Stories about Latin America from December, 2010
Puerto Rico: Videos for a Cause
The digital magazine 80 Grados [es] posted another video of their series “UPR, a common cause” [es] which aims to present different voices of the University of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico: Dialogue with Students on Strike
Student activist Arturo Ríos Escribano used social media networks to inform the public about the dialogue [es] between student leaders of the University of Puerto Rico, governor Luis Fortuño and the state secretary Kenneth McClintock. As a result of the meeting, the Governor decided to remove a special unit of...
Uruguay: Discovering Uruguay Through Writer Yaravi Roig
Florence Faure writes: “Reading fiction can be an interesting way to get introduced to or know better a country. Yaravi Roig is an Uruguayan writer who lives in Piriapolis. In her books, she gives to the reader the opportunity to discover Uruguayan culture, more specifically Piriapolis and the people who...
Bolivia: Photos and Video of Protest Over Rise in Cost of Fuel
Angel Caido [es] shares photos and a video of the protests that took place on December 30 in Bolivia over the rise in the cost of fuel.
Mexico: 60 Students Died in Ciudad Juárez in 2010
Patrick Corcoran reports: “Authorities say that some 60 students died in 2010 in Ciudad Juárez as a result of gang violence, most famously in the massacres in January and October.” He says he expected the number to be higher, considering there were more than 3,100 murders in Ciudad Juárez this...
New Year's Resolution: Learn About Latin American Culture
Colombian/Argentinean Travelojos contributor Jennifer Lubrani writes about her New Year's resolution: “I’ve made it a goal to try to learn as much as I can about all of the other Latin American cultures.” She suggests five ways to “get cultured” on Latin America.
Glimpses of Citizen Media from Portuguese language countries in 2010
Throughout 2010 the lusophone blogsphere has given new perspectives on important issues that mainstream media tends to ignore. Read this post and discover a selection of the voices that Global Voices has amplified - from citizen media phenomena, to politics, governance and indigenous peoples.
Guatemala: Harsh Winter Affecting Farmers
Locavore del Mundo writes about how this year's particularly cold winter has affected farmers in Guatemala: “Farmers have lost almost all of their crops due to this frost. The lost harvest includes cabbage, cauliflower, chinese peas, carrots, lettuce, radishes, among other vegetables.”
Mexican Film in 2010: The Good, The Bad, and The Realistic
Perla Cristal Gómez from Vivir México critiques [es] Mexican films released in 2010, picking one that was good (“Hidalgo“), one that was bad (“2033“) and one that was realistic (“El Infierno“).
Latin America: 2010 in Review
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, a police strike in Ecuador and the Nobel Prize in Literature for Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa were some of the news bloggers and citizen media users reported and analyzed this year. Let's take a look at these and other stories the Latin American team covered in 2010.
Caribbean: environmantal atlas
Repeating Islands links to a new Latin America and the Caribbean Atlas of our Changing Environment, published by the United Nations Environment Programme, which “uses over 200 images to highlight the region’s diverse ecosystems.”
Cuba: cheaper remittances
The Cuban Triangle explains how the removal of a government surcharge makes remittances “cheaper”.
Chile: Students from Citizen Journalism Project “Young Reporters” Talk About Their Work
A group of school-age citizen journalists who create content for Jóvenes Reporteros [es] (Young Reporters) describe their work in a video for the site Periodismo Ciudadano [es] (Citizen Journalism).
Costa Rica: Reading Newspaper While Driving a Bus
Hell in Costa Rica [es] blog has shared a citizen video where a bus driver working for a public transportation company which recently got in trouble for running over a mother and her daughter is seen reading the newspaper while driving.
Cuba: Cables Reveal Government Sees Bloggers as “Most Serious Challenge”
Cuba was one of the Latin American countries most frequently referenced in the trove of diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks. Cables confirmed much of what is already known, but they also revealed the Cuban government’s deep concern about the political impact of independent bloggers on the island.
Bolivia: Government Ends Fuel Subsidies, Protests Expected
On December 26th, the Bolivian government announced that it would be ending fuel subsidies and that the price of gasoline and diesel would increase by 73% and 83%, respectively. The measure has concerned Bolivian citizens because the price for many goods and services have already increased.
Puerto Rico: Violent Clashes at the University of Puerto Rico
Students on strike at the main campus of the state-run University of Puerto Rico were beaten and arrested last Monday, December 20, after violent clashes with the Police. Students oppose an annual $800 tuition fee that will be imposed in January. Bloggers in Puerto Rico have analyzed and commented on this recent strike and the crucial moment the student movement confronts.
Bolivia: The “Gasolizano”: Government Increases Taxes on Fuel
Greg Weeks from Two Weeks Notice writes: “The Bolivian government drastically increased taxes on fuel, by over 70%. It did so for rational capitalist reasons, namely that higher prices in neighboring countries had fostered a thriving black market. However, the official reasoning leaves something to be desired”
Honduras: Media Ignores Recent Reports on 2009 Coup
Honduras Culture and Politics states: “[…] we find it extraordinary that the US media completely ignore even high profile international organizations that continue to call attention to the serious failures of Honduras to redress any of the circumstances that the coup d'etat of June 2009 set in motion.”
Mexico: Indigenous People Denounce Mining Project on Sacred Site
The Indigenous Huichol People of Mexico are denouncing a Canadian mining project that is threatening one of their sacred sites and that, if completed, would endanger their health and water supply.
Puerto Rico: Best of 2010
Contributors and friends of the music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es] present their last virtual round table titled “2010.”
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