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 March, 2011
Communities in Limbo on Honduran-Salvadoran Border
Voices from El Salvador's Weblog writes about the communities affected by an ongoing dispute on the Honduran-Salvadoran border, and argues that the governments from both countries “must take immediate action to ensure that those residents in limbo are granted citizenship so that they may have the rights that everyone else...
Honduras: Security Forces in Denial Over Human Rights Violations
RNS in Honduras Culture and Politics reports that “security forces in Honduras continue to be in denial about their trampling on the human rights of Hondurans.” RNS concludes: “Until there is a recognition on the part of the police and military that they are violating the human rights of the...
Mexico: Drug Trafficking in Mexican Media vs. US Media
Gancho argues that “The contrast between the pessimism and obsessiveness of media coverage of drug trafficking in Mexico with the relative ignorance of the same in the US is striking. Especially with regard to American media–the Mexican outlets often seem to do a better job scanning the news wires for...
Colombia: The Lady of Colombian Television Dies
The blog Portal Vallenato reviews the death [es] of Gloria Valencia de Castaño [es] (1927 – 2011) from respiratory failure on March 24. Valencia pioneered radio and television projects in Colombia. She was known as “the lady of Colombian television” and as a major figure (as host, image and voice...
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Receives Press Freedom Award in Argentina
In response to the recent press freedom award given to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in Argentina, Greg Weeks at Two Weeks Notice writes: “I would like to propose that governments impose a moratorium on granting awards to people from other countries, particularly when those people show evidence of doing the...
Peru: Analysis of Latest Election Poll Results
Silvio Rendon from Gran Combo Club [es] analyzes the latest election poll results. The latest poll from March 27 shows candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead with Alejandro Toledo and Keiko Fujimori close behind him: “Humala's growth, the collapse of Toledo and Fujimori's stagnation follow a trend seen previously,” Silvio...
Guatemala: Should Inmates be Allowed to Vote?
Blogger Luis Figueroa [es] wonders if inmates should be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections. Guatemala's Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal) is considering installing polling stations in prisons to allow inmates to vote.
Honduras: Teacher Protests Continue
Hemispheric Brief reports: “Teacher protests continued in Honduras Monday, despite a threat from President Pepe Lobo that his government would begin suspending, without pay, those who did not return to their classrooms this week. […] The protests, triggered by six months of unpaid wages to Honduran teachers, are now entering...
Peru: 2 Weeks Before the General Election
Carlos A. Quiroz in Peruanista writes a thorough post on the political climate in Peru two weeks before the general elections. He includes a short review of the use of social media during the campaign.
El Salvador: Online and Street Protests During Obama's Visit
Tim in Tim's El Salvador Blog reports that, “not everyone was happy to see Barack Obama on Salvadoran soil. Protesters in the streets of San Salvador and in cyberspace raised their voices against a variety of aspects of US policy impacting this tiny country in Central America.”
Mexico: Femicide Law Passed in State of Mexico
Erwin in The Latinamericanist reports that “legislators in Mexico State unanimously passed a law last week that legally recognizes femicides [es] as an independent crime category.” However, Erwin adds that “deputy Mónica Fragoso Maldonado told El Universal that the measure does little [es] to solve the problem of violence against...
El Salvador: 31 Years Since the Death of Archbishop Oscar Romero
“On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot and killed while saying Mass at the chapel of the Divina Providencia. Romero had spent the last two-plus years of his life as Archbishop working tirelessly to prevent the country from falling into open civil war,” Mike explains at Central American...
Guatemala: Presidential Couple to Divorce to Allow First Lady's Presidential Bid
As previously reported, Guatemalan First Lady Sandra Torres announced her candidacy for president; a bid that violated the constitution which forbids that the president's relatives become president. As a result, the presidential couple will get a divorce, and Mike from Central American Politics argues that their decision “is another example...
Peru: The Presidential Campaign in Videos
Juan Arellano gathers several videos from this year's presidential campaign in his blog Globalizado [es].
Bolivia: Bike Path Project in El Alto is Rejected
Blogger Mario R. Duran in Palabras Libres [es] regrets a decision by the Municipal Council of El Alto, La Paz to reject funding from the World Bank to build a bike path (“ciclovía” in Spanish) in that area of the city.
Colombia: A Medellín Rapper on Colombian Hip Hop
Albeiro Rodas writes about hip hop in Colombia: “In the last decade, Colombian hip hop is developing among young people of the poor barrios as a way of expression. I met Mcleoud, a Medellín rapper who talked to me about this music culture in the country.”
Latin America: Website Tracks Progress in Electronic Voting
Juan Arellano in Globalizado [es] writes about the Observatorio del Voto-E en Latinoamérica (Observatory of E-Voting in Latin America) which seeks to track the progress of electronic voting in Latin American countries.
Honduras: Teacher Dies During Strike
Honduras Culture and Politics blogs about “the death of a striking teacher, Ilse Ivania Velásquez, who Vos el Soberano reports was hit in the head by a tear gas canister, then run over by a vehicle described as a ‘tanqueta’.”
Paraguay: Netizens Discuss Indigenous Issues on Facebook
Netizens share information and discuss indigenous issues in a Facebook group called “Por una vida digna para los indígenas del Paraguay” [es] (For a dignified life for the indigenous people of Paraguay), as journalist Sofía Masi reports in Despierta…Paraguay [es]
El Salvador: Investing in Agriculture
Locavore del Mundo reports that El Salvador is investing “on developing productive and profitable agriculture in the northern parts of the country” through funding from the Milllennium Challenge Corporation.
Peru: Civic-Mindedness During Election Year
Global Voices author and translator Gabriela García Calderón blogs [es] about civic-mindedness during this year's presidential elections in Peru. She argues that voting and working at polling stations shouldn't be considered a burden, but rather a way to fulfill a civic duty and play an active role in improving the...
