Daily Headlines: December 1, 2008

* Brazil: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was one of numerous global leaders who condemned last week’s heinous attacks in Mumbai, India.

* Chile: Adios to Chilean soccer star Marcelo Salas who called it quits on Friday after a successful fifteen-year career.

* Ecuador: Is this a good idea? - Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa will make an official visit to Iran this week.

* Nicaragua: First the Sandinista government gets blasted for alleged electoral wrongdoing. Now they’ve had diplomatic relations with Georgia cut off over the Caucasus conflict.

Image- Los Angeles Times (“An Indian soldier stands guard outside the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel following an armed siege in Mumbai, India.”)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Xinhua, Canadian Press, Monsters & Critics

Today’s Video: Feliz cumpleaños Alfonso Cuarón!

Today is the 47th birthday of Mexican director-producer Alfonso Cuarón. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Children of Men" are two of the films he’s best-known for, yet for my money his best work was 2001’s "Y tu mamá también". Below is the trailer for that movie, one of my favorite films:

Sources- imdb.com, YouTube

“Maletagate” hullabaloo continues

For better or for worse the “Maletagate” brouhaha will not go away.

In the latest chapter of the saga, argentine officials searched the Buenos Aires offices of Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA. According to the Venezuelan press, authorities are trying to figure out who in PDVSA had alleged contacts with money-smuggling businessman Guido Antonini Wilson (image).

Wilson was caught in August 2007 trying to smuggle $800,000 hidden in a briefcase from Venezuela to Argentina. The money was supposedly from the Venezuelan government to fund then-presidential candidate Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

In an interview granted to the Argentine press earlier this week, Wilson revealed details of his role in the “Maletagate” scandal:

Antonini Wilson revealed details of a conversation with Claudio Uberti, the “money man” and a top ranking Argentine official and direct liaison between former president Kirchner and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, the following day after the incident.

“At the hotel in Buenos Aires Uberti told me that Kirchner had asked about me and how I was feeling and that he was prepared to “stand up by me” until the very end”, said Antonini Wilson who accused Uberti of being the man responsible for transporting the money in the Argentine Energy Corporation chartered Lear jet.

Wilson served as the “star witness” at a U.S. federal trial that accused four Venezuelans of trying to cover-up Wilson’s actions. One of them- Franklin Duran- was convicted earlier this month for acting as an “illegal foreign agent.”

Days after being found guilty, Duran filed a multimillion dollar civil suit against Wilson and his wife.

Image- New York Times
Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Universal, MercoPress

Colombians march for freedom

Thousands of Colombians took to the streets today calling for the liberation of their countrymen in the jungle. Though the turnout was far less than in similar marches held earlier this year, protestors still rallied in solidarity with those held against their will by armed illegal groups.

According to one estimate there are roughly 2800 people held hostage in Colombia; a quarter of which were kidnapped by the FARC guerillas.

Numerous former hostages took part in the rallies that were called for in October by ex-detainee Ingrid Betancourt. At a rally in Madrid, Spain she urged the FARC to lay down their arms and peacefully free the hostages:

“Are thoughts are with those hostages who are probably chained to trees and living in humiliation. We carry their cross and the chains that we hope will soon break…”

“Ours is a chain of love to free the hostages” added Betancourt… - [ed. personal translation]

Aside from Madrid, smaller protests took place in other international locales like Caracas and New York.

Image- El Espectador
Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Tiempo, IHT, Colombia Reports, Bloomberg

Mexican police receive F-

For a country that’s trying to tackle rampant crime the results of a recent report are a black eye for law enforcement.

According to a recently released report, 49.4% of nearly 56,000 Mexican police officers have failed background and security exams. The number of policemen cited in the report represents roughly one in five of the country’s total number of cops, and were tested by using tests like psychological profiles and polygraph machines.

The report should raise eyebrows north of the border since it cited several northern Mexican states as embarrassingly unskilled:

In Baja California, home to the border city of Tijuana, some 89 percent of police tested failed, and only 4 percent were judged "recommendable." Officers there have been periodically disarmed, detained and investigated by federal investigators and army troops on suspicion of aiding drug traffickers.

The shocking report comes at a time when Mexican forces have their backs to the wall in trying to stem the tide of drug-fueled violence. Small strides have been made to combat corruption in Mexico’s police including the arrest yesterday of an officer accused of being involved in a September massacre near Mexico City.

Image- ABC News (“Police investigators work at a crime scene where seven bodies were found gunned down in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, northern Mexico, November 25, 2008.”)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, Toronto Star, AP, La Plaza, IHT

The Economist looks ahead at 2009

The latest edition of The Economist provides its prognostications for the world in 2009. Its forecast for the year ahead touches on numerous global issues like the conflict in Afghanistan and expanding online frontiers. The magazine also mentions Latin America in a variety of ways:

* Eye on elections: Elections throughout Latin America in the year ahead will decide in which way the region will head. Moderate leaders on both the left and right could win the presidency in countries like Chile, Uruguay, and El Salvador. Populist leaders in Bolivia and Ecuador could consolidate their power.

* Guantanamo will close: The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay will shutdown next year; an estimate that should be expected from the incoming Obama administration. The tricky part, according to the magazine, will be the “moral minefield” of what do with detainees.

* More international cooperation: Increased multilateral cooperation will be vital in the year ahead according to a piece penned by Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. In areas like climate change and international trade “collective action is the only way forward” said Lula.

What are your predictions for the year to come?

(Hat tip: Metafilter).

Image- BBC News
Sources- The Latin Americanist, The Economist, Metafilter

Daily Headlines: November 28, 2008

* Peru: President Alan Garcia blamed Mexican drug gangs for fueling violence in Peru including funding the resurgent Shining Path rebels.

* Haiti: A report from human rights group Amnesty International criticized widespread sexual violence against women and the culture of impunity surrounding the justice system.

* El Salvador: President Tony Saca will travel to the U.S. next month and urge migrants to sign on to a temporary visa program.

* Mexico: Even household pets aren’t immune from Mexico’s rising crime.

Image- BBC News (Peruvian villagers purportedly killed by the Shining Path circa 1980s.)
Sources- miamiherald.com, La Plaza, IHT, MSNBC

Today’s Video: Thanksgiving

That’s all for today. To those who celebrate Thanksgiving, may you all have a festive holiday. To those that don’t, see you on Friday!

As a tribute to recently deceased animator Bill Melendez here’s the first part of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving":

A million thanks to my fellow contributors whose insight and knowledge are invaluable. Many thanks to all of you who take the time to read our blog; we’re here to serve you.

Sources- The Latin Americanist, YouTube

Spanish mag skewers Obama’s “manhood”

Back in September we wondered if there was such a concept as “bad” satire. “Are some topics a little too sensitive to make fun of? Can some humor go too far?” we asked.

We cannot help but contemplate those issues after viewing the following cover from Spanish magazine El Jueves:In the caricature, the well-endowed Obama asks people to “look at the ‘pendulum’ and repeat after me: all is well. All is very well.”

El Jueves specializes in satire and has been notorious for making fun of all sorts of authority figures. This has often gotten the magazine in trouble such as the uproar last year involving a caricature of the Prince of Asturias cavorting with his wife.

So what do you think of the controversial cover? Racist, humorous, or who cares?

(Hat tip: FARK.com).

Image- El Jueves
Sources- The Latin Americanist, El Jueves, Rabat, Wikipedia.com

The possibility of taking the “Tren al Sur”

The conspiracy theorists who believe the tall-tale of an Aztlan mass movement will surely be alarmed by the thoughts of Russian analyst, Igor Panarin.

Recently there has been uproar over Panarin’s prognostication that the U.S. will break up due to the financial crisis. "The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche; this is a pyramid, which has to collapse" said the analyst in an interview published on Monday in a Russian publication.

How does the wild Aztlan theory fall into Panarin’s research? To paraphrase the famous song by Los Prisioneros, we might have to take a “Tren al Sur”:

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia, he outlined how the US would divide along ethnic and cultural lines.

They are: the Pacific coast with its growing Chinese population; the increasingly Hispanic South; independence-minded Texas; the Atlantic Coast; a central state with a large Native American population; and the northern states where – he maintains – Canadian influence is strong.

Alaska could be claimed by Russia, he said, claiming that the region was "only granted on lease, after all". – [ed. emphasis added]

If Panarin’s thoughts due come true, would that make Miami the capital of el Nuevo Sur? What would replace the confederate flag? Could there by a civil war based on racial divides?

In the end, those questions make as much sense as the notion of an Aztlan "invasion". Please feel free to go ahead and loosen your tin foil caps.

(Hat tip: Metafilter).

Image- Monsters & Critics
Sources- Fox News, Common Dreams, Huffington Post, The Telegraph, Metafilter

The first Thanksgiving was "Tejano"?

There are numerous myths surrounding what is professed to be the first Thanksgiving holiday in 1621. For instance, the occasion was marked by three days of “drinking, gambling, athletic games, and even target shooting with English muskets” and the noshing of venison and cod.

There’s the belief, however, that the first Thanksgiving was not celebrated in New England but thousands of miles away in present-day Texas. No, I’m not joking:

Penny Colman uses this question as a premise for her book. The result is "Thanksgiving: The True Story," a collection of her research in very readable text augmented with charts, maps and pictures. Readers 8-14 will find much information for their own enjoyment and research.

Many debate where the first Thanksgiving took place.

For example, in 1598, a Spanish explorer, Juan de Onate, settled in present-day New Mexico. The account of the settlement's "thanksgiving" was recorded by poet Perez de Villagra in 1610. People in the area consider it the "first Thanksgiving." A re-enactment of Onate's settlement is held annually in San Elizario, Texas.

The Texas Society Daughters of American Colonists in Palo Duro Canon, Texas, declare their location as the "first." In Florida, both La Caroline and St. Augustine believe their cities were the earliest places of celebration.

Image- Product Reviews
Sources- Deseret News, Neatorama

Daily Headlines: November 27, 2008

* Argentina: Argentine President Cristina Kirchner (image) introduced a $21 billion public works plan designed to boost the country’s economy.

* Latin America: “The probability of a young Latin American being a homicide victim is 30 times greater than for a young person in Europe as a whole”, according to a revealing survey released this week.

* Dominican Republic: The global economic slowdown has taken its toll on tourism in the Dominican Republic.

* Brazil: The country’s annual inflation rate has hit its highest point in over three years.

Image- AFP
Sources- Reuters, Canada.com, IHT, Bloomberg

Today’s Video: Sean Penn on Chavez, Castro

Actor-director Sean Penn recently interviewed Hugo Chavez and Raul Castro for an article to be released in next month’s The Nation. Reuters and the AP have jumped over Castro’s claim that he would be glad to meet President-elect Barack Obama on "neutral ground" such as naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Yet the article (available online) reveals much more including Chavez’ admiration for the Alliance for Progress and Castro’s muddled response on Cuba human rights situation.

In the following video from The Nation’s website, Penn gives his views on Chavez including a strong critique of the mainstream media:

Sources- The Nation, YouTube, Reuters, AP

Luis Gutierrez asks for Obama’s Senate seat

Could U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez take over the Senatorial seat being vacated by president-elect Barack Obama? The Democratic congressman of Puerto Rican background reportedly expressed interest in taking over for Obama. Yet the odds that Gutierrez will be named to the Senate may be slim:

Gutierrez met with (Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich) and told the governor he would like to be a "caretaker" senator for the next two years working to get comprehensive immigration reform passed in the Senate instead of fund-raising to get re-elected to the Senate in 2010, Gutierrez said.

But Blagojevich said he was looking for someone who wanted the post long-term, Gutierrez said. "It's basically over -- unless he calls me back," Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez won his ninth term in the House this month and has since called on Obama to tackle immigration reform once he enters office.

Image- Chicago Public Radio
Sources- AP, chicagotribune.com, Chicago Sun-Times, Bellville News Democrat, abc7chicago.com

U.S. to give less aid to Nicaragua

Tensions in Nicaragua remain high in the aftermath of recent local elections.

The country’s Supreme Electoral Council announced last week that Sandinista candidates won in 105 of the 146 races in dispute including the capital, Managua. Yet the opposition claimed that there was widespread fraud and that President Daniel Ortega abused his power in the run-up to the November 9th vote.

U.S. officials have also criticized the Ortega administration over the elections; last week, the U.S. representative to the Organization of American States called for an outside audit of electoral results. More drastic measures were taken yesterday:

Citing “deep concern” over Nicaragua's democratic process, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) announced yesterday that it is freezing $64 million in aid pledged to Nicaragua over the next year and a half…

“We had hoped, for the sake of the Nicaraguan people, that the government would continue the country's trend towards peaceful, democratic and credible elections,” Ambassador (John) Danilovich said. “I am afraid recent evidence shows that this is not the case.”

Nicaraguan authorities replied by calling the MCC’s decision “unacceptable” and “unethical.”

Image- AP (“A supporter of Nicaragua's Sandinista National Liberation Front, FSLN, waves a partisan flag next to a billboard with the image of Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega in Managua, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008.”)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, New York Times, AP, Tico Times, AFP

Russian naval fleet arrives near Venezuela

Russian warships arrived off the Venezuelan coast yesterday in anticipation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the South American country.

Medvedev is expected to meet with his Venezuelan counterpart- President Hugo Chavez- later today. Both leaders will preside over military exercises next Monday with the Russian fleet consisting of ships like a nuclear-powered cruiser and submarine destroyer.

Venezuelan and Russian officials have rejected allegations that the war games are designed to anger the U.S. State department officials have tried to play down the affair:

Sean McCormack, the US state department spokesman, said: "I don't think there's any question about ... who the region looks to in terms of political, economic, diplomatic and as well as military power.

"If the Venezuelans and the Russians want to have a military exercise, that's fine. But we'll obviously be watching it very closely," he said.

Medvedev is in the midst of a four-nation tour of Latin America which included the signing of political and economic agreements with Peru and Brazil.

Some analysts interpret Russia’s actions as a security threat to Colombia- Venezuela’s neighbor and staunch U.S. ally. Yet Russia's foreign minister met President Alvaro Uribe last week and promised that the exercises will not go near disputed areas.

Image- BBC News
Sources- BBC News, AFP, AP, Reuters, Times Online, Al Jazeera English