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Chicano Park gets makeover SAN DIEGO— Artists restore cultural paintings in Chicano Park. “As a young artist I remember coming to San Diego and thinking ‘gosh I wish I could have a mural up at Chicano park,’” painter Mario Chacon said. The bright art pieces have brought people to Chicano Park since the 1970’s, but time has taken it’s toll. Thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the federal government, 18 of the murals are being restored. The artists working on the restoration said each painting has significant symbolism. “What was placed at the top of the mural was a...

Viva la gaffe... Mercedes-Benz apologises for using image of Che Guevara to promote 'revolutionary' car sharing programme (Viva la revolucion: Mercedes Benz used an iconic image of Marxist revolutionary leader Che Guevara to promote a new ride-share initiative) Che Guevara, the famous Argentinian-born revolutionary and military theorist, wore many hats – including that of physician, author, and guerrilla leader. But he almost certainly never wore one with a Mercedes-Benz logo. The high-end car company, known for its impeccable - and pricey - motor vehicles, used the late leader to promote a new car-sharing program, much to the horror of Cuban...

Students Fight to Keep UCSD Landmark Open SAN DIEGO -- A group of UCSD students is fighting to keep an eccentric landmark open. "It's that one last place at UCSD that sort of exudes that college atmosphere," said Alex Peterson, UCSD student. "It sort of represents the revolutionary, liberal, young college student." The Che Cafe opened in 1980 as a co-operative run by students and volunteers. It was named after Ernesto "Che" Guevara, an Argentinian doctor who was a major figure of the Cuban revolution. It's one of the oldest structures on campus. Built in 1960, the building was turned...

Che Guevara spawns tourism industry with 'Che Trail' In life, Ernesto "Che" Guevara fought to overthrow a corrupt, capitalist elite. In death, he is spawning his own tourism industry – soon to include a three-country "Che Trail." Tourism officials in Argentina, Cuba and Bolivia are collaborating on a historic route that will allow Guevara buffs to retrace the footsteps of the Argentine medical student turned revolutionary in Cuba who was killed in a failed mission to foment an uprising in Bolivia. Bolivia's vice minister of tourism, Marco Antonio Peredo, said that the international "Caminos del Che" trail will include sites...

The Curse Of Che Guevara By Jens Glüsing Legendary Argentinian guerrilla fighter Ernesto "Che" Guevara was shot dead in Bolivia 40 years ago. Some worship him like a saint, while others credit him with the power to take revenge on his killers from beyond the grave. The man who shot the most famous guerrilla fighter of all time lives in Bolivia's largest city, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, in a typical middle-class neighborhood. The street is quiet and located close to Avenida Paraguay, one of the main thoroughfares in the sprawling city. The man who lives here is 68 years...

Lock of Che Guevara's hair to be sold Mon Sep 3, 12:51 PM ET MIAMI - A former CIA operative and Cuban exile plans to auction what he says is a lock of Che Guevara's hair, snipped before the Argentinian revolutionary and friend of Fidel Castro was buried in 1967. Gustavo Villoldo, 71, was involved in Guevara's capture in the jungles of Bolivia, according to unclassified U.S. records and other documents. He plans to auction the hair and other items kept in a scrapbook since the joint CIA-Bolivian army mission 40 years ago. "It's time for me to put the...

Tinseltown Deifies a Mass Murderer By IGS IGS | July 30, 2007 Not content with only one disingenuous biography of mass executioner Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Hollywood's now got plans for another Che-flattering flick. In Tinseltown, historical reality routinely loses out to radical chic. The real lowdown is that Guevara helped Castro come to power in Cuba and personally carried out executions for him. The same group that wanted California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to stop the execution of multiple murderer Tookie Williams because of opposition to capital punishment have no problem walking around in Che T-shirts, despite the fact that on...

Che Guevara: Mass Murderer and Coward By Jamie Glazov FrontPageMagazine.com June 13, 2007 Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Cuban-born Humberto Fontova, who left Cuba in 1961 at age seven, has written for several conservative magazines and is the author of Fidel: Hollywood's Favorite Tyrant. He has appeared on many radio and television shows and is active in the Cuban American community. He is the author of the new book Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him. FP: Humberto Fontova, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Fontova: It's my pleasure. Let's face it: how many media outlets are...

Say it with Che May 5, 2007 A global youth icon, reviled and adored across borders, finds space in living rooms and wardrobes in Mumbai. Nilosree Biswas explores the lighter side of a revolutionary “It’s art, buddy” says Meenakshi Patel, 19, of the Che Guevara tank top that she is wearing. “You do it to get reactions, to make a statement. That’s the art part.” For a Latin American revolutionary who died fighting for the Marxist cause, Guevara has been marketed in the unlikeliest of places. His picture glares out at you from T- shirts, handbags, sweatshirts and even thongs....