Stories about Colombia from August, 2011
Colombia: Art NGOs Receive Threat from Paramilitary Group
The blog El salmon [es] reports [es] that on August 23, 12 Art NGOs received death threats from the paramilitary group “Black Eagles“. The threat indicated they were to leave the capital, Bogotá, in less than 8 days. The blog includes a statement written [es] by Edwin Almed Domínguez, Member...
Colombia: #ColombiaisBeautiful vs. Hollywood
Lina Salazar in the Americas Quarterly blog comments on the movie Colombiana “(yet another) movie in which Colombia is portrayed as a land of cocaine, crime and armed insurrection”. She mentions several initiatives that are looking to change this negative image of Colombia, like #ColombiaisBeautiful, “a grassroots social media campaign...
Colombia: ‘Blank Vote, Worthy Vote’
Colombians are invited to cast blank ballots in the regional and local elections to be held on October 30, 2011 through the video “Blank vote, worthy vote” by NachoVelezJim on YouTube. The argument for such a move is that scandals of government corruption have made the country lose billions of...
Colombia: Football Federation Accepts ‘Bolillo’ Gómez's Resignation as Head Coach
On Sunday, August 21, Hernán Darío Gómez ratified his resignation as head coach of the Colombian national soccer team after he hit a woman in Bogotá. This time the Colombian Football Federation accepted the resignation, but the issue continues to generate various online reactions.
Colombia: Football Federation Rejects ‘Bolillo’ Gómez's Resignation as Head Coach
The Colombian Football Federation has rejected the resignation of Hernán Darío Gómez (‘Bolillo’) as head coach of the national football team which he presented after hitting a woman. On social networks Colombians have shared everything from comments on respecting women to speculations about who might replace him.
Colombia Eliminated from FIFA U-20 World Cup
In EquinoXio [es] blogger Marsares [es] is covering [es] the U-20 Football World Cup taking place in Colombia from July 29 to August 20 with the participation of 24 countries. Colombia, the host, was eliminated [es] in a game against Mexico, generating all kinds of reactions online.
Colombia: The FTA With the United States From the Blogosphere
With the pact signed in Washington to increase the debt ceiling, the United States Congressional leaders returned to the topic of the free trade agreement (FTA) with Panama, South Korea and Colombia. Since this is precisely a topic that has been in discussion for years, the free trade agreement one has attracted more critics than sympathizers in the Colombian blogosphere.
Chile: Waste Pickers Rummage for Legal Recognition
Environmentalist Bharati Chaturvedi flew for 40 hours from her home Delhi, India, to dig deeper into a dirty issue: trash. As politicians in Chile discuss recycling on a national level, Chaturvedi encourages that those who collect trash professionally, or “waste pickers,” be included in the solution.
Colombia: Citizens Speak Out Against Government Corruption
In Colombia, several corruption cases have surfaced that date back to the government of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez. The Internet and social media sphere has reacted, calling for Colombians to join a Masked March against corruption.
Colombia: Indigenous People March On Antioquia's Independence Day
Today, August 11, is independence day in Antioquia. More than one thousand Indigenous people are marching through the streets [es] of Medellín to reach [es] the Alpujarra [es] where the local government is located. They are calling for the right to life because in less than 3 months 16 of...
Colombia: Head Coach of National Football Team Resigns Over Scandal
Hernán Darío Gómez (‘Bolillo’), resigned as the head coach of the national football team after hitting a woman in a bar (‘El Bembé’) in Bogotá. Media [es], blogs [es], websites [es] and social networks spoke out about his actions and influenced his decision. On Twitter several hashtags (#Bavaria, DT de...
Colombia: The Abortion Debate
Amidst the ongoing debate prompted by a Conservative bill aiming to outlaw abortion in all cases, Javier Moreno debunks [es] one of the arguments (a poorly referenced academic text) by columnist and former Congressman Nicolás Uribe Rueda [es] and voices his opinion about such debate. Meanwhile, Aleyda writes [es] about...
Colombia: University Dean Removed for Inviting Abortion Advocates
Garciamado writes [es] in the blog Dura Lex about the debate which was sparked when a private University in the city of Medellín decided to fire one of its deans [es] after she proposed inviting guests who openly favor abortion to an event commemorating 75 years of the Institution [es]....
Latin America: Should News Broadcasters Provide More English Content?
Robert Valencia from My Humble Opinion blogs about a couple failed attempts by Latin American news organizations to provide content in English. He argues: “If Latin American broadcasters wish to keep up with other international networks that have incorporated high-quality English programming, now is the time to deliver real content...
Colombia: Women on Sex Strike Demand Better Roads
In Colombia Reports, Matt Snyder writes: “For 38 days, 300 women in the town of Barbacoas have participated in a “strike of crossed legs” denying their husbands sexual favors until a road that connects their town to the rest of Colombia is paved.” Authorities said that the road will be paved;...
