Nicole Hughes
April 11, 2008 | 12:49 pm EST
You may be familiar with the Galapagos Islands, which lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They’re pretty pivotal in our science textbooks, what with Charles Darwin doing his whole, “Hey, what’s the deal with the finches on this island, and perhaps we should look into this evolution thing, no?” It’s no surprise, then, that the Galapagos (not quite sure how to pluralize that one, so we’ll just let it be) have become a major tourist attraction. And this, ironically, is destroying the very fragile ecological system that Darwin studied, and tourists come to observe.
The United Nations has listed the islands on its “in danger list,” so the Galapagos Islands (or, at least, the people there) are fighting back. Officials are attempting to scale back the level of tourism and also setting checkpoints to find illegal immigrants that come to the islands to work in the tourism industry.
Read the rest of this entry »
The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Want to learn our top eco-kinky tips for ‘greening up’ your sex life? How about the top 10 ways to take action against AIDS? Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!
Katie:
Annie Lennox & Top 10 Ways to Take Action Against AIDS
Somewhere Over the Rainbow: American Idol & Yip Harburg
* * *
Nicole:
Top 10 Ways to ‘Green Up’ Your Sex Life
Top 10 Global Warming Myths Debunked
* * *
Gina:
Boarding Gate’s Empty Adventure of Capitalism
* * *
Say Hello to Our Guest Bloggers!
Jon Popham wrote:
Young At Heart Hits the Silver Screen
Andy Kondrat wrote:
The Inter-American Development Bank recently launched the Yo Amo America (I Love America) Campaign, and advocacy initiative featuring artists as agents of change in strategic areas of development. Celebrity supporters include Ricky Martin and Shakira who are advocating policies and investments in the areas of birth registration, early childhood development and access to financial services. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness among policymakers about the importance of developing policies and making investments in these priority areas, as well as to promote specific services and provide information among low-income groups. Around 360 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean”70 percent of the population”live on incomes of less than $300 a month, without access to the benefits of progress.
and visit yoamoamerica.com for more info and ways to support.
Read the rest of this entry »
“Death and the River”, a multimedia exhibit of video and photographs, tells the haunting yet life affirming story of unknown victims of Colombia’s drug wars. Visual Artist Juan Manuel Echavarria documents a tomb (left) in Puerto Berrio, Colombia where unidentified cadavers found in the nearby Magdalena River are laid to rest. Each compartment of the tomb is marked “N.N.”, or Ningun Nombre - No Name. The victims can then be “escogido“, or chosen, by someone in the community who agrees to take care of their grave. The caretaker will decorate the gravesite, pray for the departed’s soul, sometimes even give the victim a name.
The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.
Katie:
Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan Surfaces 120 Years Later
Hallelujah For American Idol, Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen
* * *
Nicole:
Google Gives Free Voicemail to San Francisco Homeless
Gabriel Garcia Marquez Turnes 80
Patrick Swayze’s Cancer Battle
* * *
Gina:
“Chop Shop” - Dreams In a Place of Despair
* * *
Kerry:
Read the rest of this entry »
Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez, renowned Latin American author, Nobel Prize laureate, and master of literary magical realism, turned 80 years old yesterday. Born in Colombia in 1928, GarcÃa Márquez first won international acclaim with his book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, a defining classic work of twentieth century literature. GarcÃa Márquez is no stranger to controversy, inspired by the choice to incorporate strong political themes into his novels. He has used his literary noteriety and personal funds to champion a variety of revolutionary political and social causes in Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Angola, and Argentina. He also helped to found HABEAS, an organization seeking to correct the abuses of Latin American dictatorships and to free the political prisoners of these regimes.
By Katie HalperWhen Spain’s King Juan Carlos asked Chavez to shut up at the Ibero-American Summit in Chile , he unwittingly turned himself into a pop star, attaining a level of fame no money or monarchy could buy. The King’s ¿por qué no te callas?”(why don’t you shut up?) has been branded on mugs and t-shirts, broadcast all over the globe, turned into a major YouTube hit and has even become a ring tone for cell phones. But the most creative representation of the fight between the Spanish King and the Venezuelan president is the Reggaetón music video featured below. Not only is the video fun, and the music great, but it contains an important political message. Reggaetón, the successful, popular, and appealing blend of hip hop, reggae, and Latin American Carribean music shows us that in-spite of the inter-iberic conflict displayed at the summit, inter-cultural cooperation is not only possible, but danceable.
Giulia:
