Today’s Video: Stomping ants

The meaning of the post's title becomes known once you see the video below. Blog club fonograma described the video as such:

This has to be one of the coolest, most legitimate visual offerings we’ve seen this year. Minimal::ty, an up and coming production channel making some hot refreshing videos and graphics. The project decided to compliment Los Macuanos by crafting an awesome unofficial video for their hit “La Burrita.” The original footage of these hilarious dancers went viral a couple of months ago, but they’re on a whole new level dancing to El Ruidoson. Expect new material from Los Macuanos in the upcoming months.

Take a look for yourself:

Online Sources - club fonograma, YouTube

Latin Americans react to Vatican

With the firestorm continuing over abusive priests in Europe, the Christian Science Monitor examines how the situation is affecting Catholics in Latin Ameirca.

In Latin America, where 70 percent of residents are Catholic, some said the region will undoubtedly play a big role in the international church.

"The future of the global church really hinges on Latin America," said Andrew Chesnut from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. "The Charismatic Renewal has revitalized the church in many Latin American countries, most notably Brazil, but sex- abuse scandals, which are only a matter of time, could easily result in further defections from the church."

Some in Latin America have supported the Vatican. The Latin American Episcopal Conference wrote wrote a "letter of solidarity" to the pope, according to the article, and Santiago's Archbishop condemned the criticism he's received.

In Latin America, abuse problems hit home with Marcial Maciel, a priest in Mexico who was accused of molesting minor seminarians and was ordered in 2006 to a life of "prayer and penance" by the pope.

NPR reports that bishops in Europe and Latin America do not generally turn priests into the police.

Read more here.

Source: Csmonitor.com, NPR

Photo:saintaquinas.com

Producer Questioned in Wife's Death Free for Now

The producer -- Bruce Beresford-Redman, who worked on both "Survivor" and "Pimp My Ride"
-- held in the disappearance of his wife's death in Mexico will be freed pending the investigation, the AP reports.

According to investigators, his wife, Monica Beresford-Redman, was found dead in a sewer at the Moon Palace in Cancun last week. Her body had scratches and signs of asphyxiation wiht a blow to her head. Mr. Beresford-Redman also had scratches on his face and arms, said Quintana Roo state attorney general Francisco Alor.

Investigators said they will wait until forensic tests are finished before deciding whether to arrest him.

In the meantime, Mr. Beresford-Redman can't leave Mexico, and authorities have his passport.

Source and Photo: AP

Daily Headlines: April 13, 2010

* Mexico: Violence in Mexico could worsen after authorities claimed that the Gulf and La Familia cartels united in order to combat a third group called Los Zetas.

* Latin America: Yesterday we looked at U.S.-Brazil relations including Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s participation at a nuclear security summit. But what are the presidents of Argentina, Chile, and Mexico seeking at the conference?

* Chile: According to the local press at least 100 people died in coastal areas hit by tidal waves caused by a massive earthquake on February 27.

* Colombia: The Latin American arms race continues; Colombia’s government will allegedly purchase nine Black hawk helicopters.

Image – Al Jazeera English (“Mexico's increasingly bloody drug war has claimed more than 18,000 lives since 2006.”)
Online Sources- Foreign Policy, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, LAHT, BBC News

Frenemies?

Relations between the US and Brazil are somewhat, well, weird. These days, Brazil is growing like wildfire, and as should be expected, it intends to make sure its economic rise is coupled with a more important place on the world stage. But power is in many ways a zero-sum game, and Brazil's gains inevitably come as the expense of the United States.

Yet there doesn't seem to be much animosity, either historical or current. Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is a pragmatic center-left leader, as is Obama. And unlike many, Lula didn't seem to have too much difficulty getting along with Bush, either (they bonded over having ranches).

A good case in point is Lula's arrival to DC today for President Obama's "Nuclear Security Summit." (BTW, one fun note is to think about all the shenanigans that will be going down when 46 country delegations converge on DC--PARTY!!!!)

Lula's firm stance against Iran sanctions have been a thorn in the US' side. And his statement today that it's “understandable” that Iran wants atomic weapons because it feels threatened by Pakistan and Israel is exactly the opposite of what the US and Europeans who are pressing for Iran sanctions wanted to hear.

Add to this the less strategically important brush-up over the Honduran crisis, and you would expect things to be pretty rocky between Washington and Brasilia. Yet....they're not really. On the same day that Lula made his comments, Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim met with Robert Gates at the Pentagon and the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement.

With China now seemingly leaning towards sanctions, and since Brazil can't veto the actions of the five major Security Council members, Brazil's position becomes somewhat moot. And so, I guess the occasional friendly head butting can go on without much damage.

Online Sources: Foreign Policy, Americas Quarterly, AFP, True/Slant, BBC, Business Week, Alertnet

Image Source: New York Botanical Garden (nybg.org)

World Watch: Still mourning in Poland

* Poland: Investigators are leaning towards human error as the cause of Saturday’s plane crash that killed 95 people including Polish president Lech Kaczynski and “dozens of Polish political, military and religious leaders.”

* Ukraine: According to White House officials Ukraine pledged to get rid of its stockpile of weapons-grade nuclear material.

* Thailand: The goal of anti-government “Red Shirt” protestors to hold new national elections is closer to becoming a reality.

* South Africa: The murder of white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche has taken a turn towards the weird.

Image – The Telegraph (“A Russian serviceman stands guard near the engine of the crashed Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft.”)
Online Sources- Al Jazeera English, BBC News, MSNBC, CBS News

Cuban media blast “cynical” Clinton

On Saturday we mentioned that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rebuked the Cuban government for not wanting to normalize relations with the U.S. Improving ties to the U.S. would lead the Castro regime to “lose all their excuses for what hasn't happened in Cuba in the last 50 years” according to Clinton.

On Monday the Cuban media issued its harsh response to Clinton’s remarks:

Clinton's comment last week "mixed ignorance and falsehoods at an infinite level," state-run Radio Reloj said.

"If cynicism needed an expression that would immortalize it, the American secretary of state gave it," the station said in a report read over the air and posted on its Web site.

Clinton's remarks also appeared without further commentary on Cubadebate, the government Internet site where Fidel Castro publishes frequent opinion pieces. The elder Castro dropped out of public view after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006, and his brother Raul has since taken over the presidency.

Relations lately between the U.S. and Cuba have worsened after having somewhat thawed in 2009. The Cuban government has come under increased pressure to improve the island’s poor human rights situation. Nonetheless repression has continued as evidenced on Sunday when police broke up a march by dissident group the Ladies in White.

Image- CBS News (Cuban president Raul Castro recently accused the U.S. of enacting a “media campaign” against the island’s government).
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Washington Post, Voice of America, AP

Colombia: Opposition candidate second in poll

Could a former mayor of Bogota become the dark horse candidate to win Colombia’s presidency? It may seem like a long shot but one recent poll showed that his campaign was on the rise.

According to the poll commissioned by CM&, Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus holds a scant 2% lead over Conservative Party candidate Noemi Sanin. Mockus has surged into second place after most polls in the run-up to May’s elections had Sanin trailing fellow Uribista Juan Manuel Santos. Though Santos has consistently led the polls by double-digits it appears as if a second round will be needed in June to decide who will succeed Alvaro Uribe.

The CM& poll has not been without controversy, however; Radical Change candidate Germán Vargas Lleras called for an investigation after rumors emerged that polling firm Datexco repeated the survey when Mockus supposedly emerged ahead of Santos. Datexco’s director denied the claims in an interview with Colombian political website La Silla Vacia.

Mockus’ choice of former Medellin mayor Sergio Fajardo for vice president may have contributed to his zoom in the polls and some of their supporters are hoping for a first round upset. His center-left platform has been critical of the FARC as he vies to become a viable independent candidate:

"He seems to be in the same position that Uribe was in 2002, when he started way behind in the polls and then climbed very quickly," said Mauricio Romero, professor of political science at Bogota's Javeriana University.

"Mockus's anti-corruption stance and emphasis on building a civic culture are attractive to a lot of people. He also has wide support in the business community," Romero said. "Having Parkinson's should not hurt him politically, but it remains to be seen how much support he can gain before May 30."

Image- La Opinion
Online Sources- La Silla Vacia, AP, El Espectador, BusinessWeek, Colombia Reports, El Tiempo, Reuters

Immigration rallies held over weekend

It may not have been the tens of thousands who rallied at the National Mall last month yet advocates for immigration reform still made their voices heard over the weekend.

On Saturday crowds gathered in several U.S. cities in order to voice their demands for changes to federal immigration policy. In Seattle a teen explained how despite spending most of his life in the U.S. he’s worried that “immigration could come one day to pick me up.” Several Democratic congressmen appeared at a Chicago rally though other speakers blasted President Obama for delaying immigration reform. “There are no excuses. This is something America needs,” proclaimed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in support of reform at a Las Vegas event.

The drive for reform is a difficult one a both Democrats and Republicans waffle on the issue. for instance, some Democrats concede that reform may need to be delayed even more. Yet as the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein noted now may be the most politically expedient time for some politicos to push for reform:

The fear in 2010, however, is that Hispanics won't show up to vote. If Democrats actually pursue immigration reform, their participation becomes likelier. And if Republicans -- or tea partyers, or conservative talk radio -- overreact to the prospect of immigration reform, their participation becomes virtually assured…

But grass-roots conservatives tend to be very, very opposed to immigration reform. Remember that it was conservatives -- led by talk radio -- who killed the immigration reform effort. So what do Republican politicians do when their base goes into anti-immigration overdrive but their consultants beg them to tread carefully? It looks like Harry Reid, for one, would like to find out.

One immigrant’s rights coalition has called for Congress to have a reform bill passed by the end of the summer. Whether politicians take up the cause or continue with their heads in the sand remains to be seen.

Image- Las Vegas Sun (“Activists gather outside the Lloyd George Federal Building in a protest for immigration reform Saturday, April 10, 2010.”)
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, MWCN, Chicago Tribune, Las Vegas Sun, New York Daily News, Washington Post, Seattle Times

Today’s Video: Even the fish become bored

The second episode of "La Isla Presidencial"- an animated series described by BBC Mundo as the "Venezuelan version of 'South Park'"- was recently released. Watch as Hugo Chavez laments for George W. Bush to be back in power and keep a sharp eye out for a surprise intruder to the island:

"La Isla Presidencial" (first episode here) is the brainchild of several people who contribute to a satirical Venezuelan website called El Chigüire Bipolar. Though Chavez serves as the site's primary target, no sectors of Venezuelan politics are safe from El Chigüire's crosshairs:

(Site co-founder Oswaldo) Graziani said going after Mr. Chávez’s critics, in addition to the president himself, and critiquing certain aspects of Venezuelan society were also priorities. For instance, Chigüire Bipolar has lampooned the student movement here by showing students more interested in swilling beer on the beach than in protests...

“We make it a principle that no one is immune, not even ourselves,” said Mr. Graziani, noting that their motto is “Partial, unfounded news from a rodent with psychological issues.”

Online Sources- El Chigüire Bipolar, BBC Mundo, YouTube, The Latin Americanist, New York Times

Daily Headlines: April 12, 2010

* Chile: Conservative legislators banded together and defeated a measure that would’ve renamed Chile’s main international airport in honor of the late poet Pablo Neruda.

* Nicaragua: A study done on Lake Apanas- a UNESCO-listed nature reserve- found that the lake is polluted and endangering local wildlife.

* Puerto Rico: Puerto Rican pugilist Miguel Cotto will fight WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman in a June bout at Yankee Stadium.

* Argentina: Spanish authorities approved the extradition of an Argentine pilot accused of participating in “death flights” during the infamous Dirty War period.

Image – Guardian UK (“Lover boy ... Pablo Neruda with his wife Delia.”)
Online Sources- Expatica Spain, Bloomberg, Xinhua, AP

Weekend World Watch: Mourning in Poland

* Poland: A national week of mourning has been declared in the wake of a Saturday plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and 95 others.

* Thailand: At least fifteen protestors died in Bangkok during clashes between police and anti-government protestors.

* U.S.: The death toll rose to 29 due to a West Virginia mine explosion described as the worst coal mining accident in forty years.

* South Africa: The funeral was held for infamous white supremacist leader Eugene Terreblanche who was killed in a pay dispute with two of his workers.

Image – Los Angeles Times (“Mourners stand amid a flood of candles and flowers outside the presidential palace in Warsaw.”)
Online Sources- MSNBC, BBC News, CNN, Voice of America

Weekend Headlines: April 10-11, 2010

* Mexico: Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez became the first Mexican player to sign with prestigious English soccer side Manchester United.

* U.S.: While the Marcelo Lucero trial nears its end on Long Island four suspects were arrested in an alleged bias attack in nearby Staten Island.

* Cuba: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that the Cuban government doesn’t want to normalize relations with the U.S. since the Castro regime “would then lose all their excuses for what hasn't happened in Cuba in the last 50 years.”

* Costa Rica: China and Costa Rica signed a free trade pact on Thursday that should provide the Central American economy with greater access to the Asian market.

Image – Sky Sports
Online Sources- AFP, LAHT, New York Times, NY1, The Telegraph

Bolivia, Venezuela shut out of U.S. climate aid

The global climate conference designed to repair the rifts cause by last year’s Copenhagen summit began today with a continuation of divisions.

At the heart of the arguments at the Bonn conference is whether the goals set by last year’s Copenhagen pact are realistic and if the agreement itself is legally binding. “Few delegates believed a final agreement is possible this year,” according to the AP. Yet the U.S. has flexed its political muscle in favor of the Copenhagen guidelines by denying climate change funds to countries that rejected the pact. Thus, several Latin American countries including Bolivia and Ecuador are slated to lose millions of dollars in aid under the Obama administration's Global Climate Change initiative.

Aside from the global climate rift, Latin America itself has been divided over what to do regarding climate change. Brazil, for instance, helped co-draft the Copenhagen Accord while states such as Nicaragua and Argentina refused to endorse the pact. The agreement symbolizes “the economic interests of the few which are standing in the way of a broad, democratic agreement,” Venezuelan delegate Claudia Salerno said earlier today. Despite the lack of regional consensus Latin American countries could be key in moving discussions forward:

Mexico has convened informal talks among a smaller group of about 40 key nations -- many agree the U.N. process is too unwieldy with 194. The United States will host talks next week among 17 major emitters, accounting for more than 80 percent of world greenhouse gas emissions.

"We need to make progress in building compromise formulas that can be the result of an intensive and flexible process," said Fernando Tudela, Mexico's chief negotiator.

Image- Guardian UK (“Delegates of the UN climate change talks pass a symbolic pile of broken glass in Bonn, Germany.”)
Online Sources- Guardian UK, AP, Washington Post, BusinessWeek, New York Times, The Latin Americanist

Wet weather washes through Americas (Updated)

Stormy weather has barreled though several Latin American countries this week. The most tragic example so far has been in Brazil where 200 people are missing and feared dead after a massive mudslide buried several homes in Rio de Janeiro. Though twenty people have been rescued a civil defense spokesman Pedro Machado told Brazil’s Globo “in our experience, it's an instant death (for those caught in their homes).” Officials warned that more landslides could occur, thus raising the death toll since the storms began on Monday to beyond 175.

North of Rio a state of emergency was declared for the Ecuadorian province of Napo where rivers overflowed and led to a pair of deaths. Basements and storefronts in several neighborhoods of the Colombian capital of Bogota were full of water as a result of heavy rains Thursday evening.

While trying to bounce back from January’s deadly earthquake Haiti is preparing for the upcoming rainy season. Wet weather last month forced several thousand families to be evacuated from the southern part of the country. According to Oxfam America international relief groups have asked the Haitian government to do a better job in relocating earthquake survivors who have sought refuge in makeshift tent camps:

The government has recently identified a site in Corail Cesselesse (15 km north of Port-au-Prince) for the resettlement of 7,500 people from the Golf Club in Petionville, and relocation has begun with little advanced notice…

“We realize this is an emergency relocation due to impending rains and we are moving with utmost urgency to prepare this site. But future moves cannot be done in this last minute fashion. The government and the international community must ensure that any moves are well-planned and adhere to humanitarian principles that ensure people’s safety and respect their rights,” said Marcel Stoessel, head of Oxfam in Haiti.

Update: Ironically several Caribbean nations "including Guyana, Grenada, St. Lucia and Barbados" have endured "record" droughts since last year.

Image- Al Jazeera English (“The slum hit by Wednesday's mudslide had been built on a former rubbish dump.”)
Online Sources- Oxfam America, UPI, BBC News, Xinhua, People’s Daily Online, Caracol Radio, The Lain Americanist

Arte Para la Gente: Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua

A few days ago we criticized several Latino celebs who were a little too eager to associate with upcoming CGI/live-action films that will likely be critical flops. Mercifully not all is lost in the world of Latinos and animation. In the video below, the creators of El Tigre- Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua- talked about how they developed their careers in animation. The married couple discussed how they had to overcome cultural differences in order to make their dreams come true:

(Hat tip: Cartoon Brew).

Online Sources- Cartoon Brew, YouTube, The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: April 9, 2010

* Cuba: Rest in peace Graciela Perez-Gutierrez; the legendary Afro-Cuban jazz singer passed away on Wednesday at the age of 94.

* Latin America: A diplomatic row may be developing after Venezuelan authorities arrested eight Colombians and accused them of acting as spies.

* Guatemala: Coca-Cola is being sued in a U.S. court over allegedly “engaging in a campaign of violence” against Guatemalan labor activists.

* Argentina: The government is expected to appeal a U.S. court ruling that could permit creditors to the Argentine central bank to seize assets.

Image – New York Daily News ("Graciela Perez-Grillo became the first female singer to front a major tropical band when she moved to New York in 1942.")
Online Sources- Wall Street Journal, NACLA, MSNBC, CBC

Another Green Jacket for 'El Pato'?

The Masters kicks off this week at Augusta National Golf Club with one story dominating all others: Tiger Woods.

At the end of day 1, a series of great subplots have developed: 50-year-old Fred Couples leading the field, 60-year-old Tom Watson one shot back and 16-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero shooting a round of one under par.

Lost in the shuffle is the story of the fantastic Latin American golfers who also hope to contend. Last year, Cordoba, Argentina native Angel "El Pato" Cabrera showed he's one of the greatest pressure players in the world when he knocked off Kenny Perry in a playoff. Also ready to contend on golf's greatest stage is Colombian Camilo "El Hombre Araña" Villegas (so know for his Spiderman-esque flexibility and style in reading greens).

The Latin American golfers are a ways back after day one, but with three more days of Tiger-dominated golf ahead, there's still plenty of time for El Pato or Camilo to steal the headlines.

Online Sources: ESPN, Guardian, Daily Telegraph

Image Source: Guardian

Give Ladies In White Nobel Prize says Juanes

Colombian musician Juanes received plenty of undue criticism in the run-up to last September’s “Peace Without Borders” concert in Havana. It could be interesting to see if those same people who blasted him last year will also criticize him for his public support of Cuba’s Ladies in White.

In an e-mailed message publicized by a Cuban dissident, Juanes advocated that the next Nobel Peace Prize should go to the Ladies. Juanes justified giving the prestigious honor to the Ladies so “that those who suffer injustice follow their example of perseverance.” Juanes further thanked them for supporting last year’s historic concert “despite the drastic opposition of other sectors.”

In response one of the Ladies thanked Juanes while also acknowledging the group’s effort against repression:

“The Ladies in White are committed to our peaceful activities not for a prize but for the liberation of our husbands,” said Berta Soler, husband of activist Angel Moya who is serving a twenty-year jail term. – [ed. Translated text]

The Ladies have gained international fame for their marches against the Castro regime and have received increased support after being targeted in a police crackdown last month. Celebs like Gloria Estefan and Andy Garcia led solidarity marches in Miami and Washington, respectively.

Image- Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, EPA, El Universal, BBC News, Voice of America

Daily Headlines: April 8, 2010

* Costa Rica: President Oscar Arias reportedly commented that the Catholic Church should drop forcing priests to vows of celibacy and also advocated marriages for same-sex couples.

* Latin America: Chinese President Hu Jintao will visit Brazil, Chile and Venezuela later this month in order to strengthen political and economic ties to Latin America.

* Peru: U.S. authorities returned 25 “irreplaceable” pre-Columbian items to Peru including Inca-era ceramics and decorative skulls.

* Dominican Republic: At least fourteen people have died due to dengue fever according to health officials who also warned that there may be more dengue cases this year than 2009’s 8,800.

Image – BBC News
Online Sources- UPI, AP, LAHT, Xinhua