Chober and his buddies are building a little club on the beach that is aiming to provide services to beach goers and visitors, while at the same time providing events and opportunites for community members, particularly young people. Like his friend Francisco, Chober is concerned with the environment, and finding uses for discarded materials.

¡Oye Mamicitas y Papicitos! Forget about the Spanish! Get up off your colas, it’s time to perrear! Turn up the volume and put your hands in the air! Tell ‘em that you’re single (aunque si no!) Stand up right now and muévete that cintura! (You know you want to!)

Francisco sees potential for creation and innovation in a wide range of materials: drift wood, shells, seeds, goat skin, even plastic debris. He is speaking with the governor about creating a tallerr, or workshop, that can be used to teach artistic skills to the young people of the area, as well as to showcase the work of other local artisans.

Yes, Belanova may be a shill for Pizza Hut Mexico, but we are not going to hold that against this fine synth-pop dance trio who came together in 2000 in Guadalajara. How did the band create the name Belanova? An entrevista en español in Enkidu magazine tells all.

Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

A fishing village like Adícora can be a place of work and industry for locals, but also one of rest and relaxation for travelers. Chober comes from a fishing family and knows the trade, but he recognizes the growing importance of tourism. His generation realizes that the survival of both ways of life necessitates better care of the environment and increased ecological awareness.

Maria Lionza is said to have been born in 1502 to an Indian Chief in the Yaracuy region of Venezuela. Today she is revered throughout the Caribbean by followers of the syncretic cult which is named after her, but artists too find her an irresistably mystical symbol alluding to history, race, and sex. Her painting hangs on the wall of Francisco’s taller in Adícora.

Enjoying almost full support by his party as their presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped down from his post as Mayor of Mexico City, aka D.F. (Distrito Federal) to campaign for the presidency of Mexico in the 2006 elections against Felipe Calderón.

López Obrador’s campaign commercials really try to shake potential voters out of their sillas, attempting to give the potentially marginalized a strong message: “now it’s our turn, now it’s your turn!” He blatantly positions himself against the rich, those who “take the biggest piece of the cake.”

Many Americans know that Barcelona is one of the most fun towns in Spain. This is of course no secret to Spaniards themselves. Arume tells us why she likes to holiday in Barcelona whenever she gets the chance.

Malaga gets over 300 days of sunshine every year, so it’s no surprise that Arume has chosen it for her vacation. She’s been studying hard and learning a lot over the past year, and luckily she’s agreed to fill us in!

Though Natalia Oreiro may seem to have it all—talent, beauty, brains, personality and success—she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her family suffered economically, and moved many times trying to better their situation. This was a bit unsettling for little Natalia, and perhaps contributed to her being a handful for her primary school teachers.

As a young student, Pablo was smart enough to use his charm and good lucks to get the girls to do his work for him. But when it came to opportunities to perform, this he did himself whenever he got the chance.

Noruego means “Norwegian,” hence a princesa noruega is a “Norwegian princess.” One arrived in Burgos, Spain on Christmas Eve, in the year 1257. She was to wed Prince Felipe, brother of King Alfonso X of Castile. Marry they did, but Cristina de Noruega fell ill and died at only twenty eight years old.

The Puerto Rican rockers Circo never do explain what the accidente was exactly, but it doesn’t make this music video any less entertaining to hear. Lead singer Fofé (aka José Luis Abreu, formerly of El Manjar de los Dioses) sounds at times like a latin Robert Smith of the Cure. But maybe it’s the other way around, since Smith is said to be a fan....

Most people agree that there’s nothing quite like a tasty wood-fired grill, but because the traditional stove of the Peruvian highlands lacks adequate ventilation of the home and kitchen, serious health problems can arise. A team of researchers have identified this unique regional problem and worked with a clever team of engineers to design an affordable and elegant safer alternative that will be accepted and used by the local people.

The inhabitants of the first village where special stoves were installed experienced a marked improvement in their respiratory health. Word quickly spread to a nearby community which then made the change over to the new technology. As the materials are inexpensive, it should not be difficult to get all of Peru to switch to the new stoves.

That literacy will directly contribute to the health and well being of a people few can doubt. But are a literate people more likely to care for the environment? One man thinks so, and has started a grassroots neighbors teaching neighbors project for the good of both la gente y la tierra.

Does graphic and violence-ridden television news that presents the worst aspects of a society also bring out the worst in its audience? Our filmmaker seems to think so, and believes that it is young viewers who pay the price when spectacle trumps thoughtful analysis and measured presentation.

Does broadcast media really have a responsiblity to promote and defend human rights? Or is it to simply make shows that people like and that attract ratings? Several Nicaraguan journalists and media producers discuss these ideas in a round table discussion.

An apostador is anyone who makes a wager. Control Machete’s "El Apostador" comes off their album Uno, Dos. This exquisitely animated video backs up the song’s tale of have and have not. It must be your lucky day, because we’re betting that you are going to learn something!

Sole likes her candy, but she’s not averse to sharing it. In Spanish, a lollipop is known as chupa-chups, piruleta or paleta. Do you have a favorite flavor?

Amelia and the girls at first don’t know what to make of him, a small man who arrives with a big wad of money. Soon enough it becomes apparent, Santiago Ritchie is intent on having more than a little fun. (But could that be the only reason for his largesse?)

Milena is enjoying some theater from her private box when Santiago Ritchie appears. Milena wants the lowdown on what he found out about Amelia’s girls while visiting. Santiago obliges. Flavio sleeps.