Stories about Latin America from March, 2009
Cuba: Open Mic Night
Cubans Generation Y and Octavo Cerco blog about “an unforgettable night” in front of open microphones.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: At the Summit
“It seems far-fetched to think that the summit’s news coverage would be dominated by the one country in the region that is absent from the event” – but The Cuban Triangle thinks that “two factors – a no-news summit agenda, and a vocal regional consensus calling on President Obama to...
Puerto Rico: Murder Rate
“We. Don't. Give. A. Damn. Because it isn't really ‘Us’ getting killed, it's ‘them.’ We don't see the obvious. There is no ‘them’ on an island. There's only Us”: Puerto Rico's Gil the Jenius links to a study reporting that a 10% increase in graduation rates can reduce murder rates...
Bolivia: Black List for Expulsion from El Alto
The Regional Worker´s Organization in El Alto, Bolivia announced plans to release “black list” of those people and institutions that should be expelled from the city. Mario Duán of Palabras Libres [es] is worried about this precedent.
Guatemala: Chico Zapote Fruit
The chico zapote, or also known as the sapodilla, is an exotic tropical fruit found in Guatemala and Rudy Girón of Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo publishes a close-up photograph that he took.
Dominican Republic: The South as a Tourist Destination
Duarte 101 [es] notes that the southern part of the Dominican Republic also is an attractive destination for visitors, but it is often forgotten by those on the tourist trail.
Bolivia: The Grape Harvest Fair
Juan Angel Tapia of El Miroscopio [es] visits La Vendimia in the Calamuchita region of Tarija, Bolivia. This fair celebrates the important grape harvest used in the wine industry famous in this part of the country.
Ecuador: Heading to the Polls Yet Again
In less than a month, approximately 10.5 million Ecuadorians will head to the polls yet again. After approval of the new Constitution last September, elections to select the president, members of the legislature and other local authorities are scheduled for April 26. The current president, Rafael Correa, has announced his intention to run, where he is favored to win.
Water: One Take International Video Contest
“Is access to clean, safe water for drinking a basic human right? Why? or Why not?”. That is the question One Take is asking for you to answer in your own language, recording it on a video no more than 2 minutes long, uploading it on their site and on DotSub and having it subtitled in at least 1 other language. Just this month, world leaders met in Istambul, Turkey at the World Water Forum to have this discussion, and although they aren't sure what the result will be, it is our chance to show what we believe about this issue, and make our voices heard.
Puerto Rico: The Internet
Gil the Jenius thinks that “Puerto Rico has not embraced the power of the Internet to a significant degree.”
Honduras: Can Family Gardens Improve Health?
Can family gardens help reduce hunger and improve health in Honduras? La Gringa's Blogicito hopes that families consider the option.
Bolivia: US Cooperation on Control of Narcotics
Miguel Buitrago of MABB takes a look at the 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, and which the Bolivian government is complaining about the stance taken by the United States against the country. He writes which country has more to lose with any stop in international cooperation.
Paraguay: Ten Years Since Vice-President Argaña was Assassinated
It's been ten years since the assassination of Paraguayan Vice-President Luis María Argaña and Edgar Ruiz Diaz of Las Preguntas de Venerando [es] has a lot of questions that have never been answered in this unsolved case.
Brazil: Beyond cyberspace – when blogs move offline
Books are becoming e-books and blogs and websites have appeared as books and other types of media. In this state of flux, it looks like the paper book has the power to beat virtual writing rather than the other way round. In Brazil, there is more than just a fashion of launching e-books to attract readers and writers but also an opposite stream in which blogs have reached the offline shelves as well as the movie screens.
Venezuela: Blog for the Release of Germán
Libreren a Germán [es] is a blog dedicated to the release of kidnapping victim Germán Antonio García Velutini, who was abducted on February 25 in Caracas, Venezuela.
Global Recession Survey: Survival Tips and Business Opportunities
Everybody is trying hard to cope with the global economic crisis. Bloggers are offering survival tips to their readers. Businesses around the world are adjusting. Some are even profiting from the crisis. In this post, I will feature individuals and companies exerting their very best to overcome the recession.
Colombia: Searching the Bodies of Murdered Indigenous
The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia publishes on its blog the route [es] the humanitarian minga is following since Monday in order to recover the corpses of the indigenous Awás murdered by FARC in February.
Mexico: Unsolved Feminicide Along the Border
Violence along the United States - Mexico border has reached staggering levels. The killings in border cities like Ciudad Juárez has already totaled 400 in the first two months of 2009. More than 370 women have been murdered in the cities of Juárez and Chihuahua “without the authorities taking proper measures to investigate and address the problem.” This crisis, often called feminicide, has been a cause for organizations and blogs to take to the internet to help raise awareness to the plight of the victims and their families.
Cuba: Antúnez Update
Diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense says that the Cuban authorities have “taken its fight with…dissident Jorge Luis García Pérez (Antúnez) to a new, more frightening level.”
Colombia: Convergentes Restarting Activities
The citizen media project, Convergentes in Medellín, Colombia, is restarting “with new spirit.” The site for HiperBarrio [es] has a summary of these latest activities.
Mexico: A Lack of Water in Mexico City
Mexico City is running out of water. Daniel Hernandez of Intersections writes about what the local government is doing to address the situation, but officials say “drastic steps” may need to be considered including the possibility of turning off the water on the weekends.
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.
