Stories about Spanish from March, 2010
Chile: The Process of Earthquake Reconstruction
Exactly a month after the devastating earthquake in Chile, President Sebastián Piñera announced a reconstruction plan for the country’s infrastructure and housing, prompting Chileans to provide opinions about how this process should be implemented and monitored.
Peru: Alarmist Report on Possible Earthquake in Lima
A recent report by the Peruvian Civil Defense finds that if an earthquake struck the capital city of Lima that 51,000 people would die. Blogger Juan Sheput of Mate Pastor [es] criticizes the report calling it “alarmist” and “incomplete” for not thoroughly explaining its methodology and for not taking into...
Puerto Rico: A brief history of a new species, the “Twittericans”
They are calling themselves "Twittericans." They are Puerto Ricans, national and transnational, who absolutely adore Twitter. Computer Science graduate student and digital media savant Miguel Ríos has written a brief history of Twitter in Puerto Rico. Let's see what he found out.
Chile: New Government Makes Strong Presence on Twitter
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and his Cabinet are all on Twitter, which captured the attention of Chilean users of social media, but some are skeptical and cautious about how effective the communication will be.
Chile: Curicó Province One Month After Earthquake
One month after the Chilean earthquake, Luis Alberto Cabello of the blog Vivimos la Noticia [es] takes a look at the Curicó province, one of the hardest hit areas. He highlights some of the dramatic stories that have emerged including the one of a 13-year-old boy who survived after withstanding...
Dominican Republic: Opposition to Barrick Gold Mining Operations
There is increased opposition to the Barrick Gold mining operations in the Dominican Republic because of the terms of the contract and benefits for the State, as well as concerns about environmental impacts.
Paraguay: Rescuing Citizen Experiences Through the Use of Blogs
Paraguayan blogger Carlos Rodríguez has been "rescuing" citizen experiences through the use of his blog RESCATAR and he hopes that highlighting these experiences can help solve the many of the country's problems.
Chile: Firsthand video account of Tsunami waves in Pichilemu
The force and unexpected nature of a tsunami wave can be seen in the following video. It shows a group of friends walking on the debris strewn beach of Pichilemu, a resort town in central Chile, observing the previous tsunami's damage when they get caught in the rapidly rising waters....
France/Spain: Blog censorship
The Quemando Iglesias [Burning Churches] blog reports [es] on the forced shut down of the zer egin duzue jonekin [What they did to Jon?], a blog that had gathered support for the investigation of the death of the ETA militant Jon Anza, supposedly in the hands of the Spanish State Security Forces in...
Peru: Cries of Animal Abuse in Defense of Surfing Alpaca
Images of "Pisco," the surfing alpaca have sparked cries of animal abuse because the Peruvian animal was taken out of its natural habitat, prompting speculating that its trainer was only out for publicity.
Argentina: Arrest Order Against Judge's Father Creates Controversy
Argentinean Judge María José Sarmiento believes that the arrest order for her father, accused of human rights abuses in the 1970s, is "obviously related" to her ruling against the government regarding the use of the federal reserves.
El Salvador: 30th Anniversary of Assassination of Oscar Romero
Each year on March 24, the people of El Salvador and around the world commemorate the life of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated 30 years ago for his outspoken criticisms of the repressive government.
Chile: President Piñera's Unsold Shares in LAN Airlines
Chilean president Sebastián Piñera made a campaign promise to sell all of his shares in LAN Airlines by the time he took office on March 11, 2010, something he has yet to fulfill.
Guatemala: Transport Blockades as Protest
Luis Figueroa of Carpe Diem [es] writes about the blockades placed by public transport drivers in Guatemala City, who are protesting the lack of security and crime often targeted at them. However, Figueroa writes that all people have a right to protest, but not with blockades.
Spain: MyWorld Video Winner tackles unemployment
The BBC's video contest My World Video has come to a close, and from the hundreds of submitted entries, they've selected their winner: Frederico Teixeira of Samapayo in Spain who made a 2 minute video on the unemployment situation in his country. The simple video shows his reflection in a...
USA: In Census, Only Some Races Count
Census forms are being delivered to all U.S. households this month, but some citizens complain that the question on race does not offer enough answers to give an accurate picture of their ethnicity.
Venezuela: Concerns About Controls on the Internet
Debate is heating up in Venezuela after decrees and statements from President Hugo Chávez, who questioned how the Internet is being used in the country. Many are interpreting these statements and policy proposals that the government wants control the Internet in Venezuela.
Chile: Changes in Government Websites with Arrival of New Administration
Many Chileans noticed that some government websites no longer contain photos or information from the previous administration, and they are wondering whether it was a deliberate message sent from the administration of new President Sebastián Piñera
“Damas de Blanco:” A Week of Protest in Cuba
Cuba's Damas de Blanco protests come on the heels of a flutter of international condemnation incited by the hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death last month. Wednesday's crackdown by Cuban police was the first in two years on the political group, which is made up of the daughters, wives and mothers of imprisoned political dissidents.
Dominican Republic: Construction of University in Haiti
The government of the Dominican Republic announced that it will construct a university in neighboring Haiti for 10,000 students, writes Duarte 101 [es].
Guatemala: Adoption Bureaucracy
Luis Figueroa of the blog Carpe Diem [es] writes about the amount of bureaucracy involved to approve adoptions in Guatemala.
