Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from January, 2011
Chile: Not Alone in Protesting Gas Price Hikes
Bloggings by Boz writes that the protests in southern Chile over gas prices are not unique to Chile.
Argentina's Agricultural Sector on Strike: Economic or Political Impact?
In its ninth strike since 2008, the agricultural sector in Argentina is trying to generate a “political impact” rather than an “economic impact.” But Eliot Brockner from Latin American Thought argues that “The “political impact” is nothing compared to the billion-dollar economic impact the strikes have had over the past...
Guatemala: President Colom calls Rigoberta Menchu a “Fabrication” in Latest Wikileaks Cable
Mike reports that a new Wikileaks cable on Guatemala reveals that “[President] Colom called [Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta] Menchu a “fabrication” of Elizabeth Burgos, the French anthropologist and author of “I, Rigoberta Menchu.” (Colom has already responded that he respects Menchu even though he often disagrees with her and that...
Costa Rica: A Sample of Costa Rican Music
Michael from El blog de Mike [es] titles his post “National music, Who says that there is no talent here?” and then shares with his readers a wide sample of YouTube videos showing what he considers the best of Costa Rican music.
Mexico: Women's Rights Activist Killed
Erwin C. in The Latinamericanist reports on the murder of women's rights activist Susana Chávez: “For many years Chavez campaigned against the unsolved murders of hundreds of women in northern Mexico. She helped create the slogan ‘Ni Una Mas’ (‘Not One More Death’), which served as a battle cry for...
Venezuela: Rain Victims Protest Refuge Conditions
Juan Cristobal in Caracas Chronicles reports that, “This morning, dozens of families who lost their homes last December took to the streets to protest. According to press reports, the group was complaining they have been living in a flooded, rat-infested basement for weeks.”
Mexico: Indigenous Town Burned by Arsonists
Alejandro Ortiz Sotomayor in Vivir México reports [es] that an indigenous town in the state of Durango was burned by about 60 men who were seeking retaliation after people from the town killed one of their men in defense days before; more than 37 houses and 27 vehicles were burned.
El Salvador: A Decade Since the January 13 Earthquake
Hunnapuh [es] asks if El Salvador has learned “the lesson” 10 years after the January 13 earthquake. Blogger “Jjmar” answers the question reporting that construction companies still build homes in vulnerable places, and that people still purchase and live in these high-risk homes.
El Salvador: 10 Years with the US Dollar
Remembering 10 years since El Salvador began using the US Dollar as its currency, Tim from Tim's El Salvador Blog explains: “It would be fair to say that the move to the dollar has never been popular among the ordinary people of El Salvador.”
Chile: General Strike in Magallanes Region Over Planned Oil Price Hike
A general strike is taking place in the southernmost region of Chile –Magallanes– due to the Government's proposal to cut gas subsidies and as a result increase prices by 16.8% in the region. In El Kiosko Bloggero [es], Daniel Arellano explains what it is like to live in that region...
Latin America: Women's Political Participation in the Region
Figures on the share of seats held by women in national assemblies around the world show that Latin America, “ranks second only to Nordic Europe in terms of the percentage of women elected to parliamentary-level,” as Mike explains in Central American Politics. He also looks specifically at women's participation in...
Chile: 10 Albums to Watch for in 2011
Music blogger Roberto Carreño [es] recommends 10 albums by Chilean artists to watch for in 2011.
Honduras: Kidnapped Leader of Peasant Movement Escapes
Honduras Culture and Politics reports: “The good news came through late yesterday: Juan Chinchilla, kidnapped leader of the peasant movement under attack in the Bajo Aguan, was free.” Chinchilla is also a leader of the National Popular Resistance Front.
El Salvador: Top Stories of 2010
Tim's El Salvador Blog shares a roundup of what Tim considers the top stories of 2010 from El Salvador.
Argentina: Writer and Musician María Elena Walsh Dies
Argentinian writer and musician María Elena Walsh died at age 80 on January 10, 2011. Argentinians remember her children's books and songs; in the blog Botica Cultural [es] Guadalupe Sánchez posted pictures of two cassettes by María Elena Walsh she listened to as a child.
Latin America: Introducing “Multilatinas”
Ben from The Latin Americanist explains: “Multi-latinas are companies that operate across Latin America, primarily with Latin American capital, and that take advantage of their local expertise to find niches and beat international competitors.” He argues that Multilatinas are “one of the most positive developments” among the different agreements Latin...
Veterans in El Salvador and Guatemala
Mike writes about veterans: “When we talk about the civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, we tend to measure the human costs into terms of the dead and the disappeared. We forget that there are thousands of people, if not millions, who carry the wounds of war with them...
Nicaragua: Feeling Inflation
Bloggings by Boz writes about “feeling” inflation: “And if I'm feeling it, then the average Nicaraguan family living on only a couple of dollars per day is definitely feeling it. Most wages are not going up to match inflation. Inflation along with unemployment are the top concerns I hear as...
Chile: Bloggers Discuss Therapeutic Abortion
Chilean bloggers are discussing a proposal to decriminalize therapeutic abortions, a procedure banned in 1989 that would allow the termination of a pregnancy if the mother is carrying a nonviable fetus or her life is at risk.
Mexico: Red Cross Unable to Treat All Victims of Shootings in Ciudad Juárez
The Red Cross in Ciudad Juárez has asked that victims of shootings be taken to hospitals and not to their facilities because they do not have the capacity to treat so many victims of organized crime, as Pepe Flores reports for Vivir México.
El Salvador: Political Violence in Cabañas
Voices from El Salvador's Weblog reports: “Another wave of political violence swept through Cabañas, El Salvador over the Christmas Holiday […] The tension between the local civil society organizations that led the anti-mining movement and local power structures continues to grow and result in threats and violence.”
