Archive for November, 2005
Another Che film
10:05 am By Maegan La Mala · Movies · 15 Comments
23 Nov 2005
From rock concerts, to soccer games, to college dorm rooms, Che Guevara’s image can be found everywhere and is one of the most recognizable icons in the world.
The revolutionary’s image has been co-opted lately though. From Mike Tyson and Diego Maradona sporting tattoos of him to the rapper Jay-Z wearing t-shirts and saying things like “I’m Che with bling on.” Absurd I say. Che must be rolling in his grave.
To make matters worse, Hollywood is taking another shot at the life of Che (I must admit, the Motorcycle Diaries was a great film) with Benecio del Toro playing the part of the Argentine revolutionary. I’m still not quite sure if another Che movie is a good thing. Will this spread “the revolution” or simply water it down? At least the actor that will play Che in this new film is doing his homework.
Benecio del Toro visited Argentina to learn more of the life of the guerrilla leader “Che” Guevara and meet with Carlos “Calica” Ferrer, a childhood friend of Che.
Via / La Opinión
Hugo Chavez Plays Santa in el Bronx, NYC
8:57 am By Maegan La Mala · New York City|Politics|Venezuela · Comments Off
23 Nov 2005
The wintry cold is already here in NYC and many of my fellow city dwellers are dreading their heating bills and/or rent increases that may come as the price of heating oil rises. Controversial Venezuelan Presidente Hugo Chavez wants to soften the blow a bit for the poor and non-profits that serve them in the South Bronx. Eight-million gallons of heating oil is being sold super cheap via CITGO, the Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s national oil company. A similar program was also announced for Massachusetts.
Via / NY Daily News
Cuba is paradise on Earth, says paper
4:22 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|Latin America|Media|Newspapers · 1 Comment
22 Nov 2005
To preface this post, I am not commenting either way on the rightness or wrongness of Castro’s Cuba. I have very mixed feelings about the topic that have nothing to do with the fact that I just find Prensa Latina, a publication in English which is very obviously propaganda Castrista, amusing at times. It’s so blatant it reminds me of Fox News. The headline today was: “Cubans Have Potential to Live to 120″ (which I don’t doubt, really) and following are some “interesting” excerpts:
Selman considers that it is important to be motivated, healthy, physically active, and culturally and environmentally educated to achieve that goal.
In this respect, he highlighted the possibilities Cuba offers to reach that objective, because it counts on a just social system, essentially humane and supportive.
Anybody Care for Goat Meat?
4:02 pm By Maegan La Mala · business|Food · 5 Comments
22 Nov 2005
Whenever I visit Mexico one of the first things I do is stop at a restaurant and eat a plate of birria, goat meat stew served with salsa, lime and onions. In Mexico, and in many Latin American countries, consuming goat meat is common place but it has yet to catch on here in the states but the growing diverse communities of the state of California and the rest of the U.S. is starting to change that.
The demand for goat meat in the U.S. is increasing due to the demand by Latinos, Muslim and Asian communities. Haitians for example prepare their goat meat specialty called Cabrit Fricasse, with tomato paste, garlic, bell pepper and lime. Just the name sounds delcious.
Who would’ve known that a food that many Latinos love can be healthy. Even Whole Foods is catching on this hot commodity and selling the meat in some of their stores.
A 3-ounce serving of roasted goat has about the same calories as an equivalent portion of chicken, but almost a gram less fat. It has the same amount of protein as beef, and about 10% more iron.
Via / LA Times
If Chayanne is so Sexy why did People Hide Him?
2:26 pm By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Magazines|Puerto Rico · 5 Comments
22 Nov 2005
I agree with People magazine’s choice for “Sexiest Latin Crooner” (although the half naked Alejandro Fernandez on the November 8th cover of TV Notas was pretty caliente too). Pero if the Rican singer/dancer/actor is so hot why do I have to turn through 118 pages of other hot stars to find him?
Via / QuePasa
Latino officers to get paid
1:23 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cities|Justice|New York City · Comments Off
22 Nov 2005
The 576 Latino and black police officers of the NYPD whose claims were accepted in a landmark racial discrimination case have won, and between them will split the sum of $17 million:
Officers – 576 of them – will get awards ranging from $3,500 to $400,000 from the suit, which the city settled just over a year ago. The victims charged that the Police Department created a hostile work environment for black and Latino cops, especially when it came to disciplinary matters.
“Cops have their own disciplinary system. The penalty for black and Latino cops were disproportionately higher,” said Diane Paolicelli, an attorney with the firm that represented many of the plaintiffs.
Paolicelli said some cops lost pay, others were given bad assignments or even fired in the retaliatory climate.
She said awards, which varied based on the duration and scale of discrimination plaintiffs allegedly endured, will be sent out over the next month.
Yes, folks, racism exists even in fundamentally racist organizations like the police, and even in the “most liberal city in the nation”.
Via / NY Daily News
Border Sneakers
10:05 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Arts|Immigration · 8 Comments
22 Nov 2005
We’ve all heard of the evils of sneaker companies and their tendency to use sweatshop labor but Brooklyn artist Judith Werthein is showing that making sneakers can also form a part of social activism.
Werthein, an Argentinian, has made a total of one thousand pairs of sneakers named Brinco catering to the needs of immigrants.
A compass and flashlight dangle from one shoelace. The pocket in the tongue is for money or pain relievers. A rough map of the border region is printed on a removable insole.
Werthen is selling them as a part of a San Diego art exhibit focusing on the border region, but also giving them away. About four hundred of the sneakers have been given to immigrants making the jump to the United States. One of the beneficiaries of the sales of these sneakers in the U.S. is Casa del Migrante, a Tijuana shelter.
I cannot encourage illegal immigration…I am an artist and I just did a piece on a subject that raised a lot of questions on things that are worth thinking about.
Via / MSNBC
Black and Gold Across the Atlantic?
22 Nov 2005
Immigrants make people nervous, especially after the fires of Paris. You would think that other European countries would take France’s example of police abuse and its consequences to heart when dealing with young immigrants and their children struggling to make ends meet. But no, it seems much easier for Spain to revert to the tried and true ways of using the
strategy for tackling the gangs that involves more rigorous policing of areas where members meet. Spain will expel gang members if prosecutors can prove they’re violent
There is a concern in Spain that Latino gangs ” may have committed three murders this year”. That big maybe is enough to link crimes to young people that are calling themselves the “Latin Kings” after the black and gold clad street organization that began in the prisons of the Midwest and moved across the United States.
Looking at how the anti-gang strategies led by police and federal agencies in the United States have failed to solve the problems of inner city youth of color and how the heavy handed policies of France also failed, why doesn’t Spain try a different approach?
Via / Hispanic Tips and Bloomberg.com
Flight 587 Victims to be Honored
6:25 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Dominicans|New York City · Comments Off
21 Nov 2005
The victims of American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed in Queens in 2001 en route to the Dominican Republic, will be honored via a tribute to be created by a Dominican artist:
A Dominican-born visual artist has been selected to create a memorial for the victims of Flight 587 that crashed in the Rockaways on its way to the Carribbean nation four years ago, the mayor’s office said Wednesday.
Freddy Rodriguez’s proposal calls for a sloping granite wall with window-like openings and an entrance doorway that faces the same direction in which the plane had been heading for the Dominican Republic. He has said his design grew out of this concept of “here and there” and the universal longing to go home. The site on the beach at Beach 116th Street.
Via / Newsday
The Paisano Program
21 Nov 2005
The time of year has arrived when many, many Latinos in the U.S. return to their country for the holidays. Mexicans in the U.S. are no exception.
Mexico for example is expecting 1.2 million people to return to the country during this time. Many drive to their home country to be with family and friends. Unfortunately, corruption is still rampant in Mexico and some government agents take advantage of travelers. Those that travel by car many times face the prospect of having to pay “mordidas” (bribes) to government agents at the many immigrant inspection points in route to their destination.
Mexican president Vicente Fox wants to combat this with the implementation of the Paisano Program. According to Fox More than 1,300 people will participate in the program as observers and volunteers. It is the goal of the program to “supervise and guarantee the well treatment of travelers.”
It’s good to see that the Mexican government is taking action to combat this problem that in years past was an inevitable fact when traveling in Mexico. It’s good that Fox wants to help out his paisanos but at the same time one can’t help but feel cynical. Is Fox doing this out of the goodness of his heart or is he doing it because he realizes that his paisanos are going to be bringing the almighty dollar with them.
Via / Univision
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