With Venezuela’s presidential elections less than a month away both incumbent Hugo Chavez and rival Henrique Capriles are seeking any advantage they can get. Yet the use of music to support the current president has raised the ire of one well-known Venezuelan band.
Members of Los Amigos Invisibles have asked a state-run radio station to quit running pro-Chavez campaign ads that use their 2004 song “Majunche.”
"They've expropriated Majunche. Just what we needed," tweeted bass player Jose Rafael Torres after the group found out that the YVKE station used their song. Meanwhile a spokeswoman for the band's management claimed to Reuters that the song was utilized without the band’s permission.
The instrumental tune, whose title is roughly translated as “Loser,” was played behind a speech where Chavez declared that “The loser won't win elections in Venezuela ... this year, or even in 2,000 years!”
Several members of “Los Amigos” have not been shy in admitting that they support the former governor of Miranda state. “I would like to be an oligarch but I don’t have any lands…I’ve been forced to be on the opposition by conviction,” Torres tweeted. Percussionist Marco Arias composed a song for the Capriles campaign entitled “Algo bueno está pasando” (“Something good is happening”). Lyrics for the upbeat tune include “We’re all going to celebrate” and “Something good is happening, change is coming.”
Friday, September 21, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 21, 2012
* Brazil: Petrobras CEO Maria das Gracas Foster said that the company’s attorneys are trying to overturn an injunction against oil drilling contractor Transocean.
* Peru: At least person died after police clashed with protesters who claimed that a gold mine owned by Canadian company Barrick is polluting the local water supply.
* Mexico: The U.S. Department of Justice inspector general blasted the ATF for its role in the controversial Operation Fast and Furious but exonerated Attorney General Eric Holder.
* U.S.: A pair of national Latino organizations denounced the apparent “constant pattern of exclusion of Latinos” from receiving the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
Video Source – YouTube via Associated Press (Video from November 2011).
Online Sources- Reuters, CBS News, Huffington Post, Politico
Thursday, September 20, 2012
World Watch: Torture
* Georgia: Interior Minister Bacho Akhalaia resigned amidst escalating protests over alleged torture and abuse in Georgian prisons.
* Syria: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that approximately 54 people died when an air force jet blew up a gas station.
* Space: Six weeks after landing on Mars the Curiosity rover is expected to analyze rock samples on the surface of the Red Planet.
* Somalia: At least a dozen people were killed as result of a double suicide attack believed to have been perpetrated by a group with ties to al-Qaeda.
Video Source– YouTube via euronews
Online Sources – Voice of America, Reuters, Scientific American, ABC Online
Nuestro Cine: Selling Democracy
The annual celebration of Chile’s “Fiestas Patrias” (“Patriotic Holidays”) took place this week in recognition of the country’s 202nd year of independence. It was an occasion for Chileans to come together to show their patriotism and pride for their country.
The signs of unity on display on Tuesday contrasted sharply with the divisions displayed one week before on the 39th anniversary of the coup d’état against the country’s civilian government. In Santiago, for instance, police and protesters clashed after a “largely peaceful demonstration” in memory of the hundreds of victims targeted by the military junta.
The silver screen has not been immune from the heated opinions on the September 11, 1973 coup and the subsequent military regime led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet. In June supporters and detractors of the late dictator faced off at the screening of a documentary that praised the late dictator as a “national hero who saved Chile from communism.”
“No” is a 2012 movie that takes a critical look at the Pinochet government. The film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as Rene Saavedra, an advertising executive heading a marketing campaign trying to convince voters to defeat the strongman in a 1988 national referendum. The movie dramatizes the many difficulties faced by the campaign including limited resources and pressure from the government. The film also shows archival footage including commercials that helped sway pubic opinion against Pinochet.
Below the page break is a clip from “No” where Saavedra and his associates encounter resistance to their plan from opposition activists:
The signs of unity on display on Tuesday contrasted sharply with the divisions displayed one week before on the 39th anniversary of the coup d’état against the country’s civilian government. In Santiago, for instance, police and protesters clashed after a “largely peaceful demonstration” in memory of the hundreds of victims targeted by the military junta.
The silver screen has not been immune from the heated opinions on the September 11, 1973 coup and the subsequent military regime led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet. In June supporters and detractors of the late dictator faced off at the screening of a documentary that praised the late dictator as a “national hero who saved Chile from communism.”
“No” is a 2012 movie that takes a critical look at the Pinochet government. The film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as Rene Saavedra, an advertising executive heading a marketing campaign trying to convince voters to defeat the strongman in a 1988 national referendum. The movie dramatizes the many difficulties faced by the campaign including limited resources and pressure from the government. The film also shows archival footage including commercials that helped sway pubic opinion against Pinochet.
Below the page break is a clip from “No” where Saavedra and his associates encounter resistance to their plan from opposition activists:
Daily Headlines: September 20, 2012
* South America: At least nine people died in Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia after being hit with storms that included ninety-mile-per-hour winds.
* Cuba: A group of thirty Cuban dissidents ended an eight-day hunger strike after authorities reportedly gave in to their demands.
* U.S.: A Department of Justice report found that a North Carolina sheriff routinely discriminated against Latinos including referring to Latinos as “taco eaters”.
* Costa Rica: Cases of dengue fever have reportedly shot up by 36% in Costa Rica with over 8400 people affected by the illness.
Video Source – YouTube via teleSUR
Online Sources- France24, Huffington Post, Bernama, Reuters
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 19, 2012
* Colombia: Daniel “El Loco” Barrera, one of Colombia’s most wanted drug traffickers, was captured in neighboring Venezuela.
* Mexico: At least twenty-six people died after an explosion rocked a Pemex gas facility in the northern Mexico city of Reynosa.
* U.S.: Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar was suspended for three games after writing a homophobic slur in Spanish on his eye-black during a recent game.
* Argentina: Argentina could face sanctions from the International Monetary Fund over its allegedly misleading economic data.
Video Source – YouTube via user cablenoticiastv (Daniel “El Loco” Barrera is believed to have led a drug trafficking “banda criminal” (or “criminal group”) with ties to former right-wing paramilitaries as well as FARC guerillas).
Online Sources- CBS News, Reuters, The Guardian
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 18, 2012
* Chile: Scientists released photos taken from the world's most powerful digital camera, which is sitting on a mountaintop in Chile.
* Bolivia: A U.N. report released days after Bolivia was placed on a White House drug trafficking "black list" found that coca production in the Andean country dropped by 12% in 2011.
* Brazil: Finance Minister Guido Mantega criticized the latest round of U.S. monetary alleging, “the depreciation of the dollar will cause lots of problems for emerging nations.”
* Mexico: Authorities are searching for over 130 inmates who escaped from a prison in the northern Coahuila state.
Video Source – YouTube via Fermilab
Online Sources- Wired.com, ABC News, Reuters, Businessweek, USA TODAY
Monday, September 17, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 17, 2012
* South America: The Bolivian and Venezuela governments rejected being placed on a White House drug trafficking "black list" released last Friday.
* Brazil: According to a Brazilian media report former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the “chief” in the alleged “mensalao” corruption network implicating over thirty politicians and publicists.
* Mexico: At least two Mexico state legislators allied with the PRI political party were murdered over the weekend.
* Argentina: Juan Martin del Potro’s decision to drop out of his second Davis Cup semifinal match due to injury may have cost Argentina the chance to reach the finals.
Video Source – YouTube via AFP
Online Sources- ABC News, Mercopress, Fox News Latino, CBC
Friday, September 14, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 14, 2012
* Mexico: The Mexican Navy paraded Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, the alleged head of the Gulf Cartel drug gang who was one of the country’s most wanted criminals.
* Cuba: The Cuban representative was the only member of the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency to vote against condemning Iran for its nuclear program.
* Honduras: Police arrested a suspect in the murder of journalist and gay rights activist Erick Martinez last May in eastern Honduras.
* Guatemala: Over 33,000 people were evacuated from the area around the Volcan del Fuego that has been spewing smoke and ash into the sky.
Video Source – YouTube via grupo reforma
Online Sources- Fox News Latino, Sky News, The Guardian, BBC News
Thursday, September 13, 2012
De Musica Ligera: “Algiers” via Arizona
Last Friday we looked at the latest domestic album release from Colombia’s Bomba Estereo. Another album release occurred on Tuesday from an indie group who we’ve featured before.
“Algiers” is the seventh studio album from Arizona-based group Calexico and their first since 2008. Though The A.V. Club describes the songs on “Algiers” as having “the same parched and airy desert quality that all of the group’s records do”, the album reflects the variety of musical styles including Tejano and mariachi.
Perhaps no other tune from Calexico’s attest album reflects their appreciation of folkloric Mexican music as “Puerto”. The soft strum of acoustic guitars and occasional horns are some of the instruments that are used to construct a lush and melodic song. Listen for yourself:
Calexico is touring London, Paris, Stockholm and other Europe cities this month before returning to tour the U.S. in October.
Video Source – YouTube via Anti Records
Online Sources – Casa de Calexico, The A.V. Club, The Latin Americanist
“Algiers” is the seventh studio album from Arizona-based group Calexico and their first since 2008. Though The A.V. Club describes the songs on “Algiers” as having “the same parched and airy desert quality that all of the group’s records do”, the album reflects the variety of musical styles including Tejano and mariachi.
Perhaps no other tune from Calexico’s attest album reflects their appreciation of folkloric Mexican music as “Puerto”. The soft strum of acoustic guitars and occasional horns are some of the instruments that are used to construct a lush and melodic song. Listen for yourself:
Calexico is touring London, Paris, Stockholm and other Europe cities this month before returning to tour the U.S. in October.
Video Source – YouTube via Anti Records
Online Sources – Casa de Calexico, The A.V. Club, The Latin Americanist
World Watch: Tensions in Libya
* Middle East: According to the Libyan media “multiple arrests” were made in relation to the recent deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
* World: According to UNICEF child mortality rates have sharply declined over the past decade reportedly “amid gains in health care, education, development programs and economic progress”.
* Russia: Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev suggested the early release of three members of the Pussy Riot collective controversially sentenced to two years in prison for ''hooliganism motivated by religious hatred''.
* Afghanistan: Residents in Karachi paid their respects to over 260 employees of a garment factory who died as a result of a massive fire on Tuesday.
Video Source– YouTube via Associated Press (“The U.S. Is deploying two warships to the Libyan Coast, following the attack on a U.S. consulate that killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three others.”)
Online Sources – Voice of America, CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC News
Daily Headlines: September 13, 2012
* Peru: On the twentieth anniversary of the capture of Shining Path founder Abimael Guzman, President Ollanta Humala said that he will not negotiate with the guerillas.
* Cuba: Cuban officials said that they would be willing to talk with the U.S. government over possibly releasing imprisoned contractor Alan Gross.
* Latin America: Latin American governments condemned the violent attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya that left four people including Ambassador Christopher Stevens dead.
* El Salvador: Ex-senior Salvadoran military officer Inocente Orlando Montano pled guilty in the U.S. to immigration fraud and could be extradited to Spain over his alleged role in the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests.
Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- NPR, RTT, Reuters, infosurhoy.com, The Latin Americanist
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 11, 2012
* Venezuela: Human rights group Survival International retraced claims initially made last month over the alleged massacre of dozens of members of Venezuela’s indigenous Yanomami community.
* Cuba: Thirteen dissidents including “prominent” activist Marta Beatriz Roque started a hunger strike yesterday in order to protest the Cuban “government's persecution of its opponents.”
* Brazil: The Brazilian population between 2010 and 2012 grew by roughly 3.2 million people, which is nearly the same total population as Uruguay.
* U.S.: The U.S. Border Patrol halted the Migration Interior Repatriation Program, a plan started in 2004 where undocumented migrants were deported to Mexico via plane flights.
Video Source – YouTube via AFP
Online Sources- The Guardian, Reuters, Mercopress, Arizona Star
Monday, September 10, 2012
Daily Headlines: September 10, 2012
* Mexico: Twice defeated presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that he will form his own political party to oppose incoming president Enrique Peña Nieto.
* Nicaragua: Approximately 3000 people were evacuated from several towns around the ash-spewing San Cristobal volcano.
* Venezuela: The U.S. State Department confirmed that Venezuelan officials would drop arms trafficking charges against the crew of a detained U.S.-flagged cargo ship.
* Chile: Police used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse some one hundred protesters who acted violently at the end of a peaceful rally commemorating the victims of the 1973-1990 military regime.
Video Source – YouTube via Milenio
Online Sources- AFP, Miami Herald, CNN, BBC News
Friday, September 7, 2012
De Musica Ligera: Soul and Body
Colombian quartet Bomba Estereo released their third album this week, "Elegancia Tropical", in their homeland. The album features the funky mix of cumbia and electro music that has been the band's hallmark over the past few years.
The following is the official music video for "El Alma y El Cuerpo", the first single from "Elegancia Tropical" that will be released internationally in October:
Video Source - YouTube via user bombaestereo
Online Source - Official website for Bomba Estereo
The following is the official music video for "El Alma y El Cuerpo", the first single from "Elegancia Tropical" that will be released internationally in October:
Video Source - YouTube via user bombaestereo
Online Source - Official website for Bomba Estereo
Daily Headlines: September 7, 2012
* Haiti: The Turks and Caicos Islands will lift the temporary ban on deportations of Haitian migrants that was first established shortly after a January 2010 Haiti earthquake.
* Mexico: U.S. investigators will look into the death of a Mexican citizen who was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent.
* Cuba: Could an experimental debit card program lead to the end of the island’s dual currency system?
* Colombia: Human Rights Watch claimed that the resignation of an auxiliary Supreme Court judge investigating the “para-politics” corruption scandal is a “loss for justice”.
Video Source – YouTube via user WIV4 (Note: This video was uploaded in 2008).
Online Sources- CBS News, MSNBC, ABC News, Human Rights Watch
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