Voices en Español

Some interesting links I’ve come across in the past week. A few of them I’ve already posted on Twitter but since a lot people who visit this blog don’t follow me on Twitter, I thought I would publish these links here.

1). Salma Hayek talking about Colombia’s land mine problem.

Yes, she’s a Hollywood starlet, and yes, she’s breathtakingly beautiful…and yet Salma Hayek always comes across in her public persona as an extremely down-to-earth, genuinely nice lady. In this video clip, Salma talks about the problem with land mines in Colombia. Originally from Mexico, Salma speaks in Spanish in this video. It’s great hearing her speak in her native language while informing us about an important issue.

2). Walk like an Egyptian? How about gesticulate like a Spaniard? 

The British newspaper “The Guardian” has put out an illustrated guide on Spanish hand gestures. The Guardian implies that using these gestures will make the user seem more authentically Spanish. Hmmm, I think the jury might be out on that one! At least it is good for a laugh.

3). The Boston Globe has compiled a collection of stunning photographs from 2009’s San Fermín festival in Pamplona, Spain. The running of the bulls this year was particularly gruesome and dangerous with one fatality and several serious injuries. Some of the photos are quite graphic but the majority of them are almost cinematic in quality, capturing all the intensity and drama of the event.

4). The Pew Hispanic Center is a treasure trove of hard data about the Latino population in the U.S. Among their reports are: “Mexican Immigrants in the U.S., 2008,” “Who is Hispanic?” and “Between Here and There: How Attached are Latino Immigrants to their Native Country?”