The Latin America thread (VE, BR, AR, CU, MX...)

It sort of worked though - Paraguay is the only South American nation where a large number of non-indigenous people speak a native language: Guarani.

That's one of those measures that would be inconvenient to live through, but pretty cool to have in the past if it worked.

edited 9th Jul '15 2:58:52 PM by Achaemenid

Just give mixed-blood couples a tax cut. That should do it.

Also, 'Guarani', huh?

So Guaraná Antarctica has nothing to do with Antarctica or Brasil?

edited 9th Jul '15 3:19:29 PM by TheHandle

The Guarani people aren't native to Paraguay exactly. They're all over South America and instead even were as far as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

They are more strongly associated with Paraguay nowadways, however.

here's a map◊ of the spread of the guaraní people. I'm not sure if it's right, since I vaguely remember from school that there used to be Guaraní communities in my province, and it's not covered on the map.

Wow. Thank God there isn't a Guarani nationalist movement...

They already have Paraguay, surely.

Early in this thread someone asked about paramilitary groups.

Just wanted to point out that in the political argot in latin america "guerrilla" is usually left wing armed groups and "paramilitary" are right wing armed groups.

So the Sandinistas would be guerillas and the Contras would be paramilitary.

Other difference is that paramilitary groups are usually also dead squads while guerillas tend to focus on rural skirmishes and terrorist attacks in cities.

Both groups will usually finance themselves with foreign assistance, drug trade, blackmail, "taxes" etc...

edited 10th Jul '15 8:13:46 AM by BAFFU

Not sure if it's current spread or in the past. Anyway, I think there're some independence movements among the mapuche in the Patagonia.

Link in spanish

Evo Morales blames Chile on the protests in the Potosi area.

I demand "gibe sea" Polandballs.

Here, have one◊.

The Situation in El Salvador seems to be escalating, with the public transport in the capital mostly paralyzed by the Maras.

Back in may 16 (Source: AFP) Nicaragua expelled Human Rights activists for no reason at all. The whole possible interoceanic canal with the Lake of Nicaragua has bred a massive amount of accusations of Human Rights abuses and Corruption, not helped at all by the fact the nation is kinda secuestered by a more pathetic version of the Kims called Daniel Ortega.

A few days ago a report by a Costa Rican newspaper denounce that there are human rights abuses in Nicaragua. A Costa Rican man who was going to visit an aunt, dying in Nicaragua, was retained in the border and sent to "El Chipote", an infamous prison already denounced by the Catholic Church and Human Rights organizations as being a Human Rights Abuse center. There the imprisoned man (whose documentation was denied, money and luggage removed, and sent naked into the prison) noticed that there was an Italian man, and two ex guerrillas of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional.

The man was supposedly beaten and accused of being a spy of the Costa Ricans sent to Nicaragua about the Isla Calero debacle that was sparked off due to a google error, among several other things. Like being a puppet of the filthy capitalist pig United States empire

The Italian man is diabetic and a smoker, and seemed to receive absolutely no attention at all...

Of course, I am completely and absolutely biased about this subject given how I am Costa Rican, but you know. Human Rights abuses or accusations thereof in Latin America. Fun.

edited 4th Aug '15 9:01:56 AM by Aszur

Guaraná Antartica is a brazilian soft drink named after a fruit. the fruit itself is actually derived from a guarani word so yes the three are all related in some way.

it's a good soft drink incidentally, out of the like 4 guarana sodas i've tried it's probably the best one.

This must be posted whenever Guarana Antarctica is mentioned.

Guatemala's President Otto Pérez Molina, has resigned after accusations of corruption, large show of protests and several accusations.

And an order of arrest after his immunity was removed by Congress last Tuesday.

No. Seriously. A comedian is winning the Guatemalan presidency

Well, that's an international first. Probably.

That's certainly a bigger deal than when Tiririca became a deputy in the National Congress of Brazil.

"I have made you laugh for 10 years. I promise I wont make you cry for the next 4" was sort of his slogan.

Well, he'd certainly be the first politician who's making people laugh intentionally.

That's Actually Pretty Funny.

I am not sharing this because this is relevant. I am sharing this because it is hilarious.

I also apologize because of the source. I know it sometimes asks for registration and furthermore, it is in spanish only. Other media will pick up on it soon and you will see why.

But basically, as of late, Costa Rican media has reported a ton of stuff regarding the syndicates (read: mafia) that is eating away our public services. For example, we have a refinery that does not refine (yet they are the ones who dictate the prices of oil here). We have a bloated social security system whose expenses in salaries are 95% dedicated towards non doctors. And we have people protesting because they are afraid of their monopolies on the most inneficient port in central america being taken away from them.

So a syndicate leader threathened (And I do mean threatened. The words were literally they "Will no longer guarantee the safety of") the media and media correspondents in their syndical marches if they continue their "Salary war on syndicates".

The country's media proceeds to report on them some more, specially the threat, with Radios, Papers (online and digital), and TV directors calling them out on it.

This is not a thing that is completely foreign to central american regions, however. The Mexican educational system is completely choked up by its syndicates, with more money being thrown at it and no results ever garnished even when compared to other nations' per capita income.

Another statistical example (back to Costa Rica), is that in public companies, truck drivers and janitors can get paid more than say, a doctor or professional for affiliating themselves to the syndicates. 98% of people in the public sector are paid salary benefits on "Good work record" without this making any improvement in social services, and they make no pretense to expand, or allow more people inside their bosom, therefore blocking people from the poorest regions from access to jobs. Also refused to gain more technical skills.

This has historical roots in U.S interventionism in the countries. Stuff like the United Fruit Company creating powerful corporations that wantonly killed and abused human rights became a part of the national identity for many regions and even countries. Syndicates surged to oppose these corporations and so they were primordial and important in their historical moment. It is why they are particularly difficult to remove from people's minds.

But given how diametrically opposed they are to education, you can see why they are also incredibly stupid and hilarious. I mean. Bullying the Dragon at its finest.

Well, from the Peruvian side, we are here celebrating the fifteen years of the Vladivideos (ie: the worst scandal of corruption in the presidency of the twentieth century).

Now, seriously, we have problems with crime (well who doesn't?) not being prosecuted well enough ot not at all, truly, it go to the point that the exminister Urresti had to say in live that the police actions would have no effect if the judges continued to let criminals go free.

Hell, it got to the point there are infamous vigilante campaigns like kill a thug, plant a tree or catch your robber and leave him crippled out of the frustration of a rather incompetent Judical Power(So much it's competing with the Congress over who has the lowest approval of the public).

I thought the most scandalous peruvian corruption thing was Fujimori.

Historically, the worst case of corruption in Perú is of José Echenique, but Fujimori is the most glaring example.