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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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Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and his Bolivarian revolution are kept alive through street art in Mérida, Venezuela. Photo via Venezuelan Analysis, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 US)

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Several Venezuelan cartoonists, journalists, writers and artists have been the target of a series of threats through Twitter, telephone and text messages, according to news portal Noticias 24. They began after a number of anonymous users spread the victims’ personal contact information, said the Press and Society Institute in Venezuela (Ipys in Spanish).

Alejandro Martínez from The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas Blog reports on a new wave of threats against journalists and media workers.
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Blogging the Revolution: Caracas Chronicles and the Hugo Chávez Era brings together the best of our work from the last ten years: 150 posts that stand the test of time.

Francisco Toro and Juan Cristobal Nagel of the blog Caracas Chronicles have published a book that promises to bring together “most of what you need for a sophisticated, nuanced understanding of Venezuela in the Chávez era.” The book can be purchased as an e-Book or a paperback.

On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:

“A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to Italy, by way of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bolivia. From authoritarian regimes to democratic countries, none are exempt from criticism on the topic. In 2013, torture remains as endemic, omnipresent and multi-faceted as ever”.

Zimbabwean blogger Takura Zhangazha salutes the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “In mourning Chavez from Zimbabwe and from Africa it is key that we remember him for his principled global leadership example and his people centered policies and politics.”

“This is the difference…So simple…”.
Photo via Facebook timeline.

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Photographer and blogger Alberto Rojas shares photos of wall art in “The Route of the Spanish” in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo used with permission.

Alberto explains that most Caracas residents don't know about this “open-air museum” because they are afraid to visit the area. The pictures in the post were taken behind a jeep's windshield. Read more about Alberto's blog here.

Murió Hugo Chávez (Hugo Chávez has died) is a worldwide trending topic on Twitter after Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro announced the passing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. In Venezuela, QEPD Chavez (RIP Chávez) is a local trending topic. You can read more reactions via the hashtag #MurioChavez (Chávez has died).

In Margarita Island, there’s Corocoro, an unfinished apartment block which was under the control of FOGADE (the State’s entity in charge of taking over assets from failed banks) until June 2009 when it was invaded. Right now, there are a thousand people living there.

In Caracas Chronicles, Gustavo Hernandez Acevedo writes about “vertical squats” in Margarita Island.

Due to most recent news about the health condition of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez [es], who is currently in Havana, Cuba since December 11, 2012 for the cancer that is afflicting him, Juan Mosquera posts his personal reflection about the political landscape in Venezuela [es]:

-Tell me, boy, what's the capital of Venezuela?
-Havana!
-Very good, boy.

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In World Policy Blog, Global Voices contributor Robert Valencia highlights five “top stories from 2012 that will have an impact in 2013 and beyond”: the war on drugs, Hugo Chávez's re-election, the Colombia-Nicaragua dispute over the San Andrés Archipelago, the Colombian peace process, and Brazil's booming economy.

Who will govern the Internet and how? What is Venezuela's position in this debate? These are two questions that Luis Carlos Díaz tries to tackle in a post for Prodavinci [es] where he looks at the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) and Venezuela's position regarding these issues.

Venezuelan bloggers are reacting to the latest turn in the health of President Hugo Chávez, who has arrived in Cuba for more cancer treatment.
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The Colombo-Venezuelan border is a two-faced, majestic beauty burdened by the protracted armed conflict in Colombia, the massive drug trade, and the illegal armed groups that enter and leave both countries as if there were no immigrations controls in a European-like fashion. The palm trees and false calm that may appear on the way from Cúcuta to San Cristóbal at seven in the morning can mislead one into thinking this land is peaceful.

Jonathan Pfaehler recounts his experience crossing the Colombia-Venezuela border in a guest post for the blog Caracas Chronicles.

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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The blog Tráfico Visual, dedicated to the expansion of the contemporary art movement in Venezuela, published the reflections of Roldán Esteva-Grillet in the text that accompanies the exhibition ‘Country in suspense'. Esteva-Grillet developed several ideas that seek to contribute to the political understanding of contemporary Venezuelan art.
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[...] from what little I have seen in two days in Venezuela, the excitement is greater on the side supporting incumbent President Hugo Chávez, rather than challenger Governor Henrique Capriles. That is exactly the opposite of what I’ve read on most of my favourite English language websites about the country, but it’s the truth.

Steven Bodzin writes in his blog Setty's Notebook.

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In the blog Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights, Iñaki Sagarzazu analyzes the final polls before the October 7 presidential elections in Venezuela.

As it stands the race is extremely close. A six point difference is not only very close to the margin of error of most polling firms but is also well below the number of undecided voters which averages 10%.

InfoAmazonia is a platform that brings together organizations and journalists from nine countries of one of the most biodiverse areas in the world to freely provide news and reports of the endangered Amazon region. The website maps deforestation, fires, oil and mining, and calls for public participation through the submission of data and stories.

Journalist and Global Voices contributor Luis Carlos Díaz [es] is streaming “Electoral TwitCams” to discuss the upcoming Venezuelan elections. You can watch the first video stream [es] and tune in today [es], at 8:00pm local time in Venezuela, for his second live stream [es].

AS/COA (Americas Society/Council of the Americas) has put together an election guide for Venezuela's upcoming presidential election on October 7, 2012. The guide includes a section on social media:

During the 2012 election, social media will play an important role. Twitter has one of its largest user bases in Venezuela, where there are also over 9 million Facebook users. That brings Facebook’s penetration rate in Venezuela to 33 percent.

I don’t think PDVSA [Venezuelan state-owned petroleum company] will learn anything from this explosion — just as the company failed to learn anything from its past errors.

Blogger and journalist Steven Bodzin from Setty's Notebook writes about the Amuay oil refinery explosion.
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An explosion in the Amuay oil refinery, one of the largest in the world, has left at least 19 dead and 53 injured, according to the latest reports [es] from the Governor of the state of Falcón. Follow reactions and reports through the hashtag #Amuay on Twitter.

Venezuelan writer, lawyer and Global Voices contributor Marianne Díaz Hernández has published the first installment [es] of her book “Copy, Paste, Create: Why I defend piracy and think that open culture is a good strategy for creators” [es]. Marianne will publish her (free) book in various installments on her personal blog.

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.

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.

The Creole language in the Caribbean and the cooperation between islands were recently discussed during the Creole-speaking Regions Days, as explained in this post on Tous Créoles [Fr Cr/Fr]. One of the most debated issues was a visa waiving program between the French Caribbean islands and the rest of the West Indies.