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 December, 2010
Uruguay: Discovering Uruguay Through Writer Yaravi Roig
Florence Faure writes: “Reading fiction can be an interesting way to get introduced to or know better a country. Yaravi Roig is an Uruguayan writer who lives in Piriapolis. In her books, she gives to the reader the opportunity to discover Uruguayan culture, more specifically Piriapolis and the people who...
Bolivia: Photos and Video of Protest Over Rise in Cost of Fuel
Angel Caido [es] shares photos and a video of the protests that took place on December 30 in Bolivia over the rise in the cost of fuel.
Mexico: 60 Students Died in Ciudad Juárez in 2010
Patrick Corcoran reports: “Authorities say that some 60 students died in 2010 in Ciudad Juárez as a result of gang violence, most famously in the massacres in January and October.” He says he expected the number to be higher, considering there were more than 3,100 murders in Ciudad Juárez this...
New Year's Resolution: Learn About Latin American Culture
Colombian/Argentinean Travelojos contributor Jennifer Lubrani writes about her New Year's resolution: “I’ve made it a goal to try to learn as much as I can about all of the other Latin American cultures.” She suggests five ways to “get cultured” on Latin America.
Guatemala: Harsh Winter Affecting Farmers
Locavore del Mundo writes about how this year's particularly cold winter has affected farmers in Guatemala: “Farmers have lost almost all of their crops due to this frost. The lost harvest includes cabbage, cauliflower, chinese peas, carrots, lettuce, radishes, among other vegetables.”
Mexican Film in 2010: The Good, The Bad, and The Realistic
Perla Cristal Gómez from Vivir México critiques [es] Mexican films released in 2010, picking one that was good (“Hidalgo“), one that was bad (“2033“) and one that was realistic (“El Infierno“).
Latin America: 2010 in Review
An 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, a police strike in Ecuador and the Nobel Prize in Literature for Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa were some of the news bloggers and citizen media users reported and analyzed this year. Let's take a look at these and other stories the Latin American team covered in 2010.
Chile: Students from Citizen Journalism Project “Young Reporters” Talk About Their Work
A group of school-age citizen journalists who create content for Jóvenes Reporteros [es] (Young Reporters) describe their work in a video for the site Periodismo Ciudadano [es] (Citizen Journalism).
Bolivia: The “Gasolizano”: Government Increases Taxes on Fuel
Greg Weeks from Two Weeks Notice writes: “The Bolivian government drastically increased taxes on fuel, by over 70%. It did so for rational capitalist reasons, namely that higher prices in neighboring countries had fostered a thriving black market. However, the official reasoning leaves something to be desired”
Honduras: Media Ignores Recent Reports on 2009 Coup
Honduras Culture and Politics states: “[…] we find it extraordinary that the US media completely ignore even high profile international organizations that continue to call attention to the serious failures of Honduras to redress any of the circumstances that the coup d'etat of June 2009 set in motion.”
Peru: Lima's Municipal Art Gallery
In Globalizado [es], Juan Arellano writes about his visit to Lima's municipal art gallery Pancho Fierro. He wonders about the future of the gallery as a new municipal administration is about to take office.
Argentina: Photoblog “Buenos Aires Daily” Captures Life in the Argentinean Capital
Buenos Aires Daily publishes pictures of life in the Argentinean capital. The description for the December 24th photo reads: “The streets of Buenos Aires are often filled with people like Armando. Riding his bike, he uses the sound of a whistle so that people notice him. His job: knifes/scissors sharpener.”
Mexico: Deceased FARC Commander's Emails Reveal Plans to Kidnap in Mexico
Gancho writes: “Emails on the computers of recently deceased FARC commander Mono Jojoy show that the group was considering entering the kidnapping market in Mexico strictly as a financing mechanism. With the going rate for a big-time victim evidently $30 million, we can understand their eagerness, though we of course...
Venezuela: Police Repression During Protest Over University Law
Miguel Octavio in The Devil's Excrement says that students faced severe police repression during a protest against a new law that gives the government more control over universities. Furthermore, in Venezuela News and Views Daniel Duquenal reports that an AFP journalist was hurt while taking pictures of the protest.
El Salvador: Spread of Drug Cartel Violence Feared
Commenting on a recent news report about the fear of Mexican drug cartel violence spreading to El Salvador, Tim writes: “If drug cartels were to establish greater operations in El Salvador, beyond the mere transportation of drugs, it would pose another serious threat to El Salvador's already overwhelmed police and...
Argentina: Buenos Aires Food Writers
Maria Carra from Buenos Aires Foodies provides an English and Spanish version of a list of her favorite food writers in Buenos Aires, with a brief description of each blog.
Colombia: During a Harsh Winter, President Santos Proposes Creation of New Cities
“President Juan Manuel Santos proposes the creation of new cities for that population that lives under risk, as we have seen this 2010 winter in Colombia. It is a great proposal and a very expensive project, of course, but it is more expensive to continue like we are: every raining...
Uruguay: Gay Rights in Uruguay
In the blog for Ola Uruguay, Jane McDevitt writes about Gay rights in Uruguay: “The current president’s much publicised liberal political ideology is being put to the test, as pressure increases from gay rights activists and human rights groups to legalize gay marriage, in a country where church influence on...
Venezuela: Hugo Chavez Granted Special Powers for 18 Months
On December 17, Caracas Gringo wrote that President Hugo Chavez “was granted special powers to rule by presidential decree until June 2012.” An Enabling Law that Venezuelan Analysis reports was passed “in order to bring rapid relief to 130,000 flood victims and to further engrain 21st Century Socialism in the...
Panama: Remembering the United States Invasion, 21 years later
In Contrapunto [es], Global Voices author Ariel Moreno [es] remembers the United States invasion of Panama that he experienced as a child on December 20, 1989.
Honduras: Human Rights Watch Releases Report on Abuses After 2009 Coup
Bloggings by Boz reports: “Human Rights Watch released an important new report yesterday on abuses in the post-coup environment, including excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions and violence against journalists and civil society. Particularly troubling is the level of impunity for abuses and the lack of resources and judicial independence...
