Stories about Spanish from May, 2009
Spain: Wikimovie, created through online participation
In Spain, beverage company Mahou has decided to climb on the online participation bandwagon and have turned to the internet to create and produce a short film where directing, casting and production decisions have been made by the community of participants at the WikiPeli site.
Bolivia: The Launch of Social Networking Site for Diaspora
Karen Heredia aka Joup [es] announces the launch of Bolivianos Globales, a social networking site for those in the Bolivian diaspora.
Honduras: Strong Earthquake Shakes Country
Honduras awoke early in the morning of May 28 when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale shook the country. Five deaths were confirmed, more injured, and slowly there is the discovery of damages to the country's infrastructure like buildings, bridges, and highways. Microblogging platforms like Blipea and Twitter were the first to report the earthquake from users in San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa and La Ceiba. However, some bloggers were unable to update their sites due to electrical and internet outages all across the country.
Colombia: HiperBarrio Workshops in Ituango
The HiperBarrio project has been conducting blogging workshops in the Colombian community of Ituango and Blueandtanit of $ujetate [es] provides details on the weekend's activities.
Colombia: Bogotá Campus Party 2009 Blog
The official blog of Campus Party Colombia 2009 [es] is now providing updates on the activities scheduled for the event to held in Bogotá on July 6-12.
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.
Honduras: 7.1 Scale Earthquake Hits
A 7.1 scale earthquake has hit Honduras. Janpedrano [es] writes about communicating with friends and family around the country through internet, SMS, and telephone making sure that they were alright.
Peru: Freezing Temperatures in Puno Result in Children Deaths
While much of Peru and the media has been discussing the 16 confirmed individuals with AH1N1 virus, very little has been mentioned about the 133 children that have recently died as a result of the freezing temperatures affecting the southern part of the country. Bloggers have been noting this difference in coverage, and have been criticizing the lack of planning by local and national governments for what has been become an annual tragedy.
Colombia: Cyber-Politics for the 2010 Elections
With the Colombian presidential elections set for 2010, the list of candidates has not yet been finalized, but campaigning is well underway. Some candidates have started to use digital tools to reach voters, and at the same time bloggers and twitterers are critiquing how they are used. For some, they see it as a waste of time considering the lack of availability of the internet for many Colombians, but others appreciate the attempt by politicians understanding that it is a learning process.
Argentina: Clarín Media Group Forces Removal of Videos
The media group Clarín is considered to be the most important in Argentina and has implemented a policy of demanding that YouTube close the accounts of any user that does not remove content produced by one of its television companies. This policy has affected bloggers, who have used content on a non-profit basis and for the purpose of commenting on the political situation of the country. Many are arguing that these uses are protected by law, and that Clarín is infringing on freedom of speech and practicing censorship.
Paraguay: Animated Film “Sebastian's Voodoo” Wins at Cannes
Paraguayans are celebrating that one of their own, filmmaker and animator, Joaquin Baldwin, took home first prize in the Online Short Film competition held in conjunction with the Cannes Film Festival. The submitted film, Sebastian's Voodoo, was created using computer animation and beat out 9 other finalists during the online vote
Honduras: First Confirmed Case of H1N1 Patient
The first case of the H1N1 virus has been confirmed in Honduras. However, Janpedrano notes that the 9-year-old girl, who is no longer showing symptoms, was “officially presented” alongside her parents, President Zelaya and the Health Minister [es].
Venezuela: Keeping the Internet as a Priority
When the Venezuelan government emitted Decree No. 6649, it raised red flags within the online community concerned about the possible effects to development. The decree seeks to eliminate “luxuries” or “superflouous expenses” among the public expenditure, among which includes the Internet. As a result, the online campaign Internet Prioritaria was created with the opinion that Internet is a basic need and is pushing that research and other educational programs not be affected by budget cuts.
Colombia: Two Years of Hiperbarrio
After two years since Hiperbarrio was founded in Medellín, Colombia, Catalina Restrepo of Cosas del Alma [es] looks back on the activities of the citizen media project.
Uruguay: Photos of the Funeral of Mario Benedetti
Mario Blanco took photos of the funeral of Uruguayan writer, Mario Benedetti [es], who recently passed away.
Ecuador: The Legacy of Indigenous Leader Mama Tránsito
Many Ecuadorians are mourning the passing of one of its indigenous leaders, Rosa Elena Tránsito Amaguaña, better known as "Mama Tránsito." Her role in society as an activist and defender of indigenous rights has made her an inspiration for her perserveance and courage.
Paraguay: Skateboarding Day in Asunción
Guri is looking forward to the activities of Skateboarding Day in Asunción, Paraguay [es] on June 21.
Honduras: Trusting Congress to Reform Constitution
Some opponents of the proposal to rewrite the Honduran Constitution say that Congress can instead reform the document to meet the current needs. However, Mundo J [es] asks whether citizens trust Congress enough to be able to fix the Constitution.
Honduras: Punta Izopo National Park
Raquel of Un Año Sin Invierno [es] recommends visiting Punta Izopo National Park in Honduras where one can spot crocodiles and take part in other ecotourism activities.
Uruguay: The Passing of Writer Mario Benedetti
Uruguayan writer and poet Mario Benedetti passed away on May 17 at the age of 88. Benedetti is extremely important to Uruguayan society, especially because of his history as an exile and as an outspoken critic during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. However, his works transcend borders and he was beloved all across the region. Bloggers remember the man and what his writings meant to them personally and to the region.
Peru: Launch of New “Contenidos Locales” Site
Enzo Abbagliati of Cadaunadas [es] announces the launch of the new “Local Content [es]” site that collects much of the content created at the varios public libraries that part of the Biblioredes project in Chile.
