TRANSCRISUR -facilitating community transformation

The visual artist, César Chinchilla, will open his first exhibition on Thursday, September 9th, at the French Alliance in Tegucigalpa. It is entitled "Codes of the Past." The exhibition, which starts at 7 pm, is a series of digital pictures and a video project that will be on display until Friday, September 24th. The Honduran [...]

More than 400 tons of asphalt are being laid on the highway in the Department of Cortés. The improved roadway will allow a better flow of vehicles between the communities of Caracol, San Antonio, Río Lindo, Peña Blanca and Los Naranjos. About 64 kilometers of road will receive maintenance and patching, reducing soil saturation and [...]

By Marco Cáceres
There are many reasons that President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown. The biggest reason was probably fear that he was intending to remain in power. That, in addition to the perceived threat of the growing influence of Venezuela's self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist leader, Hugo Chávez, was too much for the powers that be in Honduras. I am not arguing that these reasons justified Mr. Zelaya's removal. In fact, I tend to argue that they did not justify it. The official reason that Mr. Zelaya was removed is that he allegedly deliberately ignored the rulings of his own government regarding the proposed opinion poll (encuesta) to determine the public's support for the proposed fourth ballot box (cuarta urna). He essentially attempted to redefine the powers of the presidency in midstream to allow him to act unilaterally to do as he pleased, so long as "The People" (El Pueblo) supported his actions. Unfortunately, that's not the way a democracy works. On the contrary, that is the way dictatorships begin. (9/5/10)

Tortured Mexican kidnap victim says: ‘I would sit there wondering how people could be that bad.’ A man held for ransom by one of Mexico’s most brutal drugs gangs tells of beatings and constant killing of other captives Félix survived his ordeal at the hands of the Zeta cartel, one of Mexico’s most ruthless drugs [...]

Projecthonduras.com today announced that it has revised the defining theme of the upcoming 11th Conference on Honduras from "Rebuilding Social Tourism in Honduras" to "Responding to Domestic Violence in Honduras". While the focus of the annual event in Copán Ruinas continues to be education, healthcare, and community building, each year a special theme is adopted to highlight a specific issue or problem in Honduras. "Given the political crisis in the country during the past year and its impact on some of the many foreign mission teams and other groups that visit regularly to perform volunteer and development work, we thought it would be a good idea to emphasize the importance of relaying to the world that Honduras is still in need in support from its friends abroad," said conference director Marco Cáceres. "But recently we have become more aware of the epidemic of domestic violence in Honduras, and so we decided to dedicate the conference to this problem in order to help raise consciousness." (9/4/10)

Former United States president Bill Clinton and Mexican businessman Carlos Slim will travel to Honduras on November 4-5, 2010 to help encourage private investment. "The visit is aimed at promoting the country as a tourism destination to the world, thereby attracting foreign investors," said onduras' Deputy Foreign Minister, Alden Rivera. Mr. Slim is listed by Forbes Magazine as the world's richest person, with a net worth estimated at US$60.6 billion. Mr. Clinton oversees the William J. Clinton Foundation, which has an endowment estimated at US$46 billion. Both Mr. Slim and Mr. Clinton are working with the government of Spain on a philantropic program, valued at US$150 million, to improve healthcare in Central America and southern Mexico. (9/4/10) (photo of Bill Clinton courtesy Internet)

The Honduran Institute for Coffee (IHCAFE) on Wednesday announced that coffee exports from Honduras declined by 49 percent in August to 85,812 60-kilogram bags, as compared to 169,515 bags in August 2009. Coffee exports during the current season, which began in September 2009 and runs through October 2010, have totaled 3.14 million bags, compared to 2.97 million bags a year ago. Despite the drop in exports, attributed to bad whether and the political crisis prompted by the overthrow of President Manuel Zelaya last summer, Honduras is poised to surpass Guatemala and become the sixth largest coffee exporter in the world. Guatemala's coffee crop has been hurt by heavy rainfall and the eruption of the Pacayo volcano in May. The value of Honduran coffee exports is pegged at about US$700 million annually by IHCAFE. Most of Honduras' coffee is grown on small- to medium-size farms. Some 98 percent of the crop is cultivated by about 100,000 families who each own no more than 17.3 acres of land. (9/3/10) (photo courtesy Sustainable Harvest)

A Honduran who survived the massacre of 72 migrants in Mexico, helped untie the only other survivor – a wounded Ecuadorean – and the two fled together, an official said Friday. In an interview with El Heraldo newspaper, Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister, Alden Rivera, revealed details for the first time about the escape. Mexican officials [...]

In 1998, the second deadliest hurricane from the Atlantic, Hurricane Mitch, leveled much of Honduras and left at least 6,500 people for dead and 1 million homeless. As Honduran President Carlos Flores observed at the time, "In 72 hours we lost what we had built little by little over 50 years." "What has happened since [...]

I have known the wealthy in poor counties set up meaningless foundations and charities that function in name only and which are pulled out as needed to demonstrate their commitment to the poor. It’s sad, but too often “serving” the needy only seems to serve the person doing the donating.

This week is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the US Gulf states five years ago. I recall how many community groups generously mobilized to offer support, including the church we attended at that time. Besides a one-ton generator, our church filled a huge truck with supplies and sent several reconstruction teams over the next few months. I pulled several shifts in collecting and organizing donated supplies like tools, cases of bleach, blankets, baby formula and clothes, and sorting them in huge plastic bins. We worked from a very detailed list of needed items provided by the Episcopal school that was acting as a collection and distribution point—sadly, they were the only building still standing in their Mississippi community. (8/31/10)

By Don Pearly
What the heck is an epiphany, and how the heck do you spell it? a) A divine manifestation... a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something. b) A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Don Pearly). Or, in plain old fashioned street talk in Coxen Hole... "Hey, I just had a thought." Let me take you back in time maybe half a century or so. Believe it or not, that was when some weird guys with weird haircuts came across the Pond and took over North American music. Many of you barely remember the event because you were not even alive, so this might sound a bit strange. (8/31/10)

The Lobo administration and the teachers' unions yesterday ratified a previously signed 17-point accord putting an end to a month-long general strike by tens of thousands of teachers in Honduras. Public school students affected by the strike were scheduled to return to their classrooms this morning. Among the main provisions of the agreement is a mechanism for the government to pay US$194 million in past-due contributions to the Imprema teachers' pension and benefits fund that had accumulated since 2007. Teachers agreed to work extra days in September and October to make up for days lost during the strike. A provision requiring the dismissal of Minister of Education Alejandro Ventura, which the teachers had demanded, was not included in the deal. (8/31/10)

The overthrow of Manuel Zelaya as president on June 28, 2009 was unanimously condemned by the United Nations (UN). The UN adopted a resolution by acclamation, calling on all 192 member states not to recognize any Honduran government other than Mr. Zelaya's. During the proceeding months, the interim government of Roberto Micheletti was isolated in the world. It was not until the signing of the Tegucigalpa-José Accord on October 30 and the election of Porfirio Lobo on November 29 that some of the roughly 100 nations with which Honduras maintains diplomatic ties began to normalize relations. The process of normalization began to accelerate with the inauguration of President Lobo on January 27. Honduras has re-established normal bilateral relations with a total of 90 countries, including Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States in the Western Hemisphere. (8/30/10) (graphic courtesy Internet)

There exists a social movement in Honduras led by the National Front for Popular Resistance (FNRP) that proposes the establishment of a National Constitutent Assembly to review and rewrite the Constitution of Honduras. Part of Honduran society supports this idea, and part does not. It is an extremely divisive issue, particularly becaue it is unclear what the alternative to the current Constitution, approved in 1982, would be... and whether it would make things better or worse in Honduras. Honduras Weekly believes that the first step in any thoughtful discussion about the Constitution is to understand what is contained in this document. We have begun the process of translating the Constitution into English for our readers who do not have command of the Spanish language. There are English-language translations of the Constitution online, but we're hoping to improve on these. Of the document's 378 articles, we have translated 24 of them thus far. Click on the "Read Article" link below to track our progress. (8/30/10)

Teach the youths of Honduras how to fend for themselves and take care of their families and communities, rather than endlessly relying on government, wealthy business people, and clever caudillos who promise the world. Teach well and long, and create a powerful and confident middle class that is the key to every great modern society.

By Marco Cáceres
You really want to change Honduras? Forget about convening a National Constituent Assembly to rewrite the Constitution and refound Honduras. Instead, do something really creative, effective, and worthwhile -- convene a National Summit on Education to reinvent the country's educational system and give Honduran children the tools they need to compete in the real world. Rewriting the Constitution guarantees nothing. Properly educating tomorrow's citizens, political leaders, and entrepreneurs greatly increases the probability that Honduras will eventually become an independent and perhaps even prosperous country. You want a true revolution that actually lasts and doesn't end up hurting those least able to defend themselves? (8/29/10)

Yesterday afternoon, Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries and a colleague, Chantal van Schuylenburch were arrested in the Australian city of Perth for attempting to talk with murder suspect Dan Ross, who is wanted by Interpol for questioning about his role in the death of a Dutch woman vacationing in Honduras, Mariska Mast. Mariska [...]

Thousands of Honduran workers marched Wednesday in major Honduras cities to demand an increase in the minimum wage and show solidarity with teachers who want the government to pay more than $200 million in contributions to a pension and benefits fund, past-due from the government of Manual Zelaya. The minimum wage, currently 5,500 lempiras ($290) [...]

Despite its scenic views, clear oceans and metropolitan capital, people living in remote areas of Honduras lack many basic services. For the remote towns of Chacalapa and Guadalupe Carney, located on the northern department of Colon, quality of life is poor due to the lack of medical services, education and other basic needs. Aware of [...]

Miss Honduras, Kenia Martinez, poses in her national costume at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Miss Universe 2010 pageant will take place in Las Vegas on August 23rd. See more photos here: Van Couver Sun

Honduras’ environmental prosecutor has filed criminal charges against two mining executives and a former government official after a British Catholic aid agency provided evidence to show that they ignored the alleged pollution of rivers. The mining officials, Christian Pineda and Renan Santamaria, could face up to six years in jail if convicted of contaminating water [...]