Silvia Viñas · June, 2011

Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from June, 2011

Bolivia: Using Cellphone Cameras to Document Incidents

  30 June 2011

On June 28 Oscar Trujillo was hit by the driver of police colonel Guido Espinoza in La Paz. After Trujillo complained, the colonel got out of his car and assaulted him, even taking out his weapon. The incident was recorded with cellphone cameras. Blogger Mario R. Duran [es] of Palabras...

Guatemala: Electoral Authorities Reject Sandra Torres Presidential Bid

  30 June 2011

Sandra Torres divorced her husband, President Alvaro Colom, to be eligible to run for president. But things didn't turn out as planned. Mike in Central American Politics reports: “On Wednesday, Guatemalan electoral authorities rejected Sandra Torres's presidential candidacy on the grounds of “supposed legal fraud.” The TSE's resolution said that...

Ecuador's Growing Problem with Organized Crime

  28 June 2011

Bloggings by Boz, explains that “Ecuador is experiencing more violent and organized crime because of an increase in drug trafficking”, and points out: “The most recent surveys I saw in Ecuador showed that crime is becoming a political liability for President Correa.”

Guatemala: What can you eat with one dollar?

  27 June 2011

In Central American Politics, Mike posts a video where Francisco Fion of the World Food Program explains that about half of the population of Guatemala lives in poverty with 7 quetzales a day –about 1 US dollar. How much food can you buy with 7 quetzales? Watch the video to...

Argentina: Buenos Aires ‘Cartoneros’

  27 June 2011

Simon Kofoed, In his blog argen-times, writes about ‘cartoneros': “The tens of thousands of cartoneros, perhaps best translated as cardboard people, make their living by extracting recyclable materials from the city’s rubbish.”

Uruguay: Backstage in TEDx Montevideo

  24 June 2011

Mauricio Milano from Montevideo Blogger [es] tweeted [es] and updated the official Facebook [es] feed for TEDx Montevideo [es], which was held on June 22. In his personal blog he writes about his experience ‘backstage’.

Paraguay: Photo Essay: The Ovecha Rague Festival

  24 June 2011

Yluux posts a photo essay [es] of the Ovecha Rague (‘sheep fur’ in guaraní) festival in San Miguel, Paraguay. The festival includes artistic performances, craft fairs, an exposition of products made out of sheep's wool and more.

Peru: Women in Iquitos Protest High Levels of Aluminum in Water

  23 June 2011

A recent report shows that the levels of aluminum in the water consumed by the people of Iquitos is above what is permitted. Global Voices writer and Spanish Translation Manager, Juan Arellano, explains [es] the situation and shares photos of a protest organized by different women's organizations.

El Salvador: Price of Corn Triples in a Little Over a Year

  23 June 2011

El Salvador From the Inside reports on the rising cost of corn, an important and basic staple for Salvadorans: “June 2011 newspapers report a quintal [100 lb bag of corn] costs up to $40 , due to last year’s bad harvest and growing season starting late this year. Maize had...

Nicaragua: A Social Debt with the Countryside

  23 June 2011

Ronald Hill says [es] that “Nicaragua carries a social debt with the countryside, with thousands of peasants who live precariously.” He summarizes the hardships Nicaraguans in the countryside face every day and wonders why conditions there do not improve, even when the country's economy grows every year.

Panama: Politics, Football and Conspiracy Theories

  22 June 2011

Panamanian Global Voices author Ariel Moreno [es] blogs [es] about the government's and the national football team's tendency to come up with conspiracy theories and complain that the political opposition or the CONCACAF –respectively– are out to get them. He concludes: “We need to stop blaming others for our misfortunes,...

Guatemala: Families in Quiché Benefit from ‘Maya Food Security Programme’

  22 June 2011

Mike, in Central American Politics, writes about the Maya Food Security Programme, “an initiative designed to combat chronic malnutrition through the distribution of monthly food rations and the sponsorship of workshops, fairs and street theater on nutritional education.” He says that “over ten thousand Guatemalan families in [the] Quiché [department] benefit from this program.”

Argentina: Cristina Fernández Announces Re-Election Bid

  22 June 2011

On Tuesday, June 21, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced she will run for reelection. The Argentine Post looks at the challenges she will have to deal with if reelected, while Eliot Brockner, in Latin American Thought, says her prospects for winning “are looking good”.