Stories about Latin America from March, 2007
Cuba: Fidel's Blog?
“The blogosphere is certainly growing!” (ES) declares mi isla al mediodia (tongue firmly in cheek) as he notes that Fidel Castro has written an “entry” in his “blog” (ie, Granma, the Communist party paper) about the impact on the agricultural sector of using ethanol as a substitute for fossil fuels.
Mexico: Harvard University and Oaxaca
George Salzman on the good and bad of the involvement of Manuel Stefanakis, Director of the Master of Public Administration Programs in the John F. Kennedy School of Government, in Oaxaca's long-standing conflict with the local and federal government.
Mexico: Biofuels, corn prices and food security
Sitna Quiroz on “Biofuels, corn prices and food security in Mexico:” “Media reports attributed the rise in tortilla prices to dwindling imports of corn due to its increasing demand for ethanol production. Others argued that the problem was not lack of corn, but rather the monopolizing practices and speculation carried...
Chile, Costa Rica: “Un Computador por Niño”
Ricardo Carreón, General Manager of Intel for Latin America, describes a pilot test of Classmate PC (“laptop for kids in emerging markets”) that he attended in Costa Rica with Intel CEO Craig R. Barret. On a related note, Carreón points us to a collection of YouTube videos about Chile's “Un...
Nicaragua: Eric Volz
Bloggings by Boz links to a Miami Herald article about Eric Volz, a 27-year-old California native imprisoned in Nicaragua for rape and homicide. Writes Boz, “it doesn't sound like the Nicaraguan authorities have any evidence other than one convicted drug trafficker's statement to back up their arrest.” Citizen 192 has...
Jamaica: African/Brazilian Connection
Geoffrey Philp's Blogspot covers Joel Gondim's presentation “Color, Identity, and Candomblé in Brazil,” in which he explores how the African connection to Brazil manifests itself in food, music, and religion.
Peru: Reviews of El Comercio's New Design
El Comercio, one of Peru's leading newspapers, redesigned their website. Bloggers, no doubt, were quick to pen their opinion. Letra Suelta is glad to see the use of blogs [ES], video, tags, and RSS feeds. Waldo Dominguez points out some early coding hiccups [ES] and claims the redesign is a...
Venezuela: Renovating Soccer Stadiums
Oil Wars wonders if the Venezuelan government could be spending their money more wisely than on the renovation of soccer stadiums throughout the country.
Venezuela: Constitutional Battle Over Chavez's Reelection
Miguel Octavio on “the looming Constitutional battle over Chavez poposal to allow his indefinite reelection.”
Uruguay: Montevideo's Harbor (in Black and White)
Given special access to Uruguay's usually restricted “el puerto de Montevideo” for a photography contest, Tali shares some beautiful black and white pictures of the harbor.
Mexico: Protests Against New Retirement Age
“Streets blocked, schools and universities closed, public transportation services suspended and violent demonstrations in front of the National Senate, all in the name of . . . what, exactly, I'm not too sure.” But Mark in Mexico does his best to find out. Ana Maria Salazar has more on the...
Honduras: Easter Week Traveling
La Gringa wonders with just what money Honduran Minister of Tourism Ricardo Martinez expects 50% of the Honduran population to travel this Easter week..
Colombia: Army commander allegedly linked with paramilitaries
Both the Colombia Herald and Plan Colombia and Beyond take a closer look at a front page Sunday LA Times story alleging the chief of Colombia's army, Gen. Mario Montoya, has worked closely with paramilitary groups.
Puerto Rico: Education
“Can We wait another 20 years to develop the world-class education We need to compete as equals on the global stage?” Gil the Jenius examines the state of Puerto Rico's education system.
Arepa de Huevo from Colombia, Ceviche from Ecuador and Pupusas from El Salvador!
#1: From Colombia: Nika's Culinaria shares a delicious recipe with step-by-step photos on how to prepare a traditional Colombian delicacy: Arepa de Huevo (Arepa with Egg) My first experience with it was when we visited Colombia 25 years ago. As in other latin american countries, street vendors sell all manner...
Honduras: World Water Day
“March 22, 2007 was World Water Day. And guess what? Sunday we had no water! How ironic. Or how prescient.” So begins La Gringa's reflections on water resources in rural Honduras.
Bolivia: Bolivian Television's Watchdog
Blogs in Bolivia have yet to achieve the level of being a primary source of information to compete with other forms of communication. Television continues to dominate the manner in which citizens get their news and where they follow current events. A blog called La TeVelisión [ES], written by Rodrigo...
Ecuador: Photo of Blogger Meetup
Get to know the faces of Ecuadorean bloggers with this hyperlink captioned photo from the last “Blogs&Beers” in Quito.
Peru: Football Frenzy
“Since last Sunday, when Peru’s U-17 youngsters (barely) qualified for the 2007 World Cup hosted by South Korea in August and September, Peruvian football pride has been restored.” Wolfy Becker has more on the football frenzy welcoming back Peru's national youth team. You can see a video of highlights of...
Puerto Rico: Violence Ranking
Gil the Jenius is livid over a local demographer listing Puerto Rico as the 9th most violent country in the world: “I'm not here to say We are Paradise Found, or even Paradise Lost. Are We violent? Yes, We are and We have to deal with that. Are We a...
Cuba: US Top Food Source?
Child of the Revolution links to an Associated Press article that cites the United States as Cuba's top food source, despite the US trade embargo on the island.
About our Latin America coverage
Melissa Vida is the Latin America Spanish-language editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
Fernanda Canofre is the Brazil editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
