Social media is often regarded as a powerful tool for ordinary people to disseminate information, practice freedom of expression, and promote democracy throughout the world. However, sometimes that sentiment simply isn’t true. Nowhere was that better demonstrated in recent memory than in Venezuela. Protests organized by right-wing groups and activists…
For many people across the globe, accessing the Internet via a mobile phone is a matter of convenience. As of 2012, more than half of all local searches started being conducted from mobile devices, as people used their phones to navigate to shops and restaurants. But for many Venezuelans in…
A Venezuelan trans woman earned the title of Miss International Queen this week in Thailand, at a pageant which bills itself as the world’s largest beauty pageant for transgender candidates.Isabella Santiago, 22, surpassed 21 contestants from 18 different countries to win the Miss International Queen pageant on Nov. 7 in…
The Venezuelan government’s hold on the country’s media is no surprise to many people in and outside of the country. Recently, this control made headlines around the world when one of the nation’s oldest newspapers, El Impulso, announced that they would be stopping circulation due to a lack of advertising,…
Venezuela is not a very good place to grow old. The 2014 Global AgeWatch Index, developed by HelpAge International, ranks Venezuela among the bottom quarter of the index, alongside many impoverished African nations. Venezuela is ranked 76th out of 96 nations, well below any other South American country. The index…
In a new immigration study, USC professor and sociologist Pierette Hondagneu-Sotelo has analyzed the connection between immigration and gardening — not just as a career choice, but also as a hobby which is able to provide comfort and tranquility for immigrants who are having trouble adjusting to a new culture.…
Some 3,000 of Caracas, Venezuela’s poor have been evicted from their homes in the 45-story shantytown called the “Tower of David.” According to an August 3 Deseret News article, the tower has been inhabited for about seven years after construction on the skyscraper halted during Venezuela’s financial crisis. The “Tower…
When considering the right fence for your yard, there are a lot of considerations to keep in mind. Not only will this fence change the landscape of your property, but it will affect all of the wildlife that have made a home in your yard. Why not make this…