Monday, July 24, 2006 Online Edition 27 |
Bus crash causes crises in Honduras' public transit
Christopher Heffernan |
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Electricity company trying
The electrical substation by Via Olimpica in Tegucigalpa which transfers power from the power stations to the consumers. Anette Emanuelsson
Golden era of Trujillo revealed in photos Wendy Griffin
Natural disasters weakening national economy Veronica Wood-Querales Courtesy of NOAA
Controversy in the Presidential Palace Teachers strike in seven departments The Health Ministry is behind in payments The health minister is behind in payments
Maquila to hire 1,100 new workers Time change has not High cost of petroleum leads to a hike in air fares Honduras has the worst customs union in Central America Coffee price reduces, increasing the commercial breach Early in my culinary career and before children came into our lives, my wife and I went into the catering business in Tampa, Florida. While starting any new business can be stressful, the catering industry can be especially challenging with long hours, busy weekends, and typically most holidays as peak demand. The first couple of years were particuliary difficult and we decided to offer gourmet cooking classes to make ends meet. As a professional trained chef it is often difficult to get invited into someones home for dinner; as a chef who taught gourmet cooking classes, it was nearly impossible. There were really only two exceptions during our entire time in Tampa By:Daniel O' Connor Here's to a sailor, plying the waters of life with a smile; a universal child running before the wind of curiosity in a restless journey of the soul. Just
the other night, as I looked out from the deck at Foster's, I saw the
silhouette of a sailing craft lying at anchor in moon-kissed silvery
waters. It made me feel tingly-warm all over! Jorge Agurcia/Honduras This Week
Executive branch on the way to recovery This
week vice-president Elvis Santos gave an interview with a Honduran newspaper.
Speaking in straightforward terms and with strong conviction, he defined
his views on democracy. Full Editorial WHY ARE YOU HERE? Utila Carnival In the middle of July, I had the Mayor of Utila, Alton Cooper, on the show. He is always interesting to have as a guest because he teaches me about our good neighbor Utila. I get to learn right from the person who knows the most. The island at the time was preparing for the Utila Carnival that will take place the 22nd to the 30th. People from all over come to this festival. Family members from the United States choose this time to come together to return to the island. There is no better person than the Mayor Alton Cooper to tell me all about it. Utila Carnaval
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Monday, July 17, 2006 Online Edition 26 |
Debt relief gives Honduras a chance to escape poverty cycle Christopher Heffernan Old man working to survive in the impoverished village of La Pintada, near Copán Ruinas. On July 1st, the World Bank announced the cancellation of part of Honduras' debt. While nearly everyone in Honduras applauds this move, controversy has arisen over how the money will be spent. Honduras was eligible for debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Over the next fifteen years, Honduras will have $1.293 billion of its $5.5 billion debt forgiven by the multilateral lending institutions. It is expected that this money will be used to promote development and alleviate poverty. "Additional debt relief will help Honduras channel resources into programs that directly help the people who need it most," said Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank. By:Christopher Heffernan
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Poverty reduction and cultural promotion on French agenda
Courtesy of the French Embassy For the grand majority of countries July 14 passes unnoticed, but for the French this is a day of great national importance and in Honduras, the French Ambassador plans to celebrate despite being thousands of miles from home. There are approximately 300 French nationals registered in Honduras today, quite a small number when one considers that French-Honduran relations first materialized nearly 150 years ago. This history of inter-dependence has led to a stable and consistent political relationship between the two governments, a relationship so strong in fact that Jacques Chirac was the first State Leader to visit a devastated Honduras after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. At that time, Honduras' national debt was estimated at $30 million and France pledged to do all in its power to cancel this huge deficit.
COHEP presents a plan for economic regionalization
Sophie Cross
The key aims for the recently created Centre for Economic and Social Investigations, CIES, lie within economic growth and territorial development. The first national seminar dealing with these themes was held on Tuesday in Tegucigalpa. During the seminar, COHEP revealed its objective to increase public awareness concerning these issues and has presented the idea of 'national regionalization' as a means of bettering the Honduran economy. By: Sophie Cross
Minister of culture struggling with limited resources Hannah Green Hannah Green/Honduras This Week
Over the past months, Honduras This Week has investigated a variety of cultural scenes in the country, from Reggaeton to poetry. Similarly worrying conclusions were drawn from the majority of these articles: that each movement suffered not from the participants' and organizers' lack of passion, but from a crippling lack of funds. Honduran culture is currently surviving owing only to the struggling minority's efforts to make the public both more aware and more interested in the current and past cultural treasures of its country. By: Hannah Green
Agreement between Honduras and Cuba over illegal immigrants Foreign minister requests return of passports U.S. revises the Honduran immigration system
Deadly transportation The roads of Honduras are inoperative. Even though they appear to be satisfactory, the truth is that they arenarrow, there is a distinct lack of markings and drainage, they have ridiculous bends, dangerously uneven surfaces, a lack of emergency access, and completely inadequate pedestrian safety. On top of that, the bus drivers often lack experience and education, they are not controlled by the police and often work without proper documentation, and their units weigh far too much and aren't checked up regularly.Full editorial
Businesses ask for more analysis of Trade Deal with Canada ENEE reports highest electricity consumption in Honduras' history Government asking IMF for flexibility when negotiating with teachers Honduras should diversify maquila production according to developer Insurance sales up with sixteen percent Construction of Central American electricity line underway
"No one dies of nausea, but it can seriously sap the will to live." --- Yann Martel, Life of Pi Jorge Agurcia Fasquelle/Honduras This Week After weeks of fun in the sun, on the way to the pier that day I ran into Danny Jones, local raconteur and steadfast member of the island spirit committee. He was cooking meat on a spit over hot coals, like all pirate descendants do. When he saw me eyeing his lunch-to-be he figured he had to explain. But I guess he also wanted to include some advice for the traveler that looked somewhat fed up with paradise. As he pointed at the makeshift BBQ, which actually looked like one of Danny's own dreadlocks being roasted on a stick, this is more or less the way it went.By: Jorge Agurcia Fasquelle Italian comedy in Manuel Bonilla Veronica Wood-Querales Veronica Wood-Querales/Honduras This Week Honduras is not a country particularly renowned for its love of the stage, however, the theater group Bocaccio is looking to raise the profile of the arts. They will be performing "Cornudo, Apaleado y Contento," a play based on Giovanni Boccaccio´s "Decameron," later this month. Written by Alejandro Casona, it is a comedy based in Italy during the middle ages. Combining love, disguise and deceit, it is typical medieval play, exploring relationships and fidelity. Lots of timeless themes are investigated that can be applied to modern life.
Ever wonder why the crime rate, especially in the large cities of Honduras, continues unabated? For example, in the Sula Valley which is home to San Pedro Sula and some 720,000 inhabitants there are only 233 police officers and only 50 or so vehicles, many of which are perennially out of service for repairs. When you minus those police on sick leave, vacation, office duty and those who must sleep at least a few hours, that leaves precious few officers on the streets or in the police stations to protect what is the nation's second largest metropolitan area. By: Howard Rosenzweig
Roatan Bruce Interviews Sixteen Cuban refugees land on Roatan at Palmetto Bay Plantation
Bruce Starr/Honduras This Week On July 6th, sixteen Cuban boat refugees who escaped from their home country ten days earlier on a fragile 27 foot dingy came on land on Roatan at the Palmetto Bay Plantation. I was to later find out that they were indeed searching for Honduras, but not necessarily Roatan. Over the next several days, I visited them at a motel at the outskirts of downtown Coxen Hole that I never knew existed. The motel overlooks the western approach to the Roatan Airport and the Caribbean Sea and it serves as the holding place for the Cubans until they find out their fate.Complete Letter
ILLEGAL ALIENS ***Sixteen Cuban refugees arrived to Roatan on July 6th on this small boat powered by some torn tarps. Following a tip from a fellow media member, HTW went to Palmetto Bay Resort late Thursday afternoon last week. We found a small boat powered by some torn tarps anchored offshore at Palmetto Bay. On the beach were sixteen Cuban escapees looking very good considering they were at sea for a reported 10 days. Among the group were two young children, some women and some men one of which claimed to be a Cuban government worker who if returned to Cuba would face jail time or worse for committing treason. By: Don Pearly |
Monday, July 10, 2006 Online Edition 25 |
Modernization commission proposes structural reforms
The issue of modernization has become a hot topic in Honduras recently, especially with the coming into force of CAFTA. The controversy surrounding this issue has focused the spotlight on a small office located in the Lomas Executive Building. In this building, you find the office of the Presidential Commission for the Modernization of the State, which has been quietly working with international financial institutions and Honduran lawmakers to "modernize" Honduras. Marcio G. Sierra Discua, director of the commission, believes that many people in Honduras do not fully understand what modernization entails. "Most people relate modernization just with computer programs, software, new hardware, but in this case it's not that… Modernization is changes in different areas of the state, and we make structural reforms in [these] different areas," said Discua.By: Christopher Heffernan |
Monday, July 3, 2006 Online Edition 24 |
Ambassador Ford discusses U.S. - Honduran relations Anette Emanuelsson Charles Ford began his duties as U.S. Ambassador in Honduras on November 8, 2005. A member of the Foreign Service since 1982, Ford most recently served at the United States Foreign Commercial Service. At the residence of U.S. Ambassador Charles Ford, the preparations for the traditional Fourth of July celebrations are in full swing, and by the entrance a group of workers are busy improving the paintjob on the white gate. On Sunday July 2nd, hundreds of prominent Honduran and international guests are expected at the traditional reception. Ambassador Ford, working from home on the day of the interview, meets up in the library together with Press Attaché Julie Nickels. Lately, their focus has been less on the upcoming festivities and more on the somewhat strained relations between Honduras and the United States, although Ambassador Ford describes the relations By: Anette Emanuelsson
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Expected increase of non-traditional agricultural exports
With CAFTA bringing globalization and general economic opening, the Honduran economy has experienced increasing exports. Not only that, but there has been a diversification of the products being exported, with a reduction of traditional products and strong development of non-traditional ones. Non-traditional agricultural products in particular are expected to have a bright future. According to a study made by CIPRES (Center for Social and Economic Investigations), traditional exports like banana, coffee, wood, refrigerated meat, silver, zinc and sugar made up 83.2% of the country's total exports in the year 1960. Starting in the 1990s, these traditional exports have been on the decrease, and today they represent 50% of the country's total exportation of goods. On the other hand, non-traditional products made up 20% of exports in the 1970s. Today they represent 40% to 45% of total exports. Some of the most popular non-traditional products include shrimp, lobster, pineapple, cantaloupe melon and tobacco. It is important to acknowledge that most of these non-traditional products are part of the agricultural sector.By: Shirley Villalobos
Honduran war hero Fernando Soto dead
Honduras this Week Honduras has lost one of its national heroes. Colonel Fernando Soto died in a private Tegucigalpa hospital early on Sunday June 25th at the age of 67, after his health deteriorated, according to relatives quoted in the local newspapers. The veteran pilot was declared "National Hero" after the "100 Hour War" between Honduras and El Salvador in 1969, where Soto shot down three Salvadorian airplanes from his World War II Corsair - the last air combat between piston-engine planes in the world. In a Honduras This Week article written by Jorge Flores McClellan in 1999, Soto recalled the day of the famous battle:By: Anette Emanuelsson
A national celebration Shawna Lehr The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on August 2, 1776 declaring America free from Great Britain. However, the vote in favor of independence was held already on July 2nd and the text of the Declaration was reworked and released, unsigned, on July 4th which is therefore the actual date on the Declaration. The first unofficial holiday was celebrated on July 4, 1777 in Philadelphia. Those of us who were raised in the United States have fond memories of baseball, barbeques and fireworks associated with the birthday of the nation. The national holiday represents the essence of American identity. Have we ever wondered, however, where the traditions on the 4th day in July originated?By: Shawna Lehr
AmCham's efforts improve American-Honduran trade market Sophie Cross Juan Carlos Casco, Roberto Álvarez, AmCham Honduras; Elvin Santos, Honduran Vice President. Honduras This Week spoke to the American Chamber of Commerce in Honduras' Executive Director, Juan Carlos Casco, back in March this year about the effect that the recently introduced Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) could have on the country's commerce. We returned for an update on recent developments in trade facilitated by AmCham, now that CAFTA has had the chance to take effect. AmCham has been steadily working towards further improving commercial ties between Honduras and outside countries over the past few months. "We have never had this opportunity before in history," said Casco, speaking of the benefits that the free trade agreement has brought. "It is a new economic era for Honduras. We are rapidly receiving interest from prospective international investors." By: Sophie Cross 45 years and still going strong: the American Peace Corps in Honduras Sophie Cross
Peace Corps volunteers helped children train for the Rural Baseball Tournament earlier this year to celebrate the organization's 45th anniversary. Along with traditional Fourth of July celebrations, the American Peace Corps is currently holding a series of events to commemorate its 45th anniversary. Originally founded on March 1st 1961, the Peace Corps began sending volunteers over to Honduras in 1963. Since then, more than 5,000 American citizens have undertaken one of the organization's six two-year projects, providing support to sustainable development within the country. Today the establishment continues to bring in three groups of volunteers a year to assist with a diverse array of assignments that range from water sanitation to youth development. There are currently 180 volunteers working in Honduras, along with 51 trainees. By: Sophie Cross
Latin lifestyle and volunteer work bringing Americans to Honduras
American expat Robert Dale with hops imported from England that he uses to make his beer.
The growing American expatriate community is making Honduras an increasingly attractive place to live. According to the American Embassy in Honduras in October last year there were over 47,000 US citizens registered in Honduras. This is a huge increase on almost 37,000 registered in 2004. Largely based in the north coast and the Bay Islands, tourists are now staying for good. Go to Roatan and you will find the island is largely populated by Americans, many of whom own bars and other local businesses. However, tucked away in the furthest parts of the country are Americans who have created a life amongst the locals. By: Veronica Wood- Querales
More than just numbers Christopher Heffernan The work of embassies is often thought to be in the realm of "high politics", focusing on issues such as war and peace, security, and strategic alliances. However, in an increasingly global world, where one bad day on the market can undermine a country's economic security, issues once thought to be of low political importance have become a major part of what embassies do. For example, the economic division of the U.S. embassy in Honduras is responsible for representing a broad range of U.S. business interests and works on behalf of major financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank. With U.S. investment in Honduras totalling $601 million, or 44% of total foreign direct investment, the policies and actions of this department are very important.By: Christopher Heffernan
Increased economic activity in Honduras
Shirley Villalobos The Honduran economic activity increased by 5.4% between January and April of 2006, compared to 3.4% for the same period in 2005 according to a recent report published by the Central Bank of Honduras. The Report on Economic Performance uses the Monthly Economic Activity Index (IMAE), which is measurement of the production of the most relevant productive sectors of the economy. Not only has the economic activity increased, but Honduras has the second lowest inflation in Central America, after El Salvador. By: Shirley Villalobos
Government enlists 540 new police officers Honduras centre-stage for trafficking network Opposition to hydroelectric border dam
Big Brother's Birthday After 230 years of independence, the world continues to be inspired by American values. This year, like every year, we stand in solidarity with America as it celebrates these values on its day of independence. We must remember that it was the values of liberty and democracy, expressed so boldly in its declaration of independence, which provided inspiration to our own founding fathers. Although this is not to say that all of America's actions in the subsequent two centuries have exhibited the same moral virtue. There certainly have been corrupt Americans. However, we do think that, overall, America's strong and honest actions in the international arena have given it the credibility it has today. Full editorial
Ecuador interested in trade with Honduras Mobile phone industry is top destination for foreign investment Drinks contributing to national treasury Honduras viable market for foreign investors World Bank pledges to cancel poor country debt
SPORTS Déjà Vu Diego Vasquez We are back in time: It is 1990, the World Cup is taking place in Italy. A German player throws himself in the Argentinean area and Codesal, moved by who knows what motives (although I can suspect which ones), claimed a nonexistent penalty, unfair in the eyes of any football connoisseur. This is how the American Continent lost all possibilities of having a World Cup Champion, this is how the Olympic round was given away to a German team that could n` t even believe it.By: Diego Vasquez
"One ship sails east and another west, With the very same winds that blow; 'Tis the set of sails and not the gales, That tell us the way to go." Mary Rippon's version of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's "Winds of Fate" When Mary Rippon wrote these lines in her diary-taken from the famous verse by Ella Wheeler-she was thinking of the break-up of her marriage. She relates it to sailing. Both utilities are now perceived to have fallen behind the times. Marriage, something that was once crucial to the bearing and rearing of children, sadly is now more of an unnecessary burden than a common benefit. Sailing-also- has been replaced by progress; steam and power seem to go hand in hand with the disappearance of man's need for virtue and humility.By: Jorge Agurcia Fasquelle
Here in Copan Ruinas there is a small yet growing expat population that has been around for many years, way before the town became a destination for Maya world gringo trail backpackers. Historically, the first full time gringo residents of Copan came to work on archeological projects in the later part of the 1800s. Virtually all of the most important excavations and reconstruction work at the Copan ruins were led and financed by U.S. universities such as Harvard, Vanderbilt and the University of Pennsylvania. Longtime Copan archeologists such as the Fashs have a home in Copan and would spend part of the year in Copan and part at their home university. Other expat archeologists have also moved to Copan and a handful have settled here permanently. Nowadays many of the old time archeologists from the 70s and 80s have moved on and a new crop of recently minted Phds who studied under the great Copan archeologists of the 70s and 80s are back in Copan starting up their own projects and pursuing research projects. By: Howard Rosenzweig Replacing Big-Macs with Chardonnay? - France's cultural presence in Honduras
Christopher Heffernan Courtesy of the French Alliance Staying in Honduras for any length of time it is impossible to avoid the overwhelming presence of American culture. From fast food chains to TV programs, the footprint of Uncle Sam is everywhere. However, anyone who enjoys a good Chardonnay or pungent-smelling cheese may be interested to know that there is another, more subtle cultural presence in the country. Based in the capital of Tegucigalpa the Alliance Française, or French Alliance, is a cultural centre working to spread a little bit of France to Honduras. By: Christopher Heffernan
Our Lady of Suyapa: Shawna Lehr Honduras This Week Protecting the city of Tegucigalpa, on the hill of the Francisco Morazan region, lays the most admired site of Honduran Catholics. The Basilica of Suyapa honors the Patron Saint of Honduras in the village of Suyapa. Unlike many of the colonial Spanish churches in Tegucigalpa, Hondurans built the basilica in 1954. By: Shawna Lehr
Roatan Bruce Interviews Minister of Tourism: Ricardo Martinez Roatan Bruce: Thank you for coming to the studio. Tell me about some of the most important issues you are dealing with today? Ricardo Martinez: The cruise industry is very important. The Port Authority is no longer going to collect the dock fees from cruise ships. They will now be collected by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Why did this make sense for the Bay Islands? Royal Caribbean is going to invest five million dollars on the first phase of the dock transformation and on a shopping center. I am trying to convince them to build a convention center as well. In exchange, we are giving them the normal incentives. Full Interview
ROATAN AND IT'S FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS When a Rotanian/American really wants to celebrate the 4th of July, he or she heads for Tegucigalpa and the American Embassy. That is our home away from home and the only real location for celebrating this special holiday. The embassies are notorious for throwing an old fashioned party complete with red white and blue everything. Oh yes, there will be some small gatherings with BBQ and hot dogs and even Apple Pie, but nothing organized or grandiose. We are not allowed to shoot guns even in the air for fear of losing our hard earned gun permits. We cannot find fireworks; they show up for the Honduran events like Christmas or New Years but are never for sale on the open market. By: Don Pearly
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