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Sunday, October 28, 2007
Bishops from Global South Meet with Executive Committee
[Episcopal News Service] Members of the Episcopal Church's Executive Council spent a large portion of the second day of its three-day meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, October 27 hearing about
the mission and ministry of its covenant partners in Central America, Liberia and the Philippines.
The Primates and provincial secretaries of Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de American (IARCA), La Iglesia Anglican de Mexico, Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, and the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, along with Bishop Edward W. Neufville of the Episcopal Church of Liberia and Sandei Cooper, Liberian diocesan treasurer,
addressed the council during its October 27 afternoon plenary session.
The Episcopal Church has "covenant partnerships" with these churches. The partnerships include promises of financial subsidies for certain amounts of time, as well as mutual
ministry and interdependence.
IARCA Primate Barahona said he looked forward to working with the Episcopal Church to create an Anglican Communion "in
which no one is excluded."
IARCA consists of the dioceses of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama, and provincial secretary Monterroso
described the vast diversity of the region.
"We are a missionary church," he said, but "we need more churches, more people involved with us."
Monterroso added that IARCA wants to grow by five percent each year and that those who want to become priests must first
start a church. "They must prove that they can do it," he said. Priests must submit their Sunday sermons on Thursday, not
as a punishment but as part of the work towards a "common mission," he said, adding that he often learns from his fellow preachers.
Education, both theological and secular, is very important to IARCA, he said. Church buildings are used every day to help
educate area children. The buildings are "not just for drinking coffee on Sunday," he said. The churches also have set aside
Wednesdays as the time for theological study and a common curriculum so that "all Wednesdays, all churches reflect about one
issue," Monterroso said.
IARCA churches also work to alleviate the extreme poverty of the region, he said, adding that much of their work is done
among immigrant populations. And the churches also minister to women, children and youth, including the large number being
raised by single mothers. IARCA has influenced some countries to enact laws to ensure gender balance in secular governance,
Monterroso said.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Public Health Care Guaranteed - Or Is It?
The national assembly voted yesterday to pass a law guaranteeing that the National Health System will be
public. The government, however, may contract with private health care organizations "under exceptional circumstances
and for limited times". The vote was essentially unanimous after the FMLN delegates walked out. The government
(right wing) party, ARENA, was joined by the far right PCN party and the left center PDC and CD parties, who sometimes side
with the FMLN.
Outside the hall, social services and non-profit organizations demonstrated against the vote, saying the
conditions in public hospitals were deplorable and medicines scarce. They said the new law leaves the doors open to
private firms.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Traditions of El Salvador
El Salvador's rich folklore is spotlighted in the website named simply Folklore of El Salvador at http://www.folklordeelsalvador.com/. The site has sections on traditional dress, dance, music, and instruments. The site is in Spanish, but
even if you only speak English you can appreciate the photos, music downloads and the videos of traditional dance.
From Tim's
El Salvador Blog http://luterano.blogspot.com/
More Floods in El Salvador
Last week the country was under a yellow alert as rains continued for six days. On Saturday rainfall
totals were generally somewhat less than an inch although almost three inches fell in Santa Ana. On person drowned
in La Libertad and more than six hundred were evacuated.
More Floods in El Salvador
El Salvador was under a yellow alert for floodng last week after six days of heavy rain. There was
one death by drowning -- in La Libertad. On Saturday almost three inches of rain fell in Santa Ana. During the
same interval there were tremors in the area of the Chaparrastique volcano, near San Miguel.
Friday, October 12, 2007
President Saca Proposes Increase in Minimum Wage
Last night Salvadoran president Antonio Saca proposed an increase in the minimum wage effective in two stages
at the end of 2007 and at the end of 2008. He did not give any numbers or percentages. Apparently he has been
floating this proposal in the business community for some time. It is also of note that there will be elections for
both president and legislature in the first half of 2009. The president also said that the electricity subsidy for those
who use less than 100 kilowatts [presumably he meant 100 kilowatt-hours] per month will continue. [Note that 100 kWH
is a small refrigerator and a few fluorescent lights.]
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Twenty-seventh Anniversary of the Formation of FMLN
On this day in 1980 five leftist organizations joined forces as the FMLN (Frente Farabundo Martí para la
Liberación Nacional). Several fallen leaders of the leftist causes will be remembered, including Mélida Anaya Montes
and Schafik Handal. The FMLN was a guerilla organization opposing the US supported government from 1980 to 1992; in
1992 the FMLN became a recognized political party. The FMLN currently has the second largest number of seats in the
legislature.
(The groups that fused in 1980 to form the FMLN were the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP), Resistencia
Nacional (RN), Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores Centroamericanos (PRTC), Fuerza Populares de Liberación (FPL) y
Partido Comunista Salvadoreño (PCS).)
FMLN commander Ana Maria (Mélida Anaya Montes),
considered to be an icon of revolutionary women
in Latin America.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Costa Rica Surprisingly Approves CAFTA
Voters in Costa Rica approved joining El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic
and the United States in the Central American Free Trade Agreement. With more than 97% of the polling places reporting
the margin is 51.6% in favor and 48.2% opposed.
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab was quoted as saying, "We believe, and history confirms, that countries
that open their markets have greater success in generating economic growth and development."
The free trade deal locks in Costa Rica's duty-free access to the U.S. market under the Caribbean Basin Initiative
and phases out many trade barriers facing U.S. manufacturers, farmers and service industry companies in Costa Rica.
Critics fear it will mean a flood of cheap U.S. farm imports and damage state-run companies, endangering funding
for Costa Rica's welfare state.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Former US Ambassador Bemoans Inequalities
Sat, October 6, 2007 | link
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Salvadoran Government Accuses Oil Companies of Price Fixing
The Salvadoran government has accused oil companies Esso Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell PLC's local
subsidiary of price fixing and fined them US$852,000 each. The fines were announced late Tuesday in a government statement.
"Esso and Shell have engaged in conduct together to restrict competition and create artificial barriers to new competitors,"
El Salvador's anti-monopoly regulatory commission said. "As a result, it has affected the economy's efficiency and harmed
consumers."
Both companies denied having broken any laws.
[The Associated Press as reported in the International Herald Tribune]
Monday, October 1, 2007
El Salvador to be Promoted on E! ENTERTAINMENT
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- A film crew visited El Salvador to film various tourist
attractions with the aim of showing them to the audience of E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION. Four company staff members
arrived in El Salvador on Sunday, September 23, and remained in the country through Saturday, September 29. They visited
the beaches in the eastern part of El Salvador in a helicopter provided by the Air Force. They took a ride on Lake Ilopango,
and then flew over the coastal region, touching down at a semi-virgin beach in the vicinity of Jiquilisco Bay, in the state
of Usulutan. By the end of their stay, they visited Puerto de La Libertad, Suchitoto, Ruta de las Flores, Lake Coatepeque,
Joya de Ceren and other places. [edited for length]
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