Stories from Quick Reads and Costa Rica
Costa Rican Bloggers Speak Up for Freedom of Expression
Ticoblogger summarizes [es] the participation of bloggers, journalists, and activists in the forum “Online Anonymity, Pseudonyms and Freedom of Expression” held on Wednesday, October 24, 2012. The post links to presentations by Gustavo Araya [es, pdf], Julio Córdoba [es], and José Medrano [es].
Costa Rica: Forum on Online Anonymity, Pseudonyms and Freedom of Expression
Ticoblogger, a community of Costa Rican bloggers, invites everyone to attend the forum “Online Anonymity, Pseudonyms and Freedom of Expression” [es] on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, at 9:00 PM (GMT-03:00) at the Legislative Assembly in San José, Costa Rica. The forum will discuss Article 230 of the ‘Cybercrime Law‘, which penalizes...
Central America: Upcoming “Camps” for Young Cyber-Activists
Rising Voices is partnering with Hivos and Dialogía in two “camps” for young people using digital media for social change. The workshops, called “Activistmo” [es], will be held in Nicaragua and Guatemala during September and October. Young people from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala between the ages of...
Costa Rica: Cat Literally Drops In During University of Peace Class
A class at the University of Peace in Costa Rica had an unexpected visitor drop in, as a cat fell through the suspended ceiling right behind a couple of students giving a presentation on the Theory of Change. (Via Mashable)
Netizens Say Goodbye to Singer Chavela Vargas
“Murió Chavela Vargas” (“Chavela Vargas has died”) is currently a worldwide Trending Topic on Twitter. Netizens from all over the world are saying goodbye the Costa Rican-born Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, who passed away Sunday, August 5, at 93.
Latin America: Is 2012 the ‘Year of the Woman” at the Olympics?
The Americas Quarterly blog points out that although there is still a lot to do to end gender discrimination at the Olympics, “for the first time in history, every country competing in the London 2012 Olympics will have at least one female athlete, with many – notably in Latin America...
Costa Rica: The Need to Treat Computer and English “Illiteracy”
Costa Rica has a high literacy rate; but the blog Carepicha [es] argues that the country should also strive to increase computer and English-language “literacy”.
Costa Rica: Discipline Reaps Success for National Cyclist
Blogger ‘stwartmendez’ from La Tinta del Ocio [es] highlights the success of Costa Rican cyclist Andrey Amador who is participating in Giro d'Italia, the Tour of Italy cycling race. Amador came in third in the twelfth stage and first in the fourteenth stage. The blogger attributes this success to the...
Costa Rica: Blogger Interviews President Laura Chinchilla
Blogger Cristian Cambronero from the blog Fusil de Chispas interviewed [es] Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla. The interview was in part filmed by the production team Sürrealista [es], and two photographers (Priscilla Mora [es] and Diego Barracuda [es]) captured the meeting between Cristian and the President through photographs. You can read...
Costa Rica: Hacktivism and ‘Operation Fiscal Plan’
José Medrano from Carepicha Blog [es] writes about ‘Operation Fiscal Plan,’ a Denial of Service Attack planned by Anonymous Costa Rica against government websites to show the public discontent regarding the government's Tax Plan. José also analyzes what the government's response to this attack should be, and concludes: “In this...
Intercontinental Cry Will Launch Spanish Edition
Ahni announces the upcoming Spanish edition of Intercontinental Cry [es], which will go live on March 31, 2012. “The main objective of IC Espanol is, of course, to provide Spanish readers with the same news that our English readers have come to expect from us; what I consider to be...
Ibero-American Blogging Competition Asks Teens: “What are you reading?”
The Organization of Ibero-American States invites teens ages 12 to 15 to enter a blogging competition about reading. The sign up [es] deadline is May 31, 2012, and judges will consider blog posts written until July 31. The winner from each participating country will receive an iPad. Visit the official...
Costa Rica: Turning to Facebook to Fund TV Show
Sürrealista is a media producer in Costa Rica that has worked with many local bands. Now they want to have a 30 minute TV Show and to make that happen[es], they are asking for people to watch their pilot show online, give it a “like” on facebook and share it.
Costa Rica: Videos from the Past
A video by geographer Homer Dávila is making nostalgia grow on Facebook as people are reminded of the light traffic that used to be the norm between the capital city of San José, Costa Rica and neighboring city of Alajuela.
Costa Rica: Young Entrepreneurs Present Mobile Game
Six young Costa Rican entrepreneurs have created a mobile game platform called TweetLand. In the blog Fusil de Chispas [es], Cristian Cambronero writes about the debut of Route 140, the first game in the collection.
Latin America: Museum Releases Digital Archive of 20th-Century Art
The International Center for Arts of the Americas (ICCA) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has released a digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, which, “is now available, free of charge, to the research and teaching community as well as to the public at large.” Culture...
Costa Rican Blogs Protest SOPA and PIPA
Ticoblogger [es], a network of Costa Rican blogs, has joined the global protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect-IP Act (PIPA). Ticoblogger blogs like Ciencia Ficción [es], Carepicha [es], and El Infierno en Costa Rica [es] posted a message against the U.S. bills and “censored” part...
Costa Rica: I'm Happy In That Water
This wordless short film follows Doña Norma, a 78 year old woman who goes to swim every day at a local swimming pool outside of the capital city of San José.
Latin America: Youth Unemployment
Bloggings by boz looks at youth unemployment in Latin America, concluding that “with growth projections decreased for 2011 and 2012, the current situation for youth unemployment is almost certainly getting worse. That could have major economic, political and social implications moving into 2012.”
Costa Rica: Environmental Activists Denounce Repression
Diego Molina in Dame un campo [es] summarizes the experiences shared by environmental activists and lawyers during a conference on “Criminalization of the social-environmental protest” held in the University of Costa Rica. Participants denounced the repression they face as a consequence of their activism.
Central America: Bloggers Attempt to Raise Awareness as Heavy Rains Continue
Mike from Central American Politics links to English language blogs covering the damage caused by the heavy rains that have been falling on Central America for over one week.