Stories about Latin America from March, 2010
Brazil: São Paulo State police beat striking teachers
Departing governor of São Paulo José Serra will run for presidency; teachers today marked his final day with another protest. During a previous demonstration calling for pay rises and other benefits, police hit peaceful strikers hard.
Jamaica, Haiti: Art Aid
Art to help Haiti: Jamaican Annie Paul has the low-down.
Colombia: Hostage Pablo Emilio Moncayo Freed by FARC
After 4,483 days as a hostage in Colombia, Pablo Emilio Moncayo was freed by the FARC guerrillas. The blog Plan Colombia and Beyond provides the details of his release.
Chile: The Process of Earthquake Reconstruction
Exactly a month after the devastating earthquake in Chile, President Sebastián Piñera announced a reconstruction plan for the country’s infrastructure and housing, prompting Chileans to provide opinions about how this process should be implemented and monitored.
Brazil: “Sao Paulo, shithole of world”
In a post called “Sao Paulo, shithole of world”, Adriano Cintra from the band CSS, publishes a set of amazing pictures showing what happens when it rains in the biggest Latin American city, portraying the chaos the population has lived with since the beginning of the year.
Bolivia: April 4th Regional Elections
Miguel Centellas of the blog Pronto* previews Bolivia's municipal and departmental elections scheduled for April 4, 2010.
Peru: Alarmist Report on Possible Earthquake in Lima
A recent report by the Peruvian Civil Defense finds that if an earthquake struck the capital city of Lima that 51,000 people would die. Blogger Juan Sheput of Mate Pastor [es] criticizes the report calling it “alarmist” and “incomplete” for not thoroughly explaining its methodology and for not taking into...
Puerto Rico: A brief history of a new species, the “Twittericans”
They are calling themselves "Twittericans." They are Puerto Ricans, national and transnational, who absolutely adore Twitter. Computer Science graduate student and digital media savant Miguel Ríos has written a brief history of Twitter in Puerto Rico. Let's see what he found out.
Chile: New Government Makes Strong Presence on Twitter
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and his Cabinet are all on Twitter, which captured the attention of Chilean users of social media, but some are skeptical and cautious about how effective the communication will be.
Mexico: Straw Buyers of Weapons in the U.S.
Gancho writes about straw buyers of arms in the United States, who purchase the weapons to be sent to Mexico and wonders how authorities might be able to crack down.
Chile: Curicó Province One Month After Earthquake
One month after the Chilean earthquake, Luis Alberto Cabello of the blog Vivimos la Noticia [es] takes a look at the Curicó province, one of the hardest hit areas. He highlights some of the dramatic stories that have emerged including the one of a 13-year-old boy who survived after withstanding...
Dominican Republic: Opposition to Barrick Gold Mining Operations
There is increased opposition to the Barrick Gold mining operations in the Dominican Republic because of the terms of the contract and benefits for the State, as well as concerns about environmental impacts.
Paraguay: Rescuing Citizen Experiences Through the Use of Blogs
Paraguayan blogger Carlos Rodríguez has been "rescuing" citizen experiences through the use of his blog RESCATAR and he hopes that highlighting these experiences can help solve the many of the country's problems.
Chile: Firsthand video account of Tsunami waves in Pichilemu
The force and unexpected nature of a tsunami wave can be seen in the following video. It shows a group of friends walking on the debris strewn beach of Pichilemu, a resort town in central Chile, observing the previous tsunami's damage when they get caught in the rapidly rising waters....
The Virtual Choir: Technology, Collaboration and Music
Composer Eric Whitacre , after seeing a Youtube video of a young soprano singing his song "Sleep" wondered: What if he could get people, regardless of where they were in the world, to record themselves signing all the other parts of his a capella choir piece? So he did, and following, you will be able to see the various results of this great experiment of online collaboration with the Virtual Choir.
Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating Women in Technology and Transparency Worldwide
In celebration of Ada Lovelace Day we profile several women based around the world who use technology to to make government more transparent and accountable.
Peru: Cries of Animal Abuse in Defense of Surfing Alpaca
Images of "Pisco," the surfing alpaca have sparked cries of animal abuse because the Peruvian animal was taken out of its natural habitat, prompting speculating that its trainer was only out for publicity.
Argentina: Arrest Order Against Judge's Father Creates Controversy
Argentinean Judge María José Sarmiento believes that the arrest order for her father, accused of human rights abuses in the 1970s, is "obviously related" to her ruling against the government regarding the use of the federal reserves.
El Salvador: 30th Anniversary of Assassination of Oscar Romero
Each year on March 24, the people of El Salvador and around the world commemorate the life of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated 30 years ago for his outspoken criticisms of the repressive government.
Chile: President Piñera's Unsold Shares in LAN Airlines
Chilean president Sebastián Piñera made a campaign promise to sell all of his shares in LAN Airlines by the time he took office on March 11, 2010, something he has yet to fulfill.
Guatemala: Transport Blockades as Protest
Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] writes about the blockades placed by public transport drivers in Guatemala City, who are protesting the lack of security and crime often targeted at them. However, Figueroa writes that all people have a right to protest, but not with blockades.
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.
