Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from March, 2012
Chile: Open Letter to Daniel Zamudio Goes Viral
Chilean netizens were deeply moved by an open letter to Daniel Zamudio, a young gay man who died after a brutal beating, written by Felipe E. Mercado and published on Tumblr [es]. The letter, with more than one thousand notes on Tumblr, became a local Trending Topic on Twitter.
Peru: Focusing on Technology for Social and Economic Development
What if Peru were more committed to supporting and developing technology? This is what Oscar Montezuma asks in the blog Blawyer [es]. He looks at the current cabinet of ministries and suggests changes to give technology a leading role in the government's strategy for social and economic development.
Guatemala: Indigenous and Rural Communities March to Defend Their Land
Thousands of Guatemalan indigenous people and countrymen participated in a nine-day march to defend their lands, protest forced relocations, and call attention to other issues affecting rural communities. We share some images of the march posted online by blogger and photographer James Rodríguez.
Chile: Blogging About Government Transparency in ‘El Vaso’
Ciudadano Inteligente, an organization that aims to make Chilean politics more transparent, has created a blog titled ‘El Vaso’ [es] to inform and promote a discussion about technology and government transparency. Readers are invited to contribute [es] content.
Bolivia: Promoting Internet Connectivity in the ‘Real’ and ‘Virtual’ World
Blogger Mario R. Durán from Palabras Libres [es] lists the recent accomplishments of a group of activists that make up the Facebook group “Más ancho de banda para Bolivia” (“More Internet Bandwidth for Bolivia”). The group recently held the first National Meeting to Promote Connectivity in Bolivia [es], and some...
‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time
Mujeres Construyendo, the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to convert Hispanic women into creators of internet content. We talk to its founder, Claudia Calvin, about this growing community of bloggers.
El Salvador: Report of Government and Gang Negotiations Sparks Controversy
Bloggings by boz posts comments by Salvadorans he spoke to after online newspaper El Faro reported that the government had negotiated with gangs to decrease violence. Tim's El Salvador Blog explains and translates part of El Faro's article. Furthermore, Summer Harlow, in The Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog,...
Costa Rica: Hacktivism and ‘Operation Fiscal Plan’
José Medrano from Carepicha Blog [es] writes about ‘Operation Fiscal Plan,’ a Denial of Service Attack planned by Anonymous Costa Rica against government websites to show the public discontent regarding the government's Tax Plan. José also analyzes what the government's response to this attack should be, and concludes: “In this...
Panama: “I'm Ngäbe, I'm Bugle, I'm Panamanian”
After police forcibly removed the indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle who were blocking the Pan-American highway to protest mining in their territories, a video campaign titled "I'm Ngäbe, I'm Bugle, I'm Panamanian" aims to raise awareness and tell Panamanians that the struggle of the Ngäbe-Bugle should be a national concern.
Bolivia: Remembering Domitila Barrios de Chungara
Emily Achtenberg, in the blog Rebel Currents, profiles Domitila Barrios de Chungara, “long-time social activist, union leader, feminist, revolutionary, and national heroine who died March 13 in Cochabamba at age 74. She is best known as the miner’s wife who led a hunger strike in 1978 that brought down the...
Peru: Abancay Under Alert Due to Heavy Rainfall
Juan Arellano gathers [es] photos, tweets and reports on the state of emergency in Abancay, the capital of the Apurímac region in southern-central Peru, due to heavy rainfall.
Chile: Photos of the First Student Protest of the Year
Brittany Peterson and Kena Lorenzini [es] share photos of the first student protest of the school year in Santiago, Chile.
Honduras: The Effects of Open-Pit Mining
Poet, activist and blogger Fabricio Estrada blogs [es] about the effects of open-pit mining in the town of San Ignacio, Honduras. His posts includes numerous photos of the town.
El Salvador: Netizens Cover Legislative and Mayoral Elections
Netizens covered the legislative and mayoral elections held on Sunday, March 11, through blogs and on Twitter with the hashtag #eleccionesSV. As results were reported, bloggers analyzed what the new National Assembly will look like after a victory of the conservative party ARENA.
Intercontinental Cry Will Launch Spanish Edition
Ahni announces the upcoming Spanish edition of Intercontinental Cry [es], which will go live on March 31, 2012. “The main objective of IC Espanol is, of course, to provide Spanish readers with the same news that our English readers have come to expect from us; what I consider to be...
Ecuador: ‘March for Life’ Protests Mining
The March for Life, Water and Dignity started on March 8 from El Pangui, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, and plans to reach the capital, Quito, on March 22, World Water Day. The march, organized by the Indigenous Confederation, is a protest against President Correa's decision to boost mining and oil exploration. Further...
Colombia: Protests Against TransMilenio Bus System in Bogotá
On March 9 a peaceful protest against the Bogotá bus transportation system TransMilenio ended with clashes and looting at several stations, causing property damage, injuries and arrests. The National Student Board [es] (MANE) issued a statement [es], which added to statements by Mayor Gustavo Petro [es] generated the Twitter hashtags...
Latin America: The Civic Media Projects panel at SXSW
Miguel Paz from Poderopedia announces the Civic Media Projects in Latin America panel at SXSW, which will take place today, March 12, at 3:30 Austin time. Yesica Guerra from Crónicas de Héroes (Hero Reports), Lu Ortiz of Nova Digital Mexico, Jorge Luis Sierra from Mi Panamá Transparente, and Miguel Paz will discuss how they “developed,...
Venezuela: “Shooting Cameras Instead of Guns”
Alberto Rojas' photoblog Caracas Shots aims to show a friendly Caracas. With the motto "shooting cameras instead of guns," Alberto offers a refreshing look at a city with a bad reputation.
Ibero-American Blogging Competition Asks Teens: “What are you reading?”
The Organization of Ibero-American States invites teens ages 12 to 15 to enter a blogging competition about reading. The sign up [es] deadline is May 31, 2012, and judges will consider blog posts written until July 31. The winner from each participating country will receive an iPad. Visit the official...
Colombia: Celebrating Gabriel García Márquez's 85th Birthday on Facebook
Renowned Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez turns 85 today, March 6, 2012. Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano (“New Iberoamerican Journalism Foundation”, FNPI for its initials in Spanish, founded by García Márquez) has created a Facebook page dedicated to the author's 85th birthday, as the blog 233 Grados [es] reports. The Facebook...
