cartels

Turmoil and violence in Mexico, both past and present provide the themes this week on "Latin Pulse."  The program discusses the impact of Mexico's drug cartels on the agricultural sector including the trade in limes and avocados. The program analyzes the impact of the Knights Templar cartel on the Mexican state of Michoacan and how the government is trying to fight the violence that cartel breeds. The program also includes a retrospective discussion of the Zapatista revolt, 20 years later.  The news segment of the program covers the changes in Brazil this week regarding regulation of the internet.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:


Steven Dudley of InSightCrime.org; and
Jorge Luis Sierra, Mexican journalist.  

Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell; 
Associate Producer: Megan Ekhaml; and
Writer: Elyssa Pachico. 

The graphic is by Silenthill02 via WikiMedia Commons using a Creative Commons license: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Movimiento_templario.png

“Latin Pulse” is produced at American University’s School of Communication. This program is sponsored by the university’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS), in association with Link TV.

http://www.american.edu/soc/
http://www.american.edu/clals/latin-pulse.cfm


Mexico: The Knights Templar Cartel & the Zapatista Revolt 20 Years Later (Lp4252014)

This week, "Latin Pulse" dives into the Drug War.  The program explores two of the most important fronts in that war: Mexico and Venezuela.  The segment of the program on Mexico gives an overview of the condition of various cartels and why the strategy to focus on drug kingpins has mostly failed. The segment on Venezuela focuses on the ties between Venezuela's military and the drug trade. The news segment of the program gives the latest information about the controversy surrounding 43 missing university students in Mexico and whether they were massacred by police and drug cartels colluding together.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Jo Tuckman of The Guardian;
Jeremy McDermott of InSight Crime.

Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell; 
Producer: Jim Singer; and
Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

The photo of Mexican marines on patrol is from Wikimedia Commons and is in the public domain:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War

The program is produced at Webster University: www.webster.edu/


The Drug War: Analysis of the Front Lines in Mexico & Venezuela (Lp11142014)

Violence, crime and national security provide the themes this week on Latin Pulse. First, the program reviews security in Mexico, and discusses the rise of various cartels, especially the Sinaloa Cartel.  Another in-depth part of the program deals with the crisis in El Salvador due to the involvement of street gangs in a transportation strike. Both segments discuss how the central governments in these countries do not have the power to stop the criminal groups. The news segment of the program covers the border crisis between Venezuela and Colombia due to unauthorized immigration, violence and the influence of criminal groups.


The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Jo Tuckman of The Guardian;
and
Hector Silva of American University's Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS).

Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell; 
Technical Director: Jim Singer; and
Associate Producer: Natalie Ottinger.



The photo is of cocaine bricks stamped with a scorpion, a sign associated with the Sinaloa Cartel according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The photo is from the DEA and is in the public domain.

Produced for release on Aug. 28, 2015.


Crime & Violence in Mexico & El Salvador (Lp8282015)

Narconomics by Tom Wainwright on Audible:
   http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B01CUKUMCI&source_code=AUDORWS0311169GIW


Get this audiobook for free when you try Audible:
 http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B01CUKUMCI&source_code=AUDORWS0311169GIW
    

Summary:

What drug lords learned from big business.

How does a budding cartel boss succeed (and survive) in the $300 billion illegal drug business? By learning from the best, of course. From creating brand value to fine-tuning customer service, the folks running cartels have been attentive students of the strategy and tactics used by corporations such as Walmart, McDonald's, and Coca-Cola.

And what can government learn to combat this scourge? By analyzing the cartels as companies, law enforcers might better understand how they work - and stop throwing away $100 billion a year in a futile effort to win the "war" against this global, highly organized business.

Your intrepid guide to the most exotic and brutal industry on earth is Tom Wainwright. Picking his way through Andean cocaine fields, Central American prisons, Colorado pot shops, and the online drug dens of the Dark Web, Wainwright provides a fresh, innovative look into the drug trade and its 250 million customers.

The cast of characters includes "Bin Laden", the Bolivian coca guide; "Old Lin", the Salvadoran gang leader; "Starboy", the millionaire New Zealand pill maker; and a cozy Mexican grandmother who cooks blueberry pancakes while plotting murder. Along with presidents, cops, and teenage hit men, they explain such matters as the business purpose for head-to-toe tattoos, how gangs decide whether to compete or collude, and why cartels care a surprising amount about corporate social responsibility.

More than just an investigation of how drug cartels do business, Narconomics is also a blueprint for how to defeat them. 

Buy on Audible

Narconomics by Tom Wainwright, Narrated by Brian Hutchison

On Mexico's independence day Latin Pulse focuses this week on key themes for the country: the Drug War, national security, immigration, corruption, justice, and of course, politics. The program includes an in-depth interview tracking the effects of the visit of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump to Mexico.  The program also looks at a new violent uptick in the Drug War, with clashes between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Nueva Generacion Jalisco Cartel. The news segment of the program covers new indictments against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the popular former president of Brazil often just called Lula.


The program includes an in-depth interview with:


Maureen Myer of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA). 


Executive Producer: Rick Rockwell; and
Associate Producer: Jim Singer. 


The photo of Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto is from the Cuban government and is in the public domain.


“Latin Pulse” is produced at Webster University’s School of Communications: www.webster.edu/communications/


Rick Rockwell's Album

Mexico: The Drug War, Corruption & Politics (Lp9162016)

Matt Giroveanu, Rachel Bouton, and Kiki Mikkelson improvise a love song in Vern’s Audible special, "A Very Improvised Holiday Musical".  The prompt for the special was to create a new holiday on the spot, and the live audience chose “pickles” as the celebratory food, “periwinkle and maroon” as the holiday’s colors, and “the poop emoji” as the sacred symbol (Oh, millennials). But the resulting musical is surprisingly sweet.
 
Listen to the FULL holiday special on Audible: http://tinyurl.com/VernSpecial

Listen on Audible

A Very Improvised Holiday Musical (Teaser Clip)

Exclusively on Audible, an original audio documentary narrated by award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker.

It’s always hard to make the crowd laugh — especially when joking about war, PTSD, and mental health. Strong Ending follows three military veterans as they attempt to turn their most painful stories into laughs by participating in a stand-up comedy boot camp.

After joining the military, deploying to combat zones, and coming home fundamentally changed, Michael Garvey, Isaura Ramirez, and Patrick Harth challenge themselves to share their stories on stage and perform original stand up-comedy about their experiences for a packed house.

Narrated by Emmy and Tony award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker and featuring interviews with professional comedians Rob Riggle (The Daily Show, The Hangover) and Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite, Arrested Development), Strong Ending explores the science behind the healing power of laughter and the role of military-comedies in popular culture.

Is laughter really the best medicine? Listen to find out: Audible.com/StrongEnding

Strong Ending  - Maria Bamford on Mental Health & Comedy (clip)

Strong Ending - Rob Riggle On Comedy (clip)

Featuring Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy, Eliza Skinner.

In this scene excerpt from a live cast reading, alien commander 9-Krelblax orders his navigator, Zzarvon, to set a course for the Big Dipper but things get off track pretty quickly.

Download and listen to the full Audible Original, "The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe", at Audible.com/PoleVault!

The Pole Vault Championship - Live from SF Sketchfest - Navigating the Stars

6. I Wish I Was Sober (Kevin Devine & Julien Baker)

5. 400 Bones (Kevin Devine)

Audible is audio entertainment that educates, entertains, and inspires. Our unmatched selection of audiobooks and original premium podcasts feature performances by unforgettable narrators and A-list celebrities. Listen anywhere, anytime with our free Audible app.

Narconomics by Tom Wainwright, Narrated by Brian Hutchison

Audible

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