Guest Voz - Michael Lopez: Mexican Icon Cantinflas To Be Honored On 100th Birthday

Guest Voz - Michael Lopez from Blogamole: Sure Cantinflas never won an Academy Award or grossed a billion dollars at the box office, but that doesn't mean his cinematic impact wasn't felt. In fact, many regard the Mexican movie star as a cultural icon on the same level as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. And in his home country, millions are planning to honor his memory as his 100th birthday approaches next month.

Born into an impoverished family, Mario Moreno started his career as a local prizefighter. From there, he branched off into circus performing and eventually film and television. After adopting the stage name Cantinflas, he became world famous for channeling the role of a comedic underdog in over 50 Spanish films. He even made his way to Hollywood, earning a Golden Globe for his part in 1956's Around The World In 80 Days. Cantinflas received numerous lifetime achievement awards before his death in 1993 and has become even more iconic since. And as his big centennial celebration approaches, you can expect even more Cantinflas news and merchandise circulating to the masses.
Mexico City is choosing to honor Cantinflas by erecting over 125 of his paintings and photographs throughout its busiest districts. His son Mario Moreno Ivanova is also closely involved with the celebration and seemed very excited about kicking off the festivities.

"Estoy aquí presente para recordar a mi papá para iniciar los homenajes este día, no importa quién los haga; mientras sea homenajeado y sea recordado y celebrado, para mí es un honor," he stated.
But don't think the honors stop there. Throughout the country, there will ongoing screenings of popular Cantinflas films, commemorative stamps, and a new pictorial book with personal Moreno anecdotes. And stateside Cantinflas fans are in for a big treat too. Former NBC head Ben Silverman is currently working on a big budget biopic of the actor, which will be directed by Alejandro Monteverde.

Are you a fan of Cantinflas? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

U.S. Oil Companies partnered with Mexico Drug Cartels to steal $43 Million in Oil from Mexican Government pipelines!

Unbelievable Breaking News: U.S. Oil Companies partnered with Mexico Drug Cartels to steal $43 Million in Oil from Mexican Government pipelines. This article should be on the front page of every newspaper! These oil companies executives should go to prison -- throw away the keys! You wonder where the Drug Cartels received their money? From crooked U.S. Executives!!!
Fort Worth Star Telegram Reports:
MEXICO CITY — U.S. refineries bought millions of dollars worth of oil stolen from Mexican government pipelines and smuggled across the border, the U.S. Justice Department told The Associated Press — illegal operations led by Mexican drug cartels expanding their reach. Criminals, mostly drug gangs, tap remote pipelines, sometimes building pipelines of their own, to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil each year, said the Mexican oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex. At least one U.S. oil executive has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in such a deal.

The U.S. Homeland Security department is scheduled today to return $2.4 million to Mexico’s tax administration, the first batch of money seized during a binational investigation into smuggled oil that authorities expect to lead to more arrests and seizures. "The United States is working with the Mexican government on the theft of oil," said Nancy Herrera, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Houston. "It’s an ongoing investigation, with one indictment so far."

In that case, Donald Schroeder, president of Houston-based Trammo Petroleum, is scheduled to be sentenced in December after pleading guilty in May. In a $2 million scheme, Schroeder bought stolen Mexican oil that had been brought across the border in trucks and barges and sold it to various U.S. refineries, which she did not identify, Herrera said. Trammo’s tiny firm profited by about $150,000 in the scheme, she said.

Schroeder’s attorneys said in an e-mail that neither they nor their client would respond to AP’s requests for comment. Bill Holbrook, spokesman for the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, said a single indictment against a small company should not be used to smear the reputation of the entire U.S. oil industry "and is not indicative of how domestic refiners operate." But in Mexico, federal police commissioner Rodrigo Esparza said the Zetas, a fierce drug gang aligned with the Gulf cartel, used false import documents to smuggle at least $46 million worth of oil in tankers to unnamed U.S. refineries.

Mexico froze 149 bank accounts this year in connection with that crime, which continues at a record rate, according to Pemex.

This New Swine Flu Reminds Me of Reye's Syndrome of the Past! Please Take Early Prevention Measures!

When my oldest son was a baby, there was a terrible flu-virus like disease going around. It attacked little children and old people. They called it Reye's syndrome. This was primarily a good old American disease although it occurred in other places too. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, studies in Ohio, Michigan and Arizona pointed to the use of aspirin during an upper respiratory tract or chickenpox infection as a possible trigger of the syndrome. The CDC cautioned doctors and parents about the association between Reye’s syndrome and the use of aspirin in children and teenagers with chickenpox or viruslike illnesses. Like other parents, I was very cautious about this disease and stopped using baby aspirin completely. As careful as I was, my son still developed the flu in 1980 and it lingered. He became sicker. This was over a weekend so I took him to the emergency room twice. Both times they sent me away saying I was over protective. I was so insistent however that on my final trip they finally gave him an antibiotic shot and provided me suppositorities to keep his temperature down overnight and they also said I should take him to his pediatrician in the morning. We sat up all night giving him cold baths and the suppository to keep his temperature down. When we walked into the Pediatrician's office, he knew right away. My son had Meningitis, NOT Reye's Syndrome. My son stayed in the hospital for two weeks to recieve his full treatment. The doctors said it was lucky he received the shot and suppository the 1st night and the cold baths. This precaution prevented him from developing brain damage and death. Though it took two weeks for his complete recovery, my baby was saved!

I share this with you because there is a new flu-virus that may become a pandemic and we should all be on the alert for our family's sake. Please take every precaution. This flu is called the swine flu. It has hit Mexico and they currently have a death toll of 149. CDC / News reports indicate this is a particularly severe version of the flu. This version not only impacts children and the elderly, but many of the early victims were young adults and some adults from 25 - 37. Adults who were in good health and strong. This flu is following the same pattern that emerged during the 1918-1919 Spanish influenza epidemic, which killed at least 50 million people, and it remains unexplained in that case as well. One theory is that the virus triggers an excessively aggressive immune response that destroys the throat and lung tissue.

Researchers are saying that one reason people have died in Mexico as opposed to the U.S. (which has had several cases but no fatalities) is that similar to Reye's syndrome, it is NOT the flu that kills you, it is the After-Flu "super-infection" that kills you. This is a new virus that no one has seen before. It must be taken seriously and treated immediately. In Mexico, apparently the early victims did not address their illnesses quickly enough.

However, this has changed. The entire nation has made solving this crisis their main priority. President Calderón has given Mexico a national lesson on public health, instructing people to wash their hands regularly, wear surgical masks, cover their mouths when they cough and avoid sharing food. Officials in Mexico City have handed out 6 million masks.

In the U.S., Janet Napolitano, the head of the Dept of Homeland Security, and the CDC are holding press conferences every day at 3pm ET to provide U.S. updates on what is happening with this Flu virus. Today she advised that the CDC/DHS are in close communications with Mexico, their officials/health officials. Mexico and the U.S. are partnering in sharing information and developing solutions. Napolitano has asked that for the time being, travel to Mexico should be limited. Border/Airport/Port security is on the alert to watch for anyone who may be entering the country with the flu. They will be advised to seek medical treatment and asked to postpone their trips to the U.S. The key to this illness is receiving medical treatment very quickly. It is not the flu, it is the after-flu superinfection that is causing the deaths. The CDC is also monitoring all flu activity across the nation.

Napolitano also advised that we all be pro-active in mitigating the impact of the flu. Primarily, if you feel the flu coming on, seek treatment. Do not go to populated places. Cover your mouth when you sneeze. She advised we access the CDC website and take the listed precautions.

From the CDC website:

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.
. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.

. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
. If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

References:

Mexico Raises Swine Flu Death Toll to 149

Map of Swine Flu Cases

Obama Pledges Long and Lasting Friendship with Mexico!

President Obama & President Calderon met yesterday. Obama said, “The friendship between the U.S. and Mexico has been strong. I believe it can be even stronger.”
After the meeting, an Obama spokesman said Obama pledged to find ways to work with Mexico to:
. Reduce drug-related violence
. Stop the flow of arms from the U.S. to Mexico
. Improve Immigration Issues
. Improve NAFTA
. Support stronger labor and environmental concerns.

Obama is making plans for a second visit with Calderon later this month to continue these conversations.