Archives – Page 41 – Upside Down World

Social Conflicts Escalate around Hydroelectric Projects in Guatemala

May 23, 2014 Christin Sandberg 0

The CPO’s Lolita Chávez pointed out during the press conference that the indigenous communities have acted peacefully and democratically through collective participation in order to build up and strengthen the community organization and resistance in defending their ancestral territories and way of living. “We ask the international community to support the Mayan people of Guatemala in our fight for dignity and our lives,” said Chávez.

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Phosphates Mining Rocks the Boats in Northern Peru

May 21, 2014 Luis Manuel Claps 0

The Bayóvar mining complex exported 3.7 million tons of phosphate concentrates in 2013, but its environmental impacts may jeopardize the local fishing industry. As mining expands, a vital estuary is left unprotected, while the local Defense Front says the Bayóvar contract needs to be reviewed.

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Latin America: Why We Need an Immediate Moratorium on Gold Mining

May 20, 2014 Eduardo Gudynas 0

Gold mining has become a scourge that afflicts most Latin American countries. In some places, a few giant transnational corporations operate. In others, hundreds or even thousands of people crowd into jungle rivers or the guts of mountains for a few grams of gold.

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Guatemala’s New ‘Right-wing’ Attorney General Raises Questions and Fears

May 20, 2014 Kelsey Alford-Jones 0

Guatemala’s new attorney general, Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández, took office Saturday after a selection process fraught with irregularities. Aldana describes herself as “right wing”and was considered the favorite from early on due to her ties to the President Pérez Molina’s Patriot Party and evidence she was backed by one of the Party’s powerful political operatives, raising questions about her independence.

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Argentina: Journalism and Propaganda

May 18, 2014 Darío Aranda, Translated by Danica Jorden 0

“Pro-government and opposition journalists defend the interests of political and advertising/corporate power. Why is that? Because they don’t question it. Why is that? Because they make their living from them. Why is that? Because they don’t care about a struggle that is unknown and alien to them. Why is that? Because almost none of the news presenters or editorialists are involved in any struggle…”

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Upside Down World Recipient of 2014 Global Justice & Peace Award

May 16, 2014 Upside Down World 0

Upside Down World is honored to be chosen as the recipient of the 2014 Global Justice & Peace Award from the Denver Justice & Peace Committee. Past award recipients include Frances Moore Lappe and Food First, Father Roy Bourgeois, Walden Bello of Focus on the Global South, Medea Benjamin and Graham Russell of Rights Action. […]

Latin America’s LGBTI Movement Celebrates Triumphs, Sets New Goals

May 16, 2014 Ivet González 0

Although it might not seem to be, Latin America is the most active region in the world when it comes to the defense of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. “The most progressive and interesting proposals are emerging in the Americas,” said Mexican activist Gloria Careaga during the sixth Regional Conference of the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People for Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGALAC).

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Andrés Carrasco, Argentine Scientist and Activist: A Thank You

May 13, 2014 Darío Aranda, Translated by Danica Jorden 0

Andrés Carrasco chose another path: to question the model of corporations and governments, and he decided to walk with campesinos, fumigated mothers, and peoples in struggle. There was no assembly where he was not mentioned. There are no papers, no scientific magazine, or academic conventions that allows one to go where he went, thanks to his commitment towards the people: Andrés Carrasco already has a place in the living history of those in struggle.

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El Salvador: Blood and Roses on Mother’s Day

May 12, 2014 Erika Brenner 0

“The best thing about Mother’s Day is the appreciation and love the mothers get – and give,” says Sagrario Tejada de González, who is handing out roses on Mother’s Day, celebrated on the 10th of May in El Salvador. “The worst thing for a mother is the fear that her son might get involved in a street gang.”

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Colombian Poor Occupy Lands Slated for Military Base

May 11, 2014 Dawn Paley 0

Holding down an occupation for five months isn’t easy. Doing so in Colombia, even less so. But members of the community of Héctor Alirio Martínez in the municipality of Fortul, near the border with Venezuela, have raised the stakes even higher: they’re occupying land owned by the Ministry of Defense. The 100 hectare terrain now spotted with wood and plastic homes was slated to become a large military base.

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