Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from July, 2011
Uruguay: A Critical Look at Secondary Education
“What do we learn in High School?” and “What happens to students who struggle with a subject?”. These are some of the question Alvaro Fagalde asks in a post [es] where he gives readers a critical look at secondary education in Uruguay.
Chile: Salvador Allende's Death Ruled a Suicide
As Greg Weeks reports in his blog Two Weeks Notice “Salvador Allende's death has officially been ruled a suicide. I think it is fair to say that very few people believed otherwise. Nonetheless, there is evidence that the military (under the orders of Augusto Pinochet) would have murdered him if...
Chile: Students Take Over Schools Demanding Education Reform
Students have taken over hundreds of schools throughout Chile, turning their classrooms into temporary homes while they demand free and higher quality education. They are sharing their movement online through video and blogs, giving us a glimpse of what it is like to be on the inside of a student-controlled school.
Mexico: Sinaloa Governor Calls for Special Investigation on Femicides
Aguachile commends Sinaloa Governor Mario López Valdez (Malova) “for taking the issue of femicides seriously and not brushing it under the carpet […] Malova considered the rise in femicides in Sinaloa “alarming,” and called for a special investigation by his justice department to analyze the so far 56 reported cases...
Chile: Teen Warns About Earthquakes via Twitter (@AlarmaSismos)
TNW Latin America features the work of 14-year-old Sebastian Alegria (@sebasak), a Chilean teen sending earthquake warnings on Twitter through @AlarmaSismos: “The way it works is ingenious: Sebastian bought a domestic earthquake detector for only $75. He then replaced the internal circuit with an Arduino board which interprets the signal....
Costa Rica: Student Murdered in High School in Orotina
Julio Córdoba, in his blog Ciencia Ficción (Science Fiction), reflects [es] on the complex subject of violence after a student was murdered in a High School in Orotina on Monday, July 18.
El Salvador: Human Chain in San Salvador to Demand Dignified Housing
On Saturday, July 16, “a human chain stretched more than 2 kilometers through San Salvador to emphasize the type of human solidarity needed to resolve the tragedy of marginalized housing conditions. Residents of marginalized communities are locking hands with university students, middle class activists, youths and others in a chain...
Ecuador: Campus Party Quito
Natalia Cartolini shares a video [es] promoting Campus Party Quito [es], which will take place from October 19-23 in the Ecuadorian capital.
Colombia's Armed Conflict Threatening Indigenous Peoples
“The continuation of Colombia’s internal armed conflict threatens the survival of Colombia’s indigenous peoples, and their experience is shared by the millions of other Colombians affected by the conflict”: writes Anthony Dest in a guest post for Just the Facts about the Nasa indigenous people getting “caught in the crossfire”...
Paraguay: Congress Rejects Amendment That Would Allow Presidential Re-Election
Americas Quarterly in its Daily Focus blog reports: “The Paraguayan Congress on Thursday rejected a constitutional amendment that would allow presidential re-election […] Several supporters of the amendment walked out of the hearing in protest of the decision, including Senator Carlos Filizzola, who said, ‘We are turning our backs on...
Peru: Congressmen Remove Signatures from Moratorium for GM Seeds
Global Voices Translation Manager and author Juan Arellano reports [es] that 9 congressmen from the APRA political party have removed their signatures from a 10 year moratorium for genetically modified seeds. The issue will have to be debated again by the incoming congress. Juan shares reactions to the news via...
Mexico: Supreme Court Rules Civil Courts Take On Military Abusers
Adam Isacson writes about a recent ruling by Mexico's Supreme Court: “civilian judges must take on military human rights violations”. A decision he calls a “strong blow in favor of human rights and civilian control of the military.”
El Salvador: Interview with Zaira Navas, Inspector General for the National Civilian Police
Tim posts a video produced by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) of an interview with the Inspector General for El Salvador's National Civilian Police (PNC), Zaira Navas: “Under Navas’ leadership, the Inspector General’s Office in El Salvador has investigated and recommended the dismissal of hundreds of police officers...
Guatemala: Neighbors Affected by Giant Sinkhole Still Unable to Return Home
Luis Figueroa says [es] that neighbors of Ciudad Nueva, victims of a giant sinkhole that opened up over a year ago, are still unable to return to their homes. He explains that the “risk warning” has not been lifted because reports on the work that has been done to fill...
Venezuela: Caracas ‘At Its Best’ Thanks to Citizen Initiatives
Mirelis Morales Tovar in her blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] argues that Caracas is “at its best” thanks to citizen-led initiatives that aim to improve the city. She reviews three of these projects.
Chile: 40 Years of Nationalized Copper
As Setty writes in his blog, July 11 marked “the 40th anniversary of Chile’s nationalization of the copper industry.” Codelco, (Chile's state-owned copper mining company) workers went on strike that day “to protest the ‘undercover privatization’ of the company”, Setty explains.
El Salvador: The Challenges of Urbanization
Voices from El Salvador says that urbanization is becoming “increasingly problematic, specifically in terms of poverty, violence and health. […] El Salvador does not have the necessary mechanisms in place to offer everyone in the cities the resources and services they need to pursue a better life.”
Bolivia: Images of Everyday Life in El Alto
Pablo Andrés Rivero shares [es] a slideshow by photographer Patricio Cooker with music by rapper Ukamau y Ke: “The pictures reflect everyday life in El Alto, one of the most sui generis cities in Latin America, because of its rapid growth and its peculiar social, economic, and political dynamics.”
Peru: A Case Against Taxing Cellphones
Antonio Rodriguez Lobatón, from the blog Blawyer, argues [es] that taxing telecommunication services like cellphones or cable television is a bad idea. He says it makes no sense for the government to encourage policies to develop mobile telephony and then cause a reduction in demand as a consequence of implementing...
Mexico: Photos of Street Food in Mexico City
Lesley Téllez posts pictures of street food in Mexico City in her blog The Mija Chronicles.
Panama: What Does ‘Middle Class’ Mean?
In Contrapunto [es], Hannah asks what it means to be part of the ‘middle class’ in Panama. Sociologists and economists place the mark at a minimum monthly salary of $500 USD, she explains. But Hannah wonders if a ‘middle class’ family can really cover all its needs with $500 a...