Latest posts by Betsy Galbreath
Colombia: Journalist Fired Over Article About Oil Company
Colombian journalist Daniel Pardo was fired from the website Kien&Ke after publishing a column about the influence exerted by the Canadian oil company Pacific Rubiales in media like W Radio. Many netizens agree that the dismissal is an attack on freedom of the press.
Panama: Protests Erupt in Colón Over Land Law
The sale of the land in the tax free zone of Colón has sparked a series of protests in Panamá. Government and protesters face off, and neither side seems to want to budge.
Peru: Pollution in Lake Titicaca
Pollution in Lake Titicaca has reached alarming levels. In February of this year, the lake was declared as "Threatened Lake of the Year 2012" by the organizations Global Nature Fund (Germany) and Living Lake (USA). In this post we collect videos and information about the serious environmental damage affecting the Titicaca.
Peru: Monoculture Puts Iquitos Water at Risk
In this third and final post about the water problem in the city of Iquitos we focus on monocultures in the Nanay River and the controversy this issue causes between those who support this type of crop and those who advise avoiding it.
Costa Ricans Debate In Vitro Fertilization
After several years of social and political debate on the issue of in vitro fertilization, and after the Legislature did not reach a consensus on the matter, Costa Rica was sued in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for prohibiting its citizens from obtaining this type of fertilization to have children. The country is awaiting the court's final verdict.
Colombia: Former General Santoyo Admits Ties to Paramilitary Group
Retired general Mauricio Santoyo, former chief of security under ex-president Álvaro Uribe, pled guilty to having helped the paramilitary organization United Self-Defense of Colombia (AUC in Spanish). His confession has created a political scandal in Colombia.
Argentina: A Public Ethics Law for Journalists?
Through the use of national broadcasts, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner makes announcements about the achievements of her government and speaks on various topics. During her last national broadcast President Fernández suggested the creation of a public ethics law for the practice of journalism, a proposal that caused numerous reactions from Argentine bloggers and journalists.
Colombia: Salsa Musician Jairo Varela Dies
On August 8, Colombian musician Jairo Varela Martinez died at the age of 62. Varela is known for founding the famous salsa band Grupo Niche. There were many comments on Twitter under different tags (Jairo Varela, Grupo Niche and Cali Pachanguero) as soon as his death was known.
Argentina Returns Frozen Bank Deposit Funds
On August 3, 2012, the Argentine government returned depositors' funds which had been frozen during the year 2002 and which puts an end to the corralito era. The news was announced during the anniversary of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, and immediately there were comments on the Internet, for and against.
Venezuela: Culture of the Plains on the Internet
To know the culture of the Venezuelan plains, one needs to get to know their citizen media. With this post we start a series on the Venezuelan plains and their culture on the Internet. In this first installment we share an overview of the territory and its culture, and present some citizen media on the subject.
Argentina: Evita's Face on New Banknote
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the death of Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita), President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner unveiled a new banknote with Evita's image, replacing Julio Roca on $100 bills. On social networks, some defend the change and others criticize it.
United States: Weaving Poetry on the Streets of New York
The most recent edition of the multimedia poetry series "El Tejedor" [The Weaver] features the work of Latin American and Caribbean poets in New York City.
Peru: Graffiti Overshadows Coverage of Anti-Mining Protests
During a recent protest march in Lima against the Conga mining project, the monument to the liberator Jose de San Martin was defaced with slogans against the government and the mining project. The media attention, and even in the blogosphere, was more focused on this "graffiti", obscuring the message of the protests.
Venezuela: The Blogosphere Discusses the Campaign
As the Venezuelan opposition finally manages to get a visible space in the upcoming elections, the blogosphere reflects rising expectations from both sides.
Peru: Violence on Sixth Day of Cajamarca Strike
Media and citizen reporting on violence in Cajamarca on the sixth day of the strike against mining activity and the Conga project. As we reported previously at Global Voices, various organizations had agreed to an indefinite strike starting May 31.
Peru: Mayor of Espinar Arrested Amid Mining Conflict
Amid a heavy police deployment, the mayor of the province of Espinar, Oscar Mollohuanca, was arrested on May 30 at midday. The mayor had been in hiding after a state of emergency was declared in the area because of the conflict between the community of Espinar and the mining company Xstrata Tintaya, and especially after learning there was an arrest warrant out for him.
Peru: Conflict Between Espinar Community and Mining Company
At the time of writing this post, the socio-environmental conflict in the province of Espinar, Cusco region, between the community and the mining company Xstrata Copper - Tintaya is on the eighth day of a strike by the community -protests are escalating in both violence and repression.
Mexico: Anticipation and Reactions on the Verdict of Florence Cassez
Mexicans are of divided opinions over the case of Frenchwoman Florence Cassez, which generated unusual anticipation among netizens. At the end of the day and regardless of the human rights violations (recognized by 4 of the justices) Cassez will remain in prison, while a new verdict is formulated.
El Salvador: Hunnapuh, a Pioneer of the Salvadoran Blogosphere
We talk with Omar Nieto, a pioneer in the Salvadoran blogosphere. His blog Hunnapuh is one of the oldest and longest-lived in this Central American country. In this interview, Omar talks to us about his blog and about the Salvadoran blogosphere. He also shares some advice about maintaining consistency and quality in a blog.
Colombia: Impunity, a Documentary About the Victims of the Armed Conflict
In 2011, journalist Hollman Morris and filmmaker Juan José Lozano released the documentary Impunity, an audiovisual tour through the history of armed conflict in Colombia through the voices of victims of armed groups. Due to its theme, Impunity has generated all kinds of opinions, and reactions on the Internet are proof of that.
Panama: The Indigenous Leader Who Took on the Government
Amidst Panama's current crisis is a woman who has emerged as the standard bearer of the indigenous struggle: Silvia Carrera who, after being the first woman elected to the position of cacique or tribal chief, has risen up firmly against the mining intentions of the current government.
