FIFA official date

• USA 2-0 Mexico (Again... the team needs more than a winning mentality to win)
• Scotland 2-2 Finland (Interesting usage of new players by both teams)
  
• Belgium 0-2 Czech Republic (Belgium still seems to have forgotten how to play)
• UK 0-1 Spain (Horrible game, great goal by Iniesta)
• France 0-1 Argentina (Most entertaining match overall last night)

3 films by Mexican directors nominated for the Oscars

Babel received 7 nominations (including best director and best picture), El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labrynth) 6 (including best foreign language film) and Children of Men 3.

I found the best quote about the three movies in a Brazilian website:

"Del Toro, Alejando González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón are examples of movie makers that never stopped giving their own touch to their productions, regardless of being tied to big studios. Coincidentially, or not, all three are nationals of a country that still today is treated with disdain by the Americans. The prejudices won't end any time soon, but their talent and their success is the best answer."

In other news, the Spanish are also happy. Penélope Cruz is also nominated for best actress, some Spanish documentaries are in the fray, and the possible success of Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labrynth) is also theirs, as a big part of the staff and all of the actors are Spanish.

Gustavo Santaolalla from Argentina created the score for Babel, and he's also in the running.

I hope they all win, but of course the competion is tough.

Current Mexican rock scene

Another article in the Rock en Español series.

In the last 6 years there has been an explosion of so-called indie rock bands in Mexico, giving it a very active scene. As has been the case before, some bands from other countries have also been performing in festivals such as the Vive Latino or Rock en Exa.

The rock scene in Mexico had been strongly supported in Mexico City with magazines such as Rock and Roll and radio stations such as the defunct Rock 101, Radioactivo and now Reactor. The latter released during the past two years a series of until now 4 EPs with the independent bands they have given airplay to called "¿Cuál es tu Rock? Mi primera caja de música" and they have been warmly received by a young public avid of new music. I have them all and heartily recommend them.

The bands included are (all are links to their Myspace profiles, where you can listen to their music):

• Los Búnkers
• Plastilina Mosh
• Instituto Mexicano del Sonido
• Lady Bombón
• The Cosmetics
• Réplica
• Furland
• De Saloon
• Yokozuna
• Abeja
• Vainilla
• La Live Band
• Subdivisión
• Álbum
• Turbo
• Comando Groovy
• Nortec Collective
• Quiero Club
• Lasser Moderna
• Los Dynamite
• Lost Acapulco
• Niña
• Telefunka
• The John
• Monocordio
• Chikita Violenta
• Fatalist
• Ghaia
• Twin Tones
• Chicote
• Hugo
• El Hombre Bala
• Los Gatos
• Entre Ríos
• Fenómeno Fuzz
• L. Camorra
• Los Abandoned
• Mario
• Los Fancy Free
• Veo Muertos
• Porter
• Pastilla
• Austin TV
• Los Látigos
• María Daniela y su Sonido Lasser
• Columpio Asesino
• Golden Rainbow Kid
• Victoria Mil
• Hummersqueal
• Vaquero
• Phono
• Cahuenga
• Volován
• San Pascualito Rey

Funnily enough, not all of them are Mexican, and neither do they all sing in Spanish, but that's the kind of music that has been making the rounds there in the past couple of years.

More background on the current indie scene from El Universal.

Constitución de Cádiz

Juro que no sé por qué siempre que hablo con algún amigo catalán o valenciano que conozca un poco de historia siempre terminamos hablando sobre la Constitución de Cádiz. Ésta fue la primera constitución liberal en el reino español, la cual reconocía "Las Españas" como partes integrales del reino, ya estuvieran éstas en la península o en ultramar. ¿Por qué es esto importante? Porque algunos historiadores piensan que si la constitución de Cádiz no hubiera sido prohibida por Fernando VII, las colonias americanas no se habrían independizado (p.ej. algo que muchos mexicanos no saben es que la guerra de independencia de México empezó como una protesta contar el rey, no contra España), y sin forzar demasiado la imagiación se puede llegar a pensar que viviríamos en una especie de confederación, en lugar de ser el cúmulo de países descoyuntados que somos. No sé si sea plausible dado un entorno histórico que contiene tanto la revolución francesa como la estadounidense ni tampoco si estuviéramos mejor o peor, pero es interesante pensarlo.