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What Salvadoran bloggers are saying — tourism and gold mining

Tim Muth · 22:05

Salvadoran bloggers often ponder what types of economic development can best help the country lift the overall status of its people. There is general agreement that tourism would be good for the country, but what kind of tourism? Hunnapuh explores the advantages El Salvador has from its small size — one can go from a cool mountaintop rainforest to sunny beaches and seafood dinners in just a few hours. The biggest barrier he finds to the growth of tourism is the actual and perceived rate of violent crime in the country which repels tourists, even though the areas of high crime and gangs are fairly localized.

Salvadoran bloggers like the idea of “coffee tourism.” El Visitador, discussed the possibility of tourism involving the El Salvador's coffee industry and the process of growing, harvesting and roasting El Salvador's gourmet coffees. He was commenting on a recent blog entry by award winning coffee brewer Jim Seven describing his recent visit to the coffee fincas of El Salvador. Hunnapuh agreed and described a coffee-focused restaurant on the slopes of the San Salvador volcano as an example of what is possible.

Unlike tourism where there is general support, gold-mining produces deep disagreement among Salvadoran bloggers and persons posting comments on those blogs. As the price of gold climbs, Canadian mining companies are increasingly prospecting for possible sites to mine in El Salvador. El Visitador celebrates the prospects of just one mine creating 340 jobs. Tim acknowledges the benefit of such jobs, but questions whether El Salvador can ever regulate the mining companies to prevent environmental degradation and enforce worker's rights. Hunnapuh flatly opposes expansion of gold mining in El Salvador, pointing to the dirty history of mines located in other developing countries.
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Trinidad: Hanuman murti

Georgia Popplewell · 13:54

Hanuman murti, Trinidad. Photo by caribbeanfreephoto

Located in Carapichaima, Trinidad, this 85-foot murti representing the Hindu deity Hanuman is reputed to be the largest of its kind outside of India. The murti stands on the grounds of the Dattatreya Yoga Centre and Mandir and attracts devotees offering gifts and performing the ritual of pradakshina (circumambulation while uttering the sacred Hanuman mantra). The murti took two years to construct and was consecrated in 2003. See this Flickr photoset for more images of the Hanuman murti.

Approximately 40% of Trinidad and Tobago's population traces its ancestry to India.

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Flying Over the Iraqi Blogodrome…

Salam Adil · 13:02

…almost literally. I am completing this post in an airplane somewhere over Turkey and Iran. If I look out of my window I can point to an area of the darkness outside that might be Iraq. Worth the delay just so that I can say this!

This week I have new blogs some breaking news and I will try to concentrate on the routine stories of the day to day life of Iraqi bloggers. But the special thing about blogs is that even the mundane become fascinating.

Welcoming two new blogs:

A new weblog has been created on a much-needed subject. It is for Expatriate Iraqi Scientists and their role is to “Stay united and rejuvenate Iraq's scientific heritage”. One important task they have started is to gather information about the spate of assassinations of Iraqi academics and professionals. (more…)

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The Pride of Cambodia: Young Generation

Tharum Bun · 03:34

A 15-year-old Cambodian girl has recently made news headline, following a gold medal award won by a 16-year-old boy. Among 196 candidates from 36 countries, Mom Charya is the winner of the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) held in Indonesia. The exams in the competition included theory, problem solving, and actual experiment.

Born into a family of farmers, she first entered a school in rural area in Siem Reap province, where there was no well-equipped research matierals, not to mention experimental and practice classes. She later moved to a high school in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. At her age she has her vision. She wants to be a researcher in Cambodia.

On Mungkol's weblog, a comment read that:

“she’s a brillant new Cambodian generation, to bring prosperity to our beloved Cambodia.
By the ways, she’s endowed with intelligent as well as beauty.”

Other silver medal nominees included young people from South Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Germany, Serbia, China, Romania, Russia, the Philippines, Croatia, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.

Also in the news, a young man from Cambodia was honored for his participation in the international science contest. Dy Kuchsa won a gold medal in the science contest, which organized by the same institution. Kalyan, a university student wrote that:

“I am very proud of Dy KouchSa, a Cambodian student who won the gold medal in the World Science Competition for student under 16 held in Indonesia. I believe that in the near future there will be many more bright fellows like him to help develop our country.”

“you are wonderful for not only yourself and your family but also for our BELOVED COUNTRY, CAMBODIA. Move forward! Don't stop here. Try to study English and be good at it before you finish high school. Then you will have lots of chance to get scholarship to study abroad. DON'T STOP! KEEP MOVING! Cambodia needs lots of people like you. We are proud of you!”

With enthusiasm and courage, young people play a vital role in the contribution to the nation development. At their age, they feel they want to be part of something, something significant in rebuilding the war-torn nation. Organized by Institute of Foreign Languages in Phnom Penh, on May 6, 2006, group of students participated in a social work to promote environmental issues. This clean-up day aimed to spread the words to people to help keeping the country clean for their own well-beings. And Sopha posted some selective photo of her and friends in ‘Clean-up Day' T-shirt.

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