Today's Video: The victims speak

I don't wish to be a downer to begin the week but it's worth watching the following advert produced for Amnesty International. Made by the Leo Burnett agency in Venezuela, the sixty-second spot highlights multiple human rights abuses from the victims' perspectives. It's a moving and arresting look at the numerous types of violations against human dignity that sadly continue to occur in our modern society:

(Hat tip: AdFreak).

Online Sources - AdFreak, YouTube

Daily Headlines: January 11, 2010

Note: Over the weekend I returned from a family vacation to Colombia and I’m eager to resume regular blogging. Many thanks to my fellow contributors for their help during my three-week absence but also in the past few months. This blog would’ve been much worse off without their efforts. Also thanks to all of you who I hope will keep reading this blog as we strive to report and inform every day. We hope to keep moving forward in 2010!

* Cuba: Promising Cuban pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman has reportedly signed a multimillion-dollar contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

* Honduras: Is there really a Venezuelan-led plot to assassinate interim leader Roberto Micheletti or has he been hallucinating?

* Puerto Rico: Over 2000 public employees received an unwanted Three Kings Day gift from Gov. Luis Fortuño – they were laid off from their posts.

* Paraguay: President Fernando Lugo is recovering in hospital after undergoing prostate surgery on Friday.

Image – CBC
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, UPI, Xinhua, ABC News, CNN

Arrest Warrants for Top Honduran Military Officials

The Google Alert that said Honduras' top military brass (including armed forces commander Gen. Romeo Vasquez Velasquez) were charged with abuse of power seemed really interesting when it arrived in my inbox this morning. The nation's chief prosecutor issued arrest warrants for six top military officials who were involved in removing deposed president Mel Zelaya from power and shuttling him off to Costa Rica.

Then I went to one of the major Honduran newspapers, El Heraldo, and saw they weren't covering the story at all. Bias is a big part of that, but it's also important to note that the Supreme Court has to approve the charges before any action is taken against the generals. That's the same Supreme Court that ruled to remove Zelaya from power and told Congress Zelaya could only be reinstated if he first stood trial for charges pending against him.

Holding your breath until they get formally indicted is not recommended.

Online Source: CNN, El Heraldo, Latin American Herald Tribune
Image Source: CNN

Police Helicopter Shot Down in Rio de Janiero

Six officers were on board the helicopter, however only three survived.

Source: Youtube, The New York Times

Obama's One Year Report Card: Latin America

An editorial in the Havana Times has put out a scathing review of Obama's progress (or lack of) in Latin America. While the President began his term making lofty promises of strengthening US/Latin America relationships, the article, Inertia on US-Latin American Relations, sites the following shortcomings as direct proof that the administration has made its southern neighbors a very low priority.

1) Honduras
Obama- and for that matter members of OAS- failed to ensure that ousted President Zelaya first be reinstated before recognizing the legitimacy of the November presidential elections. Threats were made by the U.S. and member Latin countries, but in the end, the elections came and went without Zelaya's return to office.

2) Colombian Accord
While none were probably more disgruntled than Venezuela, South American countries stated their disappointment in the announcement that the U.S. and Colombia had reached a ten year agreement to put U.S. military bases on Colombian soil. As one analyst from the Woodrow Wilson International Center said, this had more to do with the "inadequate process of consultation and vetting with regional allies."

3) Cuba
Of greater concern to the author is the slow progress of U.S/Cuban relations. The administration has shown some signs of movement in the right direction (notably, allowing Cuban Americans to visit their homeland and restoring mail service to Cuba) but cites the continuing embargo as sign a preserved Cold War mentality.

While this blogger agrees progress has been slow, I disagree with the implication that little has changed since the Bush years. The Cold War style politics that dominated US/Cuban relations for approximately 40 years endured several administrations and Obama has taken a variety of steps in the past year to begin to thaw a strained relationship that remained frozen for decades. Furthermore, Cuba has to take some responsibility for the pace of change in relations between the two countries; Raul Castro is proceeding as cautiously as his U.S. counterpart.

4) The War on Drugs
While the US continues to provide extensive aid to Colombia to fight the war on drugs, aid now also reaches Mexico and the Caribbean in large amounts. However, the author wonders when the focus will shift to also include thorough demand-side reform to help curtail the problem at the source (i.e. the U.S). Meanwhile, death tolls continue to rise in Mexico while the country remains embroiled in violent drug-related crime.

Do you think Obama has done enough in his first year? Or do you, like the Havana Times author, wonder if the administration will continue to disappoint the way previous ones have?

Black Market found Online in Cuba

With the economy in such dire straits, Cubans have found other means of income besides their rations. Much like Craigslist, Cubans have created their own version called Revolico (www.revolico.com). According to the New York Times, the cite was created by two 20 year old Cuban men who immigrated to Spain.

The creators, (who's names have been witheld to protect their relatives who still live on the island from Cuban authorities) continue to try and evade government censors.

Although Craigslist was indeed the inspiration for Revolico, the creators say Revolico is designed to upload more quickly on the island’s slower connection speeds.

Some of the categories on the site — cars for sale, computers for sale, boys seeking girls, boys seeking boys, for instance — are identical to those on Craigslist, however there are many exchanges that are particular to Cuban culture. These examples include people who are selling their place in the visa line at the Spanish Embassy to someone trying to leave the island. One category even specializes in arranged marriages that are offered to help Cubans find a way to another country.

The new exchange cite reveals a lot about the lives of Cubans and their efforts to survive under such tight contstraints.

Source: New York Times, Revolico.com
Photo Source

Craigslist-esque "Commotion" in Cuba

Looking to marry a Cuban? Got a TV you want to sell in Havana?

Check out Revolico.com (Spanish for Commotion)

The NY Times reports today on this Cuban internet marketplace - started by two Cuban exiles living in Spain - that now draws more than two million page views per month.

The Times story mentions that one revolico buyer found a copy of Windows 7 for $5 (including setup!). Could it be that Cuba is Mac territory?

Online Sources: NY Times, revolico.com
Image Source: MSNBC

Peruvian Court Upholds Fujimori's Sentence

Former Peruvian President Fujimori will face jail time for the deaths of 25 people between 1990-2000, reports the SF Chronicle. The former president was challenging this sentence and continues to challenge several others.

However, his daughter Keiko vows to release her father if she wins the 2011 presidential race in Peru. How many years Fujimori actually spends in prison will depend on the success of his daughters campaign.

Heavy Rains Take Toll in Brazil

While some people are basking in the glory of a winter wonderland, our Latin neighbors to the south are still recovering from heavy rain storms that left dozens dead in Brazil. CNN reports that at least 41 people were killed (while other sources cite over 60) when the downpour led to severe mudslides several hours from Rio.

A part of the mountain collapsed into an upscale resort in Angra dos Reis, but perhaps more tragically, some makeshift homes in the poor suburbs of Rio collapsed, leaving at least 350 people homeless. Surely this already poor population will struggle not only to deal with the loss of life, but also struggle to rebuild.

President Lula says he will send naval forces to help with rescue and recovery, as more bodies are believed to be trapped still.
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Online sources: cnn.com, CBS News

Musicians Take Action to Improve US-Cuban Relations

Many artists, businesspeople, and scholars are taking a stand on improving US-Cuban relations.

Referred to as the Cuban 'Bob Dylan', Carlos Varela has taken action on improving political relations from the ground up. Varela had come to remix one of his albums with friend Jackson Browne, but stopped in Washington early this month for meetings with legislators and a lunch with a senior White House official. Later he held a jam session in the House Budget Committee meeting room.

Varela visited many establishments, including at universities and policy institutes, engaging in small talk about music and questions on policy.

“I don’t represent any government or political party,” he said. “But perhaps that’s why governments and politicians might be willing to listen to what I have to say.”

Photo: New York Times

Jose Feliciano sings Feliz Navidad!

Feliz Navidad a todos!

Brazilian Court Wants Boy in Brazil back in US

Brazilian supreme court judge ruled Tuesday that the 9-year-old boy at the center of an international abduction and custody fight must be returned to the United States with his American father.

The ruling is the latest in a five-year legal battle that has involved both the American and Brazilian courts, and spurred up international controversy. The Jersey resident and father, David Goldman, is put one step closer to being reunited with his son, Sean.

The boy was abducted by his mother, a Brazilian native and Goldman's wife at the time, to Brazil in 2004. The woman and the boy have remained there ever since. After the mother passed away however, the boy's custody has been put to question.

After the mother died, Sean was left with her second husband, a prominent lawyer in Rio de Janeiro whose family has continued the fight to keep the boy in Brazil.

Mr. Goldman filed lawsuits in the United States and Brazil to get his son back, and after a 5 year battle the supreme court has now ruled in his favor.

Photo Source

American Airlines Plane Overshoots Runway in Jamaica

Tuesday night, the 150 passenger American Airline flight skidded off a rain-slicked runway while attempting to land in Jamaica, hitting a fence and plowing into a sandy embankment before it came to rest a few feet from the Caribbean Sea.

The close call certainly had passengers holding on to their boot-straps, and fortunately there were no deaths involved in the event. However, about 90 passengers were treated for minor injuries at hospitals around Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, according to a statement from Norman Manley International Airport.

The engines of the Boeing 737-800 were knocked off and cracked its fuselage, but nothing more.

Passengers experienced a grand amount of turbulence however anticipated that the landing would be successful. However, passengers started screaming as the plane slid down the runway, crossed a road, smashed through a perimeter fence and then crashed into a sandy embankment, according to the passengers’ accounts. The lights went out, and suitcases and bags popped out of the overhead bins and fell onto passengers.

Airline authorities are beginning to take action in piecing together the crash and what may have caused it.

Photo Source

Body of Colombian Governor Found

State officials gave notice Tuesday that the body of state governor, Luis Francisco Cuéllar was indeed found. The Caqueta leftist governor was abducted by a commando of 8 to 10 leftist FARC guerillas from his home in Florencia late Monday.

Uribe rejected political negotiations with the FARC, Latin America's oldest and longest-fighting rebel force. The rebel group has an estimated 7,000 fighters and has been trying to overthrow the government since the 1960s.

The tragedy marks the country’s first major political kidnapping in years.

Photo Source

The People's Socialist Store of Everything Bolivarian and Delicious

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is now in the retail business.

In a new plan announced to "defeat speculation," Chavez launched a new chain of "Comerso" stores (a Spanish acronym for Socialist Corporation of Markets) that will sell goods ranging from food to cars imported directly from China and Argentina.

Chavez promised the markets would be a boon to Venezuelan consumers that he says are victims of predatory sellers. "They'll see what's good. We'll show them what a real market is all about, not those speculative, money-grubbing markets, but a market for the people," Chavez said.

Image Source (Venezuelan Arepas): Mundo Recetas
Online Sources: AFP, Google News

Today's Video: Staying Kool in Cuba

It's still impossible for most Americans to travel to Cuba, but fortunately for Cuban music aficianados, an exception was made for Jersey City funk icons Kool and the Gang. The group became the first American band to perform on the island in almost five years. The last US group to perform on the "Anti-Imperial Stage" was Audioslave - a band whose members were known for their "anti imperialist" sentiments.

Far from wading into the political fray, Kool kept it, well, cool...

Video Source: Reuters
Online Sources: USA Today, Wikipedia