When I Last Left

This was the picture at the Jo’burg airport (301 days to kick-off):

Off to South Africa

In 2006, I suffered through the poor 3 and out showing by the US in World Cup watching the games in a couple bars in Arlington, VA and in a German cultural center in Washington, DC. Bolivia did not qualify. In 2002, I remember the early morning hours before my flight to spend another year…

Bolivia: Election Results Reveal Emergence of New Opposition Force

originally posted at Global Voices Soon after the final vote was cast in the April 4th municipal and departmental elections and the official results began pouring in, many bloggers started to provide their analysis and interpretation of the results. On that day, Bolivians would set out to elect local mayors and members of the city…

Support Global Voices Advocacy

Global Voices Advocacy, the branch of Global Voices Online that covers examples of online censorship, targeting of bloggers by oppressive governments, and pushing for freedom of expression is participating in the Blogging for a Cause contest sponsored by Zemanta. During my first trip to the Middle East last month, I met some Egyptian bloggers who…

Bolivia: Farewell to Aymara Hip Hop Artist Abraham Bojorquez

Originally published at Global Voices Online The sudden death of Bolivian hip-hop artist Abraham Bojorquez was especially hard on residents of El Alto, the city from which he hailed. A victim of a traffic accident involving a bus, Bojorquez left behind many fans around the world, but also left behind a legacy filled with memories…

Xenophobia in the Football Stands in Argentina

Originally published at Global Voices Rivalries in Argentine football can become quite heated. The battles on the field often spill over into the stands, as club supporters clash with one another in various sections of the stadium. With nearly half of the 20 teams in the Argentine first division league located in the greater Buenos…

Max the Puppy

A video of my cousin’s puppy. http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2915417&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1it’s max from eduardo ávila on Vimeo.

Bolivia a Dangerous Tourist Destination?

Bolivia was recently listed as one of the top 11 most dangerous destinations for foreign tourists, joining Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. According to this Los Tiempos story, Bolivia is considered to be unsafe because of the continued conflict between the government and the opposition groups. This certainly is overreacting, since tourists are not targeted or…

Voces Bolivianas Summit in Cochabamba

I’ve been working on the first ever Voces Bolivianas summit to take place in Cochabamba on January 30 – February 1.  Our website is up and we’re in the process of finalizing all of the details.  The event is called “Web 2.0 for EVERYONE” and it was created by a really talented web designer here…

Water Balloons Really Irk Some

Carnaval is about five weeks away, but all throughout the city of Cochabamba, teens and university students are gearing up with the annual water balloon tradition.  It also takes place in other cities in Bolivia. Groups of young people buy water balloons from enterprising vendors and use them for target practice.  Young men only usually…