6:56 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Internet|Venezuela · Comments Off
26 May 2009
So is access to the internet a right or a luxury? Decree No. 6649 coming out of Venezuela seems to side with it as luxury.
The decree seeks to eliminate “luxuries” or “superfluous expenses” among the public expenditure, among which includes the Internet.
This seems to go against an earlier decree No. 825 from 2000 that said that internet access and use were a priority.
A campaign, Internet Prioritaria, has launched in response to the latest decree, with a goal of keeping the internet as a government priority.
9:49 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Internet|race · 3 Comments
25 May 2009
The term digital divide traditionally is used to talk about the haves versus the have nots when it comes to internet access. The digital divide has been analyzed from a race/ethnicity perspective and an age perspective. Pero the digital divide is more than just an access issue, it’s about keeping up with the leaps in technology. It’s not enough to have internet access, it has to be broadband access. It’s not enough to have a cell phone, it has to be a smart phone.
According to the Census Bureau, more than 40 percent of all homes are not connected to the Internet or use antiquated “dial-up” technology. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by the digital divide. According to a 2008 report by Free Press, a national media reform organization, only 40 percent of households of color subscribe to broadband, while 55 percent of white households are connected. The nation’s Latino population in particular fares among the worst, with only 35 percent having a broadband connection.
As high-speed Internet becomes increasingly expensive, middle- and low-income families are less able to afford it. According to the same Free Press report, only 35 percent of homes with less than $50,000 in annual income have broadband, while 76 percent of households earning more than $50,000 per year are connected in that manner. For many Latino communities living on the margins in Los Angeles, paying for pricey broadband service isn’t even a possibility.
Via / Colorlines
9:42 am By Maegan La Mala · Activism|Immigration|Internet|Media|media justice · 1 Comment
16 May 2009
Some of the most important work I have done in the past year has been working with other people on building movement through justice media. And while it is done out great love, not to become famous or even recognized as an “important voice” in a careerist sense, it’s nice to be recognized.
The Sanctuary (ProMigrant.Org) will be receiving an award that, in 2006, Hillary Rodham Clinton described as “the equivalent of the “Pulitzer Prize” for journalism (including New Media of course) in ethnic media!
Felicidades to the entire Sanctuary – Promigrant.org team y pa’lante siempre.
7:09 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Guatemala|Internet|Twitter · 4 Comments
15 May 2009The situation in Guatemala is getting heavier by the moment with reports of arrests of street vendors and at least one twitter user A little background. Attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg was killed and a video released posthumously points the finger at President Alvaro Colom.
The video’s release has led to widespread protest, calling for President Colom to step down and face justice. The twittersphere in the Central American country also responded. Twitter user “Jeanfer” was arrested for suggesting in a tweet that people who had money deposited in Banrural should remove those funds, and by doing so, break the control that “corrupt people” have over the state-controlled financial institution. The murdered attorney, who was shot to death this past weekend, represented a finance expert, Khalil Musa, who was said to have refused to participate in corrupt transactions involving Banrural.
5:31 pm By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Activism|Immigration|Internet|Justice|Labor|Linking Latinos|Politics · Comments Off
30 Apr 2009
This post comes to you courtesy of Nezua of The Unapologetic Mexican.
There’s new Latino organizing effort underway that seeks to further the political power of our communal voices, energies, strengths, and talents.
As we approach May 1st thousands of people across the country will take to streets to express their collective desire for human rights for all immigrants. Pero just as there are multiple Latino experiences, there are multiple ways to organize.
Nezua writes:
OVER AND OVER we hear about The Hispanic Vote™ and The Latino/a Vote® and it is a real thing we are talking about in all of this. Our people—nuestra gente—have long been a force in this land, be it under the golden sun harvesting the corn that has for thousands of years fed our antepasados (ancestors) or away from the sun and working hard in US places of business or doing so much to build strong familias together, as las mujeres—the women—among us are known for historically. We are a beautiful and long enduring people, and responsible for so much creation here that sustains us today: Art, Literature, Food, Clothing, Song.
And yet, our voices have yet to be utilized and enjoined in a way that can efficiently organize around the issues that affect our communities. Don’t mistake what I say: the Latina/o (or “Hispanic”) community is famous for its ability to organize on the local level, and we are proud of this. And that is why it is time to continue to tie this ability and history together and bring it to an even higher level.
It’s true that while so much joins us, we do come from many different backgrounds and hold varying views on the issues that affect us. We will not always agree, nor should we. What we can agree on, though, is that we should have a way to centralize and engage the politics that affect us on so many levels.
Are you down? Read mas.
10:46 pm By Maegan La Mala · Blogs|Internet|Media|media justice · 2 Comments
28 Apr 2009
Hoy, the Editors of The Sanctuary released a statement on how the spreading Swine Flu is being used by anti-immigrant forces to spread another type of illness, hate.
The moment that the news of the “Swine Flu” or “North American Influenza” hit the wires, it was easy to predict what the anti-immigrant faction would have to say about it. People like Michael Savage, Neil Boortz, Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, Pat Buchanan, and groups like CIS, FAIR, and NumbersUSA are so locked into their views that their voices are unnecessary in a dialogue that actually preferences truth—which by nature requires flexibility and bravery. The stances of those who most vocally oppose immigration today are so predictable that one could paint a face on a septic-tainted soccer ball and paste up word balloons and rest well, knowing that The Nativist Lobby point of view on any immigration-related topic will end in “deport them all” and “seal the borders” if not “round them up” and other tired ideas. …
You know you want to read more, especially the part of how none of this scapegoating is new. Read the whole cosita at The Sanctuary.
You can tweet it too!!!
ProMigrant.Org: Virus Brings Swine-Hearted Lobby Into Foreground http://tinyurl.com/dmwvcd #immigration @promigrant

10:49 am By la Macha · Internet|sex|Violence|Women · 1 Comment
21 Apr 2009We told you yesterday about the murderer who seemed to be targeting women through Craigslist. The latest breaking news is that a suspect has been arrested:
The fiance of the suspect has come to his defense, but I can’t help but think she sounds like an incredibly naive person:
Philip Markoff, arrested Monday after an intensive police investigation, “could not hurt a fly,” his future wife Megan McAllister wrote in an e-mail to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“Philip is an intelligent man who is just trying to live his life so if you could leave us alone we would greatly appreciate it,” she wrote Tuesday.
“We expect to marry in August and share a wonderful, meaningful life together.”
Famous last words, no?
I hope for her sake that this is all a big mistake–but this is not the first time a clean cut “intelligent” man turns out to be a violent anti-woman jackass.
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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