Stories about Latin America from December, 2007
New Bloggers Use Poetry to Describe Their Communities, Feelings, Friends
The new bloggers of Rising Voices outreach projects in Colombia, Bolivia, and Bangladesh are more than just up-and-coming citizen journalists. They have also discovered the power of prose to reveal glimpses of the human emotions that bring us together and the local differences that make each of our communities unique.
Lusosphere: Wishes and hopes for 2008
The new year is inevitably soon arriving and the Lusosphere is booming with posts about traditions, resolutions, wishes, and reflections. Here is a short roundup of Portuguese speaking blogs from Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Mozambique and Portugal - although countries far apart, they share the language and hopes for a better future.
Argentina: Manu Chao Concert at Psychiatric Hospital
Argentina's Travel Blog witnessed a unique concert held by Manu Chao at a Buenos Aires psychiatric hospital sponsored by the patient-run radio station called La Colifata.
Bolivia: Polls Related to the Constitution
Miguel Centellas of Pronto* provides the latest polls in Bolivia, including approval rates for the president and prefects, as well as others related to the new Constitution.
Uruguay: Fusion of Tango and Electronica
For fans of Tango, From Uruguay introduces readers to Bajofondo, a Uruguayan-Argentinean group that fuses tango and electronic music.
Peru: Controversy in the Vote for Best Blog 2007
Peruanista [es] objects to the vote for “Best Peruvian blog of 2007″ held at the blog Utero de Marita [es], saying that there is a huge difference between best blog and the most popular blog, among other reasons.
Mexico: Giant Crack in Ice Rink
A huge crack appeared in the middle of the ice rink that was set up in the zócalo of Mexico City. Isopixel [es] has the latest photo.
Americas: Year in Review
Plan Colombia and Beyond reviews what took place in Colombia and Latin America in 2007.
Brazil: OLPC After First Round of Bidding
OLPC News provides information on the status of bidding for the purchase of 150,000 laptops for children in Brazil and also links to an interview with David Cavallo, OLPC representative in that country.
El Salvador: Deportation in the News
Tim's El Salvador Blog lists many examples of stories about immigrants and deportation in the media.
Peru: Traveling and Photography
Luis Yupanqui Mesías of Peru Viajero [es] recounts some of the sites that he visited and photographed in 2007 and thanks his readers for accompanying him along the way.
Colombia: The Discovery of a New Gold Mine
A new gold mine was recently discovered in Colombia and can place the country in the top 10 producers in the world writes Proyecto Colombia.
Puerto Rico: Kayak Trip
The CAC Review interviews Taino Almestica, part of a two-person team that circumnavigated the island of Puerto Rico in a kayak.
Cuba: Havana in Pictures
photo.imagina posts a beautiful Flickr photo set of shots from Havana, Cuba.
Cuba: The Divorce Rate
Regalado [es] writes about the divorce rate in Cuba, in which it is reported that 6 out of every 10 marriages end in divorce
Puerto Rico: Prayer for Bhutto
“What a great lost to the world is the assassination of this heroic woman who sought only to bring peace to her people”: The Voice of the Taino People calls for “a minute of prayer” in memory of Benazir Bhutto.
Congratulations New, Rising Voices
The Rising Voices citizen media outreach initiative will start out 2008 with five new and innovative projects based in Kenya, Madagascar, Uruguay, Jamaica, and Iran.
Brazil: A visit to Pakistan
On Benazir Bhutto's death, Leonardo Sakamoto [pt] leaves the factual news to the newspapers and publishes links to his personal accounts of Pakistan, a country which he visited to see projects that fight against slavery. In his travel blog, he talks about people, politics and religion. “You will see how...
Bolivia: Interview With Pedro Montes
Mario Duran of Palabras Libres [es] interviews Pedro Montes, Executive Secretary of the Bolivian Worker's Union. Montes has enclosed himself inside the union's headquarters in protest of the government's lack of progress in investigating the bombing attack of the union's offices.
Bolivia: Just Say Yes to the New Constitution
Like the political crisis in Bolivia, blogs have also taken a break for the Christmas and New Year holidays. After the new year has passed, debate regarding the new Constitution and regional autonomies may find itself on the new collective blog site called El Taparaku, which has pledged to support the new document and campaign for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum.
Colombia: Letter to Emmanuel
Bogotá Subterranea [es] writes an open letter to four-year old Emmanuel, the son of FARC captive Clara Rojas, who is reportedly due to be set free soon.
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.
