2006 October 24 | VivirLatino

Archive for October 24th, 2006

The one country with sustainable development: Cuba

5:23 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Cuba|Environment · 1 Comment

24 Oct 2006

While the rest of the world is busy chingando the ecosystem, a report published by the World Wildlife Foundation claims that the only country in the world with “sustainable development” is Cuba:

WWF includes in its report a graph which shows two features: the human development index (established by the United Nations) and the so-called “ecological footprint” which shows the per person energy and resources comsued in each country.

Surprisingly, only Cuba has passed in both arenas, which is enough to be designated a country that “meets the minimum sensitivity criteria”.

The study’s authors credit the high level of literacy, long life expectancy and low consumption of energy for this success.

The authors also claim that Latin America is the region that leads in sustainable development, and that is due in part to the fact that, according to them:

“…people are happier there and maybe that’s because there is a better balance between development and the environment.”

That doesn’t sound very scientific to me. And I can’t say that people in general are “happier” in Latin America. They worry about different things and let other things go maybe, but that generalization is a little bit far-fetched, I think. Though there are those who think otherwise.

Via / 20 Minutos

Image via BBC.co.uk

Countdown to the Latin Grammys : Album of the Year

1:49 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Events|Music|New York City · Comments Off

24 Oct 2006

So I still don’t have a dress for the big day, the Latin Grammy Awards, but I do have a growing list of musicians I want to see and questions even. For example, have you ever wondered what’s the difference is between the catagories Record of the Year and Album of the Year? According to the official Grammy website Record of the year is awarded to the artist and to the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist and is for singles only but Album of the Year is awarded to artist(s), and to the album producer(s), recording engineer(s) / mixer(s) & mastering engineer(s) if other than the artist and is for an entire album. The nominees for Album of the Year are…..

Be pretty, be fit, have light skin…or else

24 Oct 2006

Picture%202.png As striking as it may be to anyone who hasn’t lived in Latin America, discrimination based on skin color, race, height, weight, gender and sexual orientation is the order of the day when it comes to looking for a job in some countries. In most Latin American countries (and in Spain) a photograph is required when submitting a resume for a job.

In Mexico, not only are employers looking at photos to make the typical judgement of “she’s probably going to have kids soon, no use to us” — which is bad enough — but they are also using carefully crafted job postings to make sure they weed out “undesirables”. The best part? “Diversity-friendly” American companies in Mexico are doing it too:

When Michigan-based automotive supplier Lear Corp. needed a secretary for its office in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, it placed a classified ad seeking a “female … aged 20 to 28 … preferably single … with excellent presentation.”

And to ensure that it got the right candidate, Lear asked applicants to include a recent photo with their resumes.

NYT Looks at Puerto Rico

10:49 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Newspapers|Puerto Rico · Comments Off

24 Oct 2006

An editorial in yesterday’s New York Times looks at the dire situation the colony/nation of Puerto Rico finds itself in and why. The article points to a study — “The Economy of Puerto Rico: Restoring Growth” — from the Center for the New Economy, a nonpartisan Puerto Rican research group, and the Brookings Institution. The study doesn’t point the finger for the island’s problem on the people of Puerto Rico but rather at the U.S. government and its’ policies.

Much of the blame can be put on Washington, which has been tone deaf to the island’s needs and has miscalculated where help was needed. Even a good idea, like the Section 936 program of tax incentives, was mismanaged. Before it was phased out last year, it had succeeded in bringing many pharmaceutical concerns to the island, but produced relatively few jobs and at so high a cost that a $40,000 position cost the government $70,000.

VivirLatino

Archive for October 24th, 2006

The one country with sustainable development: Cuba

Countdown to the Latin Grammys : Album of the Year

Be pretty, be fit, have light skin…or else

NYT Looks at Puerto Rico

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