Link to article

Synopsis

For the final noticias week, I chose the article titled “Search for Argentine submarine enters ‘critical phase'” that is written by Eliott C. McLaughlin and Stefano Pozzebon. The Argentine submarine ARA San Juan has been missing for over a week and eleven countries have joined in the search effort to locate it and save its 44 crew members, which includes the country’s first woman submarine officer, Eliana Maria Krawczyk. The submarine was last seen on November 15 in the San Jorge Gulf about half the distance from where the submarine disembarked and its hopeful and final destination. The submarine has enough air to last for ten days and since a week has since passed, an Argentine spokesperson states, “We are in a critical phase.” Nevertheless, there is still the possibility that the submarine has surfaced or so-called “snorkeled,” meaning that it has raised a tube to the surface to acquire new air.

People’s Response

Thus far, the search effort has been unsuccessful and has caused many family members and the country to severely worry about the passengers aboard on the submarine. The article includes statements from the brother of another passenger by the name of Christian Ibañez. His brother voices that the search effort was not performed quickly enough and he along with others believe that they are being disrespected by the navy that continues to state that the submarine could still be on the surface. He expresses, “If it was on the surface, they would have found it. They didn’t, and they didn’t look for them at the bottom. If they did it earlier, it could have been different” (McLaughlin). The daughter of Christian Ibañez has been told by her mother that her father is missing, but that he will be home soon. Despite all this turmoil, hope still remains that the submarine will be found. Several kind gestures have been carried out by the local community, such as the ones that is pictured below. Over 20,000 students from local schools made drawings that include hopeful wishes and have attached them near the base in Mar del Plata.

Outcome/Relation to Identity

No one knows where the submarine is, but there have been many theories for its disappearance and several reports of sounds and signals that could be related to the missing submarine, but they have since been proved false. This tragic event has greatly affected Argentina, however the way in which the country and several nations have assisted in the search for the submarine can be said to have a relation to Argentina’s identity. Despite this mysterious event and the understandable complaints that have been voiced by some people, Argentina is being portrayed in a relatively positive manner because of the willingness of other countries to take action and assist with the search effort. Additionally, the kind gestures that have been performed like the one mentioned above shows the nation’s optimism despite the sadness that it also greatly feels.

If you are interested in learning more about the search effort and the effect that this event has had on many people in Argentina, you can watch the video below:

McLaughlin, Eliott C. “Search for Argentine Submarine Enters ‘Critical Phase’.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Nov. 2017

This week, we will be discussing the articles chosen by Bryce and Brooks.

Bryce’s article discusses the election of Sandra Morán as a Guatemalan representative who is openly apart of the LGBTQ+ community. Brooks’ article discusses the use of performing arts to honor the memories of those lost or wronged under the Chilean and Guatemalan dictatorships.

Lesbian Congresswoman Creates ‘Path Toward Representation’ in Guatemala

1. What similarities do we see between Guatemalan Government (specifically congress/representation) and our own government? How can this be solved?

2. Do you think it’s hypocritical for Moran to have been in a guerrilla insurgence and yet now be in office?

3. What steps can Moran take in creating a safer environment in Guatemala especially with exceptionalities such as the LGBT community?

‘A way of healing’: Art and memory in Latin America

Clara Alicia, the founder of the all-female Maya theater group, says that “[she] things art is the best way to transform society”:

1. In what ways can art be beneficial for setting new standards for a society? Can the use of art to “transform society” be negative as well? How?

The article also states that “Many people prefer to forget rather than keep confronting the past”.

 2.  Often times when the government allows for very controversial/ questionable behavior,              years later there is hesitation to compensate for, apologize for or even recognize the fault in        those actions. By honoring the memory of those who were wronged under the Pinochet              and Efraín Ríos Montt dictatorships in these performances, are these women risking                      censorship of such issues?

 3. In the event their performances are censored or limited, what would the effects be?

Art and Memory in Latin America

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41926222

Within the article, the writer tries to show how the people within Latin American communities use art to help protest the “extreme state violence” that they have went through after the civil wars in Guatemala and Chile. In the main skit done by Regina Galindo, she reads the testimonies of indigenous Mayan people who “suffered massacre, torture and rape at the hands of the Guatemalan military during the Central American country’s 36-year civil war.”, but while she reads the testimonies, at certain intervals within the show, a doctor comes in and injects her mouth with anesthetic. When he does this her speech becomes more muffled with each shot of anesthetic. This is a huge part of the show as it shows that even when the government (the Doctor) tries to silence the victims (Regina), they still try to speak out and will never be ultimately never be silenced.

The Latin American people within the article are portrayed as strong in the way that even though the government is against them, they still stand up for what they believe in by creating a civil war between them and the government. Also as portrayed by Regina’s performance, they refuse to be silenced by the government for their actions that have brought them terror and the power to stand up for what is right.

This article shows the true identity of the Latin American people as they stick together and try and rebel against the government that has violated and terrorized them for 36 years during the civil wars in Guatemala and Chile. Art for them is the best way to showcase their pain and protest the government. This article also showcases their identity in the creative arts as they use many different forms of art utilizing their indigenous roots of their Mayan ancestors: plays/skits, posters/paintings, etc.

100 Women: Football offers girls a shield in Brazil’s violent favelas

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-41473353

Within the artice, they talk about the extremely dangerous favelas within Brazil that are the battlegrounds between the police and drug gangs. within the article they provide a crazy statistic that states that a “Rio resident is hit by a stray bullet every 7 hours”, which shows exactly how often there is gun violence in the favelas of Rio, Brazil. because of all the violence, the youth is endlessly looking for ways to get away and stay safe throughout the day, and a way that a group of girls do this is by going to a pitch in the hills to play soccer. the pitch was built by a UK charity that gives under privileged youth an opportunity through sports. the charity wanted to make this area off limits to violence and talked to many of the residents, police and even gangs to help keep this area free of violence. although the residents and gangs have agreed to make this area off limits to all violence, the girls still have to cancel practices due to the frequent shootings that happen throughout the week. through all of this, the coach of the soccer team has helped over 300 children a year “reducing their risk of exploitation and abuse, developing their life skills, and improving their education, training, and employment opportunities.”.

The Latin American people in this article are portrayed as poor and violent but not by choice as they live in very poor situations and struggle to survive. The help that they receive to help protect the youth is extremely important as they are the future of that community and giving them the best opportunity to be the best that they can be will only help the community. Also how the gangs and police have both tried to agree to the restriction of violence in that area shows that even though they are committing crimes, their intention isn’t to hurt the children so it shows that they aren’t as completely savage as they are made out to be.

This article connects to the theme of identities of Latin America by showing how the people in Brazil were presented with a serious problem with violence and decided to make a change to help make the violence affect less of the youth in the area.

     For Noticias this week, I chose to research carbon sequestration in Latin America through an article called, “Carbon Sequestration Potential Second-Growth Forest Regeneration in the Latin American Tropics”. This article was definitely the hardest one I’ve had to analyze so far because it’s more science related so I had to take time to really understand the data collected from the experiments that researchers conducted. Though the article was challenging, I chose to analyze it because it is different from the cultural articles I usually gravitate towards. The content in the article seemingly discussed the effects of Carbon on the environment and the lead causes of global warming. Global Warming has always been a very hot topic, but has become more controversial and relevant recently; I think it is necessary that we discover how these situations are handled and viewed in Latin American countries.

     The article begins by giving a description of the issue. It is commonly accepted that global warming is the result of greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide. Carbon Dioxide tends to be emitted in large amounts through the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities. The authors of the article argue that as a global community we have been approaching the situation incorrectly. Instead of trying to eliminate global warming by preventing deforestation, the authors suggest that we should turn our attention to the concept of reforestation. This idea of second-growth forests (“SFs” in the article) was the driving theme present in the research article because it appears that these forests contain a lot of potential for carbon sequestration. So what exactly is a second-growth forest? Second-growth forests are the regrowth of organisms and populations in a specific land environment after a traumatic destruction of the land (ex: wildfire,   post-cultivation fallows etc.). My understanding is that the benefit of allowing second-growth forests to exist is that these forests accumulate an aboveground carbon (AGC) stock of about 8.48 petagrams of Carbon which is the equivalent of 31.09 petagrams of CO2. As stated by the article, “this total is equivalent from fossil fuel use and industrial processes in all of Latin America and the Caribbean from 1993 to 2014. Ten countries account for 95% of this carbon storage potential, led by Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela”. It is important to realize that though the article argues in favor of the second-growth forests tactic, it does not argue against the idea of limiting deforestation. The article later goes on to explain the experiments and tests that were set up to measure the effect of second-growth forests on the environments in Latin America.

     I think this article portrays Latin America in a positive light. For four Latin American countries to be leading the carbon sequestration attempt out of ten countries total is very impressive. This article shows that Latin America is very concerned with how Carbon Dioxide is affecting the planet that we live on. I think by running these tests and experiments and finding tactics that work, Latin American countries are taking responsibility, or at the very least acknowledging that human activity on earth can be detrimental to our planet. I feel as though these Latin American countries are leading by example in hopes of inspiring the rest of the global community to follow in their footsteps in helping to prevent global warming. This article is less about the cultural identity in Latin America and more about how Latin America interacts in the world. I think that because Latin America is known for its tropical regions and is abundant in its flora and fauna it feels the need to advocate and be proactive about these issues.  

For help understanding this complex article and what exactly was going on in these Latin American countries, I watched this video on Carbon Storage methods that might help you guys as well.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41619802

A man believed to be a leader of the Mara Salvatrucha (aka MS-13) gang has been arrested in Guatemala recently. Ángel Gabriel Reyes Marroquín, or Blanco, as he is known, was found in a town 31 miles west of Guatemala City called Chimaltenango. Reportedly, Blanco was wanted for his involvement in an armed attack on a hospital two months ago. According to the article, Blanco and his fellow gangsters were attempting to liberate another one of their leaders, who was being treated at the hospital “under armed guard” of the Guatemalan police. Later, the article goes on to describe Blanco’s criminal history. In 2014 he was reportedly detained in a maximum security prison for charges that included murder, and furthermore, he is believed “to be connected to the deaths of at least 287 people”. However, he was able to escape and was not recaptured until now. The remaining parts of the article give a brief description of MS-13 and their crimes.

The existence of MS-13 itself reflects negatively upon Latin Americans. Although the gang was created in Los Angeles, it has its roots in Central America, specifically El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. MS-13 is known as one of the most brutal gangs in existence, and they operate internationally. The fact that pretty much all members of MS-13 are of Latin American descent portrays Latin Americans in a negative light. However, I’d say that the article is hopeful. The fact that an important leader of MS-13 has been captured recently by Guatemalan police shows that MS-13 does not have complete control over Guatemala. More importantly, however, it shows that MS-13 is not a good representation of Latin Americans and their culture. I believe it’s safe to say that nobody likes MS-13 other than its own members. If Americans don’t like MS-13, how do you think Latin Americans feel about the gang? The same can be said about Muslims and ISIS. When a person or group is doing something that is giving your people and culture a bad name, you probably won’t like them, because the few extremists give the peaceful majority a bad name and a poor identity. Finally, I would say that the article shows that Latin Americans are doing their best to cope with and end the gang violence and crime that has such a strong hold on several Latin American countries.

I think it is also important to note the American perspective of MS-13 and the gang violence in Latin America. Many Americans are fearful of traveling to certain Latin American countries for fear of gangs, with good reason. Some people may look at the gang violence in places like El Salvador and believe that all Latin Americans are inherently violent people. However, I would hope that Americans who read this article are able to differentiate between the few violent gang members and the peaceful majority of Latin Americans who detest the gangs as much if not more than Americans.