Silvia Viñas · October, 2011

Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from October, 2011

Bolivia: Interview With Indigenous Leader on TIPNIS March

  18 October 2011

Dario Kenner has updated his blog Bolivia Diary with pictures and information on the march to defend the Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) which, as he reports, “is getting very close to La Paz and should arrive this Wednesday”. He also interviewed indigenous leader Walberto Baraona.

Honduras: An In-Depth Look at Crime

  18 October 2011

La Gringa’ from La Gringa's Blogcito has published the first blog post in a series about crime in Honduras, where she reports that “The recent United Nations Global Study on Homicide put Honduras in the spotlight by naming it number one with 82.1 murders per 100,000 population.”

Central America: The Dangerous Journey of Female Migrants

  18 October 2011

“Every year, thousands of migrants risk their lives on a treacherous journey toward el norte, facing violence, extortion, kidnapping and discrimination. However, female migrants face a heightened risk of exploitation in the form of sexual violence and trafficking at the hands of many groups: criminal gangs, corrupt officials, law enforcement,...

Uruguay's Candombe

  17 October 2011

Eva Blair Smith from Ola Uruguay blogs about candombe music in a post titled “The Heartbreat of Uruguay: A History of Candombe Drumming.”

Latin America: Music Blog Loves to Discover New Songs

  14 October 2011

The blog Amo descubrir canciones [es] (“I love to discover songs”) reviews music from around the world, with a special focus on Latin America. The blog includes specials with songs by country [es], song covers [es], and songs recommended by readers [es]. The latter category includes a post on “Songs...

El Salvador: Communities Severely Affected by Flooding

  13 October 2011

Voices from El Salvador is reporting on the consequences of severe weather in El Salvador: “Over 4000 people have been evacuated from their homes in San Salvador, La Paz, San Vicente, Sonsonate, and Usulután, and the risk of more flooding and landslides remains high.” They are also posting pictures on...

Colombia: Students Protest Higher Education Reform

  13 October 2011

Mike shares pictures of the October 12 student protests in Bogota: “Striking university students have got classes suspended at many of the public universities and vow to stay on strike until the government gives up on a proposed university reform, called Law 30, which would permit private investment in public...

Colombia: Could Miss Universe be Colombian?

  13 October 2011

A Mexican newspaper published that Miss Universe is Colombian, and that her documents were forged [es] so that she could represent Angola. Territorio Chocoano adds that Leila Lopes’ place of birth would be Nóvita, in the Chocó department [es] (the department with the largest population with African-descent). A Colombian magazine...

El Salvador Hit by Heavy Rains, Flooding and Landslides

  12 October 2011

Tim's El Salvador Blog reports that “Heavy rains, caused by a tropical depression off the Pacific coast have caused flooding and landslides in various parts of El Salvador. School has been suspended in 8 of the country's 14 departments. The weather system has left 18 people dead across Central America,...

Chile: Education Reform Triumphs in Unofficial Plebiscite

  12 October 2011

After five months of protests and school takeovers, Chile’s student movement continues to mobilize for an overhaul of the country’s education system. Over the weekend an overwhelming majority of Chileans voted in favor of education reform in an unofficial and symbolic plebiscite.

Latin American Social Movements and #OccupyWallStreet

  12 October 2011

Benjamin Dangl in Upside Down World writes a report that “connects tactics and philosophies surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement with similar movements in Latin America, from the popular assemblies and occupation of factories during Argentina’s economic crisis in 2001-2002, to grassroots struggles for land in Brazil.”

Uruguay Celebrates its Bicentennial

  12 October 2011

This year Uruguay is celebrating the bicentennial of its "emancipation process". Events to commemorate the beginning of the country's independence struggle have been scheduled to take place throughout the year.

Honduras: Police Close Special Unit for Femicide Investigations

  11 October 2011

“Honduras is now second only to Guatemala in femicides (for Central America) and, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the country with the highest homicide rate in the world (only since the coup). Despite the high level of femicides, the police have closed the Special Unit...

Recipes for ‘World Dulce de Leche Day’

  11 October 2011

October 11 is ‘World Dulce de Leche Day‘. To celebrate, a group of bloggers have come together to share recipes -in Spanish and English- and invite others to “make a recipe with dulce de leche, blog about it on October 11, with a link to this blog.”