Stories about Colombia from May, 2007
Colombia: Reactions to Paramilitary Chief's “Confession”
Colombian bloggers react to the testimony provided by paramilitary chief Salvatore Mancuso, in which he implicated many of the Colombian powerful and elite. Some think he should not be believed, while others would rather give him the benefit of the doubt, as the revelations could be a first step in finding who is responsible.
Colombia: Global Voices Author Featured on Blogging TV Show
Juliana Rincon Parra, one of Global Voices authors, was recently featured on a Medellin television program called BloggersTV to talk about her work with that city's blogosphere and her blog Medea Material [ES]. However, things didn't go as originally as expected. Instead of talking about the recent blogger meet-up, she...
Colombia: Nostalgia for Colombian Television
Carlos Raúl van der Weyden takes a trip down nostalgia lane after finding several YouTube channels devoted to old Colombian television programming. News programming and telenovelas are some of the programs featured in his roundup on the Colombia Herald.
Colombia: Bloggers Campaign for the Release of a 3-Year Old Hostage
Libertad para Emanuel is a blog that was started in order to call for the release of a 3-year old hostage taken by FARC guerrillas. Many other Colombian bloggers joined the campaign and wrote their support for the cause, while others who supported the cause did not want to forget about the other thousands of hostages currently being held.
Americas: Copa America Blog
For fans of the “beautiful game”, a new blog site dedicated to the biennual football tournament, the Copa America, will come as a welcome surprise. The Copa America 07 Blog will feature news and stories about the South American national teams and guests, that will participate in this tournament in...
Colombia: The First Blogger Meetup in Medellín Results in Mixed Reviews.
Bloggers in Medellín Colombia comment on Medallo Bloguero, the first Blogger round table- meetup which took place on May 16th during National Internet Week.
Afghanistan: Angling For Failure?
Joshua Foust says that transplanting drug interdiction strategies from Colombia into Afghanistan is a recipe for failure.
Colombia: Poll Numbers Regarding Para-Political Scandal
Bloggings by Boz links to a recent poll conducted by Semana Magazine and Ipsos, which focused mainly on questions revolving around the paramilitary scandal in Colombia and the relationship with President Alvaro Uribe.
Colombia: Uribe's Bittersweet Visit to Washington
Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez started a three-day visit to Washington, seeking support for Plan Colombia and the US Congress' approval of the Free Trade Agreement. Instead of he was met with protestors accusing him of links to paramilitary forces responsible for the death of unionists. Some bloggers criticized the Colombian media for "covering up" the president's poor week.
Colombia: More Analysis on Uribe's Visit to Washington
Adam Isaacson's Plan Colombia and Beyond blog has plenty of analysis and follow-up on President Alvaro Uribe's visit to Washington, DC. He also links to quotes provided by members of Congress and a YouTube video of the protest.
Colombia: Uribe Met by Protestors During Visit to Washington
The Colombia Herald writes about President Alvaro Uribe's recent visit to Washington, where approximately 100 protestors greeted him with cries of “assassin!” in reference to the alleged ties to paramilitary forces. Protestors also were opposed to any free trade agreement with the U.S. Flickr users b.wu and A Look Askance...
Colombia: Five out of Five Cabbies Agree
Bloggings by Boz was recently in Colombia once again and launched an informal poll of taxi drivers in Bogota and Cartagena. All five gave President Alvaro Uribe high marks on security, which is something that was not surprising. In addition to the security issue, he also asked them about other...