Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

January 24, 2013 By Fausta

The 12 scariest words in the English language

Barack Obama is from the government, and he is here to help

(post title shamelessly stolen from Professor Bainbridge)

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Democrats, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog, inauguration

January 22, 2013 By Fausta

Inaugural luncheon: Bison with a side of eye roll

First, the luncheon menu was 3,000 calories:

First Course:
Steamed Lobster with New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Lobster Tails
New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Sauteed Spinach
Sweet Potato Hay
Per Serving: Calories 783, Fat 45.7g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 247 mg, Sodium 1819 mg, Carbohydrates 55g, Dietary Fiber 7.5g, Sugar 14g, Protein 29g

Second Course:
Hickory Grilled Bison with Red Potato Horseradish Cake and Wild Huckleberry Reduction
Bison
Butternut Squash Puree
Baby Golden Beets and Green Beans
Red Potato Horseradish Cake
Strawberry Preserve and Red Cabbage
Wild Huckleberry Reduction
Per Serving: Calories 1184, Fat 34.6g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 177mg, Sodium 7445mg, Carbohydrates, 149g, Dietary Fiber 16.7, Sugar 97.2g, Protein 51g

Third Course:
Hudson Valley Apple Pie with Sour Cream Ice Cream, Aged Cheese and Honey
Pie Dough
Cinnamon Crumble
Apples
Sour Cream Ice Cream
Maple Caramel Sauce
Garnish
Artisan Cheeses
Per Serving: Calories 1060, Fat 64.4g, Saturated Fat 39g, Cholesterol 331mg, Sodium 488mg, Carbohydrates, 108.5g, Dietary Fiber 1.7g, Sugar 75g, Protein 14g
Total Nutritional Counts (not including booze pairing): Calories 3027, Fat 145 g, Saturated Fat 71g (49% of fat), Sodium 9752 mg, Total Carbs 312.5g, Sugar 186.2g (59% of carbs)

And the eye roll,

Can’t you see I’m eating?


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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Democrats, Michelle Obama, Republicans Tagged With: Fausta's blog, inauguration, John Boehner

June 28, 2010 By Fausta

The year without Mel Zelaya Carnival of Latin America, and VIDEO

LatinAmer Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean. As the title indicates, it’s been a year since Mel Zelaya was thrown out of office. He and his teddy bear are also gone from his tin foil-lined room at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

Today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern:
The UN Office for Drugs and Crime’s report

ARGENTINA
Collateral damage

Cristina se reunió con empresarios antes del comienzo de la cumbre del G20

Seventy-five years ago today

BARBADOS
Barbados and Panama sign double taxation agreement

BOLIVIA
Bolivian Bottles Build Houses

BRAZIL
Brazil’s foreign policy
An Iranian banana skin
Lula has little to show for his Tehran adventure

Lula’s adventure in Tehran smacks of the overconfidence of a politician who basks in an approval rating of over 70% and who sees the Iraq war and the financial crisis as having irreparably damaged American power and credibility. But the United States is still Brazil’s second-largest trading partner. Although some American and Brazilian officials are keen to prevent ill-will over Iran from spoiling co-operation in other areas, it nevertheless may do so. The United States Congress may be even less willing to support the elimination of a tariff on Brazil’s sugar-based ethanol, for example.

Lula wants the UN reformed to reflect today’s world, with Brazil gaining a permanent seat on the Security Council. But by choosing to apply his views on how the world should be run to an issue of pressing concern to America and Europe, and in which Brazil has no obvious national interest, Lula may only have lessened the chances that he will get his way.

Lula skips G20 summit due to deadly Brazil floods

CHILE
Piñera’s (dis)approval

Entrevista a Josep Montaner, “El rol de la sociedad civil ha de ser activo en cualquier situación” Video in Spanish,

Josep Montaner _ Rol de la sociedad civil from Plataforma Urbana on Vimeo.

COLOMBIA
THOMSON: Santos sweeps to the presidency
Platform for security, stability and development win b

Good news from Colombia, but does Obama appreciate it?

Ros-Lehtinen: Recognizing Colombia’s presidential election and the U.S.-Colombia alliance Ros-Lehtinen Resolution on Colombia Elections Passes House

Will Washington treat Colombia’s Santos as an ally?

COSTA RICA
Father’s Day in Costa Rica

CUBA
When Learning Turns to Dust

“Cuba experts”

Ramiro on a hunger strike?

Syrian president due in Havana on Sunday

Interviews With Dr. Darsi Ferrer and Juan Juan Almeida

ECUADOR
UPDATE: Filmmakers Argue Against Ruling In Chevron Case

HONDURAS
A year without Mel Zelaya

More intromission by US Ambassador Llorens and G-16

JAMAICA
Mr Coke turns himself in

Jamaican drug lord captured

MEXICO
Mexican Violence Crosses Borders; Attracts Media Attention

Mexico Represents Single Biggest Drug Trafficking Threat to U.S.

NICARAGUA
Nicaragua’s Sandinistas accused of paying for power
Daniel Ortega’s ruling Sandinistas Front is using strong-arm tactics to limit opposition, observers say.

PANAMA
Washington Post on retiring to Panama

PARAGUAY
Journalists in the crosshairs of Paraguayan People’s Army

PERU
Peruvian Franken-Corn Defamation Case Update

Keiko Fujimori Leads Peru Presidential Poll, El Comercio Says

Keiko Fujimori says “I will be in the second round” for president of Peru in 2011

Peru judge rules Van der Sloot confession valid

PUERTO RICO

Students approve strike pact. Back in the olden days when I was a student at the UPR they were striking, too, but no one slept in cute little tents on campus. Either way, the strikes are a total waste of time.

VENEZUELA
Today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern: UN: Most of the cocaine going to Europe passes through Venezuela

The report launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) expresses concern about Venezuela due to the existence of cells of armed insurgent groups, such as the Bolivarian Liberation Front and civilian militias supported by the government.

WDR 2010 website. PDF file: full report.

Syrian president meets with Chavez in Caracas

Revolutionary Rot, But News It’s Not: AP Ignores Venezuela’s ‘Battle for Food‘, also at BizzyBlog

Como el paternalismo crea dictadores


A radical shift to the radical left in Venezuela

Ollie Loves Hugo & Hugo Loves Ollie

Le Monde criticizes the selling out of Venezuela to Cuba, Chavez gets revenge by taking away a minor farm of Diego Arria and Letter from Diego Arria to Hugo Chavez

VenEconomy: Venezuela Dominated By & Split Up Into Ghettos

Commie Despot Renegs On Debts, Seizes Oil Rigs

Today’s Video: Oligarchs vs. Bolivarians

Maria Conchita Alonso on Oliver Stone’s South of the Border (VIDEO)

HUMOR
My cousin sent this, Por que Cuba No fue a el Mundial Los Pichy Boys

The week’s posts and podcasts:
How about, Sayonara, Citgo?
Venezuela to nationalize U.S. firm’s oil rigs
Venezuela’s fast-track doctors
Jamaica: Dudus Coke in the can
Mexican gangs’ lookouts in Arizona
Rum war?
Obama Secretary of Labor: Illegals Have a Right to Fair Wages VIDEO
In Silvio Canto’s podcast.
In Rick Moran’s podcast.

21110
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Filed Under: Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Carnival of Latin America, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, drugs, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Maria Conchita Alonso, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Syria, UN, Venezuela Tagged With: cap and trade, Christopher "Dudus" Coke, Dr. Darsi Ferrer, Fausta's blog, G20, inauguration, Joran van der Sloot, Juan Juan Almeida, Keiko Fujimori, Manuel Zelaya, Mel Zelaya, UN Office on Drugs and Crime

January 23, 2009 By Fausta

The Message in the Clothes

My latest post, The Message in the Clothes, is up at LadyBlog. Please read it, and leave a comment.

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, fashion, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog, inauguration, J. Crew, LadyBlog

January 22, 2009 By Fausta

Under the Microscope

My latest post, Under the Microscope, is up at LadyBlog. Please read it, leave a comment. Thanks!

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Democrats, Michelle Obama, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog, inauguration, LadyBlog

January 21, 2009 By Fausta

About Michelle Obama’s gown…

The Cotillion ladies, my mom, a couple of friends and Larwyn’s list have been discussing Michelle Obama’s clothes from yesterday. So why not post about it?

(I’m not sure why Barack Obama wore white tie and tuxedo; I would have preferred if he wore white tie and tails, but it was a beautiful suit all the same.)

Here is what Michelle Obama wore last night:

michelleobamaballgown

The Anchoress:

It was just too young on her.

Neo-neocon didn’t like it, either.

Here’s what I would have worn instead: Carolina Herrera‘s coral gown:

A much better choice for a tall woman

Why?

The Herrera gown is made from a heavy textured Italian silk that drapes beautifully about the body. It emphasizes the torso without exposing too much cleavage. It fits smoothly across the back and the skirt is not gathered in the rear, so it has a slimming effect. The short train would still be OK for dancing, while the draped fabric in front allows for movement. Michelle Obama would look good in that color, or in a variety of other colors.

But here’s the important part: A dress cut like this makes a tall woman look like a Greek goddess. It’s a grown-up’s dress, and a tall woman would carry it to perfection.

On a tall woman, the Herrera dress is a sensational dress.

UPDATE
James checks out the jacket.

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, fashion, Michelle Obama Tagged With: inauguration

January 21, 2009 By Fausta

At Real Clear World, and today at 11AM Eastern: Latin American headlines on the Obama inauguration

Today’s 15 Minutes on Latin America: The Obama inauguration in Latin American headlines. I’ll be talking about how newspapers in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico covered the inauguration.

Right now I’m working on a related post for Real Clear World Blog, and will link to it shortly.

The post is up at RCW: Latin America Headlines on the Inaugural

Podcast chat opens at 10:45AM, and the call-in number is 646 652-2639. See you there!

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, Blog Talk Radio, Democrats, journalism, Latin America, podcasts, politics Tagged With: Fausta's blog, inauguration

January 20, 2009 By Fausta

The inaugural poem

Here’s the transcript of the inaugural poem,

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, “Take out your pencils. Begin.”

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, “I need to see what’s on the other side; I know there’s something better down the road.”

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by “Love thy neighbor as thy self.”

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.

As Adam Kirsch said,

This poem, written for a book and not for an inauguration, is already public in the worst sense–inauthentic, bureaucratic, rhetorical. So it was no surprise to hear Alexander begin her poem today with a cliché (“Each day we go about our business”), before going on to tell the nation “I know there’s something better down the road”; and pose the knotty question, “What if the mightiest word is ‘love’?”; and conclude with a classic instance of elegant variation: “on the brink, on the brim, on the cusp.” The poem’s argument was as hard to remember as its language; it dissolved at once into the circumambient solemnity.

It just didn’t resonate.

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Filed Under: Barack Obama, WhiteHouse Tagged With: Elizabeth Alexander, Fausta's blog, inauguration

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