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Society

The Thinking Person’s Internet Dilemma: Chime In Or Tune Out?

Just because someone has something to say about the latest current-events controversy doesn’t mean they should.

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Society

Student Activism In Colombia, An Untapped Force For Change

Quality higher education in Colombia and vigorous student activism – not student rioting – will shake a complacent elite and help cleanse public life of its longstanding corruption

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Geopolitics Ideas

As Venezuelans Arrive, ‘Brexit Mentality’ Spreads In Bogota

In the Colombian capital, residents are starting to balk at the arrival of so many desperate Venezuelans. There’s empathy, yes. But also caution and alarm.

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Geopolitics

In Colombia, Where Gold Mining And Coca Farming Are A Toxic Mix

Mining firms, coca farmers and criminal gangs have brought social degeneration, pollution and extreme violence to one district in western Colombia.

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Geopolitics Ideas

In Venezuela, Washington Returns To Its Imperialist Ways

The United States is meddling in the region again in line with big-money interests and the imperialist tradition set off in the late 19th century.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Why Terrorism Persists In A Post-FARC Colombia

Last week’s bomb attack in Bogota is symptomatic of the state’s continued inability to monopolize the use of force.

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Economy Ideas

Why The Circular Economy Is Still Boxed In

It’s high-time for an economic model that curbs waste while boosting productivity. But don’t expect market forces alone to bring about the necessary shift.

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LGBTQ Plus Society

In Colombia, When Your 7-Year-Old Is Transgender

In Bogotá, a transgender girl and her family are, with their openness, helping similar people take their rightful place in society.

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Ideas

The Fundamental Right To Health, Happiness And Beauty

Beauty and happiness may be in the eye of the beholder. But they’re also fundamental components of a healthy society, writes Colombian novelist William Ospina.

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Society

Salsa, A Brand New Beat For Tango-Loving Buenos Aires

Immigrants from Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere in Latin America are making their presence felt in the Argentine capital, where more than a dozen salsotecas have opened in the past decade.

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Ideas

Christmas In Colombia, Reflections On A Commercial Ritual

The celebration of Christ’s birth was always a little bit pagan for its associations with the Roman imperial religion. But the modern West has turned into a pure carnival of pleasures.

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In The News

Screw It! Former FARC Fighters Bring Renewable Energy To Colombia

With the help of a talented young engineer, demobilized FARC fighters are using an Archimedes screw hydro turbine to power a remote enclave.

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In The News

Tamales To Gonorrhea: How Violence Shaped Colombian Spanish

Colombia’s Spanish, beside its charming formality, is replete with graphic allusions to extreme brutality, becoming a mirror of a good 100 years of political and criminal violence.

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Society

Pablo Escobar’s Twisted Stamp On Colombian Culture

Given the harm mobsters like Pablo Escobar inflicted on Colombia’s image and society, how have they kept such a prominent place in the national culture 25 years after his death?

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Geopolitics Ideas Migrant Lives

Shame And Amnesia: On Colombian Treatment Of Venezuelan Migrants

People in Colombia seem to have forgotten that in the not-too-distant past, they were the ones seeking refuge abroad, and that Venezuela offered a tolerant and helping hand.

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Society

My Close Encounter With A ‘Tinder-Surfer’

A Bogota lawyer’s foray into the world of online dating opened her eyes to ‘Tinder-surfing’ — couch-surfing with benefits — as practiced by a semi-celebrity Belgian named ‘Zebotta.’

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Future Geopolitics Society

Solar Power: Researchers Map Out Colombia’s Sunshine Hotspots

Engineers in Antioquia decided to cross-reference data on solar radiation and cloud cover to encourage greater use of solar panels.

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Society

In Medellín, A Scavenger’s Dump Turned Community Garden

The main open dump in the Colombian city evolved over decades from an informal home to scavengers to becoming a focus of communal resurgence.

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Society

When A Writer Meets His Fictional Character In Real Life

Colombian novelist Héctor Abad Faciolince recounts how a man in Denmark claimed to have lived exactly as one of the writer’s characters. Eventually, the two would meet.

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Ideas

Could A Colombia-Style Peace Process Work In Mexico?

New President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is calling for a paradigm shift in Mexico’s war on hyper-violent drug cartels. Colombia’s peace deal with the FARC may serve as a model.

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In The News

Colombia: Deforestation And Usurping Indigenous Land Go Together

Ranchers, farmers or plain criminals are pushing their way into and expanding their presence in Colombia’s remotest nature reservations.

Categories
In The News

Rumblings Of War Against Venezuela? A Trap For Colombia

The Venezuelan crisis impacts Colombia directly. But military intervention, as hinted by Trump, could be disastrous.

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Geopolitics Ideas Migrant Lives

Latin America Needs To Get Serious About The Venezuelan Exodus

The flood of people fleeing Venezuela’s dire economic and political situation is more than any one country can handle. But so far, there’s been little effort to organize a coordinated reaction.

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Ideas

What Colombia Can Learn From Uruguay’s Mellow Pot Policy

Rather than clamp down on drug users, Colombia might borrow a page from its far southern neighbor and consider a more humane approach.

Categories
Ideas Society

For Terminal Patients, Palliative Care Offers ‘Another Way To Die’

Easing pain and ‘old-fashioned’ home care, rather than intensive hospitalization, are proving themselves as better and cheaper ways to treat terminal patients.

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In The News

Meet The Tardigrade, Maxi Resistant Mini Species With Medical Potential

Scientists from the University of Magdalena in Colombia discovered six new species of tardigrades, microscopic ‘water bears’ that are remarkably resistant to extreme conditions and may help medical researchers.

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LGBTQ Plus Society

In Northern Colombia, LGBT Rights Meet Indigenous Prejudice

‘Alternative’ sexuality is despised in the traditionalist, native or Afro-Caribbean communities of northern Colombia. The choices for gays and lesbians tend to be harsh: face down your family and neighbors, or leave.

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In The News

How Trump Forced A News Columnist Into News Detox

News used to be a cherished staple for writer and conflict-resolution expert Aldo Civico. But when Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential elections, he had to take a break — for sanity’s sake.

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Ideas

Hardline Revisited, Welcome To Iván Duque’s Colombia

BOGOTÁ — The peace accords signed two years ago with the demobilized FARC guerillas continue to divide Colombians politically, as do questions over how the country should go about ending the conflict with ELN rebels, solve the problem of drug production, and terminate the illegal businesses that have fueled so much barbarism over the years. […]

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In The News

Adios, Santos: An Appreciative Send-Off As Colombia’s Peace President Steps Down

The peace process he helped guide in Colombia isn’t perfect. Nor is it complete. But by ending the decades-old war with the FARC, outgoing President Manuel Santos definitely made his mark.

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Geopolitics

Evolving Populism In Latin America, From Colombia To Mexico

The new presidents of Colombia and Mexico may fit into the populist mould, but their pledges and circumstances differ from those of their most notorious predecessors.

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In The News

Medellin In The 80s: Cartels, Car Bombs And… Punk Rock?

At a time when crime and violence peaked in Colombia’s second city, some young people sought refuge in the rough, head-banging vibe of punk music.

Categories
Ideas

Who Is Killing Colombia’s Community Organizers?

-OpEd- BOGOTA — There has been an alarming spike in targeted killings of activists since the decades-long war between the state and FARC guerilla force finally came to an end. Cases are particularly prevalent in territories formerly controlled by the FARC. Since the peace accords were signed in 2016, nearly 180 social, community and indigenous […]

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Green Or Gone

Latin America Joins Global Race To Score ‘Zero Waste’

Activists in Colombia are working with public and private entities, offline and online, to reduce and recycle every ounce of solid waste produced.

Categories
In The News

Latin America Deserves World Cup For Conspiracy Theories

-Analysis- Many of the Colombian players broke down in tears after coming up just short in last night’s World Cup match against England. Still, they can hold their heads high, and not just because of the valiant effort they put forth. The “truth” of the matter is they got robbed — at least according to […]

Categories
In The News

How GPS And Indigenous Eyes Are Mapping The Amazon Ecosystem

BOGOTA — “Our grandparents knew our territory well, its sacred and productive places, but also the risks we assumed if we did not use resources appropriately….” These are the words of José Zafiama, a teacher of the Uitoto indigenous people and member of the Azicatch Indigenous organization, which brings together peoples in the Predio Putumayo […]

Categories
In The News

Iván Duque, New Colombia President Is Likely Trump Ally In Latin America

Colombia’s next president may deepen divisions in his country and align Bogota with the belligerent postures of U.S. President Trump.

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In The News

Discovering Exquisite Vegan Food In Beef-Loving Bogotá

Colombians love their carne. But in the capital city, there are plenty of options too for top-end, meat-free dining.

Categories
In The News

From Colombia, A Passionate Defense Of Casting A Blank Vote

The choice of two radical candidates in Colombia’s second round of presidential elections does not oblige people to vote for one or the other. Let them cast a blank vote.

Categories
Future Geopolitics

What Voters Read In A Candidate’s Face

Researchers used visuals and scanning technology to gauge how people ‘feel’ about the contenders in Colombia’s current presidential election.

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