Ecuador considers women's right to orgasm

An Ecuadorian legislator has proposed a law designed to ensure women’s rights to sexual pleasure in the South American country.

Assembly member Maria Soledad Vela, recently proposed a change to the country’s constitution that would give women the right to sue their husbands if they are sexually unsatisfied.

She defended the measure as a means to end the traditional roles of women as sex objects or purely reproductive purposes – roles that almost completely exclude their right to enjoy sex.

Although the country has made significant progress in recent years, women continue to struggle for equality in the Andean nation. According to the country’s Office of Gender, women’s pay was 65 percent of the pay received by men for equal work last year. Abuses against women continue to be a problem as well.

Vela defended the law as a means to encourage responsible relationships and spark a dialogue about the state of sexual mores in light of Ecuador’s a male-dominated society.

"Women are only able express their dissatisfaction and problems, to doctors, or in small groups,” she said.

Ecuador’s legislature is currently rewriting the country’s constitution following a referendum held last April at the request of President Rafael Correa.

Other assembly members ridiculed the measure and accused Vela of trying to legislate orgasms.

“A friend of mine told me he was worried that he might get life in prison,” joked opposition Assembly member Leonardo Viteri.

“I never asked for the right to orgasm,” Vela countered. “Only the right to enjoyment.”

Fatal accidents mar start of tourist season in South America

As the summer tourist season begins to gain momentum in South America, a number of fatal accidents involving foreign visitors have dominated international attention.

Last Thursday a group of cyclists on Bolivia’s famous “Highway of Death” were slammed into by a Toyota Land Cruiser. One Briton on a bike was killed and eight of the people in the vehicle perished when it plunged over the cliff. Two other cyclists – also from the UK – were injured.

The incident follows the death of a US cyclist on the road April 19.

The highway between Bolivia’s capital of La Paz and Peru drops 3,600 meters in just 64 kilometers. Although paved in 2007, its hairpin turns and vast views have made it a destination for bicyclists with more than 25,000 riding it each year.

In southern Peru, five French tourists perished on April 9 when the plane they were in crashed near the Nazca lines. The pilot, who survived, claimed one of the passengers became frantic and tugged on the pilot's safety harness.

The famous geometric figures and rude drawings scoured into the desert hundreds of years ago are best viewed from the air and a cottage industry has emerged to handle the demand. According to officials there are about 40 small planes that make the 30-minute flights over the lines and air traffic becomes seriously congested during the tourist season.

Peruvian lawmakers vowed to strengthen restrictions on the planes to ensure better safety but just this weekend another plane had a close call when it experienced mechanical problems and was forced to land on the Panamerican Highway near the town.

In the most widely covered incident this year four British teenage girls and their tour guide were killed on April 12 in a bus crash in Ecuador. Fifteen others were injured when the bus struck another truck. The girls were on of the hundreds of gap-year tourists – young Europeans traveling the world in the year prior to university.

While these incidents garner massive amounts of foreign attention they are usually not considered in proper context. Since tourists almost inevitably travel in groups, accidents subsequently tend to involve larger numbers.

Moreover, the standard of safety for tourists may be wanting in comparison to many places in Europe and the US but it often is much higher than regular standards in the country in question. For example, bus accidents involving dozens of victims are depressingly common in rural Andean communities – but tourists rarely use these bus lines or travel to these areas.

Ecuador's banana war with Europe

Ecuador won another round of the “banana war” with Europe this week - a trade dispute that has become the longest in the history of the World Trade Organization.

This week the WTO ruled that the EU import duties on bananas violates global trade rules and paved the way to allow Ecuador to impose trade sanctions. The EU is considering an appeal.

Ecuador – the world’s largest exporter of the fruit – claims the trade policies of the EU – the world’s largest market for the fruit – favors Caribbean and African producers at the expense of Latin American producers. Ecuador initiated the case in 1996 along with Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the US. Three other countries – Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama – joined later.

Bananas represent the largest fruit industry in the world valued at more than $50 billion annually. They are the fourth largest distributed crop after rice, wheat and corn. European Union countries imported 4.185 million tonnes of bananas in 2006, an increase of 12.3 percent from the year prior. Ecuador is the leading exporter of the crop to the EU.

A report last year by The Guardian newspaper alleged that the trade preferences allowed the three main suppliers of bananas - Dole, Chiquita, and Fresh Del Monte- to create tax havens to avoid paying tax on their profits in Europe as well as the developing countries that produce the crop.

In the case of the latter, the practice is doubly damaging since it drives down costs dramatically – often resulting in severe cutbacks in the industry. Those cutbacks have often led to growers skirting labor laws which has led to a surge in child labor and other abuses, according to the New York Times.

Guinea Pig: The Andean delicacy

Nothing seems to disturb visitors to the Andean highlands as much as a meal of the local delicacy called cuy, more commonly known as guinea pig in the English-speaking world.

Even the most determined gourmand can be “freaked out” when presented with the repast for the first time but it’s really not that strange a foodstuff. Think of it as the Cornish game hen of the mammal kingdom.

Guinea pig was domesticated about 5,000 years ago in the Andean highlands and it is still a relatively common repast in the highlands of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. In Peru alone more than 65 million are consumed annually. It’s such a key aspect to the diet of the rural poor that significant resources have been allocated to help improve the breed for stock purposes.

It's not by accident that guinea pig became a staple of the Andean diet. It doesn’t cost much to care for – most raise it using wild alfalfa or excess foodstuffs – and it doesn’t require much space, something that's at a premium when living on a mountainside. The relatively short gestation cycle ensures that a constant supply of the animals can be available for consumption if properly taken care of.

It was so important to the pre-Spanish culture that the Inca's even had a saying "Eat guinea pig and live well." And that importance continues today. To the point thatPeru's National Agrarian Institute (INIA) holds regular workshops to educate breeders on how to improve production.

For many years, affluent Peruvians looked down on cuy as something backwards or unrefined but that seems to be changing somewhat. The dish has recently moved out of the rural areas and onto the menus of upscale restaurants in Lima with some success.

It can even be found outside of the Andean region in areas where recent immigrants have settled in relatively larger numbers like New York. But widespread popularity of the dish in the US and Europe is a very doubtful possibility.

There are countless ways of preparing cuy but the most common ways to find the dish prepared is chactado or spatchcocked and fried. In some areas, notably around Paita in the sacred valley, you can find it al horno or baked.

South American presidential approval ratings

The leaders of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador all saw a response in their popularity rating following an incident in early March that frayed tensions across the region. Colombian president Álvaro Uribe’s saw his already high popularity ratings have reached an all-time peak of 84 percent in the wake of the imbroglio.

Similarly, the dispute did much to solidify the approval rating of Ecuador’s leader, Rafael Correa, who already enjoyed a 55 percent approval rating. A recent poll showed that more than 80 percent of Ecuadorians approved of his efforts during the crisis.

The one leader whose involvement has suffered is Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez whose popularity rating is now at 34 percent. Many in Venezuela are concerned the fiery leftist leader needs to address pressing domestic issues such as food shortages and domestic security.

Here is a rundown of the rest:

• Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is enjoying renewed popularity due to his country’s recent economic prosperity. His 58 percent approval rating is the greatest for Lula in five years and analysts credit the recent increase in wages and drop in unemployment as the key factors behind it.


• Uruguayan president Tabaré Vázquez is enjoying a 56 percent approval rating, a significant uptick from just four months ago. The leader has recently reshuffled his cabinet in an effort to reinvigorate his administration.


• Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who won Argentina's presidency last December, continues to enjoy positive poll numbers. Almost 58 percent of Argentines say they rate her tenure as good or very good.


• Bolivia’s Evo Morales has seen his popularity erode in the past few months particularly due to questions over his effort to re-write the country’s constitution. Just more than 46 percent of Bolivians say they want him to continue as president.


• Chilean president Michele Bachelet, who reached the one-year mark of her administration in March, continues at just more than 42 percent approval. That stability is in the face of various problems in the country faced over the last 12 months and the current looming energy crisis due in part to a massive drought.


• In Peru, Alan Garcia's popularity rating has dropped to 28 percent - less than half of where it stood six months ago. His administration has cut spending, lowered taxes and raised interest rates that has made the country attractive to foreign investment but rising food and fuel costs which has increased domestic dissatisfaction.


• Paraguay’s unpopular Nicanor Duarte continues to bring up the back of the pack with a woeful 17 percent approval rating. The country’s presidential elections will be held in April.

A roundup of presidential popularity polls from August 2007 can be found here.

Widespread flooding in the Andes

In the past several months several Andean countries have been inundated by torrential rainfalls that have left dozens dead, thousands homeless and tens of thousands in danger.

The flooding began in December and are expected to continue at least another month. The La Niña weather phenomenon is to blame, according to experts. The weather formation is caused due to cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that creates additional precipitation inland.

Winter in the Southern Hemisphere is typically characterized by heavy rainfall in many areas. In the Bolivian Amazon region which lies in the upper middle part of the Madeira River basin rainfall during this period is measured in meters. But the recent rains have caused flooding in regions where such extreme levels of precipitation are not nearly as common.

Bolivia has been hit the hardest. So far 75 people have died and at least 97,000 families have been affected to date, according the United Nations. The government declared a national emergency in January. While millions of dollars of aid have been pledged to relief efforts the continuing rains have hampered aid efforts, officials said.

Ecuador's coast has been inundated as well. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Coastal Areas reports that 37 people have died and more than 3.6 million have been affected by floodwaters. All of the country has been under a state of emergency since February.

Peru has also been affected with 16 people dead and 24 missing as of late February. A state of emergency has been declared in four districts mostly in the North of the country. Nearly half a million people have been affected by the rains, officials said.

According to Bolivia's national weather and hydrology service, SENAMHI, the rainfall typically affects the high plains provinces of La Paz, Potosí and Oruro but, this year, it has drenched the entire country. Moreover, these areas were hard hit by El Niño flooding a year ago. Satellite imagery shows the impact of the floodwaters has inundated whole swaths of the country.

While floodwaters and landslides have been the principal dangers to date, aid groups are concerned of disease and food shortages due to the extensive damage of the inundation. More difficult to gauge is how much the devastation will affect resident's ability to sustain their livelihoods.

A volcano in the Galapagos begins to erupt

Over the past two weeks, things have been heating up in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.

The volcano on uninhabited Fernandina Island, at the far west of Ecuador's chain, has been rumbling to life of late according to Ecuador's Geophysics Institute.

On Aug. 28 an eruption of the volcano followed a 5.2 magnitude Richter Scale earthquake in the Beagle sector of Isabella island on the western flank of the volcano Darwin.

Fernandina is the tallest island in the archipelago with 1,494 meters above sea level. The last eruption happened in May 2005, leaving a large amount of lava down its southeastern flank. Fernandina has had between 20 and 22 eruptions since 1813.

Perhaps the most famed account of the mountain erupting was recorded by Captain Benjamin Morrell of the schooner Tartar in 1825. Anchored in nearby Banks Bay on Feb 14, he and his crew were startled to see the mountain begin to erupt but quickly put up sails to flee.

It was a close thing, according to his account. The air temperature reached almost 150 degrees and the tar in the rigging began to melt and the pitch holding the ship together began to liquify. But they caught a breeze and made it to safety about 50 miles away.


Find out more about Ecuador, South America and my varied interests over on Klephblog.

Technorati Tags: Peru, Galapagos, Fernandina, volcano

South American presidential approval ratings

The heads of state across South America have a pretty broad range of popularity ratings. None, at the current moment, exceed two-thirds of the populace approving their leadership efforts but only two have less than a third of the citizenry supporting them.

Colombia's Alvaro Uribe leads the way with a 66 percent approval rating. This is actually an unprecedented drop in his numbers attributed to the recent scandals in his country.

Controversial Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez continues to enjoy popular support with a 64.7 percent approval rating (from April, the most recent poll available). Two of Chavez' closest allies in the region Bolivia's Evo Morales and Ecuador's Rafael Correa are enjoying approval ratings of 61 percent and 62 percent, respectively.

Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has sustained a 50 percent approval rating despite fending off scandal accusations of his own. Uruguay's Tabaré Vázquez is also fighting a recent dip with his figures holding at 51 percent.

Argentina's Néstor Kirchner is holding at 49 percent approval while his wife and Buenos Aires senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner continues to hold the lead for October's presidential election.

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has seen her approval rating dip to 41 percent following waves of popular protest this year. Her neighbor to the north, Alan Garcia, has seen a similar whallop to his ratings following recent unrest. He's struggling to hold onto a 32 percent rating - half of what he enjoyed upon being elected one year ago.

Bringing up the rear is Paraguay's Nicanor Duarte whose 20 percent approval (from February, the most recent poll available) casts a dim light on his re-election hopes next year.


Find out more about South America and my varied interests over on Klephblog.

Technorati Tags: Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, presidential approval ratings

The US Air Force looks for a home in South America

For most of the past decade, the US military has based its anti-drug efforts in South America from the Eloy Alfaro Air Base in Manta, Ecuador.

The base is the United State's largest military outpost in South America and it serves as home to the fleet of surveillance aircraft that fly over the Pacific Ocean every day tracking drug shipments headed north to Mexico.

But the 10-year lease expires in 2009 and the future beyond that is uncertain. And the election of Rafael Correa last year has raised questions of whether it will be renewed. Correa made a campaign pledge to shut down the U.S. military base in Manta, where 400 U.S. soldiers are stationed. He has claimed the US military presence is an affront to Ecuadorian sovereignty.

US officials have said that, despite the rhetoric, they were optimistic Ecuador would allow the aircraft to use the base past 2009. But, since then, Ecuador's neighbors have reportedly stepped forward to offer their air bases for US use.

Earlier this month, The Miami Herald - also citing an anonymous source - reported that Colombia made a similar offer. Days later, Colombia's defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, refuted the report but in a carefully worded manner: "Neither have we asked for the installation of a (military) base, nor have we offered it to them."

This week Reuters cited an unnamed US official saying that Peru offered the U.S. government an alternative base for counter-drug surveillance flights. And, in turn, Peru's Minister of Foreign Relations, José Antonio García Belaunde, issued a carefully worded denial.

Find out more about Peru, South America and my varied interests over on Klephblog.

Technorati Tags: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, drugs, smuggling, air bases, Manta, AWACS

Rafael Correa and Ecuador's Freedom of the Press

In an apparent reaction to an embarrassing video released earlier this year and a further attack on the country’s press freedoms, Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, has instituted a law prohibiting the release of ‘clandestine’ videos and audios that involve high-government officials.

The decree was introduced this week as part of the country’s broadcasting and television law and prohibits the broadcast of videos or audio that do not have the authorization of the participants. The Secretariat of Communication said the law was necessary to protect “the right of privacy” of government officials.

Yet most believe the law is in response to the release of a video last May that embarrassed the administration. The clandestinely-filmed video made in February showed a meeting between various Ecuadorian finance officials - including the Minster of Finance, Ricardo Patiño - and representatives of a New York investment firm.

The video, taken days before the government was due to make payments on $135 million in bonds, showed the group planning to benefit from the creation of economic uncertainty in the country, the Financial Times reported. In the past, Correa has stated his strategy in the global bond market is “to create uncertainty” but the video was the first evidence of the plans on the part of Ecuador's government to profit directly from it.

Correa’s dealings with the press have been difficult since taking office. Given the polarized nature of Ecuadorian society, press coverage of the controversial president has been heated and, in June, Correa even admitted he had "made mistakes" in clashing with the press. But two weeks later, he called for "strong laws" to be imposed in the communications field.

Last week, Correa announced that he would no longer give news conferences and, instead, he would now respond to the news media only "in writing." Moreover, Correa has also persisted in using one of the country’s “insult laws” which carry the penalty of six months to two years in prison against the editor of a Quito newspaper.

The laws have been roundly criticized as a barrier to freedom of expression. The measures have been removed from the penal codes of Argentina, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay and Peru, and partially repealed in Chile. In Latin America, only Venezuela has recently strengthened its version of the laws.


Find out more about Ecuador, South America and my varied interests over on Klephblog.

Technorati Tags: Ecuador, Rafael Correa, freedom of the press, censorship, media