Stories about Latin America from July, 2008
Brazil: Uncovering the lack of freedom of press
Andre Deak [pt] interviews Daniel Florêncio [pt], a Brazilian filmmaker living in London, who “has been target of criticism by the government of Minas Gerais because of his video report Gagged in Brazil“, about lack of freedom of press and political manipulation of the media in the country.
Uruguay: Poor Experience with DHL
Sole of ¡Montevideo me mata! [es] angrily writes about her experience with the delivery service DHL and says that it needs more “competition in Uruguay.”
Ecuador: Learning Kichwa
Angel Gualán provides two lessons on his blog for those interested in learning an Ecuadoran indigenous language of Kichwa, which is also spoken by his group the Saraguros.
Peru: Killing of an Otorongo Due to Negligence?
Ramiro Celis of Iquitos News [es] reports about the killing of an Otorongo (Jaguar) that was held at the Quistococha Park Zoo in the city of Iquitos, Perú. Although the administration of the park said the animal had to be killed because it showed aggresion while being moved from one...
Brazil: Calling for investigation into Brazilian Supreme Court
Hélio Paz [pt] calls everyone to be part of a peaceful rally for investigations into Gilmar Mendes, the president of the Brazilian Supreme Court, over allegations of corruption. “We will make history with the second postmodernist resistance movement in Porto Alegre”. The gathering takes place at 10 am next Saturday,...
Chile: Student throws water at the Minister of Education's face
In Chile, a student fed up with the repression and incarceration of participants in the protests against the new General Education Law (LGE) and the beatings and abuse sustained by her from the military during these protests complained to the Minister of Education at one of the Participatory meetings organized by the Ministry to discuss the LGE, discussion which ended with a jug of water thrown in the Minister's face as can be seen on the following video.
Cuba: Escaping Reality
From Havana, Generation Y writes a haunting post on “dreams of escape”.
Peru: The Legacy of Augusto Leguia
Gian Carlo Orbezo of Peru Politico [es] writes about Augusto B. Leguia, president of Peru from 1919 to 1930 and his sad end as a dictator, and the relationship to Alberto Fujimori who is now facing trials of his own.
Costa Rica: Academic Report on Blogs
Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas [es] links to an academic investigative report regarding Costa Rican blogs and developed by professor Ignacio Siles.
Nicaragua: Real and Hypothetical Twitter Updates About Politicians
Users of Twitter in Nicaragua recently learned about the schedule of their United Nations ambassador through the account of the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. Some wondered what other politicians' Twitter updates might look like.
Venezuela: The Tradition of the Dancing Devils of Yare
The Dancing Devils of Yare is a traditional expression of culture and religion that takes place 9 weeks after Holy Thursday in the state of Miranda in Venezuela. The ritual dance is performed by dancers in colorful costumes and is a sense of pride for the entire country, as explained by local bloggers.
Brazil: “Forget adsense, I want a banner from the Senate!”
A blogger uncovered the story: the Brazilian Senate pays a monthly fee of US$ 30,084.61 for a 120×60 banner on an unknown website. Bloggers are now humorously trying to get a similar deal with the Senators, with many publishing the banner: "Dear Senators: Advertise on my site".
Brazil: Senate pays 30,084.61 USD a month for banner
Carlos Cardoso [pt], from Contraditorium blog, secured a major scoop ahead of any media: according to him, the Brazilian Senate pays US$ 30,084.61 a month for a small advertising banner on the rather obscure website www.paraiba.com.br, which is number 208,667 in the Alexa ranking. See the links to he proves...
Paraguay: Three Young Thieves Spending Their Bounty
Mike Silvero of San Ánimo de Ofender [es] recounts an eye-opening experience with three young thieves that had just returned from stealing at a local shopping center and spent the money on some delicious empanadas, which attracted suprise attention from the waitress and other onlookers.
Paraguay: Perfect Weather at the Expo Fair
Muna Annahas is in Asunción Paraguay enjoying the “perfect weather” and a visit to the Expo. She describes the scene from the food stands to promotional booths.
Brazil: Digital Crimes Bill approved by the Senate
The Brazilian Senate approved this week its ‘Digital Crimes Bill’. Marcelo Träsel [pt] believes that the final version was slightly better than the original proposal: “For example, there won't be penalty increase by two thirds for libel, defamation and injury on the Internet. Some other terms were better defined, such...
Peru: Success of National Strike in Doubt
A national strike took place on July 9 throughout Peru, which was organized by the General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP for its initials in Spanish) and had rallied against Peruvian president Alan Garcia's economic policies. Both the striking groups and the government declared victory, but Peruvian bloggers say that the underlying issues that led to the protests still remain.
Peru: Digital Rights Management Enforcement
Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] is surprised by the authorization for the use of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies through a legislative decree from the Peruvian government and which will make it illegal to manufacture modified components for video games, for example.
Japan: View from Ecuador on WaiWai “Child Hunt”
WaiWai was a column in Japan's fourth largest newspaper Mainichi, published for years in the English version of their website and featuring some of the most scandalous (and mostly fabricated) articles from Japan's weekly tabloids, translated to English with added “embellishments”. In recent weeks, the story of WaiWai erupted on the Japanese Internet, users reacting to WaiWai's negative depiction of Japan. One Japanese blogger living in Ecuador wrote a blog post expressing outrage at a WaiWai article about Japanese supposedly "hunting" for children in Ecuador.
Guatemala: Was Antigua the Inspiration for the Little Prince?
For a relatively small country, Guatemala's magnificant scenery can awaken one's imagination. From the 37 volcanoes that rise up from the landscape to the mystical Lake Atitlan, it is a country that has attracted intellectuals in the field of culture and arts, who may have been drawn to this magical land. One other author, Antoine De Sain Exupéry, who is best known for writing “The Little Prince,” visited Guatemala by accident, and leads to the question: Was Antigua, Guatemala his Muse for writing about Asteroid B-612?
Ecuador: Book Fair in Guayaquil
Nuestros Reflejos [es] invites all to the Book Fair currently being held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and which she is helping to organize.