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 February, 2011
Uruguay: Growing Support for Decriminalizing Marijuana for Personal Use
Erwin C. reports: “Political support has reportedly been growing in favor of decriminalizing the use of marijuana. Legislator Sebastián Sabini told the local press that he would introduce a bill this week that would allow individuals to legally have 25 grams of marijuana for personal use.”
Honduras: Taxi Drivers and Teachers Strike
“La Gringa” blogs about a strike led by teachers and taxi drivers in La Ceiba on February 21. “This was the third national strike of the school year, which only began on Monday, February 14,” she writes.
Mexico: Photos of Tlacotalpan, “the most colourful place in the globe”
Catherine from Small Fish in the Big Taco shares colour coded images of “a very sleepy town in the state of Veracruz….namely Tlacotalpan.” She calls Tlacotalpan, “the most colourful place in the globe!!”
Chile: Remembering 8.8-magnitude earthquake with tweets from Feb. 27, 2010
Gonzalo A. Luengo O. compiled a long list of tweets [es] from February 27, 2010, when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile at 3:34 a.m. local time.
Latin America: Latest Cables Released by Wikileaks
The Latinamericanist sums up some of the latest diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Chile: Electronic Textbooks for Schoolchildren?
The school year is starting in Chile, and Enzo Abbagliati in Cadaunadas wonders, “why aren't textbooks in Chile digital?” after he spent almost $300 USD in textbooks for his son. He presents possible advantages to giving schoolchildren electronic textbooks they could read on a tablet or e-reader.
Mexico: Reports of Growing Violence Against Human Rights Activists in Chihuahua
Hemispheric Brief reports that, “A recent uptick in violence against human rights defenders in the state of Chihuahua continues to be met with impunity and silence by the Mexican government.”
Colombia: Interview with Director of NGO “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures)
Albeiro Rodas interviewed Nora Isabel Saldarriaga, the director of “Forjando Futuros” (Shaping Futures), “a Colombian NGO with different projects, but only one ideal: to stay at the side of vulnerable people like the victims of the armed conflict.”
Mexico: Achievements and Challenges for Artisan Women
Adele Hammond writes about artisan women in a village outside Oaxaca: “[…] the women we work with are committed to creating better lives for themselves and their children, despite the challenges of sometimes not having enough to eat or sufficient money to pay for their children’s needs. The BEST part...
Venezuela: False rumor of Gaddafi flying to Venezuela calls attention to relationship with Chávez
Greg at Two Weeks Notice reports that “Twitter has been loaded with rumors the past two days about Libya, and there was no juicier rumor than Moammar Gaddafi flying to Venezuela. It also turned out to be completely false, but,” he argues, “it underlined the very public and strong bond...
Argentina: Lionel Messi to sue politician for improper use of his image
The Latin Americanist reports that a photo of football player Lionel Messi “appeared in a campaign ad for Argentine legislator Alfredo Olmedo, a candidate running for governor of Salta. ‘Say yes to sport, say no to drugs’ is the slogan of the ad […] Messi’s lawyer, Ricardo Giusepponi, declared on...
Why is President Obama Traveling to El Salvador in March?
Mike in Central American Politics mentions several reasons why President Obama is traveling to El Salvador in March of this year, “in addition to security, trade, energy, poverty, etc.”
Peru: Wikileaks Cable Stirs Electoral Campaign
Juan Arellano in Globalizado [es] reports on reactions to a 2005 cable released by Wikileaks, which reveals that “Fernando Rospigliosi, former Minister of Interior in the administration of Alejandro Toledo, asked for the collaboration of the United States Embassy to carry out a campaign against Ollanta Humala.”
Costa Rican Movie “El Regreso” Reaches Funding Goal Through Crowdfunding
Cristian Cambronero from Fusil de Chispas [es] updates readers on the crowdfunding initiative for Costa Rican movie “The Return” on Kickstarter: the goal of $40,000 was reached in a little over 5 days, 41 days before the deadline on April 2.
Uruguayan Politicians on Twitter
Federico Lorenzo [es] provides a list of Uruguayan politicians on Twitter, grouped by their political party.
Venezuela: Brazilian Music in Venezuela's Web 2.0
The cultural relationship between Brazil and Venezuela is commonly seen in the way carnival is celebrated and in the high ratings Brazilian soap operas have enjoyed in Venezuela for many years. But today, through blogs, MySpace and YouTube, Venezuelan groups are sharing their arrangements and interpretations of Brazilian music.
Colombia: Report Reveals 2010 Refugee Statistics
“A new report shows that 280,000 Colombians were displaced in 2010, and one-third of these were in areas the government claimed were “consolidated.” Colombia has a total of 5.2 million displaced people, roughly 1 out of every 9 Colombians, and the most in the world,” writes Greg Weeks in Two...
Mexico: Video Game “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” Draws Mixed Reactions
A new video game, "Call of Juarez: The Cartel" by game developer Ubisoft, has drawn criticism from Mexican officials due to its allusions to the ongoing drug and gang violence in the country. But netizens are at odds about the game and the local politician's efforts to ban it.
Mexico: Activist's House Set on Fire in Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez, en la sombra del narcotráfico [es] (“Ciudad Juárez, in the shadow of drug trafficking”) reports that on February 16, Malú García Andrade's house was set on fire. Malú is an activist against femicides and human trafficking. Her mother, Norma Andrade, is a co-founder of the non-profit “May our...
Inflation in Argentina: “It’s not inflation, it’s just a sensation”
In a post about inflation in Argentina, Simon Kofoed from argen-times writes: “Argentines all over the country are suffering the consequences of rising daily costs and are well aware that in this country, ‘prices go up by the lift and come down by the stairs’; if of course they ever...
Bolivia: Interview with blogger Patricia Vargas (@arquitecta)
Hugo from Serbolivianoes [es] posted a video interview with blogger [es] Patricia Vargas (@arquitecta on Twitter), “one of the first bloggers and one of the most influential Twitter users in Bolivia.” In the interview she talks about the local and international blogosphere, as well as the Bolivian twittersphere.
