino electorate represents different viewpoints and isn’t monolithic). It’s his rants against the media, misinterpretation of the First Amendment, and comparisons between Obama and Hugo Chavez that put him over the top:

This post was brought to you by Erwin the Blogger.

Tuesday cannot come soon enough.
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Time, BBC News, Fox News, YouTube

Shakira lobbies for children

Shakira plans to lobby Latin American presidents this week to devote more money for children's welfare programs.

She will travel to El Salvador to speak to a summit of leaders of countries including Brazil and Colombia.

The singer's main cause is feeding and educating poor children, particularly the 35 million children living in poverty in Latin America.

She is the founder of Fundacion ALAS (Latin America in Solidarity Action) and wrote in Newsweek how growing up poor herself spurred who to help those in similar childhoods.

"I like to think that I can use my public profile to bring attention to more important issues than my own," Shakira told Reuters.

Source and Photo: Reuters

LatAm airlines enjoy growth

The faltering economy has not sparked an ebb for the airline business to Latin America.

American Airlines and Continental Airlines both have enjoyed increased growth from the region's revenue.

Latin America enjoyed a 12 percent increase in air-passenger traffic during 2008, according to the INternational Air Transport Association.

Some U.S. carriers may consider mergers and marketing alliances with the region instead of Europe or Middle East, accoridn gto the Wall Street Journal story.

Daily Headlines: October 30, 2008

* Venezuela: A jubilant Hugo Chavez looked on as Venezuela’s first telecom satellite was sent into space after being launched from China.

* Latin America: Major regional stock indexes posted modest gains during trading on Wednesday.

* Chile: The country’s health minister resigned after the government did not notify several people who had tested positive for HIV.

* Ecuador: Two Jesuit priests, including one from Ecuador, where found murdered in a Moscow apartment.

Image- Xinhua (“A Long March 3II rocket carrying a Venezuelan telecommunication satellite blasts off from the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 30, 2008”.)
Sources- MarketWatch, BBC News, MSNBC, AP

Today’s Video: Obama’s infomercial

Five quick thoughts on tonight’s 30-minute commercial sponsored by Barack Obama’s presidential campaign:

1. Note the tone of the biographical profiles: tranquil guitar strings, warm colors, a pastoral feeling. Furthermore, the profiles cut across race and emphasized social issues.
2. The segment on Obama talking with “normal people” on the Iraq war was reminiscent of George McGovern’s ads in his 1972 presidential run. (See “Change”, for instance).
3. The foreign policy segment can be boiled down to two words: Middle East. (The rest of the world is chopped liver, perhaps?)
4. The portion where he segued from the tragic death of his mom to a stump speech on health care appeared creepy. Conversely, his brief shout-out on immigration was a positive note since the topic seems to be taboo to both Obama and John McCain.
5. All-in-all, the ad will provide much discussion at the water cooler as well as on the 24-hour news networks. More than the ad’s content it will be the attention it receives which will decide its success.
   

What did you think of the ad? See for yourself. (Video link via Obama's campaign website).

Sources- Living Room Candidate, YouTube, barackobama.com, New York Times

Puerto Rico: Dying woman delivers child

Some stories speak for themselves:

A woman wounded in drive-by shooting in Puerto Rico was kept alive just long enough for doctors to deliver her child, a hospital spokesman said Wednesday.

The infant was in stable condition in the neonatal intensive care unit of San Juan's Centro Medico, said Dr. Benjamin Rodriguez.
Glorisel Gonzalez, who was six months pregnant, was in bed Monday night when…she was hit by a stray bullet that apparently pierced the wooden wall of her home.

Gonzalez's husband rushed the 22-year-old woman to a hospital, where doctors kept her alive while performing a Caesarean delivery. She was declared dead afterward.

Sources- IHT
Image- allposters.com

U.N. to U.S.: Lift the embargo on Cuba

The U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) resoundingly voted to end the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba. 185 of the body’s 190 nations accepted the resolution presented earlier today by Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque against the blockade.

Despite such an ample majority against the embargo, today’s vote was nonbinding and largely symbolic. For that matter, today marks the 17th straight year that the UNGA has overwhelmingly voted against the embargo. It is a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the UNGA’s president- Nicaraguan Miguel D’Escoto:

"The U.S. government simply cannot tolerate the existence of a place like Cuba, which rises up like a heroine of solidarity and a champion of the values that the world needs for the survival of the human species," D’Escoto said….

However, D’Escoto said that "on a number of occasions, I have wondered what the Assembly is good for when votes passed by an overwhelming majority and which reflect the wishes of 95% of the UN’s members are utterly ignored."

U.S. President George W. Bush recently vowed to keep the embargo in place, a move expected to continue with the next president according to some Cuban officials.

Image- daylife.com (“An old car passes next to a billboard that reads "70 percent of Cuban people have been born under the Embargo" in a highway in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2006.”)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, Granma, AP