The journey of cumbia, a rhythm from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, across the Americas is an interesting example of the power of Caribbean music to transcend national borders and provide inspiration for the emergence of new music styles. During the second half of the 20th century, cumbia was appropriated and hybridized in Argentina, Mexico,…
I just returned from a wonderful time in New Orleans where I spent few days and nights taking part of the carnival celebrations. I joined Team Yes, a group of friends who have been participating in the Mardi Gras festivities regularly during the last 4 years. Our headquarters were located in the Uptown in a…
In January, during my stay in Bogota, I traveled to Zipaquira with my family and a group of friends from the Netherlands who were visiting us. They were interested in seeing a Salt Cathedral that has been built underground the Andes mountains, and that according to several tourist books, is considered one of the Colombian…
III. A Complex Techno-militar-scientific-media System (production) After the World Wars of the 20th century and during the Cold Ward, the United States of America became the most powerful country of the world and the leader in the production of global culture. After the falling of the Berlin wall in 1989, it became clear that the…
The first time I heard about GPS enabled navigation devices was during the Persian Gulf War when television reporters highlighted the use of GPS technology by the USA and the allied forces. Enhanced navigation helped not only the soldiers on the ground, sea, and air, but also provided a very advanced degree of control for…
One of the highlights of my recent trip to Colombia was the visit to the National Park Corales del Rosario and San Bernardo. A natural reservation of choral reefs in the warm waters of the Caribbean and a collection of little islands with beautiful beaches, lagoons, and vegetation. We stayed in one of these islands,…
Today, January 18th of 2012, the web goes dark in protest against #PIPA and #SOPA. Last time a strike happened in the internet was in 1996 when many sites went dark to protest the Communications Decency Act. Although I didn’t blackout my blog, I decided to create this log entry to document the strike. I…