Stories about Latin America from December, 2012
An Open Letter to President Hugo Chavez, from El Salvador
From El Salvador, Paolo Lüers, the blogger on Columna transversal, posts an open letter [es] to Venezuelan President, Mr Hugo Chavez, and tells him “something that the few ones who...
Costa Rica: Of Mills and a New Year
There were days when I felt the mill go slowly, too slowly, desperately slowly. Other days, I felt the mill spinning vertiginously, so I couldn't take a breathe and just...
“Bogotá's Traffic Jams Are Horrific Now? Well, Just Wait!”
Mike's Bogota Blog rants about traffic jams in Colombian capital city, Bogotá, and foresees the situation can only get worse: Congress, in all its wisdom, has included in the tax...
“Nobody Gets Mad on the Last Day”
Remembering his school days, Tomas Bradanovic [es] writes on his self-named blog “at elementary school, the last day of school year was the occasion for commiting any kind of mischievousness...
Top Five Moments for Argentina in 2012
Javier, the blogger of Fin del Capitalismo ¿Salvaje? (End of wild? Capitalism), lists the five top moments [es] in Argentina in 2012.
From Indigenous Protests to Online Preaching, Portuguese Language Countries in 2012
As the last day of the calendar approaches, we select a few glimpses of citizen media from the action and imagination of the Portuguese-speaking online world.
Bolivia: Nationalization and football
From Bolivia, blogger Eduardo Bowles refers to the nationalization of Spanish company Iberdrola [es]: […] amidst a severe credibility crisis and when the bumpings with Chile weren't enough for “beating...
Promiscuity: The Image of Brazilian Women Abroad?
On a television program in Portugal, the president of the Portuguese Bar Association claimed "one of the things Brazil has most exported is prostitutes, among other things." Online responses have been fierce, and the polemical statement is raising questions about the images and stereotypes of Brazilian women abroad.
Online Petition for Oscar López
The online petition asking for the pardon of Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera is rapidly getting close to its objective of 3,000 signatures. López was arrested in 1981...
Debating Journalism and Censorship
In recent days, journalists Sandra Rodríguez Cotto and Wilda Rodríguez [es] have a had an interesting debate on journalism, objectivity, and censorship following the boycott of Puerto Rico's popular TV show...
The Best 12 of 2012
The music blog Puerto Rico Indie offers its traditional summary of the best albums of the year in Puerto Rico. Enjoy!
Brazilian Memes and Internet Culture in 2012
What was the best of the crazy world of Brazilian memes and Internet culture in 2012? One thing is for sure “Brazil can do virals”, says Anna Heim from The...
Mexico: Federal Court Halts Controversial Wind Park
The largely indigenous opposition to wind farms in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec of Oaxaca, Mexico won a tremendous victory when a District Seven Federal Court judge granted an injunction temporarily halting the construction of a controversial wind park in San Dioniosio del Mar in the southern state of Oaxaca. While the indigenous Ikojts (Huave) peoples of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec celebrated and called for government and industry to comply with the decision, their grassroots struggle continues.
Analyzing the Salaries of Congressmen in Latin America
After the payment raise scandal [es] of Peruvian congressmen, disguised under the rubric of expenses, in Sesión de Control, journalist Martin Hidalgo makes a comparative analysis [es] of the salaries...
A special Christmas gift
Peruvian blogger Cyrano [es] from Columna 17 ends his five-part series of Christmas-related posts republishing an article by Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez and says [es]: I hope you...
Mayan Priests Denied Access to Ceremonial Places in Guatemala
Guatemala, the heart of Mayan culture, has started their festivities for the 13 Baktun - the last cycle of the Mayan calendar, due to end on December 21, 2012. But sadly the celebrations were dominated by staged government shows which were neither lead nor shared by indigenous communities or spiritual leaders. Mayan elders are the keepers of the 'long count of the days', however Guatemalan authorities imposed restrictions on them to practice their ceremonies.
Mexico: “Mayans Didn't Predict the End of the World”
According to the Mayans, what we are about to celebrate is the beginning of b’ak’tun 14. Very similar to us about to celebrate the beginning of 2013, or as happened...
Two Coins for the Boatman
From Guatemala, Fe de Rata‘s blogger Juan Pablo Dardón, lists his plan [es] for the end of times: I woke up early and put two golden coins one for each...
Honduras: “Don't Worry, Be Happy”
La Gringa, from La Gringa's blogicito shares her sentiments about so long anticipated December 21, 2012: Today is December 21, 2012, the last day of the Mayan calendar. Enjoy it...
Mirelis Morales’ ‘City of Fury': A positive view of Caracas
Mirelis Morales Tovar is a tweep, blogger, journalist and, above all, a Caracas native. In this interview she tells us a little more about her blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [Caracas City of Fury], a space dedicated to showing the positive side of the Venezuelan capital.
Copa Sudamericana Final Ends in Violence
The heated final match of the Copa Sudamericana on the 12th December 2012 at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo, between Brazilian team São Paulo FC and Club Atletico Tigre, from Argentina, ended unexpectedly. And violently, too. A fight between the players spilled over to the changing rooms, where the Argentinian team claims to have suffered aggression from the Military Police and São Paulo security staff.
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