Politics Wire
China Invests In Argentina
Argentina, a nation rich in iron ore, gold, soya, fertilizers, and electronics, has become of particular interest to foreign investors, specifically to China, a nation that has increasingly become involved with Argentine investments. In 2010 alone, China invested approximately US$1.6 billion in energy plants, fertilization, automobiles, agriculture, and the building of the underground metro system in Córdoba, which will be mainly built by a Chinese company. Most recently, the increase in the overall Chinese interest in Argentinean investment has extended to banking.
The Industrial Commerce Bank of China (ICBC), one of the largest financial institutions in the world, began its internationalization in 2007 by acquiring a 20 percent stake in South Africa’s Standard Bank and now wishes to acquire the Argentine Standard Bank unit. Since establishing a relationship with Standard Bank in 2007, ICBC has been a very strong financial and structural partner for Standard Bank. 
The benefits for both parties if an agreement is reached are evident: Standard Bank’s financial profits would help it to achieve its goal of once again dominating the market of its origin, which is being threatened by NEDBank, and ICBC would further promote the business that China has already advanced in Argentina. Ernesto Fernández Taboada, executive director of the Argentine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, claims that increasing Chinese banking in Argentina would provide a helpful channel to fund Chinese investments in Argentina.
However, although ICBC executives have visited Buenos Aires in the past couple of years, the transaction is not final: “ The two banks have not come to an agreement yet, but ICBC holds a strong interest in the transaction, and they do not seem to have any financial problems to acquire what they desire”, stated the head of one of Standard Bank’s central office.
Finalizing the acquisition of Standard Bank in Argentina would made China the tenth largest financial institution in South America with over 100 locations throughout the region, which may be a logical step to take, as it reflects China’s increasing interest in Argentina and South America in general.
U.S. Presidents in Past Decade 4 Times As Likely To Pardon White Criminals Than Minority Criminals
White criminals seeking presidential pardons over the past decade have been nearly four times as likely to succeed as minorities
- ProPublica
Miss Representation Trailer
This video without a doubt points out valid arguments within media today and gender exploitation. If your interested in getting more information on this check out their website HERE
PBS Documentary Video : Prohibition
PROHIBITION is a three-part, five-and-a-half-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick that tells the story of the rise, rule, and fall of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the entire era it encompassed.
The culmination of nearly a century of activism, Prohibition was intended to improve, even to ennoble, the lives of all Americans, to protect individuals, families, and society at large from the devastating effects of alcohol abuse.
Prohibition turned law-abiding citizens into criminals, made a mockery of the justice system, caused illicit drinking to seem glamorous and fun…
The Dominican Republic Reaches Out to The United Nations
On Monday, September 12, 2011 the Dominican president, Leonel Fernández, announced his proposition to the General Assembly of the United Nations to create a commission to regulate commission as they relate to food and petroleum prices in the Dominican financial markets .
The head of state announced that the simple speculation among the people influences between 30 to 40 percent of the prices and “generates anguish, anxiety and despair in the towns”.
Fernández recalled that the food provision crisis of 2008, generated by the speculation from the markets of the future, caused social movements in some 60 countries and threatened the social peace. He emphasized the fact that developing countries are “the ones that suffer the worst consequences, making up about 98 percent of the people that suffer hunger in the world”.
The Dominican Republic, which lacks petroleum deposits, depends on the financial markets for the importing of petroleum, and a large quantity of food and commodities that themselves are not produced in the island. Fernández’s proposition encourages the creation of an international commission to regulate these future markets with the goal of avoiding the unpredictability and stabilize pricing.
As reported by the Presidency and the Chancellery, Fernández’s proposal has already received the support of some 70 countries, including rulers from Germany, Argentina, Australia, Spain, Holland, Morocco, Sweden, as well as the members of the common Caribbean and Central American market, Caricom.
This article has been directly translated from www.univision.com . For more information, refer to the following link.
President Obama Jobs Introduces Jobs Plan To Congress
First Dominican Representative?
On August 4, 2011 there was an article in the New York Daily News by Uptown Political Columnist Frank Lombardi titled “In line for nation’s 1st Dominican rep?” This article talked about the new redistricting lines that will come in effect because of the 2010 census. According to the 2010 Census, the Dominican population of Manhattan grew by 14% since 2000. This means that the representative who is currently holding the seat for the 15th congressional district – Charles Rangel, might have a harder time keeping his seat due to many of his political scandals.
When it comes to the redistricting lines, they are made to best represent the demographic changes over the past ten years. With the increase of Dominicans in this district, why not have a hopeful Dominican candidate? It is time to increase our voice nationally. With approximately 1.36 million Dominicans in the U.S. today (Buffington 2011) some national representation has been earned. There are many Dominicans who contribute to this great nation from business owners to athletes to celebrities to politicians. One politician who stands out is State Senator of the 31st district Adriano Espaillat.
Adriano Espaillat became “the first Dominican elected to any state legislative seat in the U.S. when he was first elected to the Assembly in 1996.” (Daily News 2011) He has been a significant factor in many positive changes made to upper Manhattan. Just recently, he had a demonstration against the dumping of 200 million gallons of untreated sewage onto the Hudson River. However, in June 2011, when the legislative sessions were extended, he was a key role in fighting for tougher rent regulation laws. He displayed extraordinary leadership and was able to extend and strengthen the rent regulation laws.
Whether Congressman Rangel decides to re-run or not, there are still more gains than loses. The New York State Assembly and Senate should see significant increases in representation. If redistricting is made in order to best represent the demographic changes then we will truly see this representation. With the increase in the Latino communities across the United States, there should be more representation in all other legislative houses. Also, economically and socially, the oppression against the Latino communities starts to end now. This is the chance to stand up and gain the power and respect that we rightfully deserve. As one of my favorite quotes to live by, and one we should all live by, “Unidad Es La Llave.” (Unity is the Key.)
Also if anyone is interested in reading the original article, here’s the link:
OP-ED : You Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours
The famous idiom, “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” or you do a favor for me and I’ll do a favor for you can be used in so many different levels of any kind of profession. Maybe more commonly, but very unnoticed in Politics. In politics you have an obligation to your constituents because they are the ones who voted for you and will keep you there if you decide to run again, but running a campaign requires money and this money does not come from you or a single person, rather a collective group, but unfortunately your constituents can sometimes be the people that contribute the least amount of money to your campaign. When you have a person or a group with a wealthy background, you might want to get on his or her good side. This is where “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” comes in hand. When someone needs something and in return you get something out of it, this is what politics is all about. From the nation to the state to the local governments, everyone needs something done and there are many willing to give something in return.
According to many politicians, they don’t solicit services that aren’t beneficial to their people, but how can a politician know what someone needs if they don’t listen? Listening to your constituency is a major requirement to maintain a good relationship with “your people.” Once you listen to their problems and suggest a solution to it, these people soon become numbers and the more numbers you get the better it is for you when election time comes around. Sadly, the real numbers that count is dollars. Money is what gets things moving everywhere around the world, and it isn’t any different here in the U.S. If we take one example, there was a recent legislation regarding the LGBT community, their right to legal marriage. They got their well-deserved human right, but at a cost. According to financial documents released from the offices of four republican state senators, they each received $10,300 from Mayor Bloomberg, a strong advocate for gay marriage. Also, one republican senator, Mark Grisanti “who had initially opposed gay marriage, but later changed his mind, had pulled in $50,000 from gay marriage advocates after the vote.”[1] The transparencies amongst the nations legislators are demeaning, when you start looking for the truth and you find it, don’t say we didn’t warn you first.
If you need to make something happen, you’re going to need money. The money you get working for politics isn’t much, but the money you get working from politics can be a lot. An organization in your neighborhood will be willing to contribute to your campaign, if and only if you look out for their interests, hence “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” In a world where money rules everything, this makes politics, on any level, no different at all.
[1] http://gothamist.com/2011/07/14/bloomberg_donates_over_40k_to_gay_m.php
Wealth Gap Between Whites and Latinos-Blacks Hit Record Highs
The wealth gap between whites and each of the nation’s two largest minorities—Hispanics and blacks—has widened to unprecedented levels amid the housing crisis and the recession, according to new research.
The median net worth of white households is 20 times greater than that of black households and 18 times greater than that of Hispanic households, according to an analysis of newly available 2009 government data by the Pew Research Center, an independent think tank.
Leonel, Hipólito, o Amable?
The Asisa Research Group poll published on June 4, 2011 predicts that the top three
candidates for the upcoming 2012 election are president Leonel Fernández, ex-president Hipólito Mejía and Amable Aristy Castro: “… based on 1,900 surveys taken across the whole country, if president Fernández decides to run for re-election he will obtain 74%…If Fernández does not run, Medina would get 39.8%, Cedeño de Fernández, 32.5%, while José Tomás Pérez would obtain 3.3%, Francisco Domínguez Brito, 2.3% and VP Rafael Alburquerque would receive 1.3% of the vote” (Dominican Today). These percentages certainly predict a bright future for Leonel Fernandez; however, this is only to be determined in 2012, as Fernandez’s actions in the current term are certainly key in either persuading or dissuading the general public. Who are you voting for?
