I found this great article at Foreign policy magazine about the return of leftist governments in Latin America.
It briefly touches on an issue that has bothered me ever since I moved to Europe: Why is it that almost everybody who is interested in Latin America would like to implement policies there that they wouldn't like for their countries?
That's something I'll never understand…
34 students of a total of 411 at Duke's business school were found guilty of cheating. I wonder whether they learned their lesson.
I guess that's not the kind of business leaders we're looking for, is it?
Via Lee Iwan's blog.
There is a pop band that is famous all over the American continent. It has filled venues in Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Colombia and Mexico.
Their name is RBD, and they're a marketing offshoot of a very popular opera by Televisa, "Rebelde".
Their music is rather plastic (as is the "band"), but they are a money-making machine. They have been involved in a series of scandals, such as when 3 people died in an autograph-signing session in Sao Paulo in 2005, and when one of their singers confessed to being gay a few months ago.
Why do I talk about them, if their music (and the overall concept) seems to me rather bad? Because, firstly, I believe they're a perfect example of the power of telenovelas and the marketing around them as a mostly Latin American phenomenon with an expanding reach. Furthermore, I wouldn't be surprised they would cross-over to the English-language worldwide market, as was the case with Shakira and Ricky Martin.
I came accross this article at Gwyn's blog. As a foreigner, I am not surprised that many overseas visitors are very afraid of U.S. Border Officials.
Even though I have a U.S. tourist visa, I haven't been there since 2001. Why? Because I haven't needed to. Most of the time since I moved to Europe my trips to the other side of the Atlantic have been to Mexico, and I haven't needed to make a stopover in the US on my way there in a very long time.
I may have wanted to go there on holiday again (I'm still missing Washington, D.C. and the Southwest), but given that there is only a limited amount of holidays you have, I'd rather spend it with my family. Maybe if they go somewhere there in the summer, we might decide to meet there instead. I wonder how has the place changed?