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Che Guevara, who did so much (or was it so little?) to destroy capitalism, is now a quintessential capitalist brand. His likeness adorns mugs, hoodies, key chains, bandannas, couture bags, jeans, herbal tea and, of course, those omnipresent T-shirts with the photograph by Alberto Korda of the socialist heartthrob in his beret during the early years of the revolution as he happened to walk into the photographer's viewfinder -- and into the image that, 38 years after his death, is still the logo of revolutionary (or is it capitalist?) chic. The metamorphosis of Che into a capitalist brand is not...

Scientist: Brazil Nearly Built Atom Bomb By MICHAEL ASTOR, Associated Press Writer Brazil's military continued work on an atomic bomb after it was ordered to scrap the program in 1985 and by 1990 had nearly finished building one, a leading nuclear scientist said. Jose Luiz Santana, the former president of Brazil's nuclear energy commission, known by its Portuguese acronym CNEN, said the military was preparing a test explosion when the program was ultimately dismantled in August 1990. Earlier this month, former President Jose Sarney, who led Brazil's first civilian government after a 1964-85 military dictatorship, told Globo TV that he...

Had Che Guevara not been executed by Bolivians in 1967, he may well be celebrating his 77th birthday this week. Or he may have endured a bloody death at the hands of other enemies. Had he lived, Western college students almost certainly would not be walking around campus mindlessly displaying his likeness on flaming red T-shirts. A dead martyr is much easier to lionize than a living dictator. Though he died nearly 40 years ago, Guevara is still sparking controversy. Rolling Stone magazine reported last week that guitar legend Carlos Santana was protested at his June 1 Miami concert. The...

Millionaire rock and roller, Carlos Santana, was immensely proud of the elegant Che Guevara shirt he wore to the last Academy Awards. (For details see Che at the Oscars) But by wearing the face of a mass-murderer on his torso Mr Santana provoked nary a raised eyebrow, a snide comment, nor a peep of protest from the Mainstream Media. Well, imagine Andy Garcia or Gloria Estefan wearing an elegantly embroidered Augusto Pinochet (who killed far fewer than Che) T-shirt to the Oscars or Grammys. Imagine the squawking.

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- A former employee of the New Santana Band has accused musician Carlos Santana and his wife of firing him for not being "closer to God," according to a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in California. Bruce Kuhlman, 59, said Santana's wife, Deborah, went on a campaign to terminate him after her spiritual guru, "Dr. Dan," determined through "calibration" tests that Kuhlman was too old to become enlightened, the lawsuit, filed on April 13, said. Kuhlman, who began working with Carlos Santana as a personal assistant in 1988, was running the band's licensing operation, River of Colors,...

On Saturday, March 26, 2005, while watching "Viewer Favorites" on your public television station, I was shocked and offended by the singer Eric Burton - formerly of the group "The Animals" - wearing a Che Guevara shirt while performing a song on a segment of your presentation. As a Cuban American, as a writer and a filmmaker, I am acquainted with the Che as a mass murderer who executed, without trial, many Cubans at La Cabaña fortress in Havana as well as in the Sierra Maestra Mountains before 1959.

As a rule, when I write a piece about all the mistakes my newspaper, the L.A. Times, makes, I have to wait a week or even two to compile a selection large enough to make it worth our while. It’s not that they don’t come up with a ready supply on a daily basis. Heck, UPS doesn’t deliver the goods with such regularity. But some of the goofs are simply too boring to mention, as when they get the days and times of certain events wrong or when they simply misspell someone’s name. Sometimes, too, the corrections run even longer...

Did you catch Carlos Santana's grand entrance at the Oscars? Well, the famed guitarist couldn't contain himself. He stopped for the photographers, smiled deliriously and swung his jacket open. TA-DA! There it was: Carlos' elegantly embroidered Che Guevara T-shirt. Carlos' face as the flashbulbs popped said it all. "I'm so COOL!" he beamed. "I'm so HIP! I'm so CHEEKY! So SHARP! So TUNED IN!" Lest we get carried away with merely laughing at your stupidity, I'll pass along the thoughts from Cuban music legend Paquito D'Rivero. He wrote his recent letter to you in Spanish. "My command of English wouldn't...

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Carlos Santana speaks about the world like a benevolent visitor from outside. His views may be romantic and idealistic, but the guitarist is sincere. He was honored as the Latin Grammys person of the year Monday for his dedication to education, the fight against AIDS and other social endeavors. Santana, who won nine Grammys for his 1999 album "Supernatural," talked to The Associated Press about his political views, his upcoming CD and how to absorb accolades without arrogance.

The body of an American man who apparently had drowned was found Wednesday on the Mediterranean coast near the town of Rafah, on the Egyptian-Israeli border. The prosecutor's office in Rafah, which borders the Gaza Strip, said residents had found the body of Paul Edward Santana, 41, and an investigation and autopsy were underway. No further details were available. A spokesman for the US Embassy in Cairo confirmed an American man had been found drowned but was unable to give other details. Rafah residents told the Abu Dhabi satellite television channel that Santana appeared to have been shot in the...

Commando Solo II: Weapons of Mass Persuasion By Gunnery Sgt. Charles Portman, U.S. Central Command Public Affairs Office CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, QATAR, March 19, 2003 -- U.S. Special Operations personnel armed with broadcasting equipment and “the truth” are preparing the Iraqi people and military for a possible U.S.-led strike against Saddam Hussein.  “We call ourselves ‘weapons of mass persuasion,’ ” said Air Force Lt. Col. “Mike,” a Commando Solo II detachment commander. U.S. Central Command officials said the Commando Solo II effort may have played a role with the surrender of 17 Iraqi soldiers earlier today near the border of...

Carlos Santana Wants To Play Baghdad 'We should do concerts over there and show them that we can coexist,' he says. By Jon Wiederhorn Carlos Santana Photo: Arista In an era of suicide bombers and beltway snipers, Carlos Santana hopes to make a difference, converting all the rage into positive, flowing energy. "There's a lot of sickness in this planet, especially with people shooting one another for no reason," Santana said. "There's anger, fear and molestation. There's so much sickness [that] I want to remind listeners that ... everyone has goodness in them. And to me it's important to heal...