Stories about Latin America from February, 2009
The Greatest Street Party on Earth: The Brazilian Carnival
Barack Obama, Fidel Castro and the Iraqi journalist who threw one of his shoes at George Bush were just some of the characters spotted on the streets of Brazil, during this year's Carnival. See a selection of the most interesting pictures published under a Creative Commons license.
Paraguay: Why Do Fellow Citizens Leave the Country?
“Why do Paraguayans leave our country?” writes Jasy Moroti on Somos Paraguayos [es] and lists some of the reasons including not being given opportunities, sometimes based on the personal interests...
Video: Community Radios Fill the Information Gap
In a highly globalized and digitalized world, sometimes we may forget that in many regions of the world, not even electricity is available, and the possibility of using internet as an alternative information source is still a distant dream. It is in locations like Guatemala, Chad and India that community radio rises as the alternative for native communities to speak about their concerns, hear news and stories, receive information and all this in their native languages.
Colombia: Restrictions and Curfew in Medellín
In Medellín, Colombia, Juan David Escobar is critical about the new restrictions for male passengers on motorcycles and a city-wide curfew for bars outside of designated areas [es]. He points...
Bolivia: Donations Other than Ambulances
With the recent crisis involving dengue fever throughout Bolivia, Carlos Gustavo Machicado of Guccio's [es] writes that there are more pressing health concerns in which donations other than ambulances are...
Mexico: Criticizing Wasteful Government Spending
The Mexican federal government recently updated information about its expenses and its budgets for various public institutions on their transparency portal. Using this public information, many bloggers have identified expenses for questionable recreational activities that have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pesos.
Uruguay: Key Findings in Report on OLPC in Villa Cardal
OLPC News summarizes the key findings of a report that analyzed the pilot program of the One Laptop Per Child in Villa Cardal, Uruguay.
Costa Rica: Radio Santa Clara Celebrates 25 Years
Radio Santa Clara in northern Costa Rica is celebrating 25 years of programming writes Jaguar del Platanar [es].
Uruguay: Gathering of Web Designers and Entrepreneurs
Martin will be attending Punta del Este 2009, an international gathering of entrepreneurs and web designers in Uruguay [es]
Cuba: BTTR Four
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense wants us to remember “the BTTR Four”.
Colombia: Another Illegal Wire Tapping Scandal
The news magazine Semana recently revealed that the "secret police" of Colombia had been illegally wire tapping politicians, journalists, magistrates, intellectuals and even government officials close to President Álvaro Uribe. Even worse, some of these agents allegedly had been “selling to the highest bidder” the information obtained to guerrillas, paramilitaries or drug traffickers. Colombian bloggers react to these revelations.
Mexico: War on Drugs Becoming Weirder
Mexico's war on drugs is getting “so surreal, absurd, and downright twisted” according to Daniel Hernandez of Intersections. He cites some recent incidents, including the claim that the drug cartels...
Peru: Seven Star Hotel in Cusco
Tourism in Cusco, Peru will get a luxurious boost with the building of a new 7-star hotel writes Israel Ruiz of Living in Peru.
Chile: Faces Along Commute Using Transantiago
Andrea Zamora narrates her daily commute to the Municipality of Peñalolén in Santiago, Chile [es] and some of the people she observes riding the Transantiago public transportation system.
Peru: Cholesterol Levels Rising for Lima Residents
Cholesterol levels for Lima residents are rising according to a report cited by Letra Suelta [es].
Chile: Parking Spaces for Disabled Drivers
Mario Carrasco Berrios describes some of his recent experiences in the city of Talca, Chile with the lack of parking spaces for disabled drivers [es], as well as the problem...
Cuba: One Year Later
Blog for Cuba says that one year after Cuba signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Personal Rights, “human rights...
Mexico: Urban Artists in Monterrey Take to the Internet
In the streets of Monterrey, a city best known for being the industrial and technological mecca of Mexico, graffiti and other urban artists are utilizing user-friendly electronic media in order to showcase their painted works and murals on the internet, but also in some cases to take advantage of the anonymity needed when painting illegally on public spaces.
Costa Rica: Creativity Through Collectivity
Like a delicious recipe, artistic, musical and visual talents are placed together as ingredients in a functional and creative tendency: collectives. Across Costa Rica, many creative groups and collectives are using social media to showcase their work and connect with like-minded enthusiasts. These are some examples of collectives in the fields of film, music and the visual arts.
Global Health: Mobile Phones to Boost Healthcare
Three foundations have joined forces in an effort to provide better healthcare through the use of cell phones and computer technology. In particular, these mobile technology initiatives are aimed at...
Dominican Republic: A Tsunami of Garbage
Duarte101 [es] writes about a planned urban art event called “Urban Solid Residue” which will show the reality of the amount of garbage in the form of a “tsunami of...
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