Stories about Latin America from February, 2011
A declaration of love to the Portuguese language, in all its variations
On February 21 Global Voices in Portuguese commemorated International Mother Language Day with a tribute to the lusophony in all its linguistic and cultural diversity. Read the blogsphere's reflections on the first novel dedicated to the Portuguese language, Milagrário Pessoal - the most recent work by the Angolan author José Eduardo Agualusa.
Puerto Rico: Best Blogs 2010
The team of Esoez.com gave out the Esoez Awards to the best blogs [es] of Puerto Rico in 2010. The podcast En Profundo [es], the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es], and the satire blog El ñame [es] are among the winners.
Puerto Rico: Conflictive One Day Walk-Out
In a general student assembly yesterday, a majority of students of the main campus of the University of Puerto Rico voted in favor of ending the strike for one month [es], but they declared a one day walk out today as part of their protest initiatives against the imposition of...
Cuba: Psychiatric Hospital Trial Over
Laritza's Laws is still haunted by the trial for the deaths at the Psychiatric Hospital, describing the proceedings as “a bad theater set painted by the official press.”
Cuba: The Memory of Zapata
“Sometimes the end of person cements his name in history forever”: Generation Y blogs about Orlando Zapata Tamayo on the first anniversary of his death.
Puerto Rico: A Student's Life Broadcast Through Youtube
Christian Ortega published the first episode of his regular web series "La Cabeza de Christian" back in the summer of 2009. Through LCC, as it is known for short, Christian generally speaks his mind about Puerto Rican politics, headline news, and his life on the island for seven to nine minutes at a time each week. Alfredo Richner interviews Christian about his online success, Puerto Rico's blogosphere, and the student strike at the University of Puerto Rico, among other topics.
Argentina: Lionel Messi to sue politician for improper use of his image
The Latin Americanist reports that a photo of football player Lionel Messi “appeared in a campaign ad for Argentine legislator Alfredo Olmedo, a candidate running for governor of Salta. ‘Say yes to sport, say no to drugs’ is the slogan of the ad […] Messi’s lawyer, Ricardo Giusepponi, declared on...
Why is President Obama Traveling to El Salvador in March?
Mike in Central American Politics mentions several reasons why President Obama is traveling to El Salvador in March of this year, “in addition to security, trade, energy, poverty, etc.”
Cuba: Cigar Fest
Havana Times and Repeating Islands blog about Cuba's Cigar Festival.
Cuba: Masses for Tamayo
Uncommon Sense reports that “State Security agents this week have been warning parishes in Havana to not celebrate Masses to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo.”
Brazil: Trial for murder of Guarani Kaiowa begins
Update on GV's post Brazil: Eradicating the Indigenous Guarani Kaiowa. The trial of the accused for the murder of chief Marcos Veron resumed on February 21. The website Indigenous Peoples Issues translates an article by CIMI (Indigenous Missionary Council) about the mobilization of Guarani indians to accompany the trial.
Puerto Rico: “I Do Not Belong to That Class”
A group of Law professors of the University of Puerto Rico have opened a section of their blog, Derecho al Derecho [es], to provide information on how lawyers can opt-out of a federal class suit against the Bar Association of Puerto Rico, an institution that has been practically dismantled by...
Video: Learning a New Language Through Online Video
February 21st is the International Mother Language Day and this year's theme is Linguistic Diversity and New Technologies. With that in mind, we bring you a series of examples of how people are helping others to learn their mother languages using videos and websites.
Peru: Wikileaks Cable Stirs Electoral Campaign
Juan Arellano in Globalizado [es] reports on reactions to a 2005 cable released by Wikileaks, which reveals that “Fernando Rospigliosi, former Minister of Interior in the administration of Alejandro Toledo, asked for the collaboration of the United States Embassy to carry out a campaign against Ollanta Humala.”
Costa Rican Movie “El Regreso” Reaches Funding Goal Through Crowdfunding
Cristian Cambronero from Fusil de Chispas [es] updates readers on the crowdfunding initiative for Costa Rican movie “The Return” on Kickstarter: the goal of $40,000 was reached in a little over 5 days, 41 days before the deadline on April 2.
Uruguayan Politicians on Twitter
Federico Lorenzo [es] provides a list of Uruguayan politicians on Twitter, grouped by their political party.
Chile: Social Media Reactions Against Coal Mining Project
The approval of a coal mining mega-project in Isla Riesco, nature and protected species sanctuary in southern Chile, reveals a serious environmental conflict of interests that is being analyzed and denounced on the active Chilean social networks.
Cuba: Realities of Virtual Protests
Laritza Diversent and Without Evasion blog about the Middle East protests and the obstacles that may prevent similar demonstrations from happening in Cuba.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: The Gay Agenda
Could prioritizing the gay agenda be diverting attention from more pressing issues? Iván's File Cabinet explores the possibilities, while gspottt says the Trinidad and Tobago government “has its priorities on GLBT issues wrong.”
Brazil: Learning culture and portuguese language
In the International Mother Language Day, take some time out to check the Portuguese Blog by Transparent Language and read about the Brazilian culture and its Portuguese language variant. Have fun learning how to use sarcastic expressions such as “para variar” and “depois“.
Venezuela: Brazilian Music in Venezuela's Web 2.0
The cultural relationship between Brazil and Venezuela is commonly seen in the way carnival is celebrated and in the high ratings Brazilian soap operas have enjoyed in Venezuela for many years. But today, through blogs, MySpace and YouTube, Venezuelan groups are sharing their arrangements and interpretations of Brazilian music.
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