Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from December, 2011
Chile: Netizens Report and React to Torres del Paine Wildfire
For days, a wildfire has been consuming thousands of hectares in national park Torres del Paine in Chile's Patagonia. Netizens are sharing reports and reacting to the news through #salvemostorresdelpaine [es] (let's save Torres del Paine) and ‘Torres del Paine’ [es] on Twitter.
Argentina: New Anti-Terrorism Law Raises Concerns
A new anti-terrorism law is causing concern in Argentina. Lillie Langtry explains in her blog Memory in Latin America that, “the new package of measures is intended to combat financial crimes, but opponents are worried that its vague terms could be employed against legitimate protesters.”
Argentina Tech Blogger Looks into ‘Death’ of Blogs
Technology blogger Mariano Amartino [es] reacts to the post “The Golden Age of Tech Blogging is Over” by Jeremiah Owyang. He points out the irony that posts about “the death of blogs” are written in blogs, and asks: who defines what is or isn't ‘a blog'?
Latin America: Youth Unemployment
Bloggings by boz looks at youth unemployment in Latin America, concluding that “with growth projections decreased for 2011 and 2012, the current situation for youth unemployment is almost certainly getting worse. That could have major economic, political and social implications moving into 2012.”
Colombia: Christmas for Children at ‘The House of the Hummingbird’
Mike, in his blog about Bogotá, posts pictures of Christmas at La Casa del Colobrí (“The House of the Hummingbird”), which “supports many poor families who live in central Bogotá – in particular families who were displaced when the old Cartucho neighborhood was bulldozed to create the Tercer Milenio Park.”
Peru: Blogger Discusses Discrimination in Interview with Indigenous Peruvians
Blogger Carlos Quiroz from Peruanista interviewed three indigenous Peruvians living in Lima, including Julián Apaza, whose brother, Ricardo Apaza, recently suffered from discrimination at a Lima movie theater. In the video interview [es] they discuss racism, Andean indigenous cultures, what it is like to be of native descent, and whether...
Colombia: Vigil for the Release of Hostages
On December 23, Las Voces del Secuestro [es] (“Voices of Kidnappings”) called for a ‘great vigil for the release of hostages’ [es], which “has as its main point of concentration the Plaza de Bolivar in Bogota, which for 17 years has received people accompanying relatives of hostages.” Vigils were also...
Bolivia: Citizen Journalism Contest Winners Announced
Ahora Bolivia and the Center for Participation and Sustainable Human Development (CEPAD) organized a citizen journalism contest which lasted from October 20 to December 1. You can read the three winning pieces in Ahora Bolivia [es].
Peru: Mass Graves Reported by Locals in Ayahuanco
In the blog Memory in Latin America, Lillie Langtry writes about the recent finding of “14 graves containing about 100 bodies, assumed to be victims of the Peruvian conflict of the 1980s,” in the district of Ayahuanco. She explains that “local people are generally well aware of the location of...
Chile's New Safe Driving Campaign
Eileen Smith, in her blog Bearshapedshpere, praises a new safe driving campaign in Chile, which she says “feels like a Chile-specific message, something home-grown and applicable here, not borrowed from some bigger and better-funded country.”
Chile: Twitter User Organizes Christmas Giving Event in Iquique
Cristian Nuñez (@HombredeRadio), using the hashtag #Navidad140Iqq [es], invites Twitter users from Iquique (in northern Chile) to gather at 1:30 am on December 25 to hand out Christmas presents to the homeless and to children living in vulnerable situations. He shares more details in online citizen newspaper El Boyaldía [es].
El Salvador: National Assembly Passes Progressive Tax Reform
Tim's El Salvador Blog explains a progressive tax reform passed by El Salvador's National Assembly: “Prior to these reforms, El Salvador had a particularly regressive tax system.”
Mexico, USA: Border Cities Juárez and El Paso Growing Apart
The blog Just the Facts reports on what three WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America) staff members saw in the El Paso-Juárez border zone: “We found two cities that, while separated only by a narrow river, are rapidly growing further apart.”
El Salvador: Environmental Groups Meet to Discuss UN Climate Change Conference
Voices from El Salvador blogs about climate change in El Salvador and a local forum organized by environmental groups to discuss the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was held in Durban, South Africa from November 28 to December 11, 2011.
Colombia's Capital: Dream or Nightmare?
Rodrigo Sandoval reacts to a column in El Espectador [es] where Carolina Sanin says she hates the city where she was born: Bogotá. In his blog [es], Rodrigo refutes Carolina's arguments and explains why, in his opinion, Bogotá is “a dream city”.
Honduras: Journalists and Police Clash During Protest
As we reported earlier, Honduran journalists protested against violence in front of the presidential palace this week. Bloggings by boz adds that “protesters ended up clashing with police and military forces guarding the palace and were eventually dispersed with tear gas. President Lobo defended the actions of the security forces,...
Uruguayan Cinema
Alvaro Fagalde blogs [es] about Uruguayan cinema. He says “Whisky” is without a doubt the best Uruguayan film, but criticizes that some believe all films have to follow that style. He argues that Uruguayan films don't need a lot of money, advertising, or a foreign cast; Uruguayan cinema, in his...
Argentina's Corruption Problem
Simon Kofoed writes about corruption in Argentina in his blog argen-times: “The culture of corruption in Argentina […] is so strong that everyone knows it’s happening but most will just shrug their shoulders in typical Argentina fashion and say ‘what are you gonna do?’ It’s understood that it’s either get...
Honduran Journalist Protest Against Violence
Honduras Daily reports on a protest held by journalists in Tegucigalpa on December 13: “The media personnel demanded a cease to the violence, and respect for the freedom of expression. ‘Justice! Justice! Justice!’ journalists shouted as they marched toward the President’s home.”
Peru: Bloggers Report Police Harassment During Discussion Group about Conga Mining Project
Members of the group “Casa Cultural Poco Floro” blogged denouncing [es] an alleged case of police harassment during a discussion group about the Conga mining project, one of the most heated social conflicts at the moment. The representative of Poco Floro talks about the incident in an interview (audio) [es]....
Peru: Protests Against Mining in Videos, Part II
Recent protests against the environmental damage caused by mining in Peru have sparked plenty of audiovisual material. In this second post of a two-part series, Juan Arellano highlights what citizens, journalists and organizations in the area have been uploading to the Internet.
