Latest posts by David Sasaki from January, 2007
Latin America: Professor Blog Directory
Blogfesores [ES] is a Spanish-langage directory of weblogs authored by professors. The directory is categorized by topics such as Adult Education, Classics, and Mathematics.
Brazil: Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist
“By all rights, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist should have single-handedly delivered a knock-out blow to any popular conception that Latin American literature is ‘good’ literature. The novel is, simply put, execrable tripe.” So begins Posthegemony's ranting review of what it terms Coelho's famous work of “anti-literature”. Still, Jon admits that...
Argentina: Sex Meme
Mirko of Weblog de un chico GAY is tired of the ubiquitous “5 things meme” and so rebels by taking part in the more intimate sexual meme [ES]. We learn that he prefers the lights off, wears boxers, and his musical selection? “Bossa, Chill Out.” Could this be the start...
Argentina: Still searching for Julio Lopez
“Thursday marked four months from the disappearance of Jorge Julio Lopez, an elderly witness who has been missing since testifying in the trial against a police official from the last dictatorship. Displayed sporadically throughout the city are posters and graffiti serving as reminders that he is still missing. Despite these...
Mexico: Gay rights leader murdered
Andres Duque describes the murder of Mexican gay rights leader José Ernesto Leal Rodriguez who was stabbed to death in his Matamoros apartment. Federal deputy David Sanchez Camacho and commenters on Duque's blog are tired of police departments describing the murders of gays as “crimes of passion.”
Argentina: Comet McNaught
Both Robert Wright and Jeff Barry were able to photograph Comet McNaught as it passed over Buenos Aires’ Sunday night sky and provide some valuable links for more info on the comet.
Uruguay: Touring by Bicycle
Trading in his motorcycle, The Bent Gringo explains why he has opted for a recumbent bicycle on this tour of Uruguay.
Bolivia: One year of Morales
Jim Shultz and Boz each give their own analysis of Evo Morales’ first year in office. Mark in Mexico takes a jab at Morales following his claim that Mexican President Felipe Calderón humiliated him at the Mercosur summit.
MySpace.com Headquarters in Mexico
It started with a simple post titled “The Offices of MySpace.com in Mexico” on the weblog of Marco Islas Cruz from Veracruz, Mexico.
Peru: Video of Lima in the 50's
PosPost has posted some black and white videos of Lima from the 1950's which were found on Archive.org.
Mexico: Manuel Andrade Díaz: Hefty Spending
Mark in Mexico shows how ex-governor Manuel Andrade Díaz “fattened up” at Tabasco's expense including a costly highway monument to himself.
El Salvador: Assessment of the Peace Accords 15 Years Later
January 16 marked the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accords which ended the 12 year long civil war in El Salvador. Tim Muth offers his own assessment of their effectiveness a decade and a half later.
Chile: A Ride for the Climate
Eco-trans-hemispheric cyclist Dave of A Ride for the Climate has arrived to Santiago, Chile where he was featured in the English daily The Santiago Times as well as La Nacion.
Bolivia: Update on a Crisis
While Jim Shultz does not believe that protesters either in opposition or support of Governor Manfred Reyes were paid to be there, he does think that “those on the streets (and the families affected who weren't in the streets) were caught in a political power play that none of them...
Argentina: Buenos Aires Japanese Gardens
Both Alan Patrick of Buenos Aires Travel Guide and Buenos Aires Weekly give tours of the Japanese Gardens in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
Colombia: Paramilitary and Politics
Forum on Democracy has translated an Op-Ed by anthropologist Aldo Civico which “compares the collusion between politicians and paramilitaries in Colombia, to the Mafia-controlled government of Palermo in the 1970s.”
Bolivia: “Women Creating” Against Evo Morales
Francisco Giglio has posted photos from the Casa de la Culture in La Paz by a group of female anarchist artists called Mujeres Creando (“Women Creating”) protesting Evo Morales’ government. Rosario Lizana has transcribed the text [ES] from one of the photographs.
Latin America: Social Movements in 2007
The weblog of the North American Congress on Latin America has a translation by Teo Ballvé of an article authored by Raúl Zibechi on what Latin America's new political scenario means for the region’s social movements.
Chile: Last Words of Salvador Allende
Professor Zero puts up some YouTubed archival footage of the 1973 bombing of the Palacio de la Moneda in Santiago dubbed with the final speech of President Salvador Allende who was killed in the coup attack. An English translation of that speech is also available.
Mexico: IHOP in San Pedro
Noting the recent arrival of American restaurants like Chilis and Starbucks, Ocho Cuartos is still a bit surprised to hear that IHOP, or International House of Pancakes, will be making its debut [ES] in the upscale Monterrey neighborhood of San Pedro.
Bolivia: Waiting in Cochabamba, Making Demands in El Alto
Writing from Cochabamba, Jim Shultz reports that soldiers are maintaining at least a façade of calm while Bolivia Rising translates an article from La Razón about demands from El Alto for the immediate resignations of Cochabamba Prefect Manfred Reyes Villa and La Paz Prefect Jose Luis Paredes.