By Cristina Fernandez Pereda It’s Wednesday night and Fred Joiner is getting ready to bring one of his passions to Good Hope Road. It’s Anacostia, in southeast Washington, D.C., that he dreams of filling with poetry. “I believe art can raise quality of life of any people,” Joiner said. Reverence, 8th Ave., N.E. By Katy …
Category Archives: American Observer
Facebook users critique new Spanish edition
By Cristina Fernandez Pereda Almost two million new users from around the world sign up for Facebook each week. Since Feb. 11, those who login from a Spanish-speaking country will see the site in their own language. In the next few weeks, French and German speaking users will have the same option. WHAT FACEBOOK USERS …
The real cost of pregnancy for the uninsured
By Cristina Fernandez Pereda TheUnited States is one of the most medically and economically advanced countries in the world. However, almost three women die every day here from pregnancy complications, according to the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs.Medical associations link the risk of mortality among pregnant women to their lack of health insurance. …
El País uses Web site to turn readers into journalists
By Cristina Fernández Pereda El País, one of Spain’s major newspapers, shows after its last redesign how citizen journalism is changing the way news outlets present news both in print and digital format. ELPAIS.com is an example of how citizen journalism, a community of blogs and crowdsourcing techniques can expand the newspaper’s content through the …
Café Babel: Innovative Web site bridges language, builds European culture
By Cristina Fernández Pereda Ask anyone in the streets of Paris what they are first: French or European? It is more likely that they consider themselves French. But if the person you run into happens to be an Erasmus student, it is more likely he or she will tell you they are first European, then …
Day of the Dead and Halloween, not the same
By Cristina Fernández Pereda While the United States has exported its commercial Halloween customs across the globe, other countries still celebrate their own traditional Day of the Dead. Every July 13, people in Japan celebrate the Obon, a two-day Buddhist celebration where the Japanese pray for the souls of their ancestors. In the same way …
Living is an 'Art'—Youth Programs help shape their future
By Cristina Fernández Pereda The Art of Living Foundation is the largest volunteer-based non-governmental organization in the United States. Just a short walk from U-Street station in Washington, the organization works closely with the United Nations. The foundation’s volunteers have assisted victims worldwide after events like Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Beslan tragedy …
