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Argentina's current president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is currently encouraging a change to the constitution that would allow her to be re-elected. This, as well as the economic downturn in the country have sparked vehement protests against her government. By going global, these protests have garnered international attention and are making the problems Argentina faces more well known.

This article is short but very interesting as well. Argentina recently lowered their voting age to 16 from 18. The current Argentinian President, Cristina Fernandez, polls well among the youth and needs legislative support in order to amend the constitution so that she may run for President again in 2015. The article also notes that Ecuador and Brazil have already made laws allowing people as young as 16 to vote in their respective countries.

This article describes a recent update in the long standing battle with Chevron and the Ecuadorian State. Texaco, dumped a devastating amount of pollution into the Amazon basin between the 1960s and 1990s. The results of this pollution ranged from unheard of cancers among the local population and complete ruin of the natural resources that indigenous people relied on. Texaco/Chevron has fought against the accusations and have not apologized for their actions. There is a really good documentary available about this subject called Crude if anyone is interested.

This article continues analysis of Latin America's potential as an economic and technological powerhouse of the future. Christopher Johnson writes, " As Europe attempts to cope with its financial crisis and Asia braces for the looming slowdown of China's economy, Latin America - in America's backyard - is witnessing an unprecedented expansion of its indigenous technology economy." Of course, the region is not without its problems: violence in Northern Mexico, lack of Brazilian infrastructure, and the attempts of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela to kindle anti-US sentiment, to name a few. However, the result of the diligence of a number of independent technological startups in countries such as Peru, Brazil, and Argentina give many hope that Latin America will become a significant player in the global marketplace sometime in the near future.

An article that demonstrates the differences in health care between Argentina and other Latin American countries, such as Bolivia.

I found this article very interesting. I think it is fascinating to see other veiewpoints and norms around the world. Taking in to account the low life expectancy, it seems like a very intelligent decision to allow transgender surgeries as opposed to unsafe practices. I think it should be questioned how this will alter in the future, as well as what problems are going to arise. The surgery's expense must be taken in to account. Will other countries follow Argentina's lead?

wow -- I would never have come across this most likely if this hadn't been posted here. Thanks! It makes me wonder how much else I am missing about interesting shifts across the world. I've got to get access to streaming my news better....although having you smart students to help me with my learning curve is a big bonus!