· July, 2008

Stories about Latin America from July, 2008

Brazil: Uncovering the lack of freedom of press

  17 July 2008

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

  17 July 2008

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

  17 July 2008

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?

  17 July 2008

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

  16 July 2008

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

  16 July 2008

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.

Peru: The Legacy of Augusto Leguia

  15 July 2008

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.

Venezuela: The Tradition of the Dancing Devils of Yare

  15 July 2008

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!”

  14 July 2008

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

  14 July 2008

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

  14 July 2008

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.

Brazil: Digital Crimes Bill approved by the Senate

  13 July 2008

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

  13 July 2008

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

  13 July 2008

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”

  11 July 2008

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?

  11 July 2008

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?

About our Latin America coverage

Gabriela Mesones Rojo
Gabriela Mesones Rojo is the Latin America Spanish-language editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Fernanda Canofre
Fernanda Canofre is the Brazil editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.