Stories about Spanish from October, 2010
Argentina: Protester killed in confrontation between labor unions
Mariano Ferreyra, a student at the University of Buenos Aires and member of the Worker's Party, was shot during a confrontation between members of the Railroad workers union and workers that were protesting layoffs along with militants of left-leaning parties. Demonstrations condemning the killing were quickly organized.
Uruguayans Mourn Death of Musician José Carbajal, ‘El Sabalero’
Singer and composer José Carbajal, nicknamed "el Sabalero," died of a heart attack on October 21 at age 66. Carbajal is considered an icon of Uruguayan culture. This year he was working with other artists and the One Laptop per Child project in Uruguay, Plan Ceibal, to perform in concerts for public school children around the country.
Cuba: On Remittances
In Sin Evasión [ES], blogger Myriam Celaya comments on the tremendous amount of money that Cubans receive in the form of remittances from their relatives who have emigrated.
Dominican Republic: Citizens for Education
Paquito shares a video [ES], a citizen effort to support education: “The Dominican Republic is the second country in Latin America that least supports education.”
Mexico: 20-year-old Woman is New Police Chief of Northern Mexican Town
Marisol Valles García is a married 20-year-old woman studying Criminology; she is also the new chief of police in Práxedis, Chihuahua, a town located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico's most violent city.
Colombia: Government to Return Land to Displaced Peasants
In Realidades Colombianas [es] Valentina Díaz Gómez says that the government's plan to return land to victims of displacement is “the best proposal that Colombians have had in the past...
Puerto Rico: Once Upon a Time There was a Newspaper
Iván Chaar-López comments [ES] on the extremely precarious financial situation and the lack of institutional support that have caused the practical elimination of the University of Puerto Rico's monthly paper...
Puerto Rico: Pervasive Corruption in the Police Department
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) arrested 133 people in Puerto Rico, including 89 police officers, in what the US Department of Justice called "the biggest police corruption investigation in the history of the FBI". The blogosphere reacts.
Venezuela: Nuclear Energy Deal with Russia
President Hugo Chávez met with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, in Russia on October 14. At the meeting they signed a "plan of action" on different issues; among them, building a nuclear plant in Venezuela. Venezuela is the first Latin American country to sign an atomic energy deal with Russia.
Chile: Interview with Twitter's @laura
Journalist Miguel Paz interviewed [es] Laura Gómez (@laura), Twitter's International Support Lead and Spanish Language Specialist.
Argentina: Where is Luciano Arruga?
Luciano Arruga has been missing since January 31, 2009. That night Luciano was seen, severely beaten, by a witness at a police station. A blog called ¿Dónde está Luciano? [es]...
Nicaragua: Open Government and the Evolution of e-Government
Juan Ortega writes [es] about the book Open Government [es] by César Calderón and Sebastián Lorenzo. He briefly explains what Nicaragua needs to do to improve transparency.
Video: Collaborative online reading of Don Quixote
One of the most loved works of literary fiction, Don Quixote, has come to life through YouTube. Hundreds of volunteers are reading fragments of Miguel de Cervantes' work and uploading them to the ElQuijote Channel.
Puerto Rico: Presenting the reputable online paper “The Yam”
They are definitely funny. Not to mention that the often absurd and surreal Puerto Rican political landscape gives them plenty of material. They are El Cangrimán, El Rata and Oscar Marrano, the three main writers of the Puerto Rican online-based paper El Ñame.
Chile: The 34th Miner
Roberto Arancibia from El Mundo Sigue Ahí [es] writes about “the 34th miner”: the other miners that got out of the San José mine and did not get trapped. He...
Puerto Rico: “80 grados,” A New Online Magazine
“80 grados is a publication open to a diversity of reflections”. The School of Communications of the University of Puerto Rico and the citizen media nonprofit Prensa Comunitaria have just...
Chile: 33 Miners Rescued Successfully
In northern Chile, efforts to free 33 miners trapped inside the San Jose copper and gold mine concluded successfully. All the men, including rescue workers, were brought back to the surface using a small capsule. Chileans have not only used blogs and social media to react to the accident and the rescue, but also to discuss related issues, like miner's working conditions.
Mexico: The Lerma River is Dying
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico’s second longest river. It used to be a source of drinking water for the capital and the central part of the country, but today the river is infected by a considerable number pollutants.
Venezuela: University Students Protest Budget Cuts
University students protested budget cuts in Caracas on October 14. Alejandro Tarrae reports on his blog [es] that he saw hundreds of Police and National Guard troops; he realized why...
Bolivia: The Effects of Climate Change on Water
Pablo Rivero blogs at Purple Fire [es] for Blog Action Day: “Bolivia is a country with great nature reserves, among them, fresh water. However, in the last years, the effects...
Video: How to keep water clean and use it wisely
From tips on reusing gray water or minimizing wasted water when we flush the toilet, to kids in the Valle del Colca in Peru explaining the importance of keeping community water sources clean. Join us on Blog Action Day as we tour the world with World Conservation Videos