March/April 2003 Issue

Mambo Sinuendo

Ry Cooder and Manuel Galbán. | Nonesuch/Perro Verde.

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Continuing the Cuban music odyssey he began to great acclaim on Buena Vista Social Club, Ry Cooder teams with fellow guitarist Manuel Galbán for the delightful Mambo Sinuendo. The stew of influences includes the twang of Duane Eddy, the orchestral drama of Henry Mancini, and the snazzy pop jazz of Perez Prado, whose 1958 hit, “Patricia,” receives an elegant reading. In the spirit of Mexico’s Esquivel, though less goofy, Cooder and Galbán create mood music that refuses to stay in the background. From the seductive “La Luna en Tu Mirada” to the caffeinated “Los Twangueros,” this is delicious fare.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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