Stories about Spanish from July, 2012
Costa Rica: Video Love Note Gets Vice-Minister Dismissed
The Costa Rican Vice-Minister of Youth Karina Bolaños was removed from her post by the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla after a video showing an underwear clad vice minister sending a love note to a lover was made public and spread through the web. Reactions to this news are quite varied: from censure to the Vice-Minister for making a video and not taking care to erase it, to rejection of all those who continued to spread the video and finally, repudiation to the President for removing the vice-minister from her post as if she were not the victim of this whole affair.
Ecuador: Sarayaku.org, Blogging from the Amazon
José Santi, 27, is one of the administrators of the blog Sarayaku.org. The blog contains information about the Sarayaku people, who live in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and their fight against exploitation in their territory. In this interview José tells us about the blog and the case that his people has brought to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights against the state of Ecuador.
Argentina: Citizens Mobilize for Guide Dog Law
Blind and visually impaired people in Argentina are facing difficulties in accessing public spaces accompanied by a guide dog. Maximiliano Marc and other citizens have resorted to the web to lobby for a national law defending the rights of the visually impaired.
Guatemala: Mining Community Organizes Peoples’ Health Tribunal
For years, the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán in Guatemala has been denouncing the negative consequences of Goldcorp's Marlin gold mine. On July 14 and 15, members of the community joined other international organizations to form a 'Peoples' International Health Tribunal.' In the first post in this two-part series, we introduce the Health Tribunal and also highlight the local efforts of the San Miguel Ixtahuacán community .
Cuba: Yanet Bermoy Wins First Medal for Cuba in London Olympics
Cuban judoka, Yanet Bermoy has won the first medal for Cuba in the London 2012 Olympics. Cuba's blogosphere is buzzing about the win
Guatemala: Microsoft and the University of San Carlos
Blogger Josue Ortega [es] attended a university event which invited students to develop a project to help communities with very little access to technology. However, students were told to develop...
Argentina: Evita's Face on New Banknote
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the death of Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita), President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner unveiled a new banknote with Evita's image, replacing Julio Roca on $100 bills. On social networks, some defend the change and others criticize it.
Colombians Celebrate Unexpected Silver Medal
On Saturday, July 28, Rigoberto Urán became the first Colombian to win a medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. He finished second at the men's road race final, behind veteran cyclist Aleksandr Vinokurov from Kazakhstan.
Peru: Environmental Journalist Detained in Cajamarca
Juan Arellano reports [es] in his blog that the “environmental journalist Jorge Chávez Ortiz, known on Twitter as @chavezwar [es], has reportedly been detained a few hours ago in Cajamarca....
Cuba: Rights Activists Beaten, Detained by Police at Payá Funeral
Rights activists and foreign media in Cuba reported on July 23 that Cuban state police detained nearly 50 individuals as they departed from funeral services for Oswaldo Payá, leader of the famed Varela Project and a winner of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for human rights and democracy. Among those detailed were Guillermo Fariñas and Antonio Rodiles.
Panama Pins Hopes on Eight Olympic Athletes
Panama will attend the London 2012 Olympic games with eight athletes. The biggest hopeful is Irving Saladino, current Olympic long-jump champion. Netizens and some of the Panamanian athletes share their hopes and concerns on social networks.
Argentina: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Olympics
Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America explains that the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are getting into the spirit of the Olympics by “asking various Argentine...
Bolivia: Athletes Not a Priority at London Olympics
Bolivia is taking only 5 athletes to the XXX Olympic Games in London. A scandal related to the expenses of the Olympic leadership has exploded on social networks and reached the news media. The debate also focuses on the very poor level of sports in the country, which has never won an Olympic medal.
Argentina: Athletes Tweet Photos From #London2012
Just days before the Olympic Games begin in London, Argentine athletes share photos from London on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Colombia: The Environmental Heritage of the Country is Threatened by Mining
Through her Facebook profile, Carla Bajonero shares her concern regarding mining in Colombia [es]. In her opinion, mining only leaves behind “pollution and laughable earnings.” She then asks: “What happens...
Puerto Rico: It's a Bird… It's a Plane… It's Aslan!
Aslan is one of Puerto Rico's most innovative street artists. Using an iPhone and the photo application Instagram, his series of airplane photographs, #parriba (upwards), is perhaps his most ambitious & engaging project yet.
Venezuela: Filmmakers Explore Urban Realities
On Caracas' 445th birthday, Laura Vidal shares the work of three filmmakers who give netizens inside and outside Venezuela a different perspective of the Venezuelan capital.
Argentina: A Tour Through Rosario and its Architecture
The city of Rosario, located 300 km from the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina, offers lovers of architecture a tour of history through its buildings, which mark the era of opulence that characterized the city. On the Internet, those who visited or are living in Rosario share photos and information on this iconic architecture.
Paraguay: Citizens Reject Rio Tinto's Aluminium Smelter Project
The blog Interparaguay [es] shares several videos on a project headed by Río Tinto Alcan to build an aluminium smelter in Paraguay. In the last video, Mercedes Canese, Vice Minister...
Cuba: Pro-Democracy Leader Oswaldo Payá Dies in Car Crash
"Money from the United States is not going to drive change in Cuba. […] The problem is in Cuba, and the solution is in Cuba, between Cubans" - Oswaldo Payá in an interview before his death.
Colombia: Locals Concerned Over Media's Slant on Cauca Conflict
The indigenous people of the Cauca department, in southwestern Colombia, are concerned that the media is misrepresenting their struggle to expel legal and illegal armed groups from their territory. Netizens weigh in on the media's coverage of this current conflict.
