Stories about Latin America from November, 2010
Puerto Rico: Bloggers Criticize Censorship Call of Calle 13 Song
The president of the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board described Calle 13's latest song as "obscene" and "lewd" and has invited the general public to send their complaints so she can forward them to the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Puerto Rican blogosphere reacts.
Brazil: President today, blogger tomorrow
Outgoing Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) was interviewed for the first time this week by a range of progressive bloggers, an event seen by many as a major step in the ongoing push for a more democratic media system in the country.
Cuba: Waiting in Vain?
“We are surrounded by a repression that does not sign papers, show its face, or place a stamp next to each act which violates its own law”: Generation Y is waiting for answers.
El Salvador: Important Support for Law Prohibiting Metallic Mining
Tim from Tim's El Salvador Blog reports: “A law to prohibit metallic mining in El Salvador got important support today, as a deputy in the Salvadoran National Assembly from the GANA party announced GANA's support of the measure. “
Chile: Support for Electoral Reform
Greg Weeks from Two Weeks Notice shares poll results that show support for an electoral reform: “A new poll in Chile shows support for some electoral reform, particularly for voting to be voluntary (77%). Meanwhile, 60% support making registration automatic once you become 18 years old. The same percentage supports...
Korea: Paulo Coelho Joined the #Prayforkorea in Twitter
After North Korea's artillery shelling on a South Korean island, killing two marines and two civilians and wounding at least a dozen people, twitterers, both local and international, have joined the #prayforkorea discusssion. Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian star writer, tweeted “On the verge of a war: Twitter can do nothing, but prayers can. #prayforkorea #importantnews”
Peru: Fines For Careless Pedestrians
As of November 15, Peruvian pedestrians can be fined if they break the Traffic Code. In a country where pedestrians and drivers are notorious for not complying with traffic regulations, bloggers are expressing their feelings about this measure.
Cuba: Democratic Change?
“I don’t think capitalism is the model of a perfect life. But it is more logical and possible at this stage of human development”: Translating Cuba examines “the hard road to democracy”.
Ecuador: “Clean Quito” Campaign Fights Chewing Gum
Have you ever thought about how much it costs a municipality to remove chewing gum stuck to the pavement? Thousands of dollars in street cleaning are spent to fight this habit of discarding chewing gum on the ground. In Quito, the municipal government and several schools began a campaign that seeks to remove gum from the ground and make the capital cleaner.
Guatemala: Getting Ready for the 2011 Elections
Guatemala is getting ready for next year's presidential elections, as Central American Politics explains: “While campaigning cannot officially start for a few more months, parties and candidates are beginning to position themselves for the contest.”
Bolivia: 229 Years Since the Sacrifice of Tupac Katari
The story of the uprising of the indigenous freedom fighters has been passed down from generation to generation in the indigenous communities of Bolivia. This rebellious movement was led some 229 years ago by Tupac Katari and remembrance events will take place during the month of November.
Dominican Republic: The death of an exemplary human being
November 18th was a sad day for Dominicans: Freddy Beras Goico passed away. The communicator and TV host was involved in his last years in philanthropist activities helping people with low income. Bloggers and social network users lament his death and celebrate his life.
Puerto Rico: New album by Calle 13
The music blog Puerto Rico Indie reviews [es] the group Calle 13's latest album, “Entren los que quieran.”
Cuba: 6th Congress
Sin Evasion and Translating Cuba both blog about the next Cuban Communist Party Congress, scheduled to take place in April next year.
Brazil: President Lula grants blogosphere first-ever interview
Outgoing Brazilian president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva will tomorrow (24th November) be interviewed [pt] for the first time by a range [pt] of progressive bloggers regarding Brazil's changing media system. Renato Rovai, editor of liberal current affairs magazine Revista Forum [pt], called the event a “celebration of informational diversity” [pt]. The interview will...
Costa Rica: Germany and Colombia win La Ruta endurance cycling race
La Ruta de los Conquistadores is considered one of the world's hardest cycling races in stages and it took place last week in Costa Rica, with Colombian Angela Parra winning in the women's category and German cyclist Ben Sonntag winning in the male category. But the organizers faced a parallel challenge: they struggled to handle participants' dissatisfaction with the way rules were enforced during the race.
Mexico: An Afternoon Visiting Xochimilco
Catherine from Small Fish in the Big Taco begins her latest post: “Welcome to Xochimilco in the south of Mexico City where you can spend a perfect afternoon floating down the canals and picnicing aboard the brightly coloured trajineras (gondola-style boats).” She includes photos and descriptions of an afternoon in...
Chile: Education Reform Sparks Debate
Mauricio Rojas explains and critiques [es] a recent education reform presented by the Ministry of Education. Mauricio ends his post linking to another point-of-view on the reform by José J. Brunner [es]. The reform has sparked a debate because, among other things, it would reduce class time for Social Science...
Argentina: Citizen Pictures of La Plata's 128th Anniversary
The online citizen newspaper Letra Compartida [es] from La Plata, Argentina, created a photo album of citizen pictures from the city's 128th anniversary, which was celebrated on November 19th.
Cuba: Rafters Hoping for a New Life
Laritza's Laws and Iván's File Cabinet both blog about Cuban rafters who risk it all for a chance at freedom.
Brazil: five days of cyber-activism to end violence against women
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25th), a group of Brazilian feminist bloggers will take part in five days of cyber activism [pt]. Those involved will post interviews with activists and lawyers to raise awareness of causes, consequences and prevention of the practice. Meanwhile, online collectives have...
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Melissa Vida is the Latin America Spanish-language editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
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