Stories about Latin America from December, 2006
Venezuela: SMS Election Info
Justin Oberman describes how were able to find out information about their polling stations via SMS with their cell phones.
Guadeloupe:Celebrating Chevallier de St-George
Guadeloupe Attitude is happy (Fr) a Guadeloupean school chose to rename itself after local historic figure Joseph Bologne a.k.a. Chevallier de St-George, the child of a white French planter and freed african slave woman who lived in the 18th century and conquered classical composing and military skill in both Europe...
Venezuela: Preserving Indigenous Languages
As many as thirty-four indigenous languages are spoken in Venezuela and a special committee of the country's National Assembly is drafting a law designed at preserving them. The Latin Americanist also reports that there are plans to have indigenous representation on the Assembly.
Puerto Rico: World Cultural Diversity to be Protected
The Voice of the Taino People reports on the UN-backed international treaty to preserve global cultural diversity, which will come into effect in March 2007.
Chile: Pinochet & Jara
Justin Delacour posts an article written by Alexander Billet, which examines Pinochet's legacy as it relates to “radicals” like Victor Jara, “a songwriter and poet; a deadly combination to any iron-fisted regime…”
The World Championship of Brazilian 2.0 Football
Brazilians still have fresh memories of the defeat of the national team in the last World Cup in Germany, when the group of international shining stars was unable to show the needed will to win on the field. As a result, Porto Alegre's Internacional triumph in the Club World Cup...
Puerto Rico: Critical Mass
“What do We call the moment in which an active mass becomes inert because its size is no longer enough to sustain action/reaction?” Gil the Jenius explores the concept of critical mass in sociological terms.
Venezuela: Bloggers Wish the World Merry Christmas
Venezuelan bloggers wish you a merry multimedia Christmas [ES]. This will definitely get a laugh out of you. You can get a behind-the-scenes look at how the video was put together here [ES].
Guatemalan: Election Preview
Boz takes an early look at Guatemala's 2007 election.
Chile:Reactions to Pinochet's death
Liz Henrey looks at some of the poetry and photography inspired by the death of Chilean ex-dictator, Augusto Pinochet.
Costa Rica: Island Fraud
Uri Ridelma clarifies that Costa Rica's Punta Piedra Island, which has supposedly been sold by a company called Private Islands Online for the price of $1.5 million and is being sold by another company called Tropical Islands at a price of $6 million, is not for sale.” However, that doesn't...
Bolivia, Argentina, Chile: A Ride for the Climate
David of Ride for Climate is nearing the end of his transcontinental bike ride journals his peddling from La Paz through the Atacama desert and into Northern Argentina.
Haiti: High Prices of Flights
Reacting to news of a new airline to offer Haiti-Dominican Republic flights, Collectif Haiti de Provence complains about the cost of flights to Haiti(Fr): “It is always flabbergasting how expensive flights to Haiti are whether via all powerful American Airlines who holds an unwavering monopoly or via the lines that...
Colombia: “Same-sex partnership rights? Not so fast…”
Andres Duque offers both a short and long explanation to what is happening and not happening with Colombia's same-sex partnership legislation.
Mexico: Christmas Bonus
Lee Iwan describes Mexico's annual aguinaldo: “This puts added strain on cash flow and accounts payables for Mexican organizations during the month of December. At the same time it creates a huge burst of economic activity throughout the country.”
Guatemala: Flor de Pascua
Chapinadas on the production and exportation of Guatemala's Flor de Pascua or “Easter Flower.”
Colombia: “What I've Learned”
Erwin Cifuentes, who normally blogs prodigiously at The Latin Americanist is now in Colombia and has put together a collection of “the many lessons big and small” he's learned so far. Ricardo Carreón also finds himself in Colombia and recommends an English-language website about the capital city.
Argentina: Buenos Aires Blog Roundup
Alan Patrick spreads the link love with his second Buenos Aires Blog Roundup.
Bolivia: “Sliding down a slippery slope”
Both Miguel Centellas and Jim Shultz document and analyze the increasing tension between pro-autonomy protesters, government supporters, and the military.
Cuba: New Book, “Khrushchev’s Cold War”
A new book has captured Luis M. Garcia's attention: Khrushchev’s Cold War attributes the decision to place nuclear missiles on Cuban soil at the height of the Cold War to do more with the Soviet Union wanting to be taken seriously by the U.S. and less to do with Khrushchev...
Trinidad & Tobago: CARIBwhale
There's a new association dedicated to conserving cetaceans and their habitat, while promoting responsible whale and dolphin watching in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Beat blog reports that the effort will “enhance education, training and research…help standardize the collection of data on marine life as well as the social and economic...
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.
