Silvia Viñas · July, 2012

Latest posts by Silvia Viñas from July, 2012

Guatemala: Mining Community Organizes Peoples’ Health Tribunal

  31 July 2012

For years, the community of San Miguel Ixtahuacán in Guatemala has been denouncing the negative consequences of Goldcorp's Marlin gold mine. On July 14 and 15, members of the community joined other international organizations to form a 'Peoples' International Health Tribunal.' In the first post in this two-part series, we introduce the Health Tribunal and also highlight the local efforts of the San Miguel Ixtahuacán community .

Guatemala: Microsoft and the University of San Carlos

  30 July 2012

Blogger Josue Ortega [es] attended a university event which invited students to develop a project to help communities with very little access to technology. However, students were told to develop the project using only Microsoft technology. One of Ortega's friends inquired about using open licenses, but the idea was immediately...

Peru: Environmental Journalist Detained in Cajamarca

  29 July 2012

Juan Arellano reports [es] in his blog that the “environmental journalist Jorge Chávez Ortiz, known on Twitter as @chavezwar [es], has reportedly been detained a few hours ago in Cajamarca. The young journalist from Cajamarca is also responsible for the blog Mi mina corrupta (“My corrupt mine”) [es], where he...

Argentina: The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo and the Olympics

  27 July 2012

Lillie Langtry from the blog Memory in Latin America explains that the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo are getting into the spirit of the Olympics by “asking various Argentine sportspeople to feature in their latest video campaign.” Langtry shares a video where Carlo Retegui, the coach of the women's...

Colombia: The Environmental Heritage of the Country is Threatened by Mining

  26 July 2012

Through her Facebook profile, Carla Bajonero shares her concern regarding mining in Colombia [es]. In her opinion, mining only leaves behind “pollution and laughable earnings.” She then asks: “What happens to the environmental and cultural heritage of Colombia if mining continues in this boom?” Carla also writes about this issue...

Paraguay: Citizens Reject Rio Tinto's Aluminium Smelter Project

  25 July 2012

The blog Interparaguay [es] shares several videos on a project headed by Río Tinto Alcan to build an aluminium smelter in Paraguay. In the last video, Mercedes Canese, Vice Minister of Mining and Energy during Fernando Lugo's government, answers some questions about the project and its impact on the environment.

Peru: President Humala ‘Reshuffles’ Cabinet

  24 July 2012

Bloggings by Boz comments on President Ollanta Humala's “cabinet shuffle”: “Oscar Valdes is out; Juan Jimenez is in as Peru's new prime minister. Humala also named new ministers for Interior, Defense, Health, Agriculture and Justice.” He adds that this cabinet shuffle comes in response to anti-mining protests.

Paraguay: Tweets for Federico Franco on his Birthday

  23 July 2012

E'a [es] aggregates tweets dedicated to Federico Franco on his birthday. Federico Franco is the new President of Paraguay after Fernando Lugo was removed from office on June 22, 2012. You can read more tweets under the hashtag #EnTuDiaFrancoGolpista [es].

Colombia: A Lab for Social Sciences

  22 July 2012

Blogger Luis Ángel Pérez writes about wanting to create a lab for Social Sciences, just like there are labs for chemistry or physics. He imagines the lab [es] with many sofas and good music. “Social Sciences are about our home and its history,” he concludes.

Colombia: #Yodigoaquiestoy, a Tool for Denouncing Child Labor

  22 July 2012

"Yo Digo Aquí Estoy" ("I say I am here") is the title of an interesting project by Fundación Telefónica which aims to put an end to child labor in Colombia, counting on citizen participation. We hereby reproduce an article by Paula Gonzalo, published in Periodismo Ciudadano, where she tells us more about this tool.

El Salvador: President Funes Airs First Weekly Radio Program

  18 July 2012

“Conversando con el Presidente” (Talking with the President”) is a “weekly radio call in program to let citizens call and talk to their president,” as Tim's El Salvador Blog explains. Blogger Hunnapuh [es] gathers citizen reactions to the first show (aired Saturday, July 14, 2012), and shares his own opinion...

Colombia: “We are going to end with darkness in Congress”

  18 July 2012

On Facebook the Primary Constituent movement [es] is calling [es] for a gathering at Plaza de Bolívar (Bogotá's main public square) to protest corruption of politicians and demand that Emilio Otero is not reelected as secretary of the Colombian Congress. The gathering, called “We are going to end with darkness...

Ecuador: Juggling Work and Motherhood

  12 July 2012

In her blog Lunas Azules (“Blue Moons”), Silvana Tapia writes [es] about juggling work and motherhood. You can find more posts about parenting under a tag [es] in her blog dedicated to the subject.

Chile: Citizen Campaign Seeks to Eliminate Tax on Books

  11 July 2012

A citizen campaign to remove the value added tax ("IVA" for its initials in Spanish) on books in Chile has sparked an online debate. Netizens are sharing their views in favor and against the campaign through blogs, and on Twitter they are discussing the issue with the hashtag #LibrosSinIVA.

Chile: Homeless in Santiago

  5 July 2012

In Santiago, Chile, as in many other cities around the world, winter can be a deadly season for the homeless. Through photography, Demotix contributor Alejandro Rustom exposes the reality of the homeless in the Chilean capital and highlights how a group of citizens are trying to help.

Peru: Three Dead and Several Injured in Clash in Cajamarca

  4 July 2012

Clashes during anti-mining protests in Cajamarca have left at least 3 people killed and 20 injured. Global Voices recently reported on a prolonged strike against mining activities carried out in Cajamarca. You can read citizen reporting and reactions on Twitter by following the hashtags #Cajamarca and #Celendín (the town were...