Stories about Latin America from June, 2010
Chile: Organizations and Citizens Against Mining Project in Magallanes
Manuel Luis Rodriguez writes in the blog Coyuntura Política [es] about a mining project in Isla Riesco (Riesco Island) in the Magallanes region. He says that about 50 NGOs and...
Venezuela: Making a Presence in the 2010 World Cup
Venezuela did not make it to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but the blog Venezuela News and Views posted pictures taken by their correspondent in South Africa, Armando Tirado, showing...
Chile: From California to Chile on Biodiesel
Maria Jose Calderon and Carlos Herrera embarked on a 6-month road trip from California, USA to Chile in a biodiesel truck. The couple traveled Latin America in search of grassroots initiatives to help the environment, and they documented their findings and their journey through videos, photos and blogging.
Cuba: On Journalism
Iván's File Cabinet says that “being a journalist in Cuba is like performing black magic. Investigating a story or getting reliable data is like trying to catch hold of a...
Cuba: Spotlight on Fariñas
“In the wake of the death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas started a hunger strike to demand the release of some two dozen seriously...
Peru: Experiment for Social Networks
Ernesto Cárdenas from the blog Consultor Internet proposes [es] an interesting experiment in social networks: “How feasible is it to have/simulate ‘the experience of living’ (virtually) the things that happen...
Global: Statistics on Countries Participating in World Cup
SRF from GeoCurrent Events blog writes about the economic geography of the 2010 FIFA World Cup participant countries.
Bolivia: Facts About Internet and Social Media
Pablo Andrés Rivero analyzes [es] data about the use of social media and the internet in Bolivia.
Argentina: Social Media Day in Buenos Aires
Listao [es] shares that on June 30, the official Social Media day, social media users are invited to get together to celebrate the day in Buenos Aires. Users can sign...
Peru: A Bill on Obscene Content
A few days ago the news broke of a bill that had been approved by the Justice Comission in Congress, proposing an amendment to section 183-B of the Penal Code, which sanctions the media publication of obscene and pornographic displays. As a result, opponents of the bill raised the banners of "Freedom of the Press" and "Freedom of Speech." Bloggers and internet media users are debating whether this bill really gets rid of these freedoms, or if it serves as a protection for minors and others who don't want to see that content.
Chile: Flash Mob Remembering Michael Jackson
María Pastora writes [es] about her first time participating in a flash mob. She also includes a video of the flash mob, which was choreographed as a tribute to Michael Jackson. The flash...
Uruguay: Celebrating Advancement to Quarter Finals
Agarrate Montevideo [es] posted pictures and videos of Uruguayans celebrating their team's advancement to quarter finals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup after beating South Korea 2-1; it is the...
Peru: Scientist is Charged for Criticizing Investigation
In the blog Blawyer.org [es] Miguel Morachimo says [es] that a judge in Lima has declared biologist Ernesto Bustamante guilty of defamation for questioning a colleagues conclusions of a study on two media outlets.
Bolivia: Evo Morales and His Indigenous and Environmental Challenges
In the blog Pronto, Miguel Centellas writes that despite the logical assumption that indigenous groups would never go against Evo Morales, “the government is losing its grip on the indigenous...
Chile: Students Arrested After Protesting Against University Reform
A week ago the government of Sebastian Piñera announced a major reform to the higher education system. At the inauguration ceremony of the president of Universidad de Chile (University of Chile) Víctor Pérez, students were arrested while protesting against a reform which they fear will get rid of public higher education.
Brazil: Michael Jackson Immortalized at a Slum in Rio de Janeiro
Michael Jackson was honored this week in Rio de Janeiro's Santa Marta Slum. The terrace where he recorded part of the video “They don't really care about us” in 1996,...
Brazil: Standing Against Mining in Gandarela
Local communities and netcitizens who care for the biodiverse Serra da Gandarela in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are taking a stand against Vale S.A. - a major mining multinational whose record is not one of the best at the eyes of environmental groups.
Worldwide: The oil spills that don't make the news
The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has the world's attention on the devastation that badly managed oil extraction can bring. However, in some places around the world, people live with toxic spills such as these and through videos people try to bring the world's attention to their plight.
Nicaragua: Riot Police and Citizens Clash in Small Town
Rodrigo Peñalba republishes a message and video sent to him by Lázaro Díaz from Boaco, a small and peaceful town in Nicaragua currently going through violence after the mayor was...
Brazil: “Tsunami” hits some of the poorest riverside cities
At least 46 people have been killed and an estimated hundreds are missing after torrential floods swept through states in the north-east Brazil, in the worst environmental tragedy in the local population's memory.
Peru: Chess World Champions Visit Lima
For two days, Lima hosted the two chess champions, Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. They both came for an exhibition game, where they played against 25 children. Although football is the king of all sports in Peru, and in spite of Peruvian chess being banned from international competitions, the news didn't go unnoticed for some bloggers.