No one feels the effects of what happens in the U.S. as much as Mexico. It's as if the fault line we share were a conductor of not just seismic energy but also shared grief. And when things get bad in the U.S., they get worse in Mexico. Issues such as border control, the economy -- which affects jobs done by Mexicans and subsequently remesas sent back home (one of Mexico's top economic drivers) -- and trade have Mexican analysts, politicians and journalists waiting with baited breath. The cover of today's El Universal (Mexico City) newspaper could easily be mistaken for a U.S. newspaper. Under the masthead, prime page space is 100% occupied by poll information, predictions, photographs of the candidates.

And the ripple effect of the continues even further south. Buenos Aires' Clarin proclaims, jubilantly, "Obama- McCain: an election that puts an end to the Bush era." In the ranking of most popular news stories according to readers, a story about the death of Barack Obama's grandmother is second only to news about soccer legend Diego Maradona.

And the same story in papers throughout the region and the world. Expectations are high in Latin America, perhaps as high as they are in the U.S., and the disappointment of 4 more years of failed Bush policy will be the same should McCain surprise us all with a victory tonight.

If you know a shaman, give him a call.

The Argentine Network of Journalists for Non-Sexist Communication (PAR) will officially release the guidelines on Nov. 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The list is a really good one that all of us should strive to use, not just those who work in media.

For the 10 Commandments of reporting gender-based violence, see after the jump.

Spanish media is calling Spain's loss a win, referring to the game as "the most dignified defeat" and "a golden silver medal", given the fact that they were so very close to winning against the world's most storied basketball team.

Argentina is also celebrating its triumph as bronze medal winners in basketball, stepping up to the podium in third place. An excellent representation for Latin America in one of the Olympics' most watched sports.

Via / El Pais

Image via El Mundo

Gay rights activists are praising the move as a huge step in the recognition of their civil rights. The Argentine government says its part of a larger human rights plan under the administration of president Cristina Fernández.

To be eligible for the benefit, couples must prove that they have lived together for at least 5 years.

Via / El País

Besides the gesture being obviously offensive, there is the dismissal that all three teams have made: that they didn't mean to offend. Which begs the question, what exactly did they intend? To make us laugh with their antics? To get us excited about China? To reveal a deep desire to be Chinese that they all have? To show us how stupid they are?

In this case payback is a bitch, as they say because Argentina's women lost 2-0 to China. In fact, they lost all three of their matches.

Via / Who Ate All the Pie

Menendez commanded the army zone that ran La Perla, the biggest clandestine detention center in central Cordoba province, during the 1976-1983 dictatorship in which rights groups say up to 30,000 people died or disappeared.

"He was the main perpetrator behind the reign of terror our province lived under 30 years ago. He sowed death and terror, committing crimes against humanity," Cordoba Governor Juan Schiaretti told local television after the sentencing.

What can you say about creeps like this? Even at the eleventh hour he refuses to take responsibility...incredible.

Via / Canada.com

"I believe in the revolution, that's why I love Che," said Monica Nielson, 49, wearing a soldier's beret with a single star like that worn by Guevara in a photo that turned him into a 20th Century icon.

The band announced its return via a viral marketing campaign throughout Buenos Aires, Mexico City and other large Latin American cities with enigmatic posters featuring only the name of a Cadillacs song and the date of the beginning of the tour: July 1, 2008.

I just read somewhere else that they will also be hitting the U.S., but I can't find a tour schedule anywhere. Will update you all when I do.

Via / La Razón

Via / 20 Minutos

Argentine society is witness to the horror and confusion caused by the revelation of the details around the death of a 2 year old girl. It happened on Sunday...Milagros Belizán [pictured] was first beaten over the head, later hung on the wall and finally beaten relentlessly with wooden boards and suffocated little by little until she died. Medical examiners say she endured "long agony...

Via / El País

...for their fight to give restore the identity of some 500 children stolen during the last dictatorship, in an act before congress.

The last Nobel Peace Prize for Argentina was in 1980, for activist Adolfo Pérez Esquivel.

Via / El Universal

The National Court on Monday ruled that the accusations against Peron, 77, could not be termed crimes against humanity and that there was insufficient evidence of her involvement.
The court ruled, therefore, that she could not be extradited.
Peron is wanted by a judge for questioning over the disappearance of 24-year-old Hector Aldo Fagetti Gallego and the arrest of a minor, Jorge Valentin Beron, in 1976.
Another judge wants to question her as part of a probe into the Anti-communist Alliance, a death squad blamed for killing at least 1,500 government opponents from 1973-1976.

For more info visit Movimiento ALAS website and stay tuned for VivirLatino for updates.

Via / The Latin Americanist