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 December, 2010
Guatemala: International Commission Against Impunity Extended to 2013
In Central American Politics, Mike writes that “the United Nations General Assembly agreed to extend the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala's (CICIG) mandate another two years until September 2013. […] Colom requested the extension because he did not believe that the justice and security sectors would be able capable...
Colombia: Gramalote Town Evacuated After Heavy Rains, Sentenced to Disappear
Albeiro Rodas reports that “a Colombian village, Gramalote in North Santander, is being swallowed by the earth. Another chapter of the tragic 2010 winter in Colombia. […] Most of the houses of the town are damaged and others are already buried, said the minister [of interior Germán Vargas Lleras], so...
Bolivia: Drought Kills Llamas
This year, as in recent years, llamas are dying as a result of the drought affecting the Altiplano region of Bolivia. The blogger AngelCaido shares [es] news articles, photos and a video of the affected area.
Venezuela: What is the best Venezuelan movie of 2010?
In BlogaCine [es], Carlos Caridad-Montero asks his readers to vote for the best Venezuelan movie of 2010, providing a trailer for each movie.
Uruguay: Images of December in Montevideo
Julio F has updated his blog Images of Montevideo and Uruguay with photos of December in Montevideo: the Matriz cathedral, the Harbor Market (in Spanish, “Mercado del Puerto”) and the Bella Vista dock.
Venezuela: Farmers in Santa Barbara del Zulia Rebel Against Expropriations
The Devil's Excrement reports that farmers from Santa Barbara del Zulia have rebelled against the expropriation of 47 farms: “[T]he farmers and cattlemen and their workers have decided this time to fight and began blocking the road, demanding the presence of the authorities, blocking the National Guard from going through...
Chile: Women in Chilean Politics
In El Quinto Poder, Danae Mlynarz writes [es] about the role of women in Chilean politics, saying that “political parties do not promote the incorporation of women in their boards, and they do not meet the quotas they have established for internal elections or elected positions.”
Guatemala: Buñuelos, Comfort Food for December
AntiguaDailyPhoto explains: “Guatemalan buñuelos are kind like round French toast and they are served with a lot hot syrup made from water, sugar, anís (anise), cinnamon sticks, all-spice just to name the main ingredients. Buñuelos are one of the most popular Guatemalan comfort foods for December.”
Mexico: Drug Gang Mobilizes Unlikely Supporters
“Following two days of intense unrest last week, which included the torching of dozens of vehicles and gunfire in city streets, the drug gang known as La Familia Michoacana (LFM) mobilized masses of people to take to the streets […] in which innocent-looking women and children carried placards voicing support...
Blogger.com Removes Two Blogs by Same Author for More than 12 Hours
Blogger Carlos Quiroz writes, “On Monday, December 13, 2010 around by at 11:00 AM. my blog Carlos in DC was deleted by Blogger.com after I tried posting a video of the WikiLeaks anonymous activists. Blogger also deleted my blog Peruanista without any explanation. Both blogs were removed for more than 12 hour.”
Mexico: Mapping the Heroes of Ciudad Juárez
Vivir México [es] reports that the initiative Cronicas de Heroes [es] (Hero Chronicles) –inspired by Hero Reports New York– aims to document and report the good deeds of the people of Ciudad Juárez. Starting December 17, users will be able to map good deeds they witness in the city.
Uruguay: Winners of Blog Competition “Your Ideas Matter” Announced
The winners of the schoolchildren blog competition, “Your Ideas Matter,” were recently announced [es]: three girls from the School Agraria de Raigón won first place in the innovative projects category; the school 93 of Maldonado [es] won first place in the school blog category; and students from Liceo 66 de...
Mexico: The Pilgrimage to Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
“Political parties, narcos, economic policies are transitory events, blips in time that aren’t meaningful in the long run. What matters is what endures, and in Mexico, what endures is the pilgrimage to Guadalupe,” concludes Rich from The Mex Files in a post about the pilgrimage to the shrine of Our...
Peru: Red April, a Novel by Santiago Roncagliolo
In a short book review, Greg Weeks writes: “Santiago Roncagliolo's Red April: A Novel is a creepy yet engrossing mystery set in Peru in March-April 2000. It focuses on the fight against Sendero Luminoso in Ayacucho. […] From the perspective of plot, the book keeps you guessing until the end.”
Chile: WikiLeaks Cable on Media Coverage of Mapuche Indigenous Group
Luis Ramirez [es] blogs about a US Embassy cable released by WikiLeaks, where the media coverage of the indigenous Mapuche is criticized as being exaggerated in showing more violence than is really taking place, adding that positive news about the indigenous communities are not usually reported.
Paraguay: Indigenous Youth Participate in Political and Social Leadership Seminar
The blog despierta…Paraguay!!! [es] reports on a recent seminar where more than 120 indigenous youth (15-30 years old) from 60 communities gathered to debate, learn and share experiences about “their current and historical context, interculturality and participation, human development and the strengthening of political and social leadership.”
Bolivia Opposes UN Climate Summit Declaration
Ben from The Latin Americanist reports: “Bolivia stood alone today at the UN Climate Summit in Cancun as the only country that opposed the summit's declaration. Why? Bolivia felt the declaration didn't go far enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions or to support the renewal of the Kyoto Protocol before...
Venezuela: New Bill Cracks Down on the Internet
In Caracas Chronicles, Francisco Toro blogs about “a draconian set of amendments to the Orwellianly named Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television to extend its reach into the online world and dramatically expand the categories of banned speech.”
Honduras: Increased Militarization
RNS from Honduras Culture and Politics says that, “Daily life in Honduras is increasingly much like it was under the military dictatorship of the early 1980s. In the name of security, the country is gradually being militarized.”
Colombia: Nukak Maku Indigenous Peoples Forced to Leave Their Territory
In Colombia Passport, Albeiro Rodas writes: “An indigenous leader of the Nukak Maku peoples, a group of nomads in the State of Guaviare, Amazon region, denounced in a session in San José with the Senate commission for human rights and international observers, that members of the Farc guerrilla forced them...
Chile: Blog Against Reduction of History Class Hours
The blog Historia y Reforma [es] (History and Reform) collects “the different positions that have been manifested against the reduction of hours for History that are scattered in various media and social networks. At the same time, readers will be able to learn about the different actions that are being...
