Monthly Archives: April 2014

Red wine or white, sir, with your guinea pig? Peruvians are eating more of the furry rodents than ever. Even the posh restaurants are getting in on the act.

Red wine or white, sir, with your guinea pig? Peruvians are eating more of the furry rodents than ever. Even the posh restaurants are getting in on the act.
  • April 25, 2014
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Gutted and splayed out on its back, its claws and teeth bared in a death grimace, the roast guinea pig stares up from the plate. Its eyes appear to bore into me as I toy with the ultra-Peruvian garnish of boiled potatoes and sliced onions soaked in lime juice, and then poke gingerly with a fork at the little fella’s ribs. But this is no time for squeamishness. Or utensils, for that matter. My two companions barely hesitate before each ripping off a leg and tucking in. Just like fried chicken, guinea pig…Read more …

Is Chile about to end Pinochet’s total ban on abortion? This country is 1 of just 6 that prohibit terminating pregnancy under any circumstance. That may be about to change.

Is Chile about to end Pinochet’s total ban on abortion? This country is 1 of just 6 that prohibit terminating pregnancy under any circumstance. That may be about to change.
  • April 13, 2014
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When doctors told Karen Espindola three months into her pregnancy that her son had a brain defect, her initial reaction was searing grief. But even as she sobbed in the hospital waiting room — surrounded by other expecting moms anxiously looking forward to giving birth — she decided to press ahead with the pregnancy. A 23-year-old call center worker, whose partner had abandoned her upon hearing she was pregnant, Espindola resolved to love her son regardless of whether he had Down’s syndrome or some other genetic condition. Two weeks later, after further tests,…Read more …

Why USAID’s ‘Cuban Twitter’ plan missed the point Instead of clandestine backing for a messaging platform, the US could just stop blocking computer and smartphone sales to Cuba.

Why USAID’s ‘Cuban Twitter’ plan missed the point Instead of clandestine backing for a messaging platform, the US could just stop blocking computer and smartphone sales to Cuba.
  • April 10, 2014
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As United States senators grilled the head of the government's international aid agency this week about ZunZuneo, the “Cuban Twitter,” perhaps the biggest question went unasked. If Washington wants to help Cubans break through the “information blockade” on their island — and thus potentially subvert the Castro regime — why not finally allow companies to freely export internet technology to Cuba instead of engaging in controversial cloak-and-dagger tactics? It emerged last week that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) had been behind ZunZuneo, a cellphone-based microblogging platform that suddenly appeared in Cuba…Read more …