Tragedies in Peru and Colombia are Overshadowed by Trump News
I read with pain that over 250 people have been killed by mudslides in Colombia over this past weekend. I was reading with some ambivalence about the growth of the legal marijuana industry in Colombia recently. This country had scene a brutal drug war take place for years. Between 1993 and 1999 Colombia became the main producer of coca in the world along with cocaine and one of the major exporters of heroin. Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel were world renowned he he was considered the richest drug lord in the world. At the height of its power, the cartel bought in more than $60 million a day. I am still astounded as to what fueled this industry and its devastating effects.
Both of these countries are struggling to bury dead bodies and to house the homeless. I have not heard a response from Donald Trump. I read recently that our one time strong ally, Mexico, is looking for new trade partners because of the rhetoric of our bombastic President. What do you do when the house that you called home is now sitting at the bottom of a hill covered by muck? Pray.
Colombia also witnessed the fight against the FARC rebels also known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The war between these rebels and the government lasted almost 50 years. The conflict with these rebels killed almost 260,000 people and uprooted almost 7 million. The news was almost always bad coming out of Colombia. The movie Colombiana, starring Zoe Zaldana, did nothing to depict the horror that occurred during the rise of cartels and the struggles agains rebels. I was looking for good news from Colombia as it begins to rebound.
Some facts about the current government of Colombia follow:
The executive branch of power in Colombia is headed by the President of the Republic. He is supported by the Vice President of Colombia, the Council of Ministers and Administrative Departments of Colombia. The government is in charge of creating and developing policies concerning Colombia while the governors of the Departments of Colombia are elected by popular vote to represent the president and the executive branch of government at provincial level.
Peru is another country in South America that has been affected by devastating mudslides. It was reported that almost 70 people died from torrential rains. We had rain this past Friday in Philly. It was not enough to cause death and destruction though. Is is global warming that is causing these tragedies? Is it the fact that we are losing forests and trees at a rapid rate due to the need to charcoal and timber for building? Whatever the cause, many people will have to be buried that were looking forward to spring weather. Peru is home to serious archaeological sites. Machu Picchu was an Incan village which was built in the Andes mountains. It was abandoned suddenly for an unknown reason. The architecture and sophistication of this civilization was evident from its extant sites.
Peru is a country of almost 30 million people. It has a democratic government in which the President serves a five year term and cannot be re-elected. Some facts about their current President follow:
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard (Spanish: [ˈpeðɾo ˈpaβlo kuˈtʃinski ɣoˈðaɾð] ; born 3 October 1938) better known simply as PPK, is a Peruvian economist, politician, and public administrator who is the current (66th) President of Peru. He previously served as Prime Minister of Peru from 2005 to 2006.
Kuczynski worked in the United States before entering Peruvian politics.[1] He held positions at both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before being designated as general manager of Peru's Central Reserve Bank. He later served as Minister of Energy and Mines in the early 1980s under President Fernando Belaúnde Terry, and as Minister of Economy and Finance and Prime Minister under President Alejandro Toledo in the 2000s.[2]
I wish both of these countries Godspeed as they try to recover from their recent tragedies. I hope Colombia continues its resurgence and a path towards peace. Venezuela has been struggling since the death of Hugo Chavez. I am not too familiar with Paraguay and Uruguay but I will research them soon. I hope that U.N. aid is enough to help these countries rebound quickly.
Both of these countries are struggling to bury dead bodies and to house the homeless. I have not heard a response from Donald Trump. I read recently that our one time strong ally, Mexico, is looking for new trade partners because of the rhetoric of our bombastic President. What do you do when the house that you called home is now sitting at the bottom of a hill covered by muck? Pray.
Colombia also witnessed the fight against the FARC rebels also known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The war between these rebels and the government lasted almost 50 years. The conflict with these rebels killed almost 260,000 people and uprooted almost 7 million. The news was almost always bad coming out of Colombia. The movie Colombiana, starring Zoe Zaldana, did nothing to depict the horror that occurred during the rise of cartels and the struggles agains rebels. I was looking for good news from Colombia as it begins to rebound.
Some facts about the current government of Colombia follow:
The executive branch of power in Colombia is headed by the President of the Republic. He is supported by the Vice President of Colombia, the Council of Ministers and Administrative Departments of Colombia. The government is in charge of creating and developing policies concerning Colombia while the governors of the Departments of Colombia are elected by popular vote to represent the president and the executive branch of government at provincial level.
Peru is another country in South America that has been affected by devastating mudslides. It was reported that almost 70 people died from torrential rains. We had rain this past Friday in Philly. It was not enough to cause death and destruction though. Is is global warming that is causing these tragedies? Is it the fact that we are losing forests and trees at a rapid rate due to the need to charcoal and timber for building? Whatever the cause, many people will have to be buried that were looking forward to spring weather. Peru is home to serious archaeological sites. Machu Picchu was an Incan village which was built in the Andes mountains. It was abandoned suddenly for an unknown reason. The architecture and sophistication of this civilization was evident from its extant sites.
Peru is a country of almost 30 million people. It has a democratic government in which the President serves a five year term and cannot be re-elected. Some facts about their current President follow:
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard (Spanish: [ˈpeðɾo ˈpaβlo kuˈtʃinski ɣoˈðaɾð] ; born 3 October 1938) better known simply as PPK, is a Peruvian economist, politician, and public administrator who is the current (66th) President of Peru. He previously served as Prime Minister of Peru from 2005 to 2006.
Kuczynski worked in the United States before entering Peruvian politics.[1] He held positions at both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund before being designated as general manager of Peru's Central Reserve Bank. He later served as Minister of Energy and Mines in the early 1980s under President Fernando Belaúnde Terry, and as Minister of Economy and Finance and Prime Minister under President Alejandro Toledo in the 2000s.[2]
I wish both of these countries Godspeed as they try to recover from their recent tragedies. I hope Colombia continues its resurgence and a path towards peace. Venezuela has been struggling since the death of Hugo Chavez. I am not too familiar with Paraguay and Uruguay but I will research them soon. I hope that U.N. aid is enough to help these countries rebound quickly.
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