Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from June, 2011
Peru: Protesters in Puno Demand Cancellation of Inambari Hydroelectric Project
Isabel Guerra, Global Voices author and translator, writes [es] that protesters in Puno are demanding the cancellation of the Inambari hydroelectric project. She adds that on Saturday, June 11, 1,000 peasants from Puno blocked the road linking Peru to Bolivia.
Colombia: Cali’s Salsa Circus
Vicki Kellaway writes about Cali's salsa circus in her blog Banana Skin Flip Flops: “there are the clowns, the devils and the daring trapeze artists. Then there are the tiny sequin dresses, the winning smiles and the principal dancers whose feet move so quickly they almost cease to exist. Throw...
Nicaragua: Citizens of Bluefields March for ‘Dignity and Hope’
Ronald Hill blogs [es] about a march for “dignity and hope” that took place on June 8 in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Protesters raised their voices against organized crime and drug trafficking, and demanded greater security.
Venezuela: How Much Do You Know About Caracas?
Mirelis Morales Tovar in Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] asks her readers 10 questions about Caracas to test how much they really know about the capital city of Venezuela.
Mexico: Tweeting to Save Lives
In Americas Quarterly, Arjan Shahani writes about the use of Twitter as a tool to inform “about risk zones and specific attacks in real time” through accounts like “@TrackMty, @SPSeguro and @MAGS_SP.” He explains how it works: “The person witnessing an attack tweets it to one of these accounts, which...
Colombia: Robbery at Andean Parliament Headquarters
On June 7, members of the Andean Parliament were robbed at the organization’s headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia. On Twitter netizens posted their opinions, mostly rejecting what had happened, with the hashtag #Parlamentoandino.
Argentina: Food Writers, Part II
Buenos Aires Foodies has revisited their list of Argentine food writers, adding links to more blogs –some written in Spanish, others in English– on the subject.
Mexico: Online Citizen Journalism Channel Aims to ‘Counterweight Media Monopolies’
Paula Gonzalo from Periodismo Ciudadano interviewed [es] two of the collaborators behind Canal Gente Libre [es] (Free People Channel), an online channel ran mostly by citizen journalists in Oaxaca, Mexico that aims to act as a “counterweight to Mexican media monopolies”
El Salvador: Widespread Opposition to Decree 743
“The protests continue over the action of the Salvadoran National Assembly to try and change the rules to make it more difficult for the country's highest court to rule laws unconstitutional. The law, called Decree 743, would require a unanimous vote of the court's five judges to invalidate an unconstitutional...
Peru: Congress Approves 10 Year Moratorium for Genetically Modified Seeds
Global Voices author and translator Isabel Guerra, who recently wrote about the debate regarding genetically modified farming in Peru, reports [es] that the Peruvian congress has approved a 10 year moratorium for genetically modified seeds.
Mexico: Journalists’ Deaths Go Unpunished
In Mexico Unmasked, Tim Johnson says that the 66 journalists killed in 5 years in Mexico “is an abysmal record and reflects on the weakness of Mexico’s state that the killers of unarmed journalists are rarely captured and punished.”
El Salvador: The Impact of Dollarization, 10 Years Later
Voices from El Salvador's Weblog analyzes the impact of dollarization in El Salvador, arguing that “dollarization does not seem to have improved economic development.”
Guatemala: Social Networks and Political Platforms
Blogger Sakis [es] looks at the use of social networks as politicians prepare for September's legislative and presidential elections. He suggests politicians should use social networks as a platform to actually communicate with the people, not just a place to share links.
Chile: A Photo Essay on The Making of Olive Oil
In Cachando Chile, Margaret posts a photo essay which details the steps in the production of Chilean olive oil at the Olave organic olive groves.
Mexico: War-Driven Innovation in the Fight Against Organized Crime
The Theory Behind looks at “war-driven innovations that, as its name states, are those that emerge, or are catalyzed, by factors related to armed conflicts.” The blogger will be posting on innovations in the medical fields “that can emerge (or are emerging as my hypothesis suggests) during Mexico’s war against...
Panama: Empowering Indigenous Women Through Chocolate
Global Voices author Clotilde Castillo interviewed [es] Mathilde Grand, the director of ‘Citizen of Chocolate,’ a “A collective dedicated to the divulgation and diffusion of Tribal Chocolate” which employs indigenous women from the Ngöbe-Buglé community in Panama.
Peru: 5 Points About President Elect Ollanta Humala
According to the latest official results, with 88.375% of the votes from yesterday's run-off election counted, Ollanta Humala defeats Keiko Fujimori with 51.276% of the vote –Fujimori got 48.724%. Bloggings by boz writes “5 points on Humala” summarizing his victory and analyzing possible outcomes.
Mexico: Oaxaca Teachers on Strike Return to Classrooms
Aguachile reports that “After almost two weeks of demonstrations, the “dissident” Sección 22 of the SNTE teachers union […] returned to the class rooms today, Monday. In one of Mexico's absolute poorest states, with educational attainment at rock bottom, the teachers left the 1.4 million or so students without a...
Colombia: The ‘Bride of Barranquilla’ Dies
Singer and composer Esther Forero [es] passed away on June 3 after being admitted to the hospital on May 11 [es]. She was known as the “bride of Barranquilla” because of her contribution to the city's carnival. Twitter users quickly reacted to the news and shared their condolences with the hashtags #Esthercita and #esthercitaforero.
Peru: Exit Polls Place Ollanta Humala in the Lead
Follow netizen's reactions as they wait for results from the second round of presidential elections in Peru: Juan Arellano is tracking online activity via Storify [es] as exit polls place left-leaning candidate Ollanta Humala in the lead over right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.
Chile: Ideas to Fight Air Pollution in Santiago
Blogger Daniel Arellano suggests [es] several measures that could be implemented in Santiago to fight severe air pollution: reforestation, relocating companies to other parts of the country and educating people to build awareness are some of Daniel’s ideas to improve air quality in the Chilean capital.
