Latest posts by Juliana Rincón Parra from October, 2008
Frightful Facts or Fantastical Fictions?
This third part of the "Lore, ghosts, demons and frights" series has arrived, and we are looking this time a bit beyond the Latin American borders. With this last installment, we seek out the Chupacabras, stick our heads into Voudou rites, observe examples of exorcism and inquire after a cannibal murderer who has become a Venezuelan legend.
BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 2
Earlier this week we visited the videoblogs of some of the nominees for the BOBs, Deutsche Welle's Best of Blogs awards. On this second part, we'll see which other videobloggers from all over the globe are nominated and what your choices will be when you decide to vote for your...
BOBs: Global Videobloggers Compete for Award Part 1
The BOBs, Deutsche Welle's yearly contest for online products: blogs, podcasts and videoblogs has already chosen 176 nominees for the 16 different categories. In the video blogging category, participants from different parts of the world compete for the honor to be considered the best in their group, and voters will have until November 26th to choose their favorite.
Costa Rica: Open Air mine ecological? Bloggers think not.
Costa Rican bloggers have raised their voices in alarm at the government's decision to approve a project to cut down acres of forest for an open air gold mine near the border with Nicaragua. The President's contradicting opinions, ecology and the social impact of open air gold mines are discussed.
Colombia: Indigenous Protests and Murders Under Media Blackout
Indigenous groups in the Cauca region of Colombia have been marching and protesting their way to Cali, one of the countries larger cities. Accusations of government fire weapon usage against protesters have bloggers expectant of the outcome.
Somalia: Piracy not something to be celebrated
Open sea piracy is discussed by different video bloggers who speak on the recent Somalian piracy incidents, and a behind the scenes look at how governments are protecting World Food Program cargo at sea.
Canada: Indigenous Femicide on the Spotlight
Canadian documentary which is bringing to public attention the disappearances and murders of more than 500 aboriginal women in Canada in the past 30 years. The film is called Finding Dawn, by Christine Welsh. The movie is named after Dawn Crey, who was the 23rd victim whose DNA was recognized in the largest serial murder investigation in Canada back in 2002-2004.
India: Community Journalism with Video Volunteers
Video Volunteers is an organization of media producers from the villages and slums in India, creating content that is relevant to themselves and screening it inside the communities, reaching thousands of people a month with news and events that affect them and call them into action. Channel 19 is the online video channel where this media, created by and for the communities is showcased for the rest of the population.
Dominican Republic: 1st twitter meetup
Claudia Chez Abreu [es] writes about the upcoming Twitter.do meet-up. They still haven't decided on a date, but they are working on a spreadsheet to estimate number of participants who would show up and the best date for the event. The plan is to go bowling, so if you are...
El Salvador: Getting a driver's license at 15
Arianna writes at the Dunlaps in San Salvador blog [en] about the process to get a driver's license in El Salvador at 15. In this humorous article in English she mentions the requisites and gives us a tip on what to do if a driver sees a dog on the...
Latin America: More lore, ghosts, demons and frights
On this second installment on the Myths, Lore and Legends of Latin America, we will get to know the Venezuelan Animas and their unfinished business, the Sayona and the Whistler, and Ecuadorian myths such as the foundation myth of Guayas and Kil, Father Almeida, the Headless Priest, the gagones (something similar to familiars) and the Cantuña Cathedral myth.
Honduras: One Man's Struggle to Get out of Debt
La Gringa points us out to English language blog “I owe so much”, where one man writes in English about his experience trying to get out of credit card debt in Honduras. He writes bluntly and honestly about how much he owes and how he got to that amount, how...
Costa Rica: Disappointment in Latin American Idol Results
Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas writes about the grand finale of Latin American Idol, where Costa Rican Maria Jose was up to the last minute singing for the first place. Much to the national disappointment, she didn't win, ending the three months of nail biting as Panama's singer walked...
Colombia: Judiciary power strike not having an impact
Colombian blogger Jaime Ruiz posts in Atrabilioso [es] how the Judiciary power employee strike hasn't really affected the country, to the extent that the President has told them that they can continue the strike until the end of his mandate if they wish. Ruiz criticizes them stating that their only...
International Eye on the US Elections
As the US Elections loom closer, international attention to US Policy and the candidates has increased. Projects like Current TV's Collective Journalism and Global Voices' Voices Without Votes have taken the task to gather this information and bring a global perspective on a local issue.
Paraguay: Explaining the Global Economic Crisis with Monkeys
Muna posts an anonymous parable she says is the perfect analogy for the stock market nowadays. It explains the Wall Street Crisis with monkeys, and can be found both in Spanish and in English.
Latin America: lore, ghosts, demons and frights.
The mythology in Latin America is quite rich: some tales have been passed onto us from the Incas, Mayas or Aztecs, and others are colonial imports from Europe. On this first part of the multinational Latin American post, we'll visit some of the most popular myths and legends like the Llorona, the Cegua, the Cadejos and the Evil Light.
Colombia: Local Golf Star Becomes Role Model for Kids
In Good Times in Medellin, Medellin Travel writes about how Colombian kids have a new role model to look up to: 26 year old golf star Camilo Villegas, who this past month has made the headlines for winning the BMW Championship PGA Golf Tour, a first for any Colombian.
Chile: Students produce bullying awareness short
Chilean High School students produce a short film titled "Bullying" to share their perspective on teen suicide and it's probable causes. The short uses body language and facial expressions as the principal means of getting their message accross, spanning language barriers and making it possible for anyone to understand their short.
Venezuela: Socialist Shoes Seem Oddly Familiar
Simón Bécquer from the Alternative Reality blog in his post The Converse Shoes of the Socialist Youth [es] shows us the images for the new campaign for Venezuela's Socialist Youth, in which young people are asked to step into socialist shoes. However, these shoes, modelled and shown by President Chávez...
Cuba: Showcasing an Everyday Hero
Ronald from Guamo blog honors an everyday hero in Cuban's lives: the lathe operator [es] . In a country where spare parts are quite impossible to get, the ingenuity and creativity of lathe operators who can create pieces out of scrap metals to reinvent motors and equipment parts is priceless.
