Latest posts by Eduardo Avila from April, 2007
Venezuela: RCTV's Loss of License
RCTV (Radio Caracas Television), a private media station and critic of President Hugo Chavez will not have its license renewed by the government at the end of May. Oil Wars wonders what will replace RCTV, but thinks this is an opportunity to restructure how media is controlled. However, Caracas Chronicles...
Chile: Vendors vs. Police
Chileno captures some footage of a tussle between police and street vendors, and follows up with an interview with the vendor involved. The city government of Santiago is trying to clear a popular promenade of street vendors that compete with shop owners.
Colombia: Leading Cause of Death for Children in Bogota
Balada Del Elefante Azul [ES] is frustrated at the fact that the leading cause of death for children aged 12-17 in Bogota is by bullet or knife. He is also bothered by a culture that seems to applaud those that “appear on television and proudly saying that they were a...
Argentina: The Maradona Rumor Mill
Juan Pablo Meneses of the Crónicas Argentinas [ES] blog, which compiles all things Diego Maradona, discusses the latest death rumor that caused quite a false alarm stir, which has become such a common occurrence in Argentina. He finishes with, “why does Maradona die so often?”
Bolivia: Screening of “Cocalero” in the Chapare
Much of the world's interest in Bolivia has to do with the first indigenous president, Evo Morales. He got his start as a union leader with the coca growers in the Chapare region of Bolivia. A recent documentary called “Cocalero” followed Morales during his victorious campaign of 2005. The film's...
Guatemala: Laundry Day!
A photo of day of life in Antigua, Guatemala brings readers of Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo a glimpse into life in this Central American country. The most recent photo shows a public washbasin where the women of the area wash their clothes by hand. A shared water tank is combined...
Mexico: More Discussion on Abortion Decision
The decision by the Mexico City Assembly to legalize abortion angered many in a society where many practice Roman Catholicism. Some bloggers like Ciudad de Mexico [ES] presents arguments from both sides but wonders “why not allow a public debate on the matter?” or better yet a referendum to let...
Argentina: The Gated Community Divide
Ian from GoodAirs writes about the increasing trend of Argentines living in “countries”, which are gated communities protected by walls and razor wire. Even with the perceived protection, there is a robbery every 3 days in one of these communities, making it not as safe as one might think. Another...
Peru: Tributes to a Peruvian Poet
At the age of 61, Peruvian poet José Watanabe succumbed to cancer and left behind many admirers of his work. The son of a Japanese immigrant father and a Peruvian mother, Watanabe had no desire to visit his father's homeland recalls El Blog Del Morsa [ES] during a dinner with...
Peru: Wolfy Passes Away
Alejandro of the Peru Food blog breaks the tragic news that blogger and “lover of Peru” Wolfgang “Wolfy” Becker died of a heart attack in Lima on April 20. Becker maintained the blog Un Lobo en Peru (A Wolf in Peru) and also started the site Living in Peru. The...
Costa Rica: Free-Trade Agreement Poll
Cristian Cambronero posts the current polling numbers in his blog Fusil De Chispas [ES] on how Costa Ricans would vote in the upcoming referendum on the proposed Free-Trade Agreement. In two of the polls, between 47-49% would vote in favor of the trade pact. The results elicited a number of...
Peru: Machu Picchu, One of the 7 Wonders of the World?
Choloblog [ES] is drawn into the debate whether Peru's prized tourist attraction, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, should be voted as one of the 7 Wonders of the World. A website was created to draw upon votes from all across the globe to determine which manmade structures would be...
Honduras: Chipping in for Gas
What happens when a patronato (head of the homeowners community) tries to help his own community in Honduras? He gets accused by fellow residents of pocketing the collected gas money. A local community cannot get its road paved because the government is out of funds to pay for gas to...
Americas: MySpace for Latin Americans
Christian Espinoza of Tiempos de Blogs [ES] links to the two newest versions of the MySpace social networking site: MySpace Latinoamérica and MySpace En Español. Think Multicultural hears the message loud and clear with these two additions , “Just the metrics that they will release (e.g. “10 million people registered...
Peru: What Didn't Fit in Print
Freelance reporter C. J. Schexnayder paddled deep into the heart of the Peruvian rain forest to profile indigenous rights activist Julio Cusurichi for the San Francisco Chronicle. In his Klephblog, he writes that, “there is a lot more to this story than what I was able to fit in the...
Panama: Effects on Food from Free-Trade Agreement
The Boquete Guide does not think that the major consequence of the new Free-Trade Agreement with the US will be lower safety standards from import food, but rather the higher food costs for Panamanians and increased unemployment of local farmers.
Colombia: Al Gore's Snub
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia has been attracting a lot of criticism for his alleged ties with paramilitary forces in his country. Because of these unclear links, former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore officially dropped out of an environmental conference where Uribe would be in attendance. The Colombia Herald writes about...
Bolivia: Restrictions on the Import of Used Clothing
Beginning on April 21, the Bolivian government placed restrictions on the import of used clothing. After an agreement was reached with this sector, the deadline soon passed much to the pleasure of national companies that produce new clothing. Mario Duran of Palabras Libres [ES] speculates that the deadline will not...
El Salvador: Poet of the Revolution, Roque Dalton
Tim Muth of Tim's El Salvador Blog introduces us to Salvadoran poet, Roque Dalton, who devoted his life to the overthrow of the ruling oligarchy. In addition to links to essays about this literary intellectual, Muth's article summarizes the events that led to his eventual death at the hands of...
Mexico: What's the Reason for the Stable Exchange Rate?
Boz notices that the currency exchange of Mexico peso to the US dollar has remained stable during the past two years at a rate of 11 to 1. He wonders whether this is an unofficial policy set by the Central bank or if there is some other explanation.
Bolivia: Interview With El Alto Blogger Mario Duran
The city of El Alto is not known for blogging. For starters, internet access is scarce and expensive, while citizens seem to have different priorities. Many who do have internet access have yet to discover the value of expressing themselves via blogs. Mario Duran is a blogger that wants to set out to change all that. In this recent interview, he discusses his entry to the Bolivian blogosphere and his plans to reach out to others.
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