Queen Leonor of Spain

"It´s a girl!"

That´s the buzz here in Madrid after Spanish Princess Letizia Ortiz gave birth to a baby girl early this morning. Princess Leonor, who was born following a cesarean section and weighing in at nearly four kilograms, could become the second in line to the Spanish throne after her father Felipe de Bourbón, the prince of Asturias. That is, of course, if the Socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero makes good on a campaign promise to modify part of the country´s constitution that addresses the royal line of succession.

As of now, the Spanish constitution states that only male heirs can ascend to the Spanish throne. Felipe, the youngest of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia´s three children who was born in 1968, will one day become king, sidestepping his two sisters the infantas Elena and Cristina. Any constitutional change must be put to a vote in a referendum. If approved, Leonor could become the country´s first female head of state since Queen-regent Maria Cristina briefly held the title in the late 19th century when her infant son, the future King Alfonso XXIII, was not of legal age.

Prime Minister Zapatero, a champion of equal rights for all genders in this country, says the constitution must be modified to guarantee that there is no sex discrimination when it comes to the Spanish monarchy. Some analysts warned that if the constitution is changed the infanta Elena would be able to challenge her brother for succession. But Socialist government officials said that the text would be written so that any female heirs would be eligible after Felipe.

Spaniards of all generations love their monarchs. Here, there is no rancor like there is in Britain over complaints that the monarchy is feeding off public coffers with nothing in return. Perhaps because the Spanish king and queen live off a modest stipend in comparison with their British counterparts. King Juan Carlos is also loved and respected because of his role in solidifying and preserving democracy. Next month will mark his 30-year anniversary on the throne. His investiture along with a new era for Spain came following the death of Francisco Franco and the end of four decades of rightwing dictatorship. King Juan Carlos put into motion the foundations for democracy by inviting all political parties to participate in reforming government. The pinnacle of his reign that has earned the monarchy the respect it has today came during tense moments on Feb. 23, 1981. Civil Guard Lt. Col. Antonio Tejero broke in the Chamber of Deputies and fired gunshots in the air in an attempt to seize power. King Juan Carlos went on television to reassure citizens that the Army would obey the constitutional order and not resort to another dictatorship. The following day thousands of Spaniards marched in the street in support of democracy and their king.

Leonor, who may be queen one day, is now part of a great legacy initiated by her grandfather.

Honey, call the exterminator... there´s a rat inside the White House!

Karl Rove, President Bush´s favorite pet, is off the hook for the time being. Apparently, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and the grand jury couldn´t find enough dirt on the guy to indict him for his allege role in helping to expose Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA operative. Or did they?

The voluminous indictment handed up by a grand jury in Washington Friday against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby makes reference to a cooperating government official who apparently helped convince grand jurors that a crime was committed. The special prosecutor during a news conference said that the inquiry was continuing, but declined to say who was still under federal investigation. Rove´s own lawyer told the press that his client would not be indicted but was still not entirely cleared. Could it be that Karl Rove, Bush´s electoral architect, is cooperating in the investigation?

The case against Lewis, Vice President Dick Cheney´s former chief of staff, is a serious one. Perjury and obstruction of justice in a federal inquiry are charges that could mean anywhere between four to eight years in prison depending on the sentencing guidelines. The statutory prison term is about 30 years but, even if he goes to trial and is convicted, it´s very doubtful that he will serve a term that long. If Lewis decides to plead guilty to a lesser charge and cooperate, Fitzgerald could recommend a sentence of house arrest or even probation! This is where the scenario gets a little worrisome for the White House.

Let´s say Lewis intends to cooperate and implicates his former boss, the unflappable Mr. Haliburton, and other White House house officials, it would no doubt be a gargantuan scandal not only for the nation but for the tight-knit Republican hierarchy. (Much like Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" turning against his mob associates.) Friday´s indictment is a screw-turning-on-the-thumbs strategy that federal prosecutors like to use when they can only corner one of their targets. It is a glimpse of the dirt Fitzgerald was so far able to shovel. The unveiling of the indictment serves a purpose in pressuring the defendant, in this case "Scooter" Libby, and convince other potential targets to come forward.

If Karl Rove is ratting, then things aren´t all that cool between Bush and Cheney. If no one in either camp is cooperating now then the pot is still boiling and it is only a matter of time before it spills over.

Who is leaking what?

It is curious how a federal investigation into who was responsible for exposing Valerie Plame as a CIA agent to journalists has become a leak in itself.

The New York Times has been reporting this week, with tremendous accuracy, on the direction of the grand jury inquiry. It quoted "lawyers with knowledge of the investigation" as saying that notes in the hands of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald allegedly show that Vice President Dick Cheney discussed Valerie Plame´s status as a CIA spook with his chief of staff Lewis Libby weeks before she was publicly burned in the press. It isn´t clear whether Vice President Cheney (Mr. Haliburton himself) or Libby actually committed any crime. However, Cheney was quoted in a television interview on NBC in 2003 after Plame was exposed that he didn´t know who she was.

Someone who gave the NYT the information about the notes has to be someone who is working with Fitzgerald. When I covered federal grand jury investigations for The San Juan Star in Puerto Rico, many of my sources were federal investigators. Sometimes these officials get frustrated when they have evidence at hand but cannot pin a certain crime on an individual. They look for other ways to tarnish their would-be target´s image by going to the press. Many reporters, myself included, salivate when they are given something that should otherwise be kept secret, such as evidence presented to a grand jury. All grand jury proceedings are secret. Federal law states that anyone who deals with these proceedings -- prosecutors, FBI agents, court clerks -- can be prosecuted for revealing what happens inside the closed room where a panel of about 16 private citizens meet to weigh in evidence and decide whether or not to indict.

Journalists like to throw out the 1st Amendment when it comes to publishing something about a grand jury. Prosecutors counter that while they believe in the 1st Amendment, their job is to also protect the guarantees of potential criminal defendants, such as preserving their rights to a fair trial and due process. Those constitutional rights thrown in all together outweigh a reporter´s right to know, prosecutors say.

Whether or not Fitzgerald or someone in his office is the source of the NYT article will remain unclear. In any case, Fitzgerald must have known or authorized the leak. Suspicions arose when the article didn´t say that the reporters who covered the story made any attempts to contact Fitzgerald´s office for a comment. News editors, who do have some sense of ethics, know that it´s not right to quote an unidentified source in a story and later say in that same story that that source was unavailable for comment. The editor would be misleading readers into thinking that the unidentified source is a different person. But it happens all the time.

In the meantime, the inquiry is putting the heat on Libby and President Bush´s favorite boy Karl Rove. Just reading the news stories, I am sure they haven´t been sleeping well at night this past week. And who would with the possibility of an indictment and prison time hanging over your head?

Juan Ximenes, a Texas patriot

Juan Ximenes was my great-great-great grandfather who was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1810 and lived there all of his life. He fought for the Republic of Texas at the Storming of Bexar in 1835. The siege was a house-to-house gun battle that took place in early December when Mexican Gen. Martin Perfecto Cos came to San Antonio to set up his headquarters under orders from dictator Antonio López de Santa Ana. The Texian rebels under the command of Ben Milam heeded the call "who will go with ol´ Ben Milam into San Antonio?" Ximenes and about 300 others volunteered. It was a three-day bloody street battle that forced Cos and his men to flee the town when their supplies evaporated and the troops and animals were nearly starved. Milam was killed a few weeks later in another skirmish. In March 1836, Gen. Santa Ana ambushed some 200 volunteers hold out at the Alamo. Ximenes was not among the valiant who perished. But his brother Damasio Ximenes lost his life fighting with the other defenders. In April 1836, Juan N. Seguin, the town´s mayor who became dissatisfied with Santa Ana´s dictatorship, led a group of Mexican volunteers to San Jacinto to fight alongside with Gen. Sam Houston. Ximenes was one of them. The Battle of San Jacinto lasted less about 20 minutes and cost the Mexican dictator many of his men and his country´s northern territory which became the Republic of Texas. You can read more about Juan Ximenes, as well as view early photos of his family, at http://texas.i-found-it.net/ximenes.html

The Counterstrike cyber kids in Madrid

I own a cyber cafe in north Madrid where I, among other things, cater to about several dozen kids who all get together daily to play these fascinating computer games. Included in this group are about a dozen or so young college guys, who still wish they were teenagers, that come in to check out the action as well as their rankings in these competitions that are posted on a cyber scoreboard with players from Germany, the United States, Japan and other countries. I describe these games as "fascinating" because I am amazed on how anyone can sit for hours entralled in a virtual world of Army combat action, violence and extraterrestrial battles. I charge them 5 euros or about $6 for three hours of play time. (Ripping off the kids you might ask? Hey, Europe is expensive!) The most popular game that is played is Counter Strike -- an award winning series of action battles developed by a group of computer wizards from an outfit out of Bellvue, Washington. You can play alone, with others at the cafe or online with pratically anyone in the world. The Madrid cyber kids also like World of Warcraft, Diablo and Jedi Knight Jedi Academy from the Lucas Arts Star War series. Because they connect with their own user names, they select logins that vary with their personalities. "Garnock" is a serious looking boy of about 16 who always dresses in black. He is thrilled when he is playing these games with his friends "Cuervo," a skinny pimplely boy about the same age, and "Lord Fenni," a heavy set lad who completes this unholy trio. The three are very polite and always come in in the early evenings. They say they walk about 20 minutes from their homes to get to my cyber. It makes me feel good that anyone would come so far to come to my business for an escape fantasy. Then on the weekdays, when all good boys should be in school, I get the noisy bunch that consists of "Maxy," "Muchy," "Nachopolitos," and "Spyke." I always know when they are approaching because I can here their running steps as they dash up my sidewalk trying to beat each other to get the best computer in one of the middle slots. My favorite one in the gang is "Muchy." "Muchy" is a small thin good looking boy about 14 with a hair style that would put Duran Duran to shame. When he should be out dating girls and going out to the non-alcohol discos, he rather hang out with his buddies and scream in front of a computer screen. He is very hyperactive and is far from shy. His knowledge about computers and programs is vast. It amazes me how much he knows. Hell, when I was his age I didn´t know how to use the square-root button on my pocket calculator! "Maxy" is the noisiest. He has to scream the loudest to ensure that he is heard, nevermind that his buddies are sitting next to him. Many times, the other clients who are there to check their emails or connect to Hotmail Messenger have to tell him to pipe down. "Maxy" ignores their scolds. "Nachopolitos" is the more mature of the four and maybe the most polite one. He´s taller than the rest and has a personality that won´t quit. He´s dying for me to give him a job at the cyber. "Spyke" is the quiet one. "Nacho" and "Muchy" told me that they think he is "autistic" because he likes to "talk to pigeons!" Now, I don´t know what one thing has to do with the other. But even though I don´t believe what they say and I know that he is far from suffering from any mental problems, I do feel sorry for "Spyke." One afternoon when he came into the cyber by himself when no one was around because it was in the middle of the Spanish siesta, he invited me to play Dawn of War with him. He taught me things that in my 40 years I didn´t ever think I would need to know!!! Yes, we do get females clients but they come in usually to connect to the Internet and prepare their resumes. Those are the ones that bitch the most. My favorite complaint from them is that the computer is not working because a web page is unavailable or cannot log into Hotmail because they forgot their password. I do get this young Jodie Foster type who comes in ocassionally for a piece of the action. She always has her basketball on hand and puts her skateboard in my office for safekeeping while she jabs, stabs and shoots down her boy competitors in this virtual world of blood and violence. Then there is this peculiar group of a young Romanian women who don´t want any of my services but come in one at a time to ask me if I have change for a 100 or a 200 euro bill. Okkaaaaay.... Nothing in this world changes except the language.

The Sony shortwave classic

Much has been posted about the Sony ICF-77 including in a Yahoo web site that is dedicated solely to what is becoming a real classic. I cannot add more to what has been said except my own two bits of what I consider a true winner. Predictably, this may be one of the last of a long line of Sony shortwave receivers now that the company appears to be phasing out its world band consumer market.

During the 1970s, when a lot of us were cutting our own teeth on our first shortwave radio sets, there were very few inexpensive models to choose from sans a few multiband portables that were being sold at different department stores for their capabilities to pick up "the action bands." Some had one or two or, if you were lucky, three shortwave bands in addition to the police, air, weather and CB bands. Other fine receivers put out by Realistic, Panasonic, Sony, Zenith and General Electric were just too much for a teen-ager´s meager $10 a week allowance. I had to wait until I "grew up" and got my own job before I could pay $100 or more.

Then the 1980s rolled in and the Ambassador 2020 became a penchant model. It was a receiver that everyone craved. It was digital with PLL conversion, stable and sensitive. The 2020 was the predecessor to other models such as the DX-440 and the Sangean 803. Meanwhile, Sony was coming out with similar models -- the 2001 which became the predecessor to the now defunct classic 2010.

The ICF-77 made its way into the shortwave scene in the early 1990s and became the company´s high tech portable with a memory page for frequencies and stations that couldn´t be outmatched by any model on the market. The listed price was a hefty $500 but it could be savored by the consumer for about $350 to $400 at some specialty shortwave outlets. What makes the receiver a true classic is its ability to change modes, i.e. single sideband and USB and LSB, with a touch of a button. True, the audio performance isn´t as rich as lets say the DX-440, which sold for less than half the price of the ICF-77. But the radio performs well on the difficult-to-hear bands such as the 60 and the 120 meter bands.

Jay Allen, the ICF-77 expert over at www.radiointel.com posted an interesting review a few weeks back in which he compared his ICF-77 with the new Eton E-1, which combines shortwave and DRM and are being snatched up everywhere as if they were signed Voice of Mongolia QSL cards. He gives the Eton receiver five full moons and says (Yikes!) that it is a better radio than the ICF-77.

Now I am not an electronics lab expert nor do I have the experience that Jay has. And I still have my doubts about this Digital Radio Mondiale thing taking off. But what I do know is that radio receiver technology is changing more so now than ever before. In a few years, I am sure the Eton E-1 will pass on as a novelty of the decade. I hardly doubt it will become a classic receiver like any of the Sony radios. Here in Europe, you can all ready pick up DRM receivers at many department and electronic stores for less than half of what you would pay for an Eton in euros. But then again I think that many consumers still have no idea what DRM all means.

In the meantime, I will continue to fiddle with my ICF-77 -- even though I admit I don´t use all those fancy buttons when I turn the radio on -- and accept it as my main rig. Maybe I am too much of a conservative (not in thinking but in practice) when it comes to changing radios. But a Sony made in Japan is hard to beat.

Sony, I see if sevens have been the lucky roll of the dice.

Puerto Rico -- That oh so fascinating island

When I moved to Puerto Rico in 1992, I was unaware how a small island could be packed with so much news and scandal. I joined the team of The San Juan Star, the island´s only English language daily and perhaps the only unbiased newspaper in Puerto Rico, where I covered government and the federal court system. Puerto Rico, for many who don´t know (and you would be surprised how many in the United States are unaware) is a U.S. commonwealth or territory, mind you. In short, it´s governed by federal law with the U.S. departments and agencies retaining jurisdiction over most island matters. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens but do not pay federal income taxes nor are they eligible to vote in the presidential elections. The irony of the matter is that if a Puerto Rican moves to a stateside location or even a foreign country the islander then has a responsiblity to the IRS and is eligible to vote for president. There are many characterizations and incorrect stereotypes of puertorriqueños that I will not touch on them here. I will dare to say that, like in most places, you can divide the community into two camps -- the honest and hardworking citizen and the corrupt and greedy private manager or public official. Corruption, unfortunately, has been the source of the island´s current problems. The present government is dealing with a huge budget deficit stemming from runaway spending by offsetting it with a more than 100 percent whopping rise in public service fees. This has islanders up in arms. It wasn´t until about six years ago that the surmounting problem of corruption was made public when the U.S. Justice Department began a series of investigations into a pattern of government-contracts-for-kickbacks schemes at a number of island public offices and agencies. These violations of the Hobbs Act permanently scarred the pro-statehood New Progressive Party which, through its once-charasmatic leader Gov. Pedro Rosselló, was on a fast track to modernize the island through massive construction and public works projects. Top ranking party officials including Education Secretary Victor Fajardo Vélez and House Speaker Edison Misla Aldarrondo are serving long terms at different federal prisons following their convictions on Hobbs Act, money laundering and other violations of the U.S. criminal code. Even Rosselló´s private secretary, Marí­a de los Angeles Rivera Rangel, better known as Angie, who worked with Rosselló for the eight years he was in office, is serving a four-year term for receiving kickbacks from businessmen in exchange for easing their way to see the governor and other government officials. A mousy woman in her early 50s who always took backstage to the governor, Rivera Rangel has always maintained her innocence. Corruption activities stooped so low during the Rosselló period when another dozen individuals were convicted and went to jail for stealing federal money that was destined to treat HIV/AIDS patients. One of these now imprisoned personalities is the patriarch of one of the island´s wealthiest families and influential New Progressive Party cash contributor, Luis E. Dubón. Now in his 70s, the multi-billionaire Dubón is serving a five year federal sentence for receiving a mere $10,000 in what became known as the San Juan AIDS Institute scandal. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his conviction. As the scandals progressed, intrigued but embarassed Puerto Ricans were unwillingly treated to a juicy story line which was better than any writer could put to script in a Latin American soap opera. But the last chapter remains unwritten. And, depending who you speak with, the question still surfaces as to when the feds will close in on Pedro Rosselló A once prized boy of the National Democractic Party, Rosselló was the epitome of the generation of young leaders a la Bill Clinton that embarked on the country in the 1990s. Abandoned by the Democrats, the now local senator from Arecibo district still commands massive support from a good section of his local New Progressive Party who want him to wrest the senate presidency from his once long time cohort Kenneth McClintock. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney´s Office on two ocassions had to make unusual public statements that Rosselló was not the subject or target of any investigation. These came when the press published corroborated statements from sources in federal inquries that implicated Rosselló in various schemes, including opening a secret bank account in Panama. (The then-governor had a special relationship with then-Pananamanian President Ernesto Balladares; both were college roommates at Notre Dame in 1960s.) Still, in an ongoing contract-for-kickback inquiry in a waterworks project that led to the indictments of Rosselló´s former campaign manager Dr. Rene Váquez Botet and former New Progressive Party secretary general Marcos Morell, federal investigators continue to ask witnesses whether they know if Rosselló had knowledge of any of the crimes going on while he was governor. Váquez Botet and Morell will go on trial next year. This time the U.S. government´s inquiry is being led by a team of prosecutors from the U.S. Justice Department in Washington. In a dramatic move, they have asked the federal judge in the case Juan Pérez Giménez to recuse himself because they believe he is politically biased and because he has postponed the trial on different occasions without good reason. A controversial figure on the local scene, Judge Pérez Giménez has never hidden his pro-statehood views. He was once chastised by the Judicial Conference in 1980 for speaking in favor of statehood during a July 4 celebration. Rosselló, a former pediatric surgeon who gave up his scapel for politics more than a decade ago, has not been charged with any crime. But the implications and the allegations are there. It´s only a matter of time before Puerto Ricans will learn the final chapter of their long homebrewed telenovela -- whether the main character turns out to be a sympathic hero, a victim of vicious lies and deceit of those around him, or whether he is a common protagonist of a Greek tragedy who is doomed by his own ambitions. It is such a fascinating island, indeed.