Stories from December, 2007
Uruguay: Fusion of Tango and Electronica
For fans of Tango, From Uruguay introduces readers to Bajofondo, a Uruguayan-Argentinean group that fuses tango and electronic music.
Peru: Controversy in the Vote for Best Blog 2007
Peruanista [es] objects to the vote for “Best Peruvian blog of 2007″ held at the blog Utero de Marita [es], saying that there is a huge difference between best blog and the most popular blog, among other reasons.
Mexico: Giant Crack in Ice Rink
A huge crack appeared in the middle of the ice rink that was set up in the zócalo of Mexico City. Isopixel [es] has the latest photo.
Americas: Year in Review
Plan Colombia and Beyond reviews what took place in Colombia and Latin America in 2007.
Brazil: OLPC After First Round of Bidding
OLPC News provides information on the status of bidding for the purchase of 150,000 laptops for children in Brazil and also links to an interview with David Cavallo, OLPC representative in that country.
El Salvador: Deportation in the News
Tim's El Salvador Blog lists many examples of stories about immigrants and deportation in the media.
Peru: Traveling and Photography
Luis Yupanqui Mesías of Peru Viajero [es] recounts some of the sites that he visited and photographed in 2007 and thanks his readers for accompanying him along the way.
Colombia: The Discovery of a New Gold Mine
A new gold mine was recently discovered in Colombia and can place the country in the top 10 producers in the world writes Proyecto Colombia.
Antigua: Fixing Crime
Talk Antigua thinks that crime is destroying the country “and no one seems to be doing anything about it.”
Barbados: Retired Immigration Chief Shot Dead
Both Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground report on the murder of former Chief Immigration Officer Kenrick Hutson.
Puerto Rico: Kayak Trip
The CAC Review interviews Taino Almestica, part of a two-person team that circumnavigated the island of Puerto Rico in a kayak.
Cuba: Havana in Pictures
photo.imagina posts a beautiful Flickr photo set of shots from Havana, Cuba.
Trinidad & Tobago: Trip to Cairo
“I spent most of my first day swearing never to return, but I’ve been won over. I’ll be back.”: Club Soda and Salt visits Cairo, Egypt and finds a few similarities to his native Trinidad and Tobago.
Angola: Welcome to a new blogger
Soba L [pt] is a new blogger from Luanda, Angola, who likes examining carefully daily events. In his first posts, he analyzes the actual situation of the RAP music in Angola, the consequences of the civil war, and the recent summit Africa-Europe.
Kenya: A new President must be sworn in today
Kenyan Jurist points out that according to the Kenyan constitution a new president must be sworn in today: “My further thoughts after listening to the contestants; H E Mwai Kibaki's term expires today, a new President must under our Constitution be sworn in today.”
Ethiopia: Queen of Sheba, Now Available in French
Francophone music blog Roots and Culture interviews Samuel Malher, a religious scholar from Strasbourg who has written the first unabridged French translation of the Kebra Negast, a sacred Ethiopian text. It describes the heritage of the Ethiopian monarchs, who trace their lineage to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and how the Ethiopians became God's new chosen people when the Ark of the Covenant was taken from Israel to Ethiopia.
Sudan: The Aftermath of the Teddy Bear Circus
Not surprisingly, about a month ago the Sudanese blogosphere's main topic and attraction was the teddy bear circus which received a huge amount of global media attention.
Ethiopia: French Translation of the Kebra Nagast
Roots and Culture interviews [FR] Samuel Mahler, who recently translated the Kebra Nagast, a sacred text of many Ethiopian Christians and Rastafarians, into French.
Japan: Web visionary Umeda Mochio
While famous in Japan as a web visionary, Silicon Valley resident Umeda Mochio, president of Muse Associates, co-founder of Pacifica Fund and board member of the Japanese bookmarking and diary service Hatena, is little-known overseas. His recent book "Web Shinkaron" ("Theory of Web Evolution") sold 370,000 copies and become a national besteller in Japan. Umeda was recently interviewed by the Japanese magazine Central Review (Chuo koron), portions of which are introduced and translated in this post.
Cuba: The Divorce Rate
Regalado [es] writes about the divorce rate in Cuba, in which it is reported that 6 out of every 10 marriages end in divorce
Russia: Holiday Charity (via Egoism)
Russia is embarking on a 10-day national vacation: from Dec. 30 to Jan. 8, the country will be celebrating the New Year's and Orthodox Christmas - and should also have enough time to rest, relax and sober up in between. Charity isn't among the most popular subjects in the Russian blogosphere during the festive season, although some bloggers do discuss ways of helping the poor and needy this year. Below is one blogger's musings on charity and selfishness, as well as a perfectly explicit call to action.
