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 May, 2011
Mexico: Teachers March on National Teachers Day
Aguachile reports: “During the National Teachers Day in Mexico this Sunday, more than 10,000 teachers, most of them from the dissident teacher union Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE), not to be confused with the SNTE, marched in Mexico City demanding that [Elba Esther] Gordillo resign.”
Chileans Bang Pots and Pans in Protest Against Hidroaysen Dam
Una Mirada de la Realidad [es] shares three citizen videos of “cacerolazos” –protests where participants bang pots and pans– on May 15 in Valdivia, Santiago and Valparaiso against the Hidroaysen dam project approved last week.
Peru: Second Electoral Round in Review
Jacqueline Fowks reviews [es] Peru's presidential elections one month after the first round of voting. Candidates Ollanta Humala (Gana Perú) and Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza 2011) seek to gain voter's support in the second electoral round which will last for another 3 weeks until June 5.
In Remembrance of Paulina Aguilera, Global Voices Author
We're deeply saddened by the untimely death of Paulina Aguilera Muñoz, a Global Voices author, journalist, blogger, and mother of two. From around the world, we send our condolences and respect for a passionate defender of human rights.
Paraguay Celebrates its Bicentennial
On May 14 and 15, Paraguayans will celebrate 200 years since their independence from Spain. Blogger Andrés Colmán Gutiérrez criticizes [es] that festivities are centered in the capital, excluding the “‘other country’ (the country that produces and feeds the capital)”
Colmbia: Video Shows Anti-Riot Police Agression Towards University of Antioquia Student
Carlavanessa1302 uploaded a video to YouTube which shows a clash between students from the University of Antioquia in Medellín and the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squardron (ESMAD, police riot control unit). The riots ocurred on Thursday, April 12 after students protested against the reforms the government seeks to make to Law 30...
Honduras: Pushing for Change
Jose Falck Zepeda asks: “Why are we asking, rather than pushing for change?” in a post where he argues that the root of Honduras’ problems come from “waiting and longing for the Messiah…the leader who would take us to heaven, or who would bring heaven to earth.”
Bolivia: Recycling Water for Irrigation
Roberto Laserna describes [es] how he recycles water that he later uses for irrigation. He lists some of his errors in constructing the recycling system and suggests ways to avoid common mistakes.
Chile: Police Clash With Protesters in Demonstration Against Hydroelectric Dam
Blogger Eileen Smith, an “ExBrooklynite” living in Santiago, participated in the protests against the hydroelectric dam HidroAysén that was approved on Monday, May 9. She reports: “The police were not just dispersing the crowds from Plaza Italia, they were actively pursuing all groups of more than about 25 people, chasing...
Latin America: Policy Journal Highlights Latin American Innovators
Americas Quarterly, a policy journal and magazine “dedicated to policy analysis and debate of economics, finance, social development, and politics in the Western Hemisphere”, profiles young innovators “in politics, business, civil society, and the arts”. In its latest issue, the magazine highlights a political innovator from Mexico, a civics innovator...
Mexico: Images From May 8 ‘March for Peace’
Freelance photographer Michael Lettieri shares pictures of Mexico's ‘march for peace’ in his blog: “Traumatized by gruesome massacres of northbound immigrants and senseless crossfire killings, Mexican society has begun to push back against government policies. On Sunday [May 8], a march for peace arrived in the zocalo, waving white flags...
Bolivia: Keeping Aymara Alive Through TV?
M. Luk’aña Champi [es] wonders why Bolivia doesn't have a TV channel in Aymara or Quechua, considering that the country is now ruled by an ‘indigenous government': “Modern media like radio and television are ways to keep a language alive and in full use. When a language is not used...
Honduras: Teachers on Hunger Strike
Quotha posts pictures of a teachers’ hunger strike. Prensa Latina reports that on the day the pictures were taken, May 8, “Honduran teachers announced they would continue their hunger strike until the government reinstates the jobs of more than 300 suspended teachers.”
Ecuador: The 10 Questions Ecuadorians Will Vote On
Just the Facts provides an English translation –and explanatory notes– of the 10 questions Ecuadorians will be voting on tomorrow, May 7: “Polls indicate that while awareness of the questions is low, all of them will be approved.”
Guatemala: Wildfires and Illegal Logging
Blogger Sakis writes [es] about the effects of wildfires and illegal logging in Guatemala. He also posts pictures of a forest that has been cut down.
Guatemala: Rigoberta Menchú to Run for President
Nobel Peace Prize and indigenous activist Rigoberta Menchú will be nominated as the Frente Amplio de Izquierda presidential candidate, according to recent reports [es]. Mike in Central American Politics thinks that “even with the rejuvenated Guatemalan left, it's unlikely that Manchu (or any other left candidate) will impact the outcome of...
