I Am LatiNola

You should be, too.

Chile's Sexual Revolution

The New York Times published an article discussing what they label as a sexual revolution in Chile. Under the Pinochet regime sexual education was taken out of schools and was just reimplemented in the 1990s. This means that parents of teenagers now never had formal sexual education so are not teaching it to their children. There is a huge trend of parties that attract teenagers who dance and try to make out with the most people at the party. These parties are advertised to teens on the internet and create a competitive and sexually provocative setting. To read the article click here.

Riots

Riots in Mexico have been breaking out due to human rights issues. I had no idea that the prison system was as bad as it seems in Tijuana. This article caught my attention as I went to yahoo to check my mail...

A Glimpse Into The Lives of Haitian Child Laborers

A recent article in the New York Times highlights the lives of young Haitian child laborers, restaveks. It discusses the impact of the recent hurricanes on the lives of these children, stating that up to 30,000 have been affected by the storms. Many of the restaveks are said to be beaten, sexually abused, denied education, and "treated like animals." The author of the article talks to two 12-year old girls, Widna and Widnise, who say they are treated better than most of the other children in their small town, as they are only "hit on their palms if they are disobedient but do not receive lashings on their head, as they say many of the restaveks in nearby homes receive."

The article shows just a glimpse of the state of affairs in the small island country.

Latin American film series

As I wander around campus, I discover more incredible resources provided to the Tulane student. I recently discovered a Latin American film series that was particularly interesting. Every Thursday evening at 7:00pm in room 102 of Jones Hall, a featured film dealing with Latin American subjects will be presented to the audience. The current series examines totalitarian governments in Latin American and their effects on children.

Mexico Prison Riot Kills 19

At La Mesa State Penitentiary in Tijuana, Mexico, the second riot in a week broke out in prison walls, resulting in police shooting and killing 19 inmates. Another 12 inmates were injured and two are in critical condition after Wednesday's riot. Families of inmates claim the riot began on Wednesday because of claims that they had not been given food or water since Sunday's first riot, while state authorities claim it was just "prison troublemakers." La Mesa's warden and two other top prison officials have been suspended and state authorities plan on conducting an investigation of irregular conduct. Instances like this in La Mesa contribute to the notion that Mexico's prison systems are corrupt and overcrowded. La Mesa inmates became infamous worldwide after they in effect built and ran "their own city" inside the prison courtyard, complete with the buying and selling of townhomes, running shops, and hiring prostitutes. Since then, violence and outbreaks still continue to be an issue at La Mesa and other Mexican prisons.

Youtube Gets Political

In October of 2006, street demonstrations took place in major cities in Spain to protest the lack of affordable housing, especially for young people. This prevalent issue for Spanish youth materialized in videos such as this youtube video by Toni A. Martinez.

Colombian General Montoya Linked to Paramilitaries

General Mario Montoya has for years been one entrusted to look after the aid package provided by the U.S. to the Colombian army. The head of Colombia's army, he has now been named by a witness, a former paramilitary fighter, as joining forces with death squads that took control of Medellin's impoverished neighborhoods from guerrillas a few years ago. This could be detrimental to the current government, headed by President Uribe. Read more here...

Report accuses Chávez of undermining democracy in Venezuela

September 12, Hugo Chavez ordered the US ambassador to Venezuela to leave his country. He accused the diplomat of conspiring against him and his adminstration and told him to leave within the following 72 hours. He also told his ambassador in the US to leave and return to Venezuela. He said that another US embassador would not be welcome in Venezuela, "until there is a US government that respects the people of Latin America." Hugo Chavez has always been kind of "out there" but this time, he may have stepped too far. The US is Venezuela's number one oil client and obviously now, diplomatic relations will be tight. To read more, click here.

An Amazonian Oil Dilemma

It was recently brought to light that oil plots in the Western Amazon are now becoming a threat not only to the environment but to the indigenous peoples that reside in the area. There are currently 180 oil and gas lots operated by 35 multinational companies. The lots encroach on some of the most important and biodiverse regions of the forest. Further, they are also encroaching on the lands of the indigenous peoples there, a huge violation of their rights. In fact, in August, legislation was being reviewed to lower the community consent needed to exploit their territories.

Sometime this month, PeruPetro, Peru's oil liscensing agency will auction of 22 oil and gas lots, the largest auction in the country's history.

Read more about this here.

Colombian oil

A huge reserve of oil has been discovered in Colombia recently. The reserve could contain up to 100 million barrels. This finding is incredibly important for Colombia's economy and will increase their oil production from $1.4 billion to $4 billion! How will this increase in economic productivity affect Colombia?

H.I.V. in Mexico

The New York Times wrote an article discussing problems of sexual ambiguity in Mexico and how they relate to the AIDS epidemic.  Where machismo is a part of culture, and Catholicism is the main religion, homosexuality is not widely accepted.  Instead of labeling people as gay or homosexual, the term is "men who have sex with men" or "hombres que tienen sexo con hombres."  Many of these mens are married when they engage in these sexual encounters with other men.  This causes HIV and AIDS to spread rapidly through the population.  To read the article and see a short video clip on the topic click here.

La Misma Luna

Nearly 6 months ago to this day, a film called Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) was released in theaters. It tells the story of a Mexican woman who was forced to leave her home (and family) behind when she went to the United States to try to make a living. "The script has Carlitos narrowly escaping kidnapping, drug addicts, and Border Patrol workers, aided by the unlikely friendships he forges along the way," says the synopsis on rottentomatoes.com. The film, in fact, received a standing ovation last year at the Sundance Film Festival. It's currently available on DVD and, in my opinion, something worth checking out.



(Picture Source:
http://www.impawards.com/2008/posters/under_the_same_moon.jpg)

para golosos :)

Did you know the popular Latin American flavour known as "dulce de leche" (English: milk caramel) was invented in Argentina in the late 1800s? And that it's super-easy to make?
Try this recipe:
The Perfect Pantry
or a recipe found in an old Argentine cookbook:
Stir 4 liters of milk, 1 kilo of white sugar, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda together in a large pot over medium heat. (Marbles may be added for more efficient stirring, but make sure you count them beforehand and remove the same number afterwards before eating.) Continue stirring for, oh, about 3-4 hours (or until the mixture reaches a fairly creamy consistency and a golden-brown color), remove from stove and place pot in cold water to cool.

Recent Hurricane Damage Calls Cuba Embargo Into Question

With the recent hurricanes that have ravaged the Cuban Islands, many people are questioning America's 47-year long embargo against the country. In Miami especially, people are hoping the embargo will soon fall so the small island nation can receive all the help possible. The weather has made the debate over the embargo even more urgent; not only is the country weaker due to the volatility of the government, it has now been battered by hurricanes on multiple occasions. The Bush administration does not share the feelings of more moderate groups that are hoping for changes, and are only planning to send up to $250,000 to the island. Many polls show that a majority of Cuban-Americans favor loosening the restrictions that are currently in place...will the recent hurricanes have any impact on the course of Cuban - American relations? Doubtful...but only time will tell.

Read more here.

Rigoberta Menchu Tum

I arrived in Los Angeles this afternoon to attend a conference for the PeaceJam foundation. This club gathers young people from around the country and world to meet Nobel Peace Prize winners. The Nobel Peace Laureates  for this conference include Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Shirin Ebadi, Jodi Williams, and many others. One of these Laureates is Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Rigoberta is a Guatemalan woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work with the indigenous people of Guatemala. I was lucky enough to meet this amazing woman at last year's PeaceJam conference and again in LA this afternoon.

For more information: Click here.

Botero at the NOMA

The other evening held a special Botero exhibit and a movie viewing at the New Orleans Museum of Fine Art (NOMA).

I was introduced to Fernando Botero by a former Spanish teacher and was amazed and offended by Botero in that first encounter. He is an artist who “illustrates the comedy of the human life” with grossly obese characters. The temporary exhibit at the NOMA is the first exhibition since 1974, which chronicles all the works ever produced by Botero. I found it incredible to witness first-hand the ever growing plethora of art produced by Botero, who is now in his late-seventies and continues to paint, sculpt and draw. I quickly made my way through the rather small, but thorough exhibit of Botero’s works, in order that I might catch the night’s feature film.

The movie screened that night was entitled Favela Rising, a personal account of the lead performer's experiences in the musical group AfroReggae who cries for justice in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Born in the blood and gun shot of “Brazil’s Bosnia,” Anderson Sá asked himself how he could “end the violence…and use music as an instrument of change.” AfroReggae was his answer.

Two seemingly unrelated cultural venues of Latin American social unrest paint the picture and screen the images of aberrant corruption and heartache in a beautiful and sometimes forgotten part of the world. I also asked myself a question: How could such a beautiful place have so much violence? To this Anderson Sá says, "I wanna be a miracle," and change himself, his family and the world around him.

Violence in Central and South America

According to the United Nations Central and South America suffer from the most killings in a non-war zone.  These areas of the world are the most plagued by crime.  The United Nations plans to address this issue in a conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The article specifically pinpoints Colombia as a nation with an immense amount of violence.  Guerrillas, people in the drug business and gangs are cited as largely responsible for the high crime rates.  The article was published in LatinAmericaNews.Net.

Cuba's request for lift on trade restriction

Instead of asking the United State for assistance in storm relief, Cuba has requested for a lift on trade restrictions. The US government has offered $100,000 in aid but Cuba has displayed no interest in this proposal. The Cuban government claims that it would be more constructive to purchase materials to independently repair the damage left from Hurricane Gustav and Ike. The two hurricanes combined damaged 320,000 Cuban homes, and the Cuban government estimates that reparations could exceed $2 billion (as the cost of constructing a new Cuban home would be an average of $8000).

US Secretary of State has rejected to cooperate with Cuba's appeal. Barack Obama and other Democratic members of Congress have requested that the Bush Administration loosen restrictions so that people can send emergency aid to their families in Cuba.

To read more you can follow this link.

Dominican Food

Over the summer my friend's mother cooked me her favorite Dominican dish. The recipe is right here. They're easy to make and absolutely delicious.