Why Rush Limbaugh would go to Costa Rica if Obama’s healthcare plan passes (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh said this week he’d go to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Congress passes proposed reforms to the US healthcare system.
CENTRAL AMERICA: Women Make Headway in Politics – and Want More
GUATEMALA CITY, Mar 5 (IPS) – The victory of Laura Chinchilla in Costa Rica’s presidential elections, and the growing participation of women in Central American parliaments, point to their progress in the region’s spheres of political power. But they still have a long way to go, experts say.
ECUADOR: Avatar Downfall a Blow for Indigenous Communities
QUITO, Mar 9 (IPS) – Science fiction blockbuster Avatar was the big loser in the Oscar awards ceremony – not only a blow for director James Cameron but also seen as a symbolic reverse in the struggle to recover Amazon rainforest areas in Ecuador from the effects of oil pollution.
PERU: Suspension of Mining Operation Merely a Placebo
LIMA, Mar 9 (IPS) – Although the Peruvian government reported that it had suspended the exploration activities of the Afrodita mining company in the country’s northern Amazon jungle region to avoid further protests by local indigenous people, officials took no actual steps to bring the firm’s work to a halt.
LATIN AMERICA: Abortion – Still Illegal, Still Killing, Despite Growing Awareness
CARACAS, Mar 10 (IPS) – Although most of the governments in Latin America today are described as progressive, abortion is only legal in one country, while in five countries it is banned under all circumstances, even when the mother’s life is at risk.
EDUCATION-URUGUAY: Gardens of Knowledge
MONTEVIDEO, Mar 10 (IPS) – “Nature is wise, and if we take the time to observe it, we can learn so much” is the underlying philosophy of a number of innovative programmes being carried out in Uruguayan schools that are using gardens as a teaching resource, explained Edith Moraes, director of the national Primary Education Board.
RIGHTS-CUBA: Hunger Striker Refuses to Go into Exile
HAVANA, Mar 8 (IPS) – The state news media in Cuba reported Monday on the case of dissident Guillermo Fariñas, who has been on a hunger strike for 13 days and refuses to go into exile in Spain.
RIGHTS-MEXICO: “Yes, I Do” Want a Same-Sex Marriage Licence
MEXICO CITY, Mar 4 (IPS) – Emma Villanueva and her partner lined up at the civil registry office in the Mexican capital to register for a marriage licence Thursday, the day that Latin America’s first same-sex marriage law went into effect.
CUBA: A Good Old Age in Old Havana
HAVANA, Mar 5 (IPS) – In the centre of Old Havana, historic buildings are being restored without neglecting the occupants who are their heart and soul. The priority is to care for elderly residents with programmes that could become a model for the rest of Cuba, whose population is ageing fast.
COSTA RICA: Headhunting First-World Seniors
SAN JOSÉ, Mar 8 (IPS) – The Costa Rican government has declared retirement communities, aimed at attracting U.S. pensioners, to be “of national interest.” Plans to create “retirement clusters” providing complete health services for older adults are seen as a profitable prospect for this Central American country.
RELIGION-MEXICO: Legion of Christ Scandal Escalates
MEXICO CITY, Mar 6 (IPS) – A new scandal has increased the pressure on the conservative religious order Legion of Christ, one of the most influential in the Catholic Church, to compensate the victims of alleged sexual abuse by its founder, Mexican priest Marcial Maciel, and carry out internal reforms.
MEXICO: Scientists Reinvent the Corn Tortilla
MEXICO CITY, Mar 7 (Tierramérica) – The process of making corn tortillas – the filling, age-old traditional food throughout much of Mexico and Central America – pollutes huge volumes of water and consumes a great deal of energy.
BRAZIL: Ambitious Development Plan to Cut Inequality
RIO DE JANEIRO, Mar 8 (IPS) – Brazil will be “radically less unequal” and less vulnerable to shocks from the outside when it celebrates 200 years of independence from Portugal, if the Strategic Affairs Secretariat’s (SAE) plans for the next 12 years are put into practice, according to a high-ranking official.
LATIN AMERICA: Canada Moves to Oversee Mining Firms
MEXICO CITY, Mar 5 (IPS) – Amidst allegations that Canadian mining companies operating in Latin America have been complicit in the murders and harassment of activists, several positive developments in Canada are seen as a source of hope that firms may begin to be held accountable on human rights and environmental questions.
