https://www.economist.com/news/americas/21730743-they-appeal-both-politicians-and-commuters-why-latin-america-seeing-cable-car-boom

Cable cars are becoming a huge trend in Latin America due to the fact it has great benefits to the lower class as well as politicians. The cable cars benefits the lower class in part because of its affordability it only cost 7 pesos (37 cents) also the cable car is a more time efficient way to get around it takes a cable car 19 minutes to run the same route with the same stops as a bus which takes 80 minutes because of the areas mountainous geography which means the cable cars cause for a less stressful ride. On top of being time and financially efficient cable cars can transport a greater volume of people in a day in a single day Mexicable’s 185 cars transport 18,000 people. Also the cable cars are less likely to be stuck up and robbed compared to buses.

his new trend is helpful for the government as well because it challenges private owned bus companies and it only takes 18 months to erect the cable car lines also it is an affordable alternative to widening roadways for more buses. this means the governments of Latin America have an affordable and fast way too challenge the private owned buses that rule lower class commuting. on. top of being cost effective and time efficient, installation of cable car lines do not require the displacement of large amounts of people. in areas where cable cars are present in Latin America there is a trend of decreased crime and increased employment. By 2023 Mexico City plans to have 2 more lines up and running

For this week, please read Maggie’s article and Kanishk’s article. These two articles talk about Venezuela’s economic crisis (if you would like background information to better understand the topic before we talk about, you can skim this wikipedia article).

Discussion Questions:

(We probably won’t have time to talk about all of these, however they’re all pretty related, and we hope they spark interesting conversation and discussion)

1. Is it the responsibility of global economic superpowers, such as the US, to give aid to countries that we’re politically opposed to? That is to say, are we responsible to the citizens of these countries with governments we’re at ends with? If so, what actions should we take to assist them, and how can they be financed? If your country’s government is corrupt, who takes care of you?
2. Going off of the previous questions, should we intervene in the affairs of foreign countries? How responsible are we for the economic and political situation in Venezuela and Latin America as a whole? If we are responsible, should and how do we make reparations?
3. How do we hold the US and other super powers accountable for their actions, especially in other countries? Who does Trump’s sanctions hurt, the people of Venezuela, or the government?

VENEZUELA BLAMES TRUMP AS IT NEARS POSSIBLE BANKRUPTCY UNDER MADURO

http://www.newsweek.com/venezuela-going-bankrupt-maduro-administration-blames-trump-debt-crisis-694250

Venezuela is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and has the world’s largest proven oil reserves at an estimated 296.5 billion barrels (20% of global reserves) as of 2012.Venezuela is a founding member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Being not able to pay its debt would heavily impact their market. Moreover the Venezuelan government is already going through a crisis. With a debt over billions it would be difficult for the already crippling Venezuelan administration. If  they decide to pay their debt instead they would end up making the citizen of the nation suffer. “But such payment in the coming days will come at the expense of money allotted to purchase food and other basic needs for the nation’s impoverished citizens.” as said in the article.

Blaming President Trump the Venezuelan President said “We are starting an era where the dictatorship of the ‘dollar boss’ will not be imposed and we’re ridding ourselves from this supposed threat of Trump,”.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/16/americas/puerto-rico-superfund-water/index.html

In this article the issue of the availability of water in Latin American countries is discussed. As the article deals with a man named Oquendo who risks his own health for the basic necessity of water. How does he do this? By drinking water contaminated by chemical waste products. The way Oquendo sees it “I’m going to drink it. I’ve drank it before. It tastes fine,’ Oquendo told CNN as he filled his jugs. ‘If I don’t drink water I’m going to die. So I might as well drink this water.” The way he sees it its better to live another day and risk being poisoned then to die from dehydration. This is due to a lack of funds in Puerto Rico which prevent a fast and effect response to the damage from  Hurricane Maria.

The people of Puerto Rico are portrayed as impoverished and desperate in this article. This can be seen by the way they describe Oquendo and his actions to get the water he needs to survive. They also show images of destroyed and dilapidated buildings in the area.

This relates to our class because it shows how Latin American countries like Puerto Rico are being neglected in their time of need. But also shows the efforts of many small groups who wish to help these people in need.

The day of the dead(Días de Muertos)is one of the biggest festival across the Mexican mainl. It is widely celebrated asthe national holiday by most of the Mexicans and people with Mexican ancestry in the U.S. It is also recognized by other countries as well. During this day, people will build private altars and use calaveras or the favorite food of the departed to honor the dead. People believe that the the dead will temporally come back to life on this day.

Yesterday, in Mexico, they held the annual festival of the day of the dead. Only one thing is different this time, people also paid their tribute to the people who had been killed during the 7.1 magnitude quake that almost causes the tsunami. The quake resulted in more than 500 people getting killed. People were feeling low and sad. But the tragedy did not stop the people from attending the parade. One of the person who had joined the parade says that the “parade could be a distraction, a way of escaping”. Thousands of onlookers had shown their spirit with the casualty and demonstrating the resilient characteristics of the Mexican people. More than 300.000 people have joined the parade, up from 200.000 last year. People painted their faces as skulls and bodies that ensemble the skeletons. 

This news is corresponding to our course theme: identities in latin America. This tradition is a great way to show that the unique culture shared by the Mexican people and its mental relief over people.  Participants demonstrate their resilient and unbroken characteristics even in the time of extreme conditions. “Be Strong Morelos,” said of one of the participants, Reuters reported.

My Wikipedia article is on the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, the disarmed political party that is FARC. The notes I received on my proposed edits were to add more sections and background perhaps, as well as adding some scholarly sources to the article, as it didn’t have very many to begin with. Jonah agreed with my plan to maybe add a section on political opposition and also party ideals/political alliances. Adding to this page is important because Colombia has a presidential election and a parliamentary election next year, and the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force intends on partnering with the Colombian Communist Party to win some seats in the parliamentary election. I found the comments made by my peers to be helpful in thinking about what to do going forward and where I should concentrate my efforts.

The advice I received was too elaborate more on the information I was adding and use sources that were relevant to the information I wished too add. As well as adding a section on the origin of Macumba, and comparing two of the other religions mention in the article. Which I will also incorporate.