Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from August, 2010
Mexico: Elementary Public Schools Connected to the Internet
Eduardo Zeind reports [es] that Secretary of Education, Mario Delgado Carrillo, announced that Mexico City is the first capital city in Latin America to connect all of its elementary school children to the Internet. Eduardo writes: “More than 6000 computers will be installed to cover 100% of elementary public schools...
Bolivia: Waste Management in El Alto
Mario R. Duran considers [es] waste management options for El Alto, Bolivia, and analyzes the possibility and consequences of installing a plant that would turn waste into diesel fuel.
Argentina: Remembering Borges on His Birthday
Juan Carlos Lynch reminds [es] his readers that today, August 24, is Jorge Luis Borges’ birthday. To honor the writer's memory, Juan Carlos shares a short story about Borges written by his friend and award-winning writer Adriana Romano [es]. Borges died in 1986.
Costa Rica: Assessing 100 Days of Laura Chinchilla's Government
Marcelo shares [es] his concise and straightforward opinion on the first 100 days of Laura Chinchilla's presidency.
Colombia: President Santos and Human Rights
Valentina Díaz Gómez writes [es] about President Juan Manuel Santos and human rights in Colombia on her blog Realidades Colombianas. She hopes the media will report on human rights violations rather than cover them up, and that Santos and organizations like Human Rights Watch will find a way to work...
Colombia: Technology as Synonym for Jobs and Development
Carlos Correa writes [es] in his technology blog, Blog de Kloscorrea, about technology as a synonym for development and job creation in Colombia. He says the government needs to make regulations and policies that benefit the technology sector, and that Colombians need to stop feeling “small” next to other countries...
Peru: SUVs Taking Over Sidewalks
Cyrano writes [es] about his friend Edgardo, who uses a wheelchair, and his encounter with an SUV which was taking over most of the sidewalk. The SUV made it impossible for Edgardo to go through with his wheelchair, even with the help of his friends. They couldn't find a policeman...
Bolivia: State of Emergency Due to Wildfires
Bolivia is in a state of fire emergency, with 25,000 blazes affecting 1.5 million hectares. Pablo Andrés Rivero writes [es] about the lack of resources to put out the fires; he also expresses his unbelief at declarations from the Minister of Rural Development, Nemesia Achacollo, who said that only rain...
Guatemala: Almost 1,000 Children Live in Temporal Government Housing
In his blog Carpe Diem, Luis Figueroa wonders [es] what will happen to the almost 1,000 children who live in temporal government housing while they wait to be adopted into a home or return to their own.
El Salvador: Climate Change and Migration
Tim's El Salvador Blog recommends an essay by his friend Beth, “who works with a local community on reconstruction projects necessitated by weather disasters” in El Salvador. The essay is called, “In Search of Shelter and Protection: Environmental Migration and Climate Change.”
Colombia: Siblings Create Dining Hall for Hungry Children
María Eugenia, from the blog La Mariposa, writes [es] about María Cenelia and Carlos Hernán, a sister and brother who created a dining hall for children in Cali, Colombia. The hall became foundation Funcreamor, serving children that would otherwise go hungry. The foundation has a Facebook [es] profile where they...
Honduras: Police Brutality Toward Resistance Group
Juan Carlos Rivera in Mirada de Halcón provides a personal account [es] (including photographs) of what he calls a police “attack” on a bridge blockade by the Resistance Front (Frente de Resistencia). Juan Carlos says he had to run away to avoid tear gas from police and bullets from civilians;...
Nicaragua: Blog Informs About LGBT Community
Grupo de Diversidad Sexual de Carazo (Sexual Diversity Group from Carazo) keeps a blog [es] called Espacio Comunicación Alternativa (Space for Alternative Communication), where they aim to, “Create alternative and accessible processes to inform, communicate and teach LGBT youth, to achieve empowerment, recognition and respect for different sexual orientations and...
Venezuela: Violent Images Censored for a Month
The Devil's Excrement shares images of Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional with the word “Censurado” (Censored) over the space where images would normally appear. In a previous post, the blogger explains, “a Judge issues the following prohibition [es] ‘For the next four weeks, no newspaper, magazine or weekly of the country...
El Salvador: Cheerleaders Banned from Independece Celebrations
In the blog Gatos Frentudos [es] Chambita Hernandez writes about a recent decision to ban cheerleaders from independence celebrations, starting with the bicentennial. Since 1960, cheerleaders have been part of annual independence parades.
Mexico: Parents to be Reminded About Vaccinations through SMS
Health officials will send parents text messages reminding them about the date, time and place where their children can be vaccinated. Ximena Vega explains [es] that health officials aim to reduce infant mortality rate through this initiative. She adds that the geographical scope of the SMS campaign and its official...
Mexico: Adoption Rights for Same-Sex Couples
Pepe Flores writes [es] about the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a law which allows same-sex couples to adopt children. He calls the ruling, “A great triumph for the LGBT community in our country, and in general, for all civil society.”
Bolivia: Encouraging Street Children to Skateboard
The blog [es] for the Art and Culture Association of San Isidro in Bolivia shares pictures of an initiative to encourage children from the street to engage in urban sports, skateboarding specifically. The event also included a breakdancing workshop.
Chile: Isabel Allende and the National Prize for Literature
Isabel Allende is one of the best-known and most-read Latin American writers. This year she is a candidate for the Chilean National Prize for Literature. Her candidacy has sparked debate among literature critics, writers, and average Chilean citizens.
