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From the Patagonia to Havana, hundreds of computer users across Latin America are choosing freedom over control by installing free software on their computers. On April 27th, groups of free software enthusiasts will be installing free software in dozens of cities across Latin America as part of FLISOL [es], the Latin American free software installation festival.
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With a nostalgic touch, the blog El Panameño reviews [es] some 70s and 80s TV series, and challenges readers to see if they can match the titles with the posters included in the post.

Carlos Donderis Sanz, author of the blog CaDs Online comments [es] about taxis and taxi drivers in Panama and says “although it's true this is a generalization (I've personally met taxi drivers who do it very well), most of them look like madmen with a steering wheel, in a hurry and stressed, nobody knows why [...]“, and ends by recommending “if you come the Panama and you love excitement, don't miss a ride in a taxi, although it might be your last experience you have in life, it won't let you down”.

The recently released Free Software Assessment Report 2012 shows the opinion, assessment and preferences of more than 5,000 people from Spain and Latin America. The study published in its fourth edition is promoted by PortalProgramas and supported by a number of experts and collaborators [es]. The report aims to contribute to a better understanding, use and dissemination of free software in Latin America. The summary of the study can be accessed online [es] and more information can be found on the report's conclusions for 2012 [es].

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has announced its first contest for bloggers, which will focus on issues related to child development.
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“If the people of Colón don't want the land in the tax-free zone to be sold, the sale will be canceled. The rise in rents 100% for Colón”

Panama's President Ricardo Martinelli (@rmartinelli) [es] tweeted on October 23, 2012, in response to the protests and clashes in Colón sparked by a law which allowed the sale of land located in the tax-free zone of Colón.

Porto Diao [es] reviews TEDxPanamaCity 2012, an independently organized TED event held on October 10, 2012. The post lists the best five conferences, providing a short overview of each one. It also shares several photos of the event.

Panamanian newspaper La Prensa reports [es] that President Ricardo Martinelli has partially vetoed the controversial copyright bill 510. According to La Prensa's report, the National Assembly approved the changes sent by President Martinelli on October 5.
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Intercontinental Cry shares a video interview with Adolfo Villagra of the Naso indigenous community in Panama:

Tensions are mounting in the indigenous Naso territory in Bocas del Toro province, western Panama, where protestors have blocked access to the Bonyic Hydroelectric project, a 30MW dam currently under construction on the banks of the Bonyic river.

Read more about their struggle in another post in Intercontinental Cry.

Joao Quiróz from Medio Cerrado [es] interviews Joaquín Moreno, a resident of the Herrera province in the Azuero Peninsula in Panamá, about mining. Joaquín tells Joao about his opposition to a mining project in the area.

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 essential news on the global indigenous movement.” Find out about more languages on the IC Translation Project Facebook page.

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, designed, implemented and applied projects that use social media and digital technologies to attempt social change. “

In this video by SelvaRica, an artistic collective using multimedia to promote indigenous and environmental issues, a Naso Indigenous woman from Panama asks for help from the international community to put pressure and stop a Dam construction in their lands. The dam will flood their forests and change their traditional lifestyles, impacting their culture in what they view as a second conquest: first they were persecuted for their gold, today for their natural resources.

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 website [es] and follow the hashtag #questasleyendo [es] (“what are you reading”) to find out more about the contest.

“President Martinelli received [es] a draft of a new constitution from a special commission working on the subject,” reports Bloggings by boz. Boz looks at two of the biggest issues regarding the reform: reelection and the creation of a Constitutional Court within the Supreme Court.

Intercontinental Cry has a list of 12 recommended films on indigenous issues, some made by indigenous people from Brazil, Australia, Panama, USA, Northern Kenya, Colombia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The International Center for Arts of the Americas (ICCA) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has released a digital archive of 20th-century Latin American and Latino art, which, “is now available, free of charge, to the research and teaching community as well as to the public at large.” Culture magazine Ñ [es] briefly interviewed Mari Carmen Ramírez, the project's director.

Jane Ellis publishes a video of hummingbirds at the feeder, shot at Pipeline Road in Gamboa town, Panama. She says: “For me, seeing birds like this on my doorstep is one of the major highlights of living in this tropical paradise.”

Bloggings by boz looks at youth unemployment in Latin America, concluding that “with growth projections decreased for 2011 and 2012, the current situation for youth unemployment is almost certainly getting worse. That could have major economic, political and social implications moving into 2012.”

Panamanian women marched on Friday, November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. “So far this year, 53 women have been murdered in Panama, 35 at the hands of their partners, La Critica reports. The most recent case of femicide occurred Wednesday morning in Villa Lucre. The protesters also asked for a stop to labor discrimination and pay inequality,” The Panama Digest reports.

The blog Amo descubrir canciones [es] (“I love to discover songs”) reviews music from around the world, with a special focus on Latin America. The blog includes specials with songs by country [es], song covers [es], and songs recommended by readers [es]. The latter category includes a post on “Songs to recommend during a conversation in an elevator” [es].

Joao Q in Mediocerrado [es] wonders “What happened to the anti-mining struggle in Panama?”, and attempts to bring the issue of mining back to the public discussion with a post on the subject.

Día del Blog will hold a virtual event on Saturday September 17 [es] with several discussions broadcast through live streaming [es] with speakers from Spain, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. Spanish Lingua Editor Juan Arellano will participate in a panel discussion [es] about “Revolution on social networks: cyber-activism, citizen mobilization and political participation”.

The Council on Hemispheric Affairs Blog has published its third post in a series about immigration in Latin America. This time, COHA Research Associate Alena Hontarava looks at migration between Latin American countries.

In Contrapunto [es], Hannah asks what it means to be part of the ‘middle class’ in Panama. Sociologists and economists place the mark at a minimum monthly salary of $500 USD, she explains. But Hannah wonders if a ‘middle class’ family can really cover all its needs with $500 a month.

Panamanian Global Voices author Ariel Moreno [es] blogs [es] about the government's and the national football team's tendency to come up with conspiracy theories and complain that the political opposition or the CONCACAF –respectively– are out to get them. He concludes: “We need to stop blaming others for our misfortunes, the problem and the solution are staring right at you every morning in the mirror”

A documentary, a ‘transmedia platform’ and a humanitarian project: in ‘La Furgo-Nana’ (“a Volkswagen Type II Bus from 1969″) Maria and Anton are driving through the Pan American highway from Tijuana, Mexico to Ushuaia, Argentina to “transform the difficult reality of Latin American children into a fascinating adventure you will not want to miss.” Follow their blog [es], and their Twitter and Facebook feeds as they open our eyes to children's rights violations and collect lullabies across the region.

Intercontinental Cry publishes an exclusive report by independent journalist Richard Arghiris, who “takes an in-depth look at the controversy surrounding the Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam in Panama and the Ngobe-Bugle’s struggle to defend the Rio Tabasara along with their own right to survive as Indigenous Peoples.”

Global Voices author Clotilde Castillo interviewed [es] Mathilde Grand, the director of ‘Citizen of Chocolate,’ a “A collective dedicated to the divulgation and diffusion of Tribal Chocolate” which employs indigenous women from the Ngöbe-Buglé community in Panama.

Global Voices author and Spanish Lingua Editor Juan Arellano looks [es] at e-government in Latin America, giving a short overview of specific initiatives that are currently being implemented in several countries in the region.