Planned invasion of Coca plantations

This atricle is focusing on Columbians who are fleeing to Ecuador as leftist guerrillas and right-wing parlimentary groups begin to fight over the destruction of coca plantations. Apparently, 30,0000 US-trained troops are planning to invade Putumayo and Caqueta states in Colombia in the next month. The invasion is expected to intensify violence between the FARC, which is the country's largest leftist rebel group, and the rightist United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia.

World Cup Update

There is currently eight teams remaining in the World Cup of soccer, and Brazil is the favorite to take it all. The top bracket feaures Germany vs Argentina, and the winner of that game plays the winner of Italy vs Ukraine. On the other side of the bracket, we have England vs Portugal, and the winner of that game plays the winner of Brazil vs France. Ronaldo set record of 15 goals lifetime scored in the World Cup coming out of the round of sixteen.

EU summit

Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales, the presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia who are leading Latin America's radical turn to the left, angrily faced down EU leaders at a trade summit in Vienna this past Tuesday. They stirred things up with their remarks, mostly speaking on the neoliberalism they are experiencing now, and their stance on oil. Full story here.

Camilo Villegas

There is a new face on the PGA tour, and Camilo Villegas is one of the leading youngsters. The 24 year old Columbian native was voted one of the "Hottest Bachelors" in People magazine, and has a unique style on the golf course. He was recently featured in GQ magazine sporting some of his golfwear, and is opening the door to the next generation of golfers.

Pedro Martinez's return

This past Tuesday night, the Red Sox hosted the Mets with ex-Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez playing for New York. He recieved a warm ovation from the Boston fans, very much unlike them, and the Dominican Republic native got a bit choked up. He will be pitching for the Mets Wednesday.

International Basketball

China defeated Venezuela this Wednesday snapping a two game losing streak in the four country tournament. They won 78-73 with China's star player, ex-NBA player Wang Zhizhi.

L.A. & Thailand unite

Thailand and Latin America has cooperated together in developing the quality of alternative energy, aiming to reduce the amount of oil inports. They are looking to exchange ideas and information, not only to find new oil sources but to also strengthen ties between the two regions.

L.A. stock market

Latin American stocks fell Tuesday as buyers stepped to the sidelines, wary of making any bets ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting later this week. Local traders said sentiment in regional markets was soured by a downturn in U.S. stocks Tuesday, which added to anxiety ahead of the Fed's meeting Wednesday and Thursday to discuss interest-rate policy. Full story here.

Garcia pitching

Freddy Garcia is starting for the Chicago White Sox tonight against the Pirates and he is looking to be the first White Sox pitcher this season to reach double digit wins. Currently, he is 9-4 with a 4.66 ERA.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In one of our readings there was an article about Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He brought fame to Latin America for being one of their most popular and influential writers. His most famous novel, 100 years of solitude, involved magical realism based on the town he grew up in, Aracataca, Columbia. They tried to have a vote to change the name of the town in honor of Marquez. He declined the honor and it did not have the support of the people. The governor thought it would bring tourism to help the economy of this very poor town. Here is the article:

Colombia and FARC

FARC is willing to start peace talks with President Uribe if he demilitarizes certain areas. They are willing to exchange hostages (including 3 Americans) for captured guerrilla soldiers. Uribe does not plan to agree to any of the guerrilla's demands. ELN has also mentioned peace talks. Here's the article.

Land Reform in Bolivia

This is a Washington Post article on the newest land reforms in Bolivia by President Evo Morales. About 20 percent of the land is being redistributed among the poor and the 7 percent upper class members that hold 90 percent of Bolivian land are not precisely thrilled. The concept of private property that we discuss in class is mentioned, check it out.

Latin American Oil

Analysts are speculating that the United States will face trouble trying to get oil from countries in Latin America in the future. They have said that this might be even more of a problem than the Middle East. If countries in Latin America do suspend oil trade with the United States, it could lead to very high raises in the price per barrel of oil.

Pat Robertson and Chavez

During the country presentation on Venezuela, Pat Robertson's comment that the US should assassinate Chavez came up. This is a clip from the Daily Show with Pat Robertson, as well as reactions in the US to his comment. If you like the Daily Show, it's a good one.

New Diplomat in Havana

This article is about 6 months old but it is about the new diplomat in Havana, Michael Parmly, whom seemingly has gained slight approval even from Fidel Castro, because of his new approach to diplomatic correspondence. His predecessor recieved much backlash due to his "bullying" style. I am mostly curious to see if anyone has heard of how his diplomacy approach has manifested in the last 6 months.

Mexican Absentee Ballots

This article is discussing the low turn-out for Mexicans living in the US who have turned in granted absentee ballots. The article also address the small amount of emigrants who even applied to vote in this year's election. I thought it was interesting that out of the Mexican population in the US, so few were considered eligible, and even less are even interested in voting in the first place.

Internet access in Cuba; Cuban books ban in Florida

This week's Oppenheimer report.

Gangs in Brazil

I was reading an article about the gangs in Brazil and the difficulty that they are giving to Brazilian authorities. It seems that just recently, ten gang members were shot dead in a violent exchange between authorities and members. This was right after authorities revealed a scheme of the gang members to encourage and start attacks against Brazilian Police Officers in outlying towns. These members of the First Capital Command gang were upset over the imprisonement of their leaders. With gangs being such a problem throughout Central America this same scene has happened frequently. I wonder if problems will persist in Brazil and how the government can fight these problems.

Brazil prisons

The first in a new generation of high-security prisons has opened in Brazil, in an attempt to stop gang leaders operating from behind bars.

More here.

Mexico campaign

Mexico's presidential candidates are making a final push for votes ahead of the bitterly contested 2 July election.

More here.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The town of Aracataca in Colombia decided not to rename itself in honor of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who was born there. The new name was going to be Macondo, the fictional town in his novel One Hundred Years of Solitud. Evidentally those who showed up for the voting overwhelmingly approved - 90% were in favor. Unfortunately they did not have the needed voter participation to make their vision come true. You can find the story here.

Latinos are Taking over America

According to an article by US Today, latino immigrants are driving the population force at an outrageous pace.

For more info follow this link.

Ruben Dario the greatest poet of Nicaragua

Ruben Dario is the greatest poet of Nicaragua, he was the voice of the people during Nicaraguans most conflicting years. Here is a link to one of his best poems “Lo Fatal.”

Infrastructure Problems in Latin America

This article in the Economist highlights the problems with infrastructure in many Latin American countries. Millions of people do not have access to potable water, and millions more do not have access to sewerage. Government investment in infrastructure can be very beneficial to the poorest citizens. However, the national governments often do not have enough revenue to provide many needed services to their people. This explains why Chile has been so successful with privatizing roads, water, and electricity. Many governments are cautious to turn to privatization, because it often causes resentment among citizens. In countries like Bolivia, where oil, gas, and water have been nationalized, citizens may be paying less, but the government falls more and more into debt.

Ecuador ousted by England

Ecuador did the best they've ever done this year in the World Cup, advancing to the second round against England. Unfortunately, their offense, led by Tenorio, was unable to put the ball in the net. A free kick by Beckham ended their streak. Of course, teams like Brazil and Argentina are still in the running, but it's always nice to see another Latin American team doing well in the world of soccer. Article.

How to Fix Mexico City

In this BBC article, it is suggested that immigration will improve safety and that building should be done upward instead of the historical trend (outward). This article has some interesting views, such as caveats against gated communities and their place in Mexico City. No real solutions are proposed to solve the major problems, such as overcrowding and pollution.

Brazilian Music

Do you want to hear what a samba sounds like? or just read up/find other links about Brazilian music? Check out this website.

Red Stripe's A Hit

Jamaica's leading exported beer, Red Stripe, has achieved overwhelming success both domestically and abroad. At the company's recent annual meeting, the company announced the benefits from their improved growth in new markets due to improved distribution and investments in advertising and promotional activities. As for continued growth, the company's strategy is to identify new markets and to target them directly through promotion and advertising. With their goal to bring Red Stripe to locations around the world, next time you're in Bombay, London, or Chicago, be sure to check and see if Red Stripe is available. To read more about Jamaica's Red Stripe and their growth, check this Jamaica Observer article out.

More on Pinochet

I found all the new discoveries about Pinochet and his actions during his rule really interesting. I just wrote a paper on Chile and thought it was interesting to see all the recent developments in relations to Pinochet's rule that ended in 1990. Unbelievable that a world leader could get away with so many of the things he did. Check it out here!

[NOTE: Edited to correct for spelling of Pinochet's name.]

Ozomatli

When I visited L.A., California a couple of weekends, Robert took me to a concert that was financed by the AVP. The band's name is Ozomatli; like most of Latin America, the band members and music are cultural mixtures. They have a predominately Afro-Latin sound, and the songs they played at the AVP concert were amazing! I found their Home page for you guys.

Leadership Change in Cuba

Fidel Castro's brother said the Communist Party will remain in control of Cuba if there is a leadership change. See article here.

Lula's Reelection

Brazil's president seeks re-election.

See full story here.

Schwarzenegger Denies Bush Troop Request

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 24) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week rejected a request from the Bush administration to send an additional 1,500 National Guard troops to the Mexican border, the governor's office confirmed Friday. He believes this is the wrong way to go about controlling illegal immigration. The picture shown here is a man who was caught illegaly entering the U.S. is processed by the border patrol on Wednesday in Nogales, Arizona.

Costa Rica and Iraq

Former supporter of the Iraqi War, Costa Rica has recently protested their appearance on the list of countries that support the war. As a member of the "coalition of the Willing" in 2004, the country has appealed its position due to government's fear of citizen's opposition of the war. As an archived document on the US Government's webpage, removal from the list was not possible, according to the US. To read more about this current situation in Latin America, please read this yahoo article.

Brazil's Varig In Trouble

If you are planning to visit Brazil anytime soon, beware! Varig, the largest international Brazilian airline, is in the middle of serious financial situation. Lacking the funding to buy fuel and unable to make lease payments on their planes, the airline has been forced to ground much of its fleet. With flights to South America, Europe, North America, and Latin America, the airline, which has cancelled 189 of its 276 daily scheduled flights, passengers are stranded around the world. Due to the enormous amount of Brazilian in Germany for the World Cup, other international airlines are attempting to find room on their over-sold flights from Europe to Brazil. The Brazilian government, fearing over 30,000 Brazilian being stranded abroad, has agreed to allow the Air Force to fly five military planes to take stranded passengers back home. The irony of this situation is that the airline already owes the government nearly $3.5 billion dollars. With critical flights from NYC and Atlanta cancelled to Brazil, business and leisure travel has been significantly decreased. Using the courts to resolve the situation, many of the flight rights that Varig has for these highly-desired routes will be awarded to other international airlines. So...If you're lucky enough to be going to Brazil anytime soon, be sure to check your tickets to see if your airline is still in business!

Lula's Re-Election

In the midst of Brazil's World Cup domination, the current President Lula recently announced his bid for re-election. Attempting to continue economic development and fight poverty, Lula hopes to use the success of the World Cup and the progress of his past presidency to win over the people of Brazil. Lula is already heavily favored over his opponent, Geraldo Alckmin, the former governor of Sao Paulo state. Stay tuned for the election in October!

Miami loses competitive edge as "gateway" to Latin America

According to this article, Miami, once the top city as the gateway and welcoming city in Latin America has fallen to fourth behind Sao Paulo, Santiago and Monterrey, mostly because of tougher immigration and banking laws and the rocketing life expenses. Check it out.

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a new U.S. marketed video game coming out next year. The controversial aspect of this game is its plot in which one must invade Venezuela and overthrow its dictator and then secure its vast oil supplies. Chavez and his supporters are outraged at the game's blatant attack on him and worry that the marketing of such a game is aimed at setting up a psychological readiness of American's for an invasion of Venezuela in the name of stabilizing democracy and in actuality to secure oil reserves. To learn more visit here.

Rainforest!

In Brazil they're building a new highway through the Amazon rainforest. This time, though, the Brazilian government has decided to try to be friendly to the surrounding forest. They are taking measures to conserve and sustainably use the rainforest. Sustainable forestry is good because it produces jobs and money while having the least amount of impact possible on the rainforest overall. For more, see this.

Also, more on sustainable development of the rainforests is here.

Latin American Film Festival

I love movies, so I decided to investigate the Latin American cinema. I found the Latin American Film Festival website, and I checked out the films that were featured at last year's festival. The plot summaries sound interesting, and with internet movie rental services, you should not have a problem renting some of them if you desire to do so. Check it out.

Chile

Chile experienced years of oppression, torture, murders, and exiles under Pinchot, a military dictator. During this time, many human rights violations occured and Chile is now making a move to punish those responsible for the oppressions. This is one of the stories.

Immigration Bill in Congress

Click here.

NY Times world cup article

Click here.

Mexico's Border Crisis

While we north of the border are freaking out over illegal immigration, Mexico is having its own problems with its Southern border. In question is immigration from Guatemala. You can read about it here.

Venezuela wants Security Council Membership

With the U.S. vehemently opposed, Venezuela is trying to get a spot on the U.N. Security council. You can read about it here.

Ethanol

This article is interesting. It is about ethanol, an alternative fuel and its raise in popularity in Latin Americal. It seems as thought the rise in the price of oil per barrel is really motivating people there to look at alternative fuel sources.

Telenovelas

I did a little research on telenovelas after we read that article the other day and I found out that they are bringing Latin American telenovelas to America and translating them. They're going to be on CBS, NBC and ABC, major networks! Looks like Latin American culture is really starting to penetrate into the U.S. Here's the link to the article if anyone is interested.

Jamaica's Violence Against Women

I thought this was interesting since we just had a country profile report on Jamaica. Amnesty International urged Jamaica's government on Thursday to confront "widespread" discrimination and sexual violence against women and girls, including better protection for witnesses in rape cases.

US Congress Continues Funding Intervention in Latin America

The title is all you need to know. While Latin America is slowly becoming more and more leftist and pulling away from US influence, Congress continues to cling to the Monroe Doctrine. Link.

Mexico pays its external debt

In order to improve its situation in the global market Mexico has decided to pay part of its debt ahead of schedule. The Mexican government will pay $7 billion dollars of its external debt to the World Bank and the Inter-American Bank of Development. This is one of the steps it is taking to boost its economy that right now is going through times of prosperity. You can see the entire report by going to the following link.

Clemens Returns to face Dominican star Liriano

Roger Clemens will make his triumphant return to the good guys (the Houston Astros), but he'll be faced by Francisco Liriano, one of the best young pitchers in the World and maybe the best Dominican pitcher not named Pedro Martinez. The Dominican Republic is known mostly for its hitting prowess (Pujols, David Ortiz, Tejada, Manny Ramirez to name a few), so Liriano is sort of a rarity in Dominican baseball. Should be an interesting game - here's some video and stats on Liriano

OSWALDO GUAYASAMIN

Oswaldo Guayasamin is one of the most representative painters of the indigenismo movement in Ecuador. His paintings trespassed national forntiers and he was able to exhibit them in the world's most important museums such as L'Hermitage. He also became very well known for his murals. His most famous murals include that of the Madrid Barajas Airport, the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the Government and Legislative Palace in Quito. He was able to transmit the pain and suffering the indigenous communities in Ecuador are going through which is depicted through his hand paintings and also the happiness and family values through his paintings of mother and son. Here are some pictures of his work.

Guillen Apologizes

Ozzie Guillen made a public apology saying his slang term for a homosexual directed at Jay Mariotti at the Chicago Sun-Times has a different meaning in Venezuela. He says it means a man without courage. Ozzie is well known for being outspoken, and I think he should continue to speak his mind, but maybe use cleaner language with the press.

Tequenos!!!!

This is a good recipe for tequenos, which are little cheese filled fried pastries made in Venezuela. Great poolside.

Tequenos

2 lb all-purpose flour
4 x egg yolks
1/2 lb butter room temperature
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 lb farmer's cheese
12 servings
2 hours 30 minutes 30 mins prep

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Mix all ingredients except the cheese together. Knead to form a dough. Let rest. Meanwhile, cut cheese into sticks about 2" x 1/2" x 1/2". Stretch the dough with a rolling pin, as thin as possible. Cut in strips about 1" x 6" . Wrap each strip around a cheese stick, going around the stick in a spiral, overlapping each turn so that the cheese is completely covered. Pinch the ends so that the cheese is fully covered and can't run out when fried. Roll each tequeno in flour, to keep them from sticking. Deep fry the tequenos in very hot oil, until golden in color. After you have wrapped the cheese in dough, dust the uncooked"tequeños" with flour and fry them in oil. These should fry on med heat. Once they begin to lightly golden one one side turn to the other. I usually do not always deep fry these but rather use a large frying pan and enough oil to fill the bottom of the pan and enough to see that they are half way covered while frying. That's why you have to turn them over to fry. Less oil is better. Also when they are done place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Cooking time depends more on how many can you fit in a large pan. ;) These are (obviously) fattening, but they are delicious! Serve right away. Should be eaten piping hot, so that the cheese runs out when bitten.

recipe by Daniel Aguilar source: Click here.

Guantánamo

Three recent suicides at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba have prompted outcries against the United States. Around 460 prisoners have been held at the prison for years, without being charged with crimes, and with little hope for a trial. Their names were not even released until this past March. The US has been having trouble with the prison because of torture scandals, and the suicides have only increased criticism of the prison. Both the UN and EU have urged the United States to close the prison. At a summit with the EU earlier today, President Bush replied to attacks on Gitmo by saying he would like to close it, "But we're going to solve it." I guess we'll see what that means.

Castro Fights Corruption

Several prominent officials in Cuba have been removed from office for charges of corruption. Castro has appealed to young Cubans, especially social wokers in the university, to join his cause and carry on his legacy. I find it interesting that Castro is often portrayed as a ruthless dictator, while his main goal is to uphold the Communist ideal rather than simply remain in power, which has characterized many past leaders of Latin American nations. Many leaders have been in power for power's sake, not caring about the fate of their country once they step down from office. However, you've got to give Castro credit; he really believes in what he's doing. He wants to ensure that Communist Cuba works, even after his death. Unfortunately, this system has also been prone to various political and social oppression. If Cuba continues its Communist system, hopefully such abuses will be rooted out along with the corruption.

Rivera frescos at the DIA

Since we're on the topic of Latin American artists, I thought it would be neat to bring up that a very famous fresco sequence was painted in the Detroit Institute of Arts by Diego Rivera. The work was commissioned by Edsel Ford (son of auto tycoon Henry Ford) in 1932. The themes of the mural are the four races that comprise Detroit's working population, and Detroit's main industries; the automotive plants as well as medical, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Rivera's work does anything but glorify North American industry; the images reveal broken down, hunched-backed, sooty workers exiting the soulless metal plant, as well as ominous visions of workers cloaked in gas masks manufacturing deadly chlorine gas. This stands in contrast to the angry raised fists on the desert hills above the plant scenes and the fertile Latin American fruit and vegetable growth. Rivera portrayed the white race as surrounded by broken ruins, symbolizing the decline of Western society. Various subversive details can be found- such as the presence of a sickle and a red star on the gloves of one worker. (Rivera's cunning becomes evident when one learns that there was actually a glove-making factory in Michigan at the time whose logo was a red star.) Upon viewing the mural, Henry Ford wanted to have it painted over; but Edsel (who was a great lover of art) had the final word and emerged victorious in his fight to preserve it. Rivera also considered it the most successful work of his career. Pretty cool. Check it out at the DIA website: http://www.dia.org/collections/AmericanArt/33.10.html

Venezuela Criticizes the U.S.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela condemned what it called U.S. diplomatic pressure against its bid for a U.N. Security Council seat, saying Washington is trying to lobby Latin American nations to keep Venezuela off the council because it would stand up to the Bush administration. Maripili Hernandez, Venezuela's deputy foreign minister for North America, said in a statement Tuesday that the United States "is worried that a small country like Venezuela can stand up to the empire with dignity and strength."Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government, which has close ties with Iran and Cuba and has opposed the war in Iraq, is competing with U.S. ally Guatemala for a regional seat. The dueling bids are expected to be a test of support for the leftist Chavez in Latin America.

World Refugee Day 2006

Yesterday, 6/20/06, was World Refugee Day. Watching a report last night, it was pointed out that one of the worst (if not the worst) refugee cases in the Western Hemisphere is that of Colombians displaced to Ecuador throughout the over 40-year old war. Here are a couple of websites I found on the topic:
US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
ReliefWeb
BBC News
Amnesty International

Chavez's dying influence?

This article is about the defeat of Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala, who was openly supported by Venezuela's controversial president. Many attribute Humala's loss to the fact that Chavez approved of him in the first place. Furthermore, Chavez plans to endorse a Sandanista candidate in Nicaragua's upcoming presidential election. I wonder if this plan will backfire as well - if Nicaraguans are as fed up with him as many other Latin Americans. However, despite this animosity, it looks like major countries in Latin America, including Brazil and Chile, are planning on voting for Venezuela as a representative for the UN security council, despite pressures from the US to vote for Guatemala for the position. With the US and Chile currently cooperating under a free-trade agreement, what will happen when Chile's policy goes against Washington's wishes?

Sinking Mexico City

Every year, Mexico City sinks about 10 inches.

poinsetta

Dr. Joel Poinsett, the 1st US ambassador to Mexico, brought the poinsettia to US in 1828. The plant, called "flower of the blessed night" in Mexico was renamed in Poinsett's honor.

flags

Dominica, Mexico, Zambia, Kiribati, Fiji and Egypt all have birds on their flags.

Greater Antilles

Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico are all a part of the Greater Antilles.

Spain emerges with 3-1 Win against Tunsia

STUTTGART, Germany -- The substitutes saved the day for Spain, carrying it into the next round of the World Cup.
Trailing Tunisia by a goal at halftime, coach Luis Aragones brought in Spain's all-time leading scorer, Raul Gonzalez, and Cesc Fabregas. And it paid off bigtime in a 3-1 win Monday night.

More on Mexico's border

Here's another article on illegal immigration across the border. A car driving from Tijuana was found with 8 people pushed in the trunk. There have been increased attempts at getting across along the California border. For more info click here.

Mexico's Southern Border

I came across this article in Sunday's New York Times which addressed Mexico's own problem with immigration. Along its southern border, hundreds of Central Americans travel through every year in hopes of finding work in Mexico, and in many cases, the United States. One landowner in Chiapas said that nearly all of his workers were from Central America, but eventually they will migrate north. In cooperation with US pressures, the Mexican government has attempted to regulate this flow, although the terrain between Mexico and Guatemala has made this task very difficult. One man interviewed had the plan to come work in New Orleans once he made it across the border. I wonder if this immigration into Mexico is really a concern for the Mexican government, of if it's all just a product of US influence. From here in New Orleans, I find it hard to argue that we don't need more workers when there is still so much work to be done.

Jamaica's teams win championship

In Basketball, Jamaica's men and female teams cruised to regional supremacy following extensive victories over the United States Virgin Islands and Bahamas on the final day of the Caribbean Basketball Champion-ships on Saturday night at the National Indoor Sports Centre.The Bahamas proved no match for the Jamaican women, who justified their status as favourites, when they easily dispatched them 90-46 to win the female championship for the very first time. In truth, the team never faced any serious challenge.They had a comfortable lead by half-time at 38-26 and with 5:52 left to go in the final quarter they had totally drowned any far-fetched chance of a Bahamas comeback, leading 72-39.

Work in Latin America!

Having those post-graduation blues because you see yourself following the traditional lifestyle of working for 30 years starting in a base position of a US company post Tulane? Want to try a different future, or at least postpone reality? Go work in Latin America. Here is a site that can help. Its ENLACE, the Electronic Network for Latin AmericanCareers and Employment. It is the self-proclaimed "premier job and internship site dedicated exclusively to Latin Americanists." Check it out here.

Venezuealan Militaristic Expansion.

It seems that Venezuelan leader Chavez is determined and announced that he is going to buy brand new Russian Fighter Jets. Ironically this fleet is being bought to replace the US made F-16's that the US now refuses to sell parts to Venezuela to fix. This is amidst other defense contracts supported by Venezuela's oil reserves that total over 2.1 billion dollars and include buying new attack helicopters and 100,000 AK 103 assault rifles. Chavez has always been worried of the possibility of US invasion and take over and is not actively encouraging Venezuelans abroad to support this militarization. I find this to be a risky move, yet a humorous one, considering the aforementioned fact about the F-16 parts. It will be interesting to see how Washington reacts to this deal due to the proximity of Venezuela.

Mexican War of Indep. BIG LES

The Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821) was Mexico's struggle for independence from Spanish colonial rule. It started as an idealistic peasants' rebellion against their colonial masters but finally ended as an unlikely alliance between liberales (liberals) and conservadores (conservatives).

World Cup Big Les

Brazil looks to be primed for it's second consecutive world cup with a 2-0 win over Australia. For the second straight game, Brazil's Ronaldinho did not score but they were able to get two goals from Adriano Leite and Fred Chaves.

[Editor's Note: Original post edited to correct name word order and spelling.]

The New paradise of drug trafficking

Interesting article declares that " The businness is so sucessful that it is already compared with the power that it had in the 80s on the Andean zone"
For more info go here.

The End of Mercasur

The end of Mercasur may be a bad idea. According to an article in "Tiempos del Mundo" it is better to reframe objectives from its foundation.

Can you even imagine?

I cannot even begin to think about what it would be like to grow up in a country where the history of your country is taught in a censored fashion. Even though various countries have bad parts of their past, I found it interesting that Uruguay censored this past to make the children believe certain things. Rather interesting....

Migrant Money Sent Home

After discussing in class briefly, I found this article on MSNBC about the flow of money from migrant workers in the US back home to their families in Mexico. With the flow of money, which exceeded $20 billion dollars last year, increasing each year, more people are being impacted by this trend. To read personal accounts of Mexican families or to find out more, please click here.

Tulane Involvement

Hey guys. There's a tulane Graduate/medical student named Catherin Jones who started a project to provide healthcare for Latin American immagrants in New Orleans. She and other graduates who speak Spanish are working as a mobile group throughout New Orleans. I thought it was pretty cool.

Enrique Krauze Profiles Mexico's Lopez Obrador

Mexican historian Enrique Krauze has an intriguing profile of Mexico's left-of-center Presidential aspirant, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Krauze's piece is more of a cautionary tale than a laudatory tribute. Krauze seems to be worried that Lopez Obrador has a bit of the messianic authoritarian in him that bodes an ill-wind for Mexican democracy. Personally, I think that a bit of populist demagoguery in a political campaign (and even in post-election governing) is a rather normal characteristic of Latin American politics and society, even in the "most" democratic among them. I'm not so worried about the possibility of a Lopez Obrador victory as Krauze seems to be for two reasons: First, Lopez Obrador, for all his populist authoritarian inclinations, is a pragmatist. He would not be the Mayor of Mexico City if he weren't inclined to some patterns of pragmatic accommodation. Secondly, and more importantly in my eyes, he represents a breakaway, "democracy-oriented" movement from the entrenched authoritarianism of the PRI. By running as the PRD candidate, he cannot escape from the movement's appeal to liberal democracy. Krauze notes that even some PRDistas (prominent among them is Cuauhtehmoc Cardenas) are nervous about Lopez Obrador, but I think that if Lopez Obrador really breaks the trust of the PRD's platform of democratic reform with any effort to seek to perpetuate himself in power, he'll become as much of a lame duck as Fox is now. And, frankly, should he be elected, Lopez Obrador, in my estimation, is not likely to break that trust.

NY Times article about Mexico's presidential race

Click here.

World Cup news

Yesterday Kaka clinched Brazil's advance to the next round in the World Cup. Their win extends their win streak in the tournament to 7 games (continuing from last time when they won the entire tournament). Their chances are likely again this year that they could go all the way.
I'll be watching and rooting

Latin American Seat on Security Council

The expiration of Argentina's term on the UN security council has led to debate over which Latin American country should occupy the non-permanent seat for the next two years. Venezuela and Guatemala are the current contenders for this position and President Chavez's wishes to see Venezuela win the seat are being deterred by American efforts as well as debates by Jamaican Opposition Leader Bruce Golding. To read more about the ongoing debate, visit here.

Ford in Mexico

This was an interesting article. It is interesting that American car companies are further developing their car plants in Mexico. At the same time, it brings up the point of whether these large scale American businesses are helping out Mexico by being there or just lowering the cost of manufacturing.

Venezuela to Get Russian Aircraft

Chavez turned to Russia for aircrafts after the U.S. banned the sale of arms to Venezuela. Chavez is building up his military in case of a U.S. invasion. This article is really interesting.

Urban Living

This article is very interesting - tying in with what we've been talking about in class about the urban lifestyle in Latin America and how it's growing at a substantial rate. The UN is saying that at a point in the year 2007 over half of the world will be living in urban areas, and one third of those people will be in slums.

World Cup

Two of the games on the 15th featured Latin American nations...
Sweden beat Paraguay 1-0 with a goal in the 89th minute while Ecuador beat Costa Rica 3-0 ending Costa Rica's chance to move on to the second round.

Interesting Interview with Jorge Castaneda

The Washington Post has a very cool interview with former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castaneda. In the interview he discusses the Mexican presidential race and notes the fact that the PRI, who dominated Mexico for over 50 years, are not in the race anymore. The two big horses left in it are Lopez Obrador of the PRD and Calderon (who leads) of the PAN.

Nacho Libre

A movie about a Mexican monk turned wrestler or "luchador" premiers tomorrow. It's called Nacho Libre and stars Jack Black (pictured left). Does the movie seem funny? Sure it does. But it also seems like it portrays hispanics in a goofy way. I haven't seen the film, but with the recent immigration debate taking on a racist tone, I'm wondering if a comedy of this nature will have a negative impact on Americans' views of Mexicans and hispanics in general. Please let me know what you think in the comments section.

Cuba Book Banned

It seems the Miami exile community is at it again with the usual anti-Castro obsession. Under pressure from the Cuban community, the school board in Miami-Dade county has banned a book on Cuban geography because it supposedly portrays an "idealized" view of life in Cuba. Does the book really portray an unrealistic view of Cuba, and if so should it be banned just because of one group's political agenda?

Communism in Cuba

Fidel Castro's brother, Raul Castro, assures Cuba that Communism will remain even if there is a leadership change. Raul is designated to take Fidel's place if he were to die or fall ill. Rumors that politics would change greatly in Cuba if Fidel Castro died are said to be false. Here is the CNN report.

Wikipedia is God

For those of you who did not know, Wikipedia is the most amazing website online right now. After studying The Storyteller by Mario Vargas Llosa, I decided to see what Wikipedia had to say about the author. I found a great article on Vargas Llosa that discusses his political involvement in Peru. The man ran for president! Check it out.

In Mexico, Migration Issue Gets No Traction

Check out this article in the Washington Post regarding the upcoming Mexican presidential elections. The controversial US-Mexico immigration disputes seem to be of lessened attention as the election comes close. It seems that domestic issues are much more pressing than foreign policy affairs, not allowing the candidates to add much weight depending on their immigration views.

Mas Venezuela...

Here's just more on our last Venezuela discussion in class. In this week's report Andres Oppenheimer speaks of December's presidential elections in Venezuela. Though still early to make any calls, this article shows the "openness" (or lack, thereof) of the government towards opposition.

Controversial Gold Mining in Chile

I heard about this when I got a chain letter about a U.S. based company, Barrick Gold Corp., that is planning to excavate gold beneath two Chilean glaciers. Many people are upset because of the very harmful nature of gold mining. The mining process processes large amounts of earth for a relatively small amount of gold. Cyanide is used in the mining process. This is another cause for worry considering any sort of runoff will leave these sources of water and their rivers undrinkable. Here's the article.

Ford and Mexico

It looks like Ford is trying to recoup its losses over the past decade by "investing" in Mexico. [sarcasm] I'm sure they'll pay the workers exactly the same amount they paid American workers [/sarcasm]

In cased anyone cared...

...what president Lula thought about Brazil's performance in the world cup, here you go. Oh Lula

Daryl Hannah Arrested

You may remember Daryl Hannah from the movie LAST-102 recently watched, "At Play in the Fields of the Lord." She played Andy Huben, one of the missionaries. She was arrested along with 16 other protestors in Los Angeles's South Central Urban Garden on Tuesday. The actress and about 25 immigrant farmers and their supporters were campaigning to save the 14-acre fruit and vegetable garden from planned demolition. "I spent the last 23 days down at the South Central farm, which is the largest urban farm in the nation and provides food for hundreds of families," Hannah says. "The subsistence farmers are from one of the poorest communities. This farm should be a model for sustainable urban agriculture. It needs to be replicated, not eradicated." Leonardo DiCaprio and Willie Nelson had also stopped by the garden in the past weeks to show their support. Perhaps Hannah's participation in the movie, "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" influened her to be more aware of land management in the US. She was charged with a misdemeaner.

ECLAC/CEPAL

This is a great resource for facts and figures related not only to Latin American economies, but also demographic and social trends, regional interaction, projections, and development goals. The name of the UN organization is (in English) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and CEPAL is the same but is the acronym in Spanish. There is a wealth of other publications/links as well.

Latin America's year of elections

Many Latin American countries are facing national elections before the end of 2006. One of the key issues is whether there is a regional left-wing trend, and if so, will it continue with the newly elected governments. BBC News has an interesting take on this issue; here is the link if you're interested in reading further.

Top-Rated Cigars

Ever wanted to know more about the best puros in the world? Most are made in Latin America, and are particularly great in Cuba and the D.R. Here is a list (I don't know how legit) of top rated cigars from 2005.

Huipiles: A way of life

Huipiles, Guatemalan textiles, are one of the most beautiful and significant parts of indigenous culture in this country. They have a MAyan legacies and represent one of the few things that are still significantly kept by almost every member of these communities. The process is very long and complex, it takes around six months to weave a huipil. Most are made out of white cotton and the colors are obtained through vegetal, animal or mineral oringin tinctures. There are 3 basic steps to completing them: preparation (threading and dying the cloth), weaving it, and finally embroidiring it. They are of great importance because it holds a great part of their identity and it is also a method of expression. By seeing a huipil we can tell where it comes from since every tribe has its own style. This dates from colonial times since the Spaniards forced them to weave this way in order to be able to recognize the tribe each person belongs to. They are incredibly beautiful and unique. The only problem now is that, now many of them have been forced to stop making what they feel and just started to do what sells the most. However there are several intents to try to avoid this by training the communities and teaching them how to produce more profitable crafts without giving up doing what they like and feel.