Author Archive for Jacob Ertel

‘Self-Deportation’ a Key Feature in the Republican Immigration Platform

August 26, 2012
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‘Self-Deportation’ a Key Feature in the Republican Immigration Platform

This past week at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, Republicans have made it an essencial goal to finalize a party platform on the issue of immigration. Whereas Mitt Romney has softened his stance towards undocumented immigrants over the past few months (claiming that he would "consider" passing a Dream Act for undocumented...
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Criminals Confess to Killings in Mexico

August 25, 2012
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This past Wednesday, authorities in Mexico announced that a group of captured criminals confessed to the killings of five journalists in the state of Veracruz earlier this year, reports the New York Times. One criminal admitted to committing an astounding 36 crimes alone. While this initially may seem like a crucial development, human...
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Farmers’ Protest in Spain Points to Problems of Land Ownership

August 24, 2012
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Farmers’ Protest in Spain Points to Problems of Land Ownership

Earlier this week, hundreds of unemployed farmworkers occupied an empty estate in Hornachuelos, Spain (just miles outside of Seville) to protest the way the high rate of joblessness has been handled in Spain during their economic crisis. According to the New York Times:

The resentment here over land that has been left uncultivated at...
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Vandalism, or Restoration?

August 23, 2012
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Vandalism, or Restoration?

A century-old Jesus fresco, entitled "Ecce Homo," was defiled in a Roman Catholic church in Borja, Spain this past week. The person responsible for such sacrilege? Eighty year-old Cecilia Giménez. According to the New York Times, "the authorities in Borja said they had suspected vandalism at first, but then determined that the shocking...
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Conservatory Students Explore the Spanish Civil War Through Music

August 23, 2012
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Earlier this year, a group of musicians from the Conservatory of Navarra and CTL School of Image and Sound set out to make a unique piece of music. At 24 minutes long, the piece (written for voice, alto saxophone, and percussion) is a sprawling exploration of, as the group puts it, "composition, performance /...
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A New, Fuller Perspective on George Orwell

August 22, 2012
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A New, Fuller Perspective on George Orwell

In a glowing review in the New York Times, writer Dwight Garner praises the newly published 'Diaries,' by George Orwell for exposing a more personal side of the legendary essayist, novelist, and social commentator. As Garner writes:

Among the vivifying things about his “Diaries,” issued now in one volume for the first time,...
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Chilean Documentary Gives Insight into Education and Family During the War

August 21, 2012
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Chilean Documentary Gives Insight into Education and Family During the War

Yesterday director Macarena Aguiló's documentary, entitled "The Chilean Building," premiered in New York City. The documentary focuses on an educational program called Project Home, which was created in the 1970s by members Chile's Revolutionary Left Movement and others who opposed the Pinochet regime. According to the New York Times, "these boys and girls...
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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Continues Her Anti-Immigrant Tirade

August 17, 2012
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Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Continues Her Anti-Immigrant Tirade

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer staunchly defended her position as a stalwart of racism and bigotry in the United States' government this past week, signing into effect an "executive order instructing state officials to deny driver’s licenses and other benefits to young undocumented immigrants who are granted temporary legal status under a new federal program...
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Assange Asylum Controversy Continues

August 16, 2012
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Assange Asylum Controversy Continues

The controversy regarding Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's decision to grant asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange this morning is growing at a rapid pace. According to The Guardian, Assange "took refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct." Ecuadorian officials are...
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Young Undocumented Immigrants Wait for Reprieve

August 16, 2012
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Young Undocumented Immigrants Wait for Reprieve

Yesterday young undocumented immigrants lined up across the country to wait for the opportunity to defer deportation. This event marks the official initiation of President Barack Obama's plan to allow some young undocumented immigrants to apply for reprieve, and could affect as many as 1.7 million people, reports the New York Times....
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