Stories about Spanish from December, 2011
Chile: Neighbors and Netizens Unite to Save Concon Dunes
After 20 years of struggle against the construction of a real-estate project on a delicate and unique ecosystem called the Concon Dunes, neighbors and netizens have united their voices to continue the protest on the day the development company started closing in on this nature sanctuary.
Chile: Netizens Report and React to Torres del Paine Wildfire
For days, a wildfire has been consuming thousands of hectares in national park Torres del Paine in Chile's Patagonia. Netizens are sharing reports and reacting to the news through #salvemostorresdelpaine...
Argentina Tech Blogger Looks into ‘Death’ of Blogs
Technology blogger Mariano Amartino [es] reacts to the post “The Golden Age of Tech Blogging is Over” by Jeremiah Owyang. He points out the irony that posts about “the death...
Colombia: Salsa Song Criticizes Bus Rapid Transport System
A salsa song and video documents the suffering that travelling in the Transmilenio public transportation system of Bogota represents for its users.
Dominican Republic: The History of Bachata
Deepak Lamba Nieves, PhD student who investigates Dominican transnational migration, writes about the show in Boston of famous bachata singer Luis Miguel del Amargue, and also about the history of this...
Cuba: The First Book on Afro-Cuban Women
NegraCubana interviews Daysi Rubiera and Inés María Martiatu [es], authors of the first comprehensive book on the “history, thought, and cultural practices” of Afro-Cuban women.
Puerto Rico: The Latest from El Macabeo
Orlando Vélez from the blog El Punto [es] interviews the lead singer of the salsa band Orquesta El Macabeo [es] about their most recent album “El Entierro” (The Burial).
Puerto Rico: Investigating Monsanto
The Center of Investigative Journalism published a three-part series on the little known operation in Puerto Rico of the multinational biotechnology corporation Monsanto, the principle producer of genetically engineered seeds.
Cuba: Waiting for Change
Yasmín Portales writes that she is still waiting for radical changes [es] and different governance strategies and practices in Raúl Castro's Cuba.
Cuba: LGBT Rights on the Way
Blogger and LGBT activist Paquito el de Cuba writes about the lastest news on the status of the bill [es] that will amend the Family Act in Cuba to include...
Cuba: #Twittsaneo
The blog El Microwave writes about the initiative #Twitsaneo [es], convened originally by El Taburete [es] and organized by a group of avid Cuban twitter users. #Twitsaneo was the name...
Puerto Rico: The Local Music Scene Live
The music blog Puerto Rico Indie has launched “Archipiélago,” a series of videos of live sessions of some of the “best artists in the local music scene” in Puerto Rico....
Puerto Rico: Redefining Gender
Jorge “Yoryie” Irizarry embarks on a personal reflection on gender [es] and homosexuality.
‘Developing Latin America': Open Data Projects
The 'Desarrollando Latin América' (Developing Latin America) competition, a public hackathon for creating technological solutions to education, security and budgetary problems in six countries in the region, took place on the 3rd and 4th of December. Juan Arellano, who acted as a judge in Lima (Peru), summarises the results and the reactions from the participants.
Peru: Afro-Peruvian Christmas Music
Christmas, a Christian celebration that arrived in Perú with the Spaniards at the beginning of the sixteenth century, was adapted over the years by different Peruvian communities. The black community also managed to incorporate its own individuality in the festivities, expressing its particular experiences in the artistic creations made to honor the holiday.
Costa Rica: Numerous Sectors Oppose Government Tax Plan
At the moment, the biggest priority for the Costa Rican government is to approve the "Tax Solidarity" (Solidaridad Tributaria) tax plan. However, various sectors of society, political parties and businessmen have declared their strong opposition to it.
Peru: Blogger Discusses Discrimination in Interview with Indigenous Peruvians
Blogger Carlos Quiroz from Peruanista interviewed three indigenous Peruvians living in Lima, including Julián Apaza, whose brother, Ricardo Apaza, recently suffered from discrimination at a Lima movie theater. In the...
Colombia: Vigil for the Release of Hostages
On December 23, Las Voces del Secuestro [es] (“Voices of Kidnappings”) called for a ‘great vigil for the release of hostages’ [es], which “has as its main point of concentration...
Chile: If You Are a Maid, Identify Yourself
Class discrimination or simple rules of a private club? A golf club's regulation forbidding maids or nannies to enter the pool zone and forcing them to dress so they can be clearly identified has sparked numerous reactions in the Chilean cyberspace.
Cuba: Dance Flash Mob in Plaza Vieja
To celebrate the end of the year long activities around the 20 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Unicef, ballet and dance students worked together to...
Bolivia: Citizen Journalism Contest Winners Announced
Ahora Bolivia and the Center for Participation and Sustainable Human Development (CEPAD) organized a citizen journalism contest which lasted from October 20 to December 1. You can read the three...
