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, 2011
Venezuela: Discovering New Attractions in El Hatillo
Mirelis Morales Tovar in her blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] writes about the new attractions she discovered at El Hatillo, a “town” in Caracas.
Honduran Police Suspected of Killing Two University Students
Two university students were killed on October 22; La Gringa's Blogcito reports that four police suspected of killing the students were taken into custody but later “escaped”. “Even in this high profile case, it appears that police still attempted cover up and still felt free to intimidate reporters. What should...
Colombia: Law 30 and “Operation Seventh Ballot” on Regional Election Day
Through the Facebook group “Operation Seventh Ballot” [es], citizens are inviting voters to deposit a paper in the ballot box with the words “NO TO THE REFORM OF LAW 30″ in reference to the education reform launched by the national government. This initiative, which will be carried out during the...
Peru: Ica Hit by 6.7-Magnitude Earthquake
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit the coastal city of Ica, Peru on October 28, 2011. Juan Arellano gathers information and citizen reactions through Storify [es].
Colombia: Photos of Student Protests at Plaza de Bolívar, Bogotá
Mike shares photos of student protests at Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá. “Lots of people protest for lots of causes in central Bogotá, but few of them seem to have as much fun and do it as artistically as do the university students”, he writes.
Nicaragua: Blogger Argues Digital Journalism in the Country is on the Right Track
Carlos R. Fonseca says [es] he was surprised when participants in a discussion panel at the Universidad Centroamericana affirmed that digital journalism in Nicaragua is “stagnant”. Carlos argues that digital journalism in the country is actually progressing. However, he also admits there is room for improvement and lists specific issues...
Guatemala: Photo Essay Tells Story of Staunch Anti-Mining Activist
Photojournalist James Rodríguez has published a photo essay on the conflict around the Canadian-owned Marlin gold mine. He highlights the bravery and persistence of anti-mining activist Diodora Hernandez, who “was shot point-blank on the right eye outside her home in the small community of San José Nueva Esperanza – only...
Venezuela's “Twitter Addiction”
With so many thing happening in Venezuela and abroad, Liliana Fasciani wonders [es] if filling up pages with writing is worth it, especially now that Twitter has become so popular in Venezuela. Luis Carlos Díaz blogged about this issue in July [es] and August [es] of 2010, and again earlier...
Nicaragua: Journalist Launches ‘The Nicaragua Dispatch’
Tim Rogers writes a guest post for the Knight Center's Journalism in the Americas Blog on his recently launched site The Nicaragua Dispatch: “The idea is not only to inform readers about what’s happening here behind the headlines, but also provide people with a virtual meeting place to gather, share...
Mexico: Nonprofit Supports Low-Income Women Entrepreneurs
Food blogger Lesley Téllez highlights the work of CREA, “a Mexico City nonprofit that supports women entrepreneurs in low-income communities”. Lesley shares photos of food she made using some of these women's food products.
Honduras: Blogger's Facebook Account is Shut Down
‘La Gringa’, from La Gringa's Blogcito, says her Facebook account was disabled because someone filed a complaint about her username (‘La Gringa’, her internet pseudonym) after she published a series of posts on crime in Honduras. She explains why she uses a pseudonym and points out that an online petition...
El Salvador: A Look at Relief Efforts as Water Recedes
The rain has stopped and water is starting to recede in El Salvador; Tim's El Salvador Blog now looks at relief efforts after torrential rains hit El Salvador and other parts of Central America.
Chile: Students Storm Former Congress Building
Robert L. Funk reports on the storming of the former Congress building in Santiago by students during “a Committee meeting to which the Education Minister had been invited”. Protesters refused to leave, and the President of the Senate, Guido Girardi, “declared that as the parliament is a public institution and...
Argentina: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Re-Elected President
Presidential elections held in Argentina on October 23 resulted in a sweeping victory for current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, according to preliminary results. This post looks at how Argentinians reacted on Twitter.
Bolivia: President Says Road Will Not Go Through TIPNIS
Dario Kenner reports form La Paz: “In a press conference this morning President Evo Morales said the road project his government has been determined to build will not go through the TIPNIS national park and indigenous territory. This is a dramatic change in policy. It comes after a two month...
Colombia: Indigenous Peoples Speak Out Against Hotel Project in Sacred Territory
“The Elder ‘Mamos’ or Spiritual leaders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, have expressed profound concern over plans to build a new seven-star hotel on their ancestral territory within the Tayrona National Park in northern Colombia” –Ahni reports in Intercontinental Cry.
Central America: Bloggers Attempt to Raise Awareness as Heavy Rains Continue
Mike from Central American Politics links to English language blogs covering the damage caused by the heavy rains that have been falling on Central America for over one week.
Chile: Photos of October 19 Student Protest
Chilean students marched for education reform on October 18 and 19. Kena Lorenzini posts numerous pictures of the second day on her personal blog.
Nicaragua: Night life in Nueva Guinea
Ronald Hill blogs about Nicaragua's Caribbean coast in Sueños del Caribe (“Dreams from the Caribbean”). In his latest post [es] he describes night life in Nueva Guinea.
Ecuador: International Free Culture Congress Held in Quito
Juan Arellano has published two Storify posts with tweets covering the first [es] and second [es] days of the International Free Culture Congress [es] held in Quito, Ecuador on October 17 and 18, 2011.
El Salvador's School Food Program
Colleen O'Brien, from the blog Locavore del Mundo, writes about El Salvador's school food program: “The Ministry of Education has recently announced that this new school feeding program to be a success (mission accomplished?), but apparently many schools are not receiving nearly enough food.”
