Bloggers of the World Unite!

• Remember the Cuban blogger who claimed that her blog was censored? This week she received the prestigious Ortega y Gasset Award for her work.
• Liar, liar pantalones on fire.
• Here’s a brief look at Mexico’s proposed reform to its oil industry, while here’s a lengthy look at Argentine foreign policy.
• Hillary Clinton may be against a free trade pact with Colombia, but her husband has been for it at least since 2000.
• An eye-raising thought: If Venezuela cuts oil exports to the U.S., then Hugo Chavez will be overthrown by the military.
• Is there a dispute “simmering” between military and civilian leaders in Ecuador?

Sources- The Latin Americanist, Ben Smith’s Blog, Global Voices Online, WebberEnergyBlog, Immigration Chronicles, Two Weeks Notice, Southern Affairs, Bloggings by Boz,

Image- Gizmodo ("A pair of sports shoes made of computer keyboards" at a Chinese exhibition)

Cuban blogger: Government censored me

Yoani Sanchez- the author of popular Cuban-based Generacion Y blog- alleged that the island's government has restricted access to her website. In a post written on Monday, Sanchez claimed that “anonymous censors of our famished cyberspace” conspired to deny Cubans that chance to read her blog. (For those not in Cuba, the blog can be accessed via this link.)

So far, the Cuban government has not responded to Sanchez’ accusations though in an interview with Reuters she has promised to continue blogging:

"This breath of fresh air has disheveled the hair of bureaucrats and censors," she said by telephone, vowing to continue her blog. "Anyone with a bit of computer skills knows how to get around them."

The aim of government censors is to block readership in Cuba, where people have limited access to Internet, she said.

"They are admitting that no alternative way of thinking can exist in Cuba, but people will continue reading us somehow," she said. "There is no censorship that can stop people who are determined to access the Internet."

Sources (English)- Reuters UK, On Deadline, Wall Street Journal

Sources (Spanish)- Generacion Y

Image- Canada.com