Stories about Latin America from October, 2008
Frightful Facts or Fantastical Fictions?
This third part of the "Lore, ghosts, demons and frights" series has arrived, and we are looking this time a bit beyond the Latin American borders. With this last installment, we seek out the Chupacabras, stick our heads into Voudou rites, observe examples of exorcism and inquire after a cannibal murderer who has become a Venezuelan legend.
BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 2
Earlier this week we visited the videoblogs of some of the nominees for the BOBs, Deutsche Welle's Best of Blogs awards. On this second part, we'll see which other videobloggers...
Ibero-America: Campus Party in El Salvador
This week in El Salvador, hundreds of technology fanatics have assembled to take part in the latest edition of Campus Party. Participants from 22 member states are divided into one of a broad range of areas including: Astronomy, CampusBot (robotics), Innovation, Modding, Campus Create, Digital Leisure and Digital Inclusion. The participation of bloggers have captured the feeling of being in a room with their fellow technology enthusiasts through their blog posts, photos and videos.
Peru: The King of Spain and the Peruvian Congresswoman
Guillermo from Quimeras Seductoras [es] summarizes the encounter of Juan Carlos, the King of Spain, and the Peruvian congresswoman Hilaria Supa, who met outside of the Congress buildings. She confronted...
Peru: Preparations for BarCamp Lima
Ventana Azul [es] provides the latest details on
Argentina: Diego Maradona Named New Coach of National Team
Diego Maradona must be the most famous Argentine in the world, and anything that he does usually becomes news. It is even more newsworthy, when he is named the next Coach of the Argentine national football team. Many Argentines are left wondering how the greatest footballer will ensure that the country qualifies for the World Cup 2010.
Cuba, U.S.A.: Voting on the Embargo
The United Nations General Assembly yesterday approved a resolution condemning the U.S. embargo. For the seventeenth year running, the vote went in favor of the Cuba-sponsored resolution and bloggers - from the diaspora and from Cuba herself - have had a lot of say on the subject.
Argentina: We Media 2008 in Buenos Aires
The We Media conference was held for the first time in Latin America, when the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina played host on October 14-15, 2008. The media thinktank iFOCOS together with the newspaper Clarín, the conference was brought to Argentina. Media executives, web entrepreneurs,and bloggers, among others gathered to hear a wide range of speakers. With the quantity of bloggers who were present in the auditorium as presenters and attendees, there was a wide and diverse coverage of the event.
El Salvador: Saca Has Not Signed Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth
Tim's El Salvador Blog writes about the refusal by the government of Tony Saca to sign the Ibero-American Convention on the Rights of Youth, which had already been signed by...
Mexico: Day of the Dead Preparations
The Day of the Dead is fast approaching in Mexico, and Daniel Hernandez of Intersections posts a picture of a typical vendor stand that are popping up on sidewalks and...
Ecuador: The Growing Problem of Cybercrime
Cybercrime is a topic not discussed much in Ecuador, but Christian Espinosa of Cobertura Digital [es] writes about an upcoming conference to address the growing problem.
Haiti, D.R.: Rediscovering Atlantis?
The Haitian Blogger is a tad sceptical about the scientific theory that Haiti might be “the site of the ‘lost Civilization’ of Atlantis.”
Rising Voices Nominated World's Best Blog
Global Voices’ citizen media outreach project, Rising Voices has been nominated for a “Best of the Blogs Award” (B.O.B.) in the category “Best Weblog”. More than 8,500 weblogs were suggested...
Venezuela: How Children Show Their Community Through Photography
Ancla2 is an educational cooperative devoted to teaching photography, technology, and media skills to children from small and poor communities in Venezuela, who have discovered a new way to see and appreciate their own surroundings, and at the same time, have learned new life skills that will help them in many other areas.
Bolivia: Introduction to the Language of Guaraní
Camiri Digital [es] introduces readers to some basic words in the indigenous language of Guaraní, which is spoken by many in the Chaco region of Bolivia.
Brazil: Grandma Aggie, Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers and the Pope
Lou Gold, a North-American blogger and nature-person turned “brasileiro’, blogs about [En] Grandma Aggie and the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, re-telling some of the adventures of these courageous...
BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 1
The BOBs, Deutsche Welle's yearly contest for online products: blogs, podcasts and videoblogs has already chosen 176 nominees for the 16 different categories. In the video blogging category, participants from different parts of the world compete for the honor to be considered the best in their group, and voters will have until November 26th to choose their favorite.
Guatemala: Heavy Rains and Flooding Affecting the Poorest Communities
The past month has been very difficult for many Guatemalans because of heavy rains caused by tropical storms. Floods and storms affect many communities, but the impact is higher in communities below the poverty line. These communities are often isolated from services or shelters, like the small villages in Peten, Quiché and Zacapa. Bloggers and organizations have provided more information on the environmental disaster.
Chile: The 1985 Meeting Between McCain and Pinochet
In 1985, a U.S. Congressman named John McCain traveled to Chile and met with dictator Augusto Pinochet. The previously unreported meeting was revealed by journalist John Dinges, who published the findings in two blogs, and which were especially timely because of the current Republican nominee “who has harshly criticized the idea of sitting down with dictators without pre-conditions, appears to have done just that.”
Ecuador: Update on the Death of Chelito the Giraffe
Voces Lojanas [es] provides an update on the death of Chelito the Giraffe in the Loja, Ecuador zoo. To date, no definitive conclusions have been reached and many are still...
Peru: New Terrorist Attack by Shining Path Guerrillas
Silvio Rendón of Lapicero Digital [es] writes about the recent attack by Shining Path guerrillas against a military group in Vizcatán in the department of Huancavelica department that left 15 dead.
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