Stories about Latin America from November, 2006
Ecuador: Rafael Correa Wins Election
A.M. Mora y Leon tries to make sense of Rafael Correa's win on Sunday in Ecuador's presidential election: “And maybe it’s understandable – Correa was a fresh face. Noboa was an oligarch. Correa must have seemed more like an outsider, more willing to be worth the gamble to focus on...
Web 2.0 in Brazil Displays the Powers of Participation
Web 2.0 is coming on strong in Brazil and showing its transformational impacts on the national mind. The recent elections were a dramatic example demonstrating that blogs and citizen media are playing an important role in the process of challenging mainstream institutions of Brazilian society and they seem to be...
Peru, Bolivia: A Ride for the Climate
It has now been over a year since David of Ride for Climate first set off from California to ride throughout Latin America. Here are his latest batch of photos and stories from Peru and Bolivia.
Mexico: Maria Estela Godinez
Great news for everyone following the story of Maria Estela Godinez, a Mexican high school student who developed a project that “allows people with speech problems to communicate with the world by moving her hands with a special glove that translates finger movements into text and then to speech.” Ricardo...
Mexico: Criminal Complaint Against Fox
Writes Colin Brayton, translating an excerpt from El Universal: “Members of the Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) filed a criminal complaint, charging genocide, forcible disappearance of persons, and human rights violations, against President Vicente Fox and his Secretary of Governance, Carlos Abascal, as well as Oaxaca governor...
Colombia: “Genesis”
Explaining the inspiration to start a blog, “Bacata” writes, “I decided to set this blog so to allow the English speaking people that are interested in knowing about Colombia have an idea of Colombia. For many people overseas Colombia is a lawless state, which before the war in Afghanistan and...
Ecuador: Too Close to Call
Heading into Ecuador's presidential elections this Sunday, Boz says the race is too close to call.
No Congress Debate for Abortion in Chile
With 61 votes in favor, the lower house of the Chilean congress decided to not legalize abortion and declared it “unacceptable”. 21 votes were against there were 3 abstentions. Quemarlasnaves (ES) posts about the democratic sense that involved the decision: La decisión del Presidente de la Cámara, respaldada por la...
Cuba: Cold wave
“Today at daybreak I look down on the city and saw a parade of North Pole-style raincoats, hooded overcoats, people wearing gloves. What a bunch of exaggerators we are: the first wind hasn't blown and already we believe it's going to snow,” writes [ES] Cuban journalist Zenia in a brief...
Latin American Election Blogging
November is quite the electoral month in what has already been a year of elections throughout the Western Hemisphere. The month has already seen the return of Sanidinista leader, Daniel Ortega to Nicaragua's presidency. The United States – condemned by many for its influence in Nicaragua's elections – shifted to...
Panama: Beers & Blogs Decmeber
Bloggers visiting Panama City in the month of December, take note: the next “Beers & Blogs Panama” will take place at Taberna Steinbock on December 22 [ES].
The Week that Was – Bolivian Blogs
The Bolivian blog community webpage, Blogs de Bolivia [ES], has been at the center of discussion regarding the growing phenomenon of Bolivian blogs. Recently, it sought to find out the demographics of those visitors that frequent the page. Its survey found that by far, the two two categories were Bolivians...
Mexico: Felipe Calderon presents its Economic Cabinet
Ricardo Carreón lists Felipe Calderon's newly appointed Economic Cabinet. Ana Maria Salazar says there are some surprises among the choices.
Puerto Rico: Candela Festival
The Caribbean Beat weblog posts an entertaining and opinionated report on the 2006 Candela Art and Music Festival, which took place recently in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Venezuela: Electoral Musings
Miguel Octavio pens his “Electoral Musings from Caracas, concluding that, “with two weeks left, we have a very nervous Government, with changing campaign strategies almost daily and a war of words and polls between the two sides, as well as changes in those running Chavez’ campaign. On the other side...
Venezuela: Conference on Digital Journalism
The Third Congress on International Digital Journalism is currently underway in Maracay, Venezuela and Patricia Noriega is dutifully taking notes [ES].
Peru: Anatomy of a Blog Workshop
From now until Friday, Spanish journalist Nacho Fernández will be giving a workshop titled “Anatomy of a Blog” [ES] at the Center for Culture in Lima, Peru.
Costa Rica on Arias, Sabina and CAFTA
Costa Rican blogs these past two weeks have had a bit of CAFTA, a bit of music and some complaints on the roads and the trash. The latter two are issues that worry those out in the streets and seem to leave those in power unconcerned. The uproar on the...
Nicaragua: Tranquility or False Peace?
Pamela gives a taste of the atmosphere in Managua in the wake of Daniel Ortega's presidential victory.
Argentina: 2007 Book Fair
Former librarian Jeff Barry takes an early look at the 2007 Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires, noting that “the average print run for a book in Argentina was 3,520 in 2005,” however, only “4% of the titles were translated into Spanish from another language.”
Honduras, Cuba: Rafting Season
“Is it winter? Rainy season? Hurricane season? Christmas season? Shopping season?” Yes, it's all of those things, writes “La Gringa”, who explains why November until February is also the “season of the Cuban rafters.”
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