Why Cubans Do It Better

Evacuations, that is. In the past 10 years of hurricane activity in Cuba, there have only been 23 Cubans killed, whereas just last week Hurricane Gustav saw 26 deaths in New Orleans alone. The reason Cuba's hurricane safety success lies in their evacuation system, which can only occur so successfully in a communist country. Evacuation plans are distributed in advance, and evacuation drills are a regular occurrence. State news media issue early warnings and civil defense officials activate local response networks. The government also provide evacuation shelters and the day before the hurricane volunteer civil defense workers go door to door to ensure everyone's safety. Special attention is paid to pregnant women, mothers with young children, elderly, and handicapped to make sure they are out of harm's way. Because the government controls most the nation's resources, they don't have to buy resources from private companies, as the United States is forced to do. Also most Cubans work for the government and thus don't have to worry about losing money from taking time off work. Lastly, success is so strong because of the citizen's trust in their country. Meteorologists have been very accurate in the past and thus citizens are very willing to comply with evacuation orders. These are just a few things that may contribute to Cuba's overwhelming success in hurricane evacuation over the United States and other Caribbean nations.

Illegal Immigration

A ship with over 50 people from Ecuador trying to make it to the US began sinking off the coast of Guatemala and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. The immigrants were trying to come to the US illegally and are now in Guatemala, but will eventually be sent back to Ecuador. What will happen regarding immigration in the future? Many people have such strong feelings about the issue, but it will only become more of an issue in the future. Immigration is a difficult issue because it isn't black and white. Immigrants do contribute to our society and economy in many ways, but cause other problems. What will happen?

Chavez Throws U.S. Ambassador Out of Venezuela

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela called for the removal of the United States ambassador--recently ousted from La Paz, Bolivia--in the next 72 hours. What will this mean for U.S.-Venezuelan relations? And for the importation of crude oil? Read more...

Brazilian Soccer: Where is their team??

In a game at home in Rio de Janiero, the Brazilian national soccer team still can't pull out with a win. Loaded with world wide heroes of the game like Kaká, Ronaldinho, Luis Fabiano, Gilberto, Gilberto Silva, Lúcio, and many many others, they can't even beat Bolivia, a team at the very bottom of the table.

In a country that is known, if not for anything else, than for the soccer gods it produces, this loss is a disgrace. Bolivia lost a defender, Ignacio Garcia, to a red card foul and still managed to keep up with star-filled Brazil.

Brazil, after getting off to a rough start in the 10 team table of South America, won their last game against Chile with no problem. Perhaps they got lucky in the Chile game or perhaps they were too overconfident. Probably the most worried person is Brazil's coach, Dunga, whose job lies on the line with this tournament. If Brazil doesn't make it to the World Cup, which, this would be the first time ever for a Brazilian team to NOT make it, then there is no doubt that Dunga will lose his job and probably have to leave the country.

At just barely 2nd place, Dunga, and Brazil fans all over the world can rest a little easy, but a strong Argentina team is right behind them with Chile closely following.

To read more about this embarrasing draw at home in Brazil, click here

el castellano

Many Spanish speakers will refer to Argentines as "ches", a mockery of the language spoken in Argentina. What many English-speakers don't realize is that although the official language of Argentina is "español", the Argentines themselves refer to their language as "castellano", a version of español as it is used in other countries (except for the voseo, the use of "vos" instead of "tú" that comes with all its own present-tense conjugations) mixed with varying levels of lunfardo, a special rioplatense dialect of Spanish that is especially utilized in tango, depending on the region in which they live. The most commonly-used words that you will not hear in other countries include:

chabón - guy, dude
boludo - jerk, moron
fiaca - laziness
bajón or garrón - something that sucks
pucho - cigarette
mango - one peso, similar to "buck" in the states
guita - money
quilombo - a mess or a hassle

and many more. So even if you think you speak Spanish, these are definitely worth checking out beforehand if you ever decide to make a trip to Argentina.

Former Colombian Presidential candidate wins equivalent of Nobel Prize

Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian Presidential candidate, was awarded the Prince of Asturias prize today, the Spanish equivalent of the Nobel prize. She was captured in 2002 after trying to enter the DMZ in order to continue peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC. Her kidnapping was not premeditated, but they held her hostage for the next 6 years.

In July of this year, the Minister of Defense announced her rescue, as well as that of 14 other captives. The government spent months infiltrating the FARC in order to ensure their safe rescue, and it was a success!

Betancourt was awarded the prize for "promoting understanding between peoples."

This is a fantastic story about the lengths people will go to to promote peace. Her selflessness definitely garners this award.

Read the news article here and the wikipedia article here.

Neighbors Link - Mt. Kisco, NY

Here's a link to the website of the center for Latino immigrants that I worked at this past summer in New York. This page has some interesting facts about the immigrants that I was surprised to learn myself, so hopefully you'll find them as interesting as I did. I think they may clear up a lot of misconceptions we often have about the immigrants in our communities. I gained a lot more respect for them after seeing this information. Enjoy!

Rising Latino Baseball Stars: Francisco Liriano

Pitcher Francisco Liriano of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic is truly a rising star on the MLB scene. He was origonally brought up by the Minnesota Twins in 2005 where he had a few relief appearances. In 2006, Liriano took the league by storm after earning a starting position over Carlos Silva of venezuela. Liriano hurled his way to an amazing record of 12-3 with a 2.19 ERA earning him a spot on the American League All-Star team and a spot on the Cy Young Award ballot. Perhaps one of his most noteworthy pitching performances came on June 22 when he faced off against the notorious Roger Clemons of the Houston Astros. Francisco struck out 11 batters on his way to his 7th win of the season, outdeuling "The Rocket." His fruitful rookie season was ended early however, because of discomfort in his elbow due to his unorthodox pitching motion. In 2007, Francisco Liriano underwent Tommy John Surgery to fix the problem in his elbow. He missed the entire Major League season. On April 11, 2008 Liriano was called up out of the minors in replace of an injured Kevin Slowey and threw 4.2 innings giving up 6 runs. He was deemed unready for Major League action and was sent back down to the minors. On August 1, Francisco was called up once again to face the Kansas City Royals. In this game, he threw 6 scoreless innings while striking out 5 batters and picking up his first win since 2006. Liriano is back and ready for action!

Obama's Foreign Policy Advisor on Latin America

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), a progressive think tank that focuses on the Americas, has an interesting review of Gregory Craig, who is one of Obama's senior foreign policy advisors and who focuses on Latin America. The article addresses both Craig's strengths as an advisor, but also reviews some of Craig's behavior that raises questions about whether some of his past dealings in the region make him unsuitable for a progressive hemispheric foreign policy advisory position with the Obama campaign. In the end, the COHA declares that, all things considered, Craig would be an acceptable and appropriate choice for progressives as a senior foreign policy advisor to Obama on Latin America. But read the article for yourself and let's hear whether you agree with COHA.

**Crossposted at The Huck Upchuck

Louisiana, Mexico, and Trade

I couldn't help but notice this little nugget of information in a Times-Picayune article this morning:

Trade with all of the state's top 10 export countries climbed in the first half of the year. There was three-digit percentage growth to three countries: Colombia, Germany and Venezuela. Mexico replaced Japan, which slipped to second, in the period as the state's top trading partner.

The emphasis in the above citation is mine. Another reason to support the existence of a Mexican consulate in New Orleans. And another reason for Louisianians to read my book: Mexico: A Global Studies Handbook.

**Crossposted at The Huck Upchuck.

UPDATE: Friday, August 15, 2008, 10:31AM: Please note that a Mexican consulate does exist in New Orleans at this time. The consulate was closed for a while, but reopened this past April. I was just expressing general support for having the consulate here. I wasn't trying to suggest that we didn't have one, and therefore needed one. Sorry for the confusion.

Computers go on sale to Cubans

Changes are already being seen in Cuba under its new control of the communist government led by Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, who recently stepped down from his position due to the failure of his health. The people of Cuba have been offered the right to computers for personal use. But there is still a question of internet access which has not been granted to the Cuban people for use the use of their homes. Internet access remains a luxury for the government officials and foreign journalists. President Raul Castro also announced that electrical devices, such as DVD players. Electric rice cookers and mopeds that run on rechargeable batteries would be made available to the public. Other recent announcements include that Cubans who use dollars would be able to buy cell phones and book hotel reservations. Though the allowance to such access may seem trivial, it shows that Cuba is embarking in a new and possible brighter and freer direction for the future.

La libertadora del libertador

Most of us probably can identify Simón Bolívar as the Libertador of South America and the founder of the Gran Colombia. But we may not know about his mistress and great revolutionary in her own right, Manuela Saénz. This Quito-born woman was an advocate of women’s rights, as well as the cause of the revolution, and she saved Bolivar’s life on one occasion, which is why she is known as the “Libertadora del libertador”. She is considered by some to be the most historically influential women in Latin America, even overshadowing Evita Perón.
She has inspired a novel, Manuela, by Gregory Kauffman.

Argentina

Argentina is often considered to have one of the strongest Latin American economies alongside Mexico's and Brazil's. However, it seems they are having problems of their own considering the recent resignation of their minister of economy. Although the government did not give a reason as to this change in President Kirchner's cabinet, it is suspected that a recent farmer's strike might be to blame. Farmers were complaining about a recent government tax on certain agricultural export taxes. The strike, however, was far from minor since many roads were blocked and food was in short supply in some areas.

You can read an article on the matter here.

The Amazon

In class we talked about the importance of the Amazon and its distributaries to Latin America and the harmful effects that excessive encroachment is having on the lands, the people, etc. Many in Brazil are suspicious of foreigners' reasons for using the forest and are understandably worried that their treasure, the Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest and ecosystem in the world, will be irreversibly damaged by improper use. Soon if a bill is proposed and passed by Brazilian lawmakers, foreigners may need permits from both the military and the justice ministry to traverse the Amazon rainforest. National Justice Secretary Romeu Tumo Jr. told the press that they plan to formulate this bill and pass it "within months." This is good news for the safety and preservation of the world's largest remaining rainforest. Hopefully, this law can be passed so that it will prevent the people who mean to do harm from entering the forest while allowing those who have good intentions to experience its beauty.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_amazon_foreigners;_ylt=Ak5n084qjxse3PaOrov69qW3IxIF

Half Million Dollar Prize for Student in Venezuela for Promoting Democracy

The US-based, Libertarian think-tank Cato Institute is awarding $500,000 to 23 year old Venezuelan student Yon Goicoechea who become famous for leading student protest against Chavez proposed constitutional changes.

Goicoechea, who says he regularly receives threats because of his political activism, said he isn't particularly concerned about the administration's response concerning the award from a U.S.-based organization.

"The government already says we're financed by the CIA. It already says we're paid by the empire. So if they say it one more time, it really isn't that important," he said.

Here is the article from MSNBC.

3 2 1 Blastoff!

An eruption of Columbia’s highest active volcano caused authorities to order an evacuation of 15,000 individuals. The Nevado del Huila lies 122 miles southwest of Bogota, and has a summit of 17,598 feet. The eruption occurred at 11:08 P.M. Monday. The recordings were provided by the Columbian Institute of Geology and Mining. The eruption of the volcano caused the institute to announce a “level red” alert, which is the most severe designation for volcanoes. Do to the darkness when the eruption occurred authorities were unable to know whether the eruption was a column of smoke or spilled lava, but monitoring equipment of the institution confirmed an eruption. The last documented eruption occurred in the 16^th century. The volcano stayed inactive for 400 years, with the exception of released steam, until an eruption occurred last year causing damaging mud flows. There have been no reports of damage or injuries at this point.

Follow up on ballooning priest

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080425/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/brazil_flying_priest;_ylt=AgdSaRCxul3i7wuOpMN.xWC3IxIF

As Adriana posted earlier, a priest decided to strap himself to a thousand balloons and fly. Unfortunately, while the balloons were recovered in the sea, the priest was no longer attached to them, and officials were skeptical about the chances of his survival. Today, after the Brazilian Air Force covered 1900 miles of land and sea in search of the priest, they called off the search, more or less giving up the hunt. The Navy still has a helicopter and a pair of boats on the lookout, so the government has not completely abandoned him. Also, his family has chartered a private plane to conduct flyover searches; the treasurer of the parish says that "we remain as confident as ever that he is still alive," and that "our faith is unshakable."

Follow up on Petrobras

This post is to follow up on what I mentioned in class about the oil field discovered a couple hundred miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro Peter Zeihan, vice president of analysis at Strategic Forecasting in Austin, Texas says, "The finds they've got so far are just the tip of the iceberg,'' Zeihan said. "Brazil is going to change the balance of the global oil markets, and Petrobras will become a geopolitical supermajor.'' The article speaks about how monumental this discovery could be for Petrobras, the state run oil company of Brazil, and Brazil itself. It could completely shift the way oil seems to control the world, since the US would shift their purchasing more towards Brazil and away from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The article also talks about how if this were to happen, the US would have no need to continue policing the waters of the Gulf, and therefore the region would become exponentially more violent, which would have lasting effects on everyone. (This is evidenced by the fact that just today after a US vessel allegedly made shot at an Iranian vessel the price of oil jumped).

The whole article can be found at:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aBUoYKhu7PWk&refer=latin_america

Tragic Story

While looking for something to post, I came upon this heartwrenching story. Haitians trying to find asylum in America were plucked out of the water earlier this week, one clinging to a dead body using it as a life preserver. This story struck me because all semester we have been talking immigrants and in Breath, Eyes, Memory one of the characters was saving money to make an illegal passage into the United States. This news story illustrates just what these refugees have to go through to get to free world. First these migrants boarded a smugglers boat in the Bahamas. As they reached land several were captured by the Bahamian police. Those who fled were then squeezed shoulder to shoulder in a go-fast boat. As they were traveling to Florida, the boat capsized and they plummetted into the waters. Those not killed by hitting their heads as they capsized treaded water for hours until finally fishermen heard the screams for help and plucked the survivors out of the water. Only three were alive. The other two dozen were dead. This story illustrates the extent through which these people will go through to leave the harsh conditions of their homelands and try to make a fresh start in America. To get the full story click on this link:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/24/bahamas.survivors.ap/index.html

Missing Priest in Brazil

A priest has gone missing in Brazil after being carried away by party balloons. Apparently he was attempting to break a flight record of 19 hours; however after only eight hours, he became missing. He set off for his attempt at breaking the record tied to hundreds of helium balloons and wearing a helmet and an aluminum thermal suit. The balloons have been found floating in the ocean, but as of yet no sign of the priest has been seen. Apparently this is not the first balloon flight for the sky-diving experienced priest. In January he embarked on a similar adventure for a four hour flight. Hopefully this brave and adventurous priest will be found soon, but as of now the outlook is dim. Here's the link to the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/world/americas/24briefs-RESCUERSFAIL_BRF.html?_r=1&ref=americas&oref=slogin