Great Flashmob with Beyonce's Single Ladies

Sometimes I wish I were a surfer

Puerto Rican Actor Esai Morales in BSG: Caprica

Esai Morales may not be a household name to many in the United States, but he should be a familiar face. The Puerto Rican actor has appeared in a multitude of productions including 1987's La Bamba to episodes of Jericho and 24. Much of his work, not unlike that of many other Puerto Ricans, has gone unnoticed by Hollywood who seemed at times to only call on him when they needed a brown face. Truth be told, the man has talent.


Now Mr. Morales will star in the new Battlestar Galactica spin off Caprica as Joseph Adama. On July 25th the cast of Caprica were on hand at Comic-Con, Zap2it has the live-blog of the panel.

The Caprica series is set to air on the Syfy channel Beginning in January 22, 2010. However for those that may have missed it, the show's pilot is available on DVD and I highly recommend it.

Good luck Esai, may the gods of Kobol be with you.

Brazil, Argentina vs H1N1 Swine Virus: People must come before profits

This week at the Mercosur Summit held in Paraguay, leaders from Brazil and Argentina, despite their recent differences regarding bilateral trade relations, found common ground confronting the H1N1 Swine Flu Virus.

The respective presidents of both countries called for the removal of patent law restrictions that currently make the production of H1N1 vaccines the privileged activity of a handful of facilities, whose profits impoverish us all.

Yes, public health is important. Good public health policy is what guarantees that every piece of food that touches our lips is safe to consume, preferably free from Swine Flu. That faction of civil society that will argue that this will lead to communism, that patent laws are sacred, that innovation will be hurt, should first consider what the consequences would be of a Swine Flu epidemic arising from the farm lands of the developing world, where much of their precious fruits and vegetables are grown.

In the words of Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, "it's beyond question that we're confronting a situation in which the needs of millions of people cannot be subordinated to economic interests."

Continuing the Failed "War on Drugs"

A set of hypothetical questions to be pondered by a hypothetical person.

Dear Mr. President,

I must begin to question some of your reasoning regarding your recent, dismissal and non-answer to a question posed to you through your online question polling service. At the website which you championed as a good move for American Democracy, you allowed users to submit and vote on questions that would be asked of you during a town-hall style meeting. One question in particular has drawn the ire of people from a variety of ideological backgrounds. The question of legalization of marijuana as a challenge to the failed policies of the “War on Drugs.”

In your book entitled Dreams of my Father, you cited your own drug use and abuse, as a problem. Paraphrasing, you stated you did it because you were suffering from depression. You claim to have used during this period of your life, so called “soft drugs,” such as marijuana and alcohol, and so called “hard drugs” such as cocaine. I am glad that you were able to clean up your life, go to college, and truly serve a variety of communities.

Now, pause for a second of contemplation. Your illegal drug use back then was by all accounts as illegal as it was now. This fact has not changed for some time, at least not in my lifetime and from my reading of history not since the early twentieth century. That given I pose the following situation: Young Barack Obama is arrested and jailed for drugs possession. Now ask these questions:

• How would the Obama story have ended had you been treated as so many other black and brown persons have been treated when they are caught in possession of illegal drugs?

• Would your story have been as inspiring?

• Would your beautiful wife have married you?

• Would you have been elected junior Senator from the great state of Illinois?

• Would you be President of the United States today?

The United States jails more people per capita than any other industrialized nation. More than 500,000 of those incarcerated are in prison for drug possession.

I understand your attempt to be like former President Reagan, you hope to reach across party lines, etc., but continuing his failed “war on drugs” is not change. The mere fact that you got away with committing a crime does not make it okay, and if it does, why does it not make it okay for all of those people referenced above?

With all due respect,
Luminous

P.S. I do not pretend to know the all the answers or the future, it could be that treating drug use as a health issue would be as big a failure as treating it as a criminal issue. But I do know that treating drug use as a criminal issue has been a failure, and as such we have the responsibility to search for more viable options to solve problems. We are a nation of “doers” we must do something.

Puerto Rico Islanders headed for Finals in CONCACAF Champions League

Somewhere below the Puerto Rican radar the Puerto Rico Islanders are succeeding and its about time la gente noticed. The team is one win away from entering the finals of the CONCACAF Champions League. I know what you're thinking, "Soccer?!? What?". Get your head out of your ass and check it out.

Here's the bracket:

And here's the link: CONCACAF Champion's League

The Latino Insurgent is BACK!!!

That's right Mutherfuckers. This was a long hiatus but it has come to an end.

I'm thinking of the Economy, the wars, and the future...

We are probable fucked...

How Obama Won

'Knights for Obama' at the University of Central Florida rallying students to turn out and vote on November 4. After months of organizing the student body, arranging early voting opportunities, and maintaining Obama's name on the lips of every student, The 'Knights for Obama' organization did its job, as many others did across the nation. An unpaid army of volunteers powered by the promise of HOPE and the expectation of CHANGE, these students carried the vote to the polls like none other have in Central Florida, perhaps the entire state. If anyone asks how Obama won Florida, and the nation, remember the 'Knights for Obama'











Sometimes the good guys win.

Colin Powell Endorses Barack Obama: Lays down case against McCain

Among the pantheon of great conservative/Republican men and women there is one person who still garners the respect of most Americans, that's Colin Powell. To say that the man has "gravitas" is as obvious as saying that water is wet. Inspite of his role in bringing forward the case for the Iraq War, the level of respect he has been afforded by liberal America is unprecedented. This strange contradiction is due to the fact, as reported extensively by administration insiders, that as Secretary of State, Powell engaged in a vehement one man campaign inside the White House to restrain the Bush Administration. His resignation from the post in 2005 was however the only public sign of disagreement with Bush and his neoconservative cadre.

Since, his voice has been peculiarly absent from the growing critical chorus against Bush as his military sense of loyalty has bound him to the Bush Administration. Others who have left the administration over the years have nevertheless written much on the topic and have thus given voice to a man who to this day will not speak ill of the Bush administration, but whose opposition to the Bush doctrine has only been matched by his loyalty.

Today, Colin Powell broke his silence and spoke before the national television audience of NBC's Meet the Press giving an unambigous endorsement for Senator Barack Obama while equally denouncing Senator John McCain's campaign and personal judgment. While he does not go after his former boss in the White House, Powell nevertheless gives the impression of a man whose consciousness and intellect forbid him to follow the party line any longer.

Here it is in his own words:

Bush Policy: Aid to Cuba Depends on Politics

On Friday October 10, President Bush met with leaders of the Cuban American community in Coral Gables, Florida to discuss his the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Ike in Cuba. In the process Bush made a few remarks that are, at the very least, interesting for their hypocrisy.



As part of his remarks Bush said:

"You know, recently Ike hit Cuba very hard and all Americans, whether they be Cuban Americans or otherwise, grieve deeply about the damage done to the average Cuban citizen. And so my government, under the leadership of Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, offered aid from the United States to the Cuban people. But that aid was rejected by the Castros, which should tell the people of Cuba and the people around the world that the Castro people are only interested in themselves and their power, and not to the benefit and welfare of the Cuban people."

First of all lets address the hypocrisy in this here statement. According to Bush, the denial of American aid is proof of Raul and Fidel Castro's selfishness and indifference towards the people of Cuba. If that logic is correct then we can only assume that back in 2005 when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and FEMA was nowhere to be found, that Bush's decision to reject Cuban medical aid was similarly selfish and proof of Bush's own indifference towards the people of New Orleans. After all, the US seemed utterly incapable of managing the situation and while people drowned, Cuba had a ship with 500 medically trained personnel ready for deployment offered to the US without preconditions. An offer rejected by the Bush Administration.

So either Bush and Castro are equally heartless towards their people or they both placed national security concerns above the immediate crisis. Either logic can be applied, but only hypocrisy leads you to assign logic to one but not the other.

In other remarks Bush hints at something more important from his point of view:

"You know, our government has been very clear about our strategy, and that is, is that we will change the embargo strategy only when the government of Cuba lets the people of Cuba express themselves freely. We will change our policy when the people running Cuba free people of conscience from the prisons. But until then we won't change, because our message is to the Cuban people, you're being repressed by a handful of elites that are holding back your great potential. And we will not put policies in place that allow them to benefit personally at the expense of the Cuban people."

Here he is referring to an issue that has been at the forefront of Cuban American issues, while being careful not to betray the image of the US for American voters while equally addressing the complaints of the group. What is he referring to?

Immediately after Hurricane Ike hit Cuba, the Cuban American community sprang into action amassing aid packages for the people of Cuba. Everything from clothing to building supplies and food were carefully collected and prepared for shipment to the island. This was however a futile effort as the Bush administration moved to block all aid from Cuban Americans to Cubans in the island. This is the policy Bush is referring to when he speaks about not changing the Administration's Cuban Policy which has limited the ability of Cubans to communicate and send money or aid to the island nation.

In short what Bush was saying to this group of Cuban Americans is that 1) despite the crisis in Cuba, American foreign policy is more important than the people's welfare, 2) that aid can only be sent to Cuba by the hand of the American Government or its agents in the island, 3) that change to this policy as well as others will only come once Cuba accepts American preconditions.

It is true that Cuba rejected aid, aid from the American government that is, not aid in general. In fact, not only did Cuba appeal to the US government to allow the Cuban American community to send aid, but it asked the international community as well. In all Cuba has thus far received over 2,500 tons of relief from 230 international relief aid shipments worth 17 million dollars out of the 478 offers worth 51 million dollars.

Cuba asked for aid, the Cuban American Community responded admirable, the International Community responded as well, however it was the United States, Bush's Administration specifically, which turned this crisis into a political volleyball by offering aid only if it came under the name of "USAID". Now Bush takes a victory lap in Cuban neighborhoods while playing to the well-worn ears of the Cuban American elite in Miami who seem at times more interested in a photo-op with Bush than calling him out for his hypocrisy against their own brethren.