Uruguayan-Spanish journalist, editor, and blogger. Currently living in Chile, tweeting in English and Spanish under @silviavinas, and blogging on silviavinas.com
Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from October, 2010
Mexico: Drug Gangs Using Guerrilla Tactics?
Tim Johnson says that, “Thursday’s killing of nine police is important for what it reveals about the tactical military capabilities of drug gangs.”
Ecuador: CNN Reporter Resigns Over Network's Coverage of September 30 Police Uprising
INK reports that Rodolfo Muñoz, “the CNN journalist on site at the September 30th attempted coup in Ecuador has resigned from the company due to the way in which that news channel reported his story.”
Mexico: Interview with author of Mexican desserts cookbook
Lesley Téllez from The Mija Chronicles interviewed Fany Gerson, author of My Sweet Mexico, “a new cookbook of authentic Mexican desserts, beverages and breads.”
Ecuador: Use of Twitter in 2010
Christian Espoinosa from Cobertura Digital [es] shares statistics on the use of Twitter in Ecuador in 2010.
Argentina: Images from Plaza de Mayo After Kirchner's Death
La Propaladora [es] shares images and a video of people gathering at Plaza de Mayo to say goodbye to Néstor Kirchner, former president and husband of current president Cristina Fernández, who passed away yesterday morning from a heart attack.
Peru: Embarrassing Moments in Peruvian Football
Cyrano from Columna 17 writes [es] about two embarrassing moments in Peruvian football: the first, when a second-division Peruvian team drugged their opponent; the second, when some players from the national team “went out partying hours after a 1-0 loss to Panama,” as reported by Living in Peru.
Argentina: Former President Néstor Kirchner Dies
Néstor Kirchner, secretary general of UNASUR, former President and husband of current President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. His name is currently the top worldwide Twitter trending topic. Calafate, the place where he passed away, and Cristina Fernandez are also a trending topics.
Guatemala: Photo Essay: ‘K'iche’ People Reject The Exploitation of their Natural Resources’
James Rodríguez begins his photo essay reporting that, “On a historic day, residents from the municipality of Santa Cruz del Quiché – one of Guatemala’s most important hubs and the birthplace of the Maya K’iche’ people – unanimously rejected the exploitation of natural goods and resources, in particular through mining...
Costa Rica: Young Professionals Work to Make San José Bike Friendly
The Tico Times Blog writes: “A group of young professionals calling themselves ChepeCletas [es] is poised to transform San José into a haven for bikers, and they are doing it one ride at a time. The group’s eventual goal is to make the city bike friendly.”
Peru: Thousands of Indigenous People Block Rivers in Protest
Globalizado reports [es] that thousands of indigenous people in the Amazon are blocking the mouth of rivers Marañon and Tigre. The communities are protesting the constant contamination of the rivers by oil company Pluspetrol, which they accuse of neglecting those affected by a recent oil spill [es] and of not...
Mexico: Thirteen residents executed at Tijuana rehabilitation center
Gancho reports that, “Thirteen residents at a Tijuana rehab facility were executed yesterday, in apparent retaliation for the seizure of 134 tons of marijuana last week. […] This is not the first time rehab center residents have been targeted (often, rehab centers are said to double as gangs’ centers of...
Peru: Bills on wiretapping, explained and analyzed
Miguel Morachimo writes [es] for Blawyer about two bills presented to the Peruvian Congress that relate to the interception and media broadcast of private conversations.
Paraguay: Immigrant to Spain shares her experience in guaraní
Camino al Paraguay [es] posted a video of a Paraguayan woman talking about her experience as an immigrant in Spain in guaraní.
Mexico: Blog ‘Words of Resistance’ Publishes Stories of Teenagers from Oaxaca
The blog Words of Resistance is “a space for stories written by students from Zapotitlán’s middle school (grade 7-9) who are transforming their reality word by word.” The students live in the Mixtec area of the state of Oaxaca, “one of the areas of Mexico with the highest rate of...
Uruguayans Mourn Death of Musician José Carbajal, ‘El Sabalero’
Singer and composer José Carbajal, nicknamed "el Sabalero," died of a heart attack on October 21 at age 66. Carbajal is considered an icon of Uruguayan culture. This year he was working with other artists and the One Laptop per Child project in Uruguay, Plan Ceibal, to perform in concerts for public school children around the country.
Panama: Freedom of the Press
The Panama Digest reports that “Panama fell 26 spots on the annual Reporters Without Borders Freedom of the Press Index published Wednesday.” The post also points out that, “just yesterday, on the day the report was published – journalists picketed against government limits on their freedom of expression.”
Colombia: Government to Return Land to Displaced Peasants
In Realidades Colombianas [es] Valentina Díaz Gómez says that the government's plan to return land to victims of displacement is “the best proposal that Colombians have had in the past 50 years as a republic.”
Mexico: Poster Child for Child Labor Still Working on the Street
Burro Hall posted a picture of Jesús, a boy that plays the accordion in the street, next to a newspaper article on child exploitation that shows a picture of him: “[he] is still sitting right outside the Governor's office playing the accordion for money rather than attending school so he...
Honduras: National Popular Resistance Front Rejects Invitation to Dialogue with President Lobo
Honduras News reports that, “The National Front for Popular Resistance (FNRP) [Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular] decided yesterday not to accept the invitation for a dialogue proposed by President Porfirio Lobo Sosa.”
Guatemala: Revolution Day, ‘Día de la Revolución”
Antigua Daily Photo shares a photograph of the October 20 holiday in Guatemala, “Día de la Revolución” (Revolution Day). The blogger explains the history behind the holiday.
Chile: Interview with Twitter's @laura
Journalist Miguel Paz interviewed [es] Laura Gómez (@laura), Twitter's International Support Lead and Spanish Language Specialist.