Stories about Latin America from March, 2007
Colombia: Garcia Marquez Honoured
Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his “extraordinary literary career” were the toast of the fourth Congress of the Spanish Language held in Colombia. The Latin Americanist gives details.
Peru: Plagiarism at Every Level
There is no doubt about what has captured the attention of many Peruvian bloggers these past two weeks: the plagiarism of a local blog's content by the daily newspaper, La República [ES]. Though this isn't the first time such a thing has happened, this time we find much more repercussion....
Argentina: Hyperlocal Journalism: Parque Patricios
Parque Patricios [ES] is a hyperlocal blog by journalist and photographer Gabriel Giubellino about his Buenos Aires neighborhood, you guessed it, Parque Patricios.
Panama: Taxis
“It occurred to me that for people like Carlos, assuming the worst about strangers is one of life’s great little pleasures. A pleasure which can transform something as boring and mundane as a taxi ride, into something dangerous and risky and rash,” writes Matt Landau in his meditation on “Taxis...
Dominican Republic: Haitian Discrimination?
The Latin Americanist refers to an Amnesty International report on widespread discrimination against Haitians in the Dominican Republic.
Small taste of Chilean writers and poetry part I
Chile is well known as a country of poets, including Nobel Prize Winners Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1945) and Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century (1971). Gabriela Mistral (ES) was not only a poet, she...
Guatemala: Account of Anti-Bush Protests
After enduring some intestinal unpleasantries, Scott Lamorte made it to Guatemala City where he convinced local cops that he was a journalist for a behind-the-lines look at the protests that met US President George Bush on his one-day visit.
Guatemala: Improving the Electoral Process Pedir más, para…
As political parties organize their campaigns for the presidential elections, Jose Zamora hopes for a much more serious electoral process than just catchy campaign songs, ubiquitous street banners, and empty stump speeches. “We should demand concrete plans of governance from all the candidates, plans which we can study and debate...
El Salvador, Chile: Roque Dalton and Roberto Bolaño
Venezuelan-American poet Guillermo Parra, recently in San Salvador to research Salvadoran poet Roque Dalton (1935-1975), describes the interests in leftists politics and experimental fiction shared by Dalton and the Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño. A follow-up essay, “Poor Poets: Roque Dalton and Roberto Bolaño“, goes into further detail about the lives...
Puerto Rico: Ecological Havoc in Santo Domingo?
The Voice of the Taino People reports that the Santo Domingo Government's Public Works Ministry is causing significant ecological destruction in a National Park in order to build a two-kilometer vehicular access.
Panama: Semana Santa Recipes
Melissa de Leon reminds readers that “in Panama and the rest of Latin America, Holy Week and Lent are among the most important dates on the calendar.” Here's a great introduction to the importance of Holy Week in Latin America along with some tasty recommendations for what to cook.
Mexico: Regulation and Rural Broadband Penetration
Gilad Lotan reviews an article arguing for telecom regulation reform in Mexico in order to increase broadband penetration.
Honduras: Privatizing Hondutel
Mario Posas runs through the pros and cons of privatizing Hondutel, Honduras’ state-owned telecommunications monopoly. Update: From a reader: “This Honduran article that you wrote about appears to be a translation of a 1995 article??? It talks about President Reina and who is going to run for president in 1997....
Venezuela: Povery Statistics
Miguel Octavio challenges the latest numbers on poverty reported by Venezuela's new Minister of Finance Rodrigo Cabezas.
Guatemala: Garifuna
Chapinadas on Central America's Caribbean Garifuna population.
What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — about the passing of a witness
If your only source of news was the main Salvadoran newspapers, you might have missed the story. The sole survivor of a notorious massacre of civilians during El Salvador civil war passed away on March 6. On December 6, 1981, Rufina Amaya, had somehow managed to escape from the government...
Cuba: Show me your Coffee
Cuba and Coffee – CubanAmmericanPundits.com explores the cultural significance of this seductive drink.
Costa Rica: Cafta, Point of Discord
Roy Rojas on the intense protests against the Central American Free Trade Agreement in Costa Rica: “what has happened in countries that have ratified the agreement, for example Nicaragua and El Salvador, is that exports to the US have gone up significantly and there has been no loss of employment...
Chile: Censorship, Victor Jara and Los Tres
In his inimitable style, Tomás Dinges ties together the popularity of Mexican Rancheras and American hits, Chile's feudal history, the oppressive days of the dictatorship, the brutal murder of Victor Jara, and the censorship of video images by the producers of the massive concert recently held by Chilean folk-rock superheroes...
US, Brazil: Accord on Ethanol
Isabella Kenfield and Roger Burbach argue that “The US-Brazil Accord on Ethanol is good for GDP but very bad for rural poor.”
Bolivia: Constitutional Proposal by Podemos
Miguel Buitrago has a useful summary of a proposed new constitution by the Podemos political party.
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