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Laura Donovan

U.S. Tries to Salvage Honduras Accord - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    This article discusses the recent change in support of the Obama administration in terms of the current governmental situation in Honduras. It has been four months since the president of Honduras was ousted. Formerly an agreement was reached between the former and current leaders to form a government to control the country until an election to reinstate the former president could be planned, however the congress has planned an election for office before this time and going against what had originally been agreed on the United States has broken many allies and agreed to recognize the leader of this election
Sophie Bergelson

US - El Salvador Sister Cities - Free and Fair Elections - 0 views

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    This is a group that came to Wheaton last year to talk about human rights (and violations of those rights) in El Salvador and to promote fair trade and free elections. The website has information about the current political and economic situation in El Salvador and what we can do to help improve it.
Atsuyoshi Ishizumi

The Associated Press: Honduran Congress will rule on Zelaya after vote - 0 views

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    This is a very recent news about ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya. Honduran lawmakers will not decide whether to restore Zelaya until after upcoming presidential elections, which is on Nov. 29th, the congressional leader said Tuesday, a decision that could undermine international support for the vote. Some say the result of this upcoming election should not be accepted officially because it is held under the interim government.
thomas hatley

chavismo at Bryan Derballa | Lovebryan - 0 views

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    Bryan Derballa is from my hometown, and has done a great deal of excellent photojournalism work-recently traveling to Venezuela during the referendum vote Hugo Chávez (the current controversial president of Venezuela) put forth to eliminate the law limiting the amount of years he could run for re-election and remain in office. I frequent his blog, featuring Derballa's work along with other artists from North Carolina, California, and New York. The photos document both the support and protest towards Chávez during the referendum vote last February.
Morgan Somer

Mexico City limits love affair with plastic bag - Yahoo! News - 0 views

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    Mexico City is banning stores from packaging goods in plastic non-biodegradable bags. They passed the law in March and signed it in August giving the remainder of retailers who haven't already responded to this new act a year to abide by it. Mexico city is striving for an ambitious recycling program in their fairly new act towards going green. Mexico city has joined other cities around the world by restricting what is said to be one of the most omnipresent types of ocean litter killing marine life. There is some talk by officials that the city may even elect a "bag fee" stating that people could still get the old plastic bag only is they pay for them. Mexico City is trying to make a huge effort to abide by this law of banning bags especially in restaurants, stores and dry cleaners.
liz solomon

Is South America Moving Beyond Machismo? - 0 views

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    The election of Argentina's president sparked discussion on gender roles in Latin America. Gender issues and constraints have hurt Latin America economically. Although there has been an increase in women leaders, domestic violence and strict gender roles still exist.
Atsuyoshi Ishizumi

The Battle for Latin America's Soul - TIME - 1 views

    • Elizabeth Hughes
       
      This article was published in 2001. Serrano Elias was elected President of Guatemala and he was a converted Protestant. Thirty percent of the Guatemalan population are Evangelical Protestants. The article discusses how the rise of Evangelicalism is weakening the Catholic Church in Latin American countries. Many have converted because Evangelicalism has assisted people who are in need better than the Catholic Church has.
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    This article was published in 2001. Serrano Elias was elected President of Guatemala and he was a converted Protestant. Thirty percent of the Guatemalan population are Evangelical Protestants. The article discusses how the rise of Evangelicalism is weakening the Catholic Church in Latin American countries. Many have converted because Evangelicalism has assisted people who are in need better than the Catholic Church has.
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    This article discusses the large decrease in attendants for the Catholic Church and the huge increase of people joing the Protestant faith. It discusses the reasons that many are choosing to go Evangelical Protestant and the fears that a lot of the Catholics have about the newfound change in religion. Latin America being a predominately Catholic put Catholics in a akward position and makes them fear the changes that are to come as a result.
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    This article from the Time Magazine discusses the Protestant resurgence taking place in Latin America. For example, the Vatican is especially concerned about Brazil, supposedly the world's No. 1 Roman Catholic nation, with 126 million on church rolls. Protestants boast a minimum of 20 million churchgoers and are expanding twice as fast as the overall population.
Arabica Robusta

Alex Main, "Will New Report Pave the Way for Honduras' Reincorporation into the OAS?" - 0 views

  • The diverging positions of the commissioners are reflected in the text of the report.  On the one hand, several passages in the "Background" section suggest that President Porfirio Lobo, elected in controversial elections held under the coup regime late last year, has made significant efforts to repair the damage done by the coup with measures such as the creation of a so-called "Unity Government" and the Creation of a Truth Commission made up of "national and international personalities of prestige and proven track record," according to the authors.  This section of the report also highlights the Honduran Congress' decision to review an alleged case of corruption perpetrated under the coup regime of Roberto Micheletti and appears to belittle the widespread accusations of ongoing human rights violations and repression of the opposition (it states that "some sectors insist" that the violations are still occurring despite the fact that major human rights organizations, including the OAS' own Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, express the same concern in recent reports).
  • However, the final "Conclusions and Recommendations" section of the report is less favorable to the Lobo government.  In contrast with the "background" section, it explicitly recognizes the gravity of the human rights situation with a call for the "cessation of impunity for human rights violations" and the "adoption of measures to put an end to threats and harassments against human rights defenders, journalists . . . and members of the National Popular Resistance Front" (NPRF) as well as "measures issued to protect the lives and bodily integrity of numerous persons who are at risk."  Perhaps most significantly, it questions the Lobo government's justifications for maintaining some of the criminal charges against President Zelaya -- and thereby preventing him from returning without the risk of immediate prosecution -- and states that "the Commission considers it useful to put an end, in accordance with Honduran law, to the legal actions initiated against" the former president and his associates.
  • The NPRF may have the satisfaction of at last being recognized by the OAS as a significant Honduran actor -- indeed it is the first time that references to the group appear in an OAS document -- but the report makes no mention of its long-standing demand for a referendum on whether to convoke a constitutional assembly; nor does it take into account its demand for representation within the Truth Commission, whose Honduran members are all associated with Lobo's National Party.
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  •  In all likelihood -- and despite the best efforts of Insulza and the State Department -- Honduras will not be readmitted any time soon to the hemispheric organization.  South America's refusal to bend to Washington's will is a distinct sign of the times and will hopefully serve as a lesson to any coup plotters in the region: that military coups can no longer be as easily whitewashed and forgotten as was so frequently the case in the 20th century.
Arabica Robusta

Sergio Ferrari: Worrying Signs From Venezuela to Ecuador - 0 views

  • “An in-depth analysis of the current situation in Latin America is cause for no little concern, because I feel it is degenerating”, says Eric Toussaint. Several recent events account for the Belgian historian’s position.
  • “We have already pointed out to Correa (not just myself but some of his advisors and other critically supportive left-wing people) that he is wrong to ignore major popular movements such as the powerful indigenous organizations, on the grounds  that they have a corporatist and not a general vision of society.” This distance between the government and social players is also the consequence of various mobilizations over the last three years, such as those involving indigenous people, the teachers’ trade union and the academic community in its call for greater autonomy.
  • “The events in Ecuador at the end of September, the latest elections in Venezuela, the huge popular expectations that have been shelved in Brazil over the past eight years, the coup in Honduras last year, the election of the right-wing candidate Sebastián Piñera to the Chilean presidency, are signals that cannot fail to raise concern,’  Toussaint concludes.
janegelb

CHILE: Activists Press Candidates to Take a Stance on Women's Rights - IPS ipsnews.net - 0 views

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    Women's rights activist groups in Chile are urging presidential candidates to support women's rights. They want to further the progress they made during the the current government, and are urging all women to vote and take a stand during the presidential elections in December. Some of their prominent issues include the decriminalization of abortion, availability of emergency contraception, and legislature to prevent and rid Chile of violence against women and gender-related murders of women.
Mark Anderson

Guatemalan Voters Elect Businessman - 0 views

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    This article describes Guatemala's recent election where Alvaro Colom defeated former military general Otto Pérez Molina. He was said to have won because his soft stance on public security in comparison with his opponents.
Atsuyoshi Ishizumi

Honduran Crisis Outfoxes US Attempts at Negotiation - 0 views

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    Like the previous bookmark I added, this is another article on the Honduran Crisis. This one discusses the U.S. government's approach to the issue. According to this article, the current US position is to accept the June 28 coup, in an attempt to eliminate Zelaya, elect a new conservative government, and regain legitimacy in international organizations.
Arabica Robusta

Ecuador's Digital Agenda: Bridging the Digital Divide and Laying the Foundations for a ... - 0 views

  • Since becoming elected president, Rafael Correa has made higher education (particularly in the field of technology) a key aspect of domestic policy. In 2013, 1.83 percent of public spending as a percentage of total GDP went toward higher education (one of the highest in all of South America).
  • It is worth noting that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector has become an increasingly important source of growth for many Latin American countries.
  • Another important goal in Ecuador's digital agenda is to achieve digital sovereignty to overcome technological dependence on developed countries. In its effort to achieve this goal, in 2010, the Ecuadorian government passed a higher education reform bill, which requires universities to use open-source software as a way to protect intellectual sovereignty.
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  • Finally, late in March, the government inaugurated Yachay, the country's first planned city of nearly 17 square miles designed to become a hub for technological research and scientific infrastructure. Located inside the city is Yachay University, which is now Ecuador's first research technology institute. The university will offer degrees in the following areas: life sciences, information and communications technology, nanoscience, renewable energy and petro chemistry.  The university hopes to attract professionals and researchers, both foreign and domestic, to ensure technological innovation.
Shannon Coco

The Tupamaro Gang of Venezuela - 0 views

  • emerge officially in 1992.
  • But in 1992, Chavez was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Venezuelan Army and he tried, unsuccessfully, to take over the government in a failed coup d’ etat. When the coup failed, Chavez went to prison for two years. While doing time, he met the Tupas. Chavez needed the protection that the Tupa gang could offer, and the Tupas needed the resources and opportunities that Chavez could offer. They have worked well together ever since then in a quid pro quo relationship. Chavez was released from prison on March 26, 1994 and went on to be elected as president four years later (1998).
  •       It is a curious identity that we find in the Tupamaro street gang. On the one hand it identifies most specifically with being a guerilla warfare organization, dedicated to fighting the powers that be and seeking to implement its own type of revolution. On the other hand, it functions as a kind of armed paramilitary group that fervently defends and supports the controversial president of Venezuela — Hugo Chavez.
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    • Shannon Coco
       
      this is important to note! while the Tupas are a gang, they also have an important role to play with the government.
  •  The contradiction here is that the identity of freedom fighter or urban guerilla organization is typically “at odds with” or antagonistic to the status quo. Here, in the case of the Tupamaros street gang of Venezuela, we find they have laid claim to the cloak of freedom fighter, but apparently with a new twist: they do not want a new revolution, they like who they have now — Chavez.
  •    The portion of their identity that is “guerilla fighter” is reserved for fighting against police, judges, and others who they need to intimidate. And, as will be shown, this is a gang totally capable of some well-organized, military scale violence.
  •   One of the long standing “identifiers” of the Tupa gang is that they have historically worn a “hood” to hide their face and conceal their identity. These “hoods” are nothing more than dark, black or brown or blue in color, knit face masks that also roll up as a “hat”. They were a part of the Tupa uniform though from their beginning all the way up until recently. A Tupa will today have one in their possessions, they just may not use it as much.
  •             While traffic stood at a standstill, the Tupamaros on motorcycles began their assault — couching it as a “democratic protest”. Highly trained in such urban protest-assault tactics, typically one member acts as a news media representative, videotaping the scene in case they are able to provoke American drivers into over-reacting. In unison, some of the others begin shouting pre-arranged “chants” and protest slogans, some wield banners, but almost all begin launching stones, bricks, eggs, tomatoes, whatever they can muster at the Ambassador’s car.         Although alarming, such actions are typical of a low intensity conflict designed to send a message to the U.S. officials. The Tupas could have just as easily opened fire with armor piecing ammunition using fully automatic weapons. But they did not. Rather, they repeatedly, over time, waged these kind of street protest attacks against the embassy officials.
    • Shannon Coco
       
      staged reaction to the U.S. Ambassador shows that they know how to create a riot in a way that helps them the most. they ensure the right conditions and are able to use the event in their favor
  • The Tupamaros street gang regularly gets away with murder and more.
  • Some people join the gang for the financial or econonic benefits: they are almost guaranteed a job of some kind, today often a government subsidized job. If they personally or have a family member that resides in the “el 23" barrio, then they can live “rent free”. Everyone in “el 23" is a squatter, but the Tupas gang will extort rent payments for anyone living there who is not in alliance to their gang.
  • They feel a need to stand out, to escalate, to take things to extremes, they are fanatical in certain regards. A common method of execution used by the Tupas is to simply hang the victim. The Tupas are known to be armed, have access to military grade weapons, and they make firearms available free to youthful members of the gang.
  • a militaristic sense of entitlement.
  • if a local program was offering assistance to the needy and poor, Tupa members would be first in line seeking any additional handout they can get.
  • The Carapaica gang exists separately and apart from the Tupas. It also identifies itself as an armed leftist guerrilla organization. It functions similarly outside of the law, as a vigilante organization.
  •   The Tupamaro gang leaders are accumulating significant wealth and they function like a local ghetto group who collects “tribute” for King Chavez. Extorting goods, service, and street taxes or protection money is a main ongoing source of income for the Tupamaro gang
  • it illustrates a type of gang organization that has made a transition into state-sponsorship. For gang specialist police officers it is the ultimate example of a gang gone wild: a gang that specializes in extra-legal vigilante-style violence develops over time into a gang subsidized and directed by the government — indeed, major leaders in the Tupa gang today hold positions of enormous “police power” in Venezuela. And as stated, the primary sponsor of the Tupas is Hugo Chavez, the controversial president of Venezuela.
Elcey Williams

Contradiction Without Paradox: Evangelical Political Culture in the 1998 Venezuelan Ele... - 0 views

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    This article looks at Evangelism in relation to politics in Venezuela.
Maya Ambroise

Guatemalan Voters Elect Businessman - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    A former army general , Alvaro Colom, lost his battle for the country's presidency on Sunday night. The voters rejected his plan to use an iron fist to control the high murder right. Alvaro Colon won istead, he had made fighting poverty his campaign's centerpiece.
SamanthaAndreacchi

Complex Defeat for Nobel Winner in Guatemala - NYTimes.com - 0 views

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    This article examines the reasons behind the loss of Rigoberta Menchu as a presidential candidate. Embedded within the article are issues of identity and conspiracy as some are out rightly opposed to her as a candidate, while others cannot understand how she fared so poorly.
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