Mindscraps: Mourning for the Maya
Hector Tobar of the L.A. Times just published For Maya, A Paradise Lost. After reading the article, I’m left with a strong desire to help do something for these immigrants. Having lived 8 months in Guatemala, the country and its Mayan people hold a most special place in my heart. I’m not sure what I [...]
New Government in Honduras Leads with Violence
I have contacts in Honduras who openly stated that overthrowing former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was exactly what they wanted. They claim Zelaya was acting unconstitutionally when he tried to illegally legalize the extension of presidential terms. But, it seems that the new government, under the charge of newly-elect Porfirio Lobo, leads with gruesome violence. [...]
US: Dirty Politics with Honduras and Haiti
For those who believe the only motives behind U.S. involvement in third world countries like Honduras and Haiti is simply to preserve democracy… Why Washington “Cares” about Honduras and Haiti by Mark Weisbrot When I write about U.S. foreign policy in places like Haiti or Honduras, I often get responses from people who find it [...]
Playing Ball with Severed Heads
As Mexico is my current locale, I’m tracking all news Mexicano. Here’s a most interesting clip about ancient native sports. While the people of the indigenous community featured in this article were known to be more peaceful, this Mercury News piece explains how some communities plucked the hearts out of losing athletes. Yikes! WHAT A [...]
The Reporter and Nicholas Kristof
A new film about roving reporter Nicholas Kristof will be released soon. Looks exciting. This man does exactly what I aspire to do… and have already begun doing on a smaller-scale. View the trailer: The Reporter Learn more about Kristof by clicking here. Visit his NYTimes blog by clicking here.
More than 700 Guatemalan Women Murdered in 2009
Low-income women are targets for an alarming rate of violence in Guatemala. The Interior Ministry of Guatemala reports that more than 700 women were murdered in Guatemala last year. Below the news brief published by the Latin American Herald Tribune: GUATEMALA CITY – Some 708 women were killed in Guatemala in 2009, based on Interior [...]
Floods Devastate SE Asia
It’s a bit crazy to imagine that countries I was discovering two years ago in SE Asia are now swamped from a typhoon. The following excerpt is from the Radio Australia: The Philippines is bracing for two more typhoons which are expected to hit the flood-ravaged country over the next two days. Emergency teams have [...]
Local Guatemalan Dead After Land Dispute
Another wonderful outcome of capitalist imperialism: (Reuters article by Sarah Grainger) A long-running land dispute between local residents and a foreign-owned nickel mine in Guatemala exploded in violence over the weekend, leaving one man dead and thirteen others injured, police said on Monday. The latest trouble broke out on Sunday when a fight broke out [...]
Smithsonian Unveils “Human Rights Breakthrough in Guatemala”
For more than a decade, the disappearance of thousands of residents during Guatemala’s civil war remained unsolved. Now, the world has answers. “A Human Rights Breakthrough in Guatemala” from Smithsonian.com: A chance discovery of police archives may reveal the fate of tens of thousands of people who disappeared in Guatemala’s civil war. By Julian Smith [...]
Million Dollar Nike Corp. Not Paying Workers
An opinion piece in the Seattle Times urges The University of Washington to retract its deal with Nike upon the news that the million dollar corp isn’t paying workers in Honduras. Ughhh… how appalling: The University of Washington should re-examine its relationship with Nike because of the company’s closure of factories in Honduras without paying [...]
Coffee Not Coughing Up Enough in Guatemala
Times.com reports that small-production Guatemalan coffee growers can’t make ends meet, even with higher Fair Trade prices. Living in La Antigua Guatemala, I can’t escape the enticing aroma of “cafe.” Here, most of the cafe is supplied by major local producers whose farms carpet the hills surrounding the Panchoy Valley. Producers like the R. Dalton [...]
Horrorifying Sex Trade in Cambodia
I spent much of December 2007 and January 2008 in Cambodia. While I didn’t touch too much upon the disturbingly prevalent sex trade present there, this report from Change.org (below) does… as does the linked ABC report. It leaves one wondering, ‘What can be done?’ Makes my stomach churn… Warning: The the videos and commentary [...]
Oil Hunt in Guatemala
Guatemala is a strikingly beautiful country… stunning and magical. I cringe at how this latest quest to find oil and natural gas will affect this “Land of Green Light.” Read the report from Life in Guatemala: World Energy Research, a New Zealand-based energy research and investment company, is moving into energy exploration in Guatemala. WER [...]
A Parallel Guatemala
I just wanted to briefly comment upon the fact that I had to get online and read the news to realize that Guatemala, a Latin country that is slightly smaller than the state of Tennessee – the country in which I’m happily living – is enduring the worst drought it has faced in 30 years. [...]
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