Latest posts by Issa Villarreal
Bolivia: Presidential Elections in Social Networks
Blogger Manuel Buitrago of Mabb analizes the prolific coverage of social networks at Bolivia [es] as the presidential elections for 2009 come to an end.
Ecuador: First results form Google Zeitgest
Christian from Cobertura digital comments on Ecuador's most frequent Google searches in 2009 [es] as service Zeitgeist opens results for the country for the first time.
Chile: A Proper Funeral for Víctor Jara
On December 3 Chilean community celebrated a proper funeral for singer songwriter Víctor Jara, who was murdered 36 years ago during the military coup of Pinochet and has been an unparalleled influence on artists and musicians around the world.
Peru: Encounters with Taxi Driver Scams
Jacqueline shares on her blog two encounters in Lima [es] with the same taxi driver: on the first one she cried after hearing about the driver's son accident; on the second one, she realized he was a scammer.
Mexico: Finding the truth for abrogation of vehicle tax
Contributor El Alteño of blog Hazme el Chingado Favor confronts an e-mail chainletter against official sources regarding Mexican government's abrogation of the vehicle ownership tax [es] that will be enforced in 2012.
Venezuela: Government Intervention of Banks is Parodied
Political humor blog El chiguire bipolar (The bipolar capybara) mocks the Government of Venezuela [es] after intervening four banks of the country: from now on, author parodies, Bancolchón [Mattress Bank] will manage public money, as customers can carry out cash withdrawals, make national and international transfers and “keep a glass...
Mexico: Learning and yearning in Spanish and English
Lesley from The Mija Chronicles writes in English about her difficulty to learn Spanish in her first 10 months living in Mexico. Conversely, Jennívora questions her yearning of Mexican rituals and festivities after living in Scotland [es] exercising her particular Spanish-pocho [es] writing style.
Peru: Students Complain After Charge on Raffle Tickets
Engineering students from the Señor de Sipán University at Perú made a quick profit analysis of a raffle organized by the institution [es] after a ticket charge on their college monthly payments without prior notice.
Mexico: Viewing Mexican Streets with Google
On November 9th, Mexicans welcomed Google Street View and its digital maps with street level photographs for Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and other 5 cities, making Mexico the first Latin American country to join Google's service.
Mexico: The Internet as a Necessity, not a Luxury
An increase in taxes was approved by the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, including an special tax for Internet and cable services prompting online protests saying that the Internet is a necessity, and not a luxury.
Mexico: Reactions to Drug Decriminalization Law
In the midst of the AH1N1 virus paranoia, the Mexican government approved the Ley de Narcomenudeo that decriminalizes drug consumption in small dosages. Now, 5 months later, many are wondering if any of its intended changes have been met.
Mexico: Telling Secrets on Twitter
Rafa Saavedra is a connosseiur of underground culture from Tijuana, México. In an interview, he tells about his most recent project combining Twitter and the telling of secrets.
Mexico: Voters Share Their Null Ballots on Twitter
Mexicans tweeted their discontent with the political system of the country by sharing photographs of their paper ballots nullified in creative ways during the July 5 mid-term elections.
Mexico: The Campaign to Protect the Vote
"Cuidemos el voto" [“Let’s protect the vote”] is a project that plans to protect the votes of Mexicans during the July 5 election from “old enemies”: violence, false IDs, damage to ballot boxes and other obstacles to reach transparent elections. Its weapon? Text messages, Twitter and the web.
Mexico: Null Ballots and Low Turnout Expected on Election Day
July 5 is election day in Mexico. More than 600 positions for public officials are up for grabs. However, there are estimates that more than 70% of citizens will abstain from voting and almost 10% will turn in a null ballot. Several online movements are leading the way to encourage this type of protest.
Mexico: Water Shortages Affecting Nearly 2 Million Residents
Nearly two millions of citizens have been affected by the recent reduction of the water service in the Valley of Mexico. The Cutzamala System, which manages 20% of the drinking water for the valley, is not working at full capacity and cannot supply its own region, several districts, and municipalities from the Federal District and the State of Mexico. Water supply shortage will affect people every weekend for an indefinite amount of time.
Mexico: Young Graffiti Writers Arrested in Monterrey
Thirteen boys from the metropolitan area of Monterrey, city at the North of México, were sent to prison after of 300 young graffiti “writers” made an “attack” to an overpass in one of the busiest avenues in the city, using Fotolog and websites as their main way of organization. The incident raised questions whether or not the punishment was excessive and about the role of grafitti in urban art.
Mexico: Television Comedy Show Makes Light of Actor's Mental Disability
The Human Rights Commission of Mexico DF has asked the television network Televisa to apologize the actor known as Sammy, after the contestants of a comedy game show played a prank on him, even though it is widely known that he suffers from moderate mental disability. The incident brought to light the frequency that Mexican comedians mock others or their situations in order to get laughs.
Mexico: Scenes From an Outbreak
Almost two weeks after the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, Mexico City was declared in “state of emergency” suspending activities at closed populated spaces, such as schools, workplaces and restaurants, as well as large public events, such as concerts and football matches. Most residents wore protective face masks and their interactions with one another helped paint a unique and devastating landscape of the streets of Mexico.
Mexico: Trying to Lighten the Mood About Swine Flu
Even with the international concern over the health emergency of the swine flu, a Mexican band called Agrupación Cariño is trying to lighten the mood with a song called “The Flu Cumbia” as mentioned by Panamérika Blog [es].
Mexico: Foreign Artists Commenting on Internal Matters
French musician and activist Manu Chao was recently in Mexico, where he referred to the riots in Atenco to be an example of "state terrorism." As a result, there was reports that he was being investigated by the government for violating Article 33 of the Mexican Constitution, which prohibits foreigners from becoming involved in the internal matters of the country.
