Peru to try out Windows on XO laptops

Peru is for the past 10 years in a positive economical way. Low inflation, growing exports and each time more employment. The signs of macroeconomic factors is positive.
But something is still going very bad: education.
So I'm very happy to see that Microsoft is playing a role at least that will increase awareness of the importance of modern education for everybody. And of course to make a wake up call to the private Schools to evaluate if their education is including modern technologies as well.
Read an article about that effort in News.com

Making a business out of "birds' bathroom"

As a Peruvian I know well about the story of Guano. It looks like the time has come again for Peru to export it again and this time with the interest of the whole planet for "organic" products.
Please give a check on this article from CNN... really interesting.
Are you looking for a business? maybe this story can help you. I know of many people making profit out of selling organic products.

Sechin Bajo, 5,500 year old plaza found in Peru

An interesting discovery in Peru:

It is time for development and growth in Latin America

There is no doubt, for many citizens and lately for many politicians, that closing markets is a way to poorness. Looks to me that Latin America is finding the recipe for success: democracy, open markets, better choices for consumers, more and better education, increasing competitiveness. All against totalitarian leaderships, protectionist regimes and all what Chavez, president of Venezuela, is trying to do.
The first steps towards development will lighten the next steps to the right way. Each time the light will be more powerful and the next steps will be more obvious. The way out of darkness is finally visible for some Latin American countries.
Good samples within the continent will show the right path to other countries and I have finally hope that a more fair society with equal opportunities will arise.

Peru and US signed a "commerce treaty" that improves the condition of Peruvian markets towards a better integration with the worldwide markets of products and investments.
More on: White House Web Site

Saving one of the most emblematic natural sanctuaries in the world

There is a wonderful place in our Planet called "Candamo". That place belongs to a national park called "Bahuaja Sonene". Peruvian Government is starting to think to use 209 thousand hectares to establish facilities for researching the existence of crude oil; going against the advise of the opinion of the INRENA, institution in charge of the protected areas in Peru.

• There is a web site where you could express your opinion. In english you could go to: this link.
• In Spanish you can visit this web site.
• here you can see the map with the area they pretend to destroy.
  

Solar observatory in Peru

Well it is true that lately I'm writing more about Peru. There is a reason, this is a country where the bad news were each day filling the newspapers and lately there are some good news coming from there and that are related to "culture" and Human heritage.
This time the University of Yale announced on their web site:
"... Archeologists from Yale and the University of Leicester have identified an ancient solar observatory at Chankillo, Peru as the oldest in the Americas with alignments covering the entire solar year, according to an article in the March 2 issue of Science." You can read the article here.
In the first image you can see the fortified stone temple called Chankillo.
Bellow you see an image explaining how the solar observatory was used.

Joint Statement by the Government of Peru and Yale University

As mentioned in a previous post Peru and Yale University signed an agreement. You can read the "news release" from Yale's site.
Here a paragraph I think is important:
"This understanding represents a new model of international cooperation providing for the collaborative stewardship of cultural and natural treasures."

Fujimori goes back to Peru

I was thinking to not write about it because is a "political" topic and involve corruption and human rights violations. But actually the reason why I want to write about it is because the good news is that after 7 years hiding from the justice Fujimori, Peruvian ex president was extradited from Chile and sent to Peru to answer for his mistakes. Why is this so special? It is a unique case in our history; Alberto Fujimori is the first president that will be judged in his own country. That means a lot! from now on there is precedent for a case like that and now on will be more complicated for corrupt authorities to fly away and avoid responsibilities.

More on CNN

More on BBC

Yale will return thousands of Inca relics to Peru

That's a great thing!
Universities are of course the center piece for research. In poor countries like Peru the foreign institutions are even more important to preserve the heritage of our ancestors. But I also think that the cultural property must be where it belongs, in the right time.
The problem is that sometimes the place where the relics are discovered can't offer the warranties needed for their preservation. Is then when civilization should take place and the interests of humanity should be the only valid argument.
The agreement between Peru and Yale is a good sample of it. After long time of negotiations they have arrived to a situation where students, scholars and humanity will get the clear benefit.
More than 4000 pieces will return to their native land. You can read more in BBC News.

How to help the earthquake victims if you are not in Peru?

Well, here I found some places where you could visit to donate:

1. Red Cross: (English)This one accepts payments from 5 US$ and is good because all credit cards are accepted.
2. Direct relief international: Here you can also use online payments.
   
3. Caritas Spain: (Spanish) This one is not using online payments but there is information on accounts where to deposit money.
4. E-Wong: (Spanish) This is a online store for food and other supplies. They accept Visa credit cards and they prepared special packages for helping the victims of the earthquake.

Here there is a post with much more information than mine: click here
Please only make donations to organizations you trust.

--- UPDATE ----
Care is now also offering help and receiving donations from their web site.

Peruvians helping eachother

All the media covered information about the earthquake in Peru and that's the reason why I will not explain about it. Even thousands of persons are still in pain and recovering from physical and emotional distress there are many wonderful things going on that are important to talk about.

First of all I'm Peruvian but I live in Slovenia. Many people called me or contacted me to show they care and to ask for my family. I was very happy for that and also for being able to report that my family and friends are scared but healthy.

After the shock and communication problems the information started to arrive to the media, and like that I started to realize the magnitude of the disaster. But at the same time 10ths of messages, posts in forums, emails, videos on YouTube started to appear. Yes, the telephone network (Managed by Telefonica) crashed but the internet was working! Hundreds of families started using internet technologies to communicate. The Peruvian newspapers online offered tools for communicating and connecting members of the family living in different areas. Internet is definitively one very important media of communication capable of saving lives and release distress.

After all that I was asking to myself how to help? I hadn't any clue but it looks like many Peruvians living abroad started making the same questions and many of them contacted me to join their efforts. Wow! I didn't know there are so many hidden leaders all around the world! Soon many companies offered themselves to collect money and send it to bank accounts opened all around the world for the purpose of helping to the victims. Now the Red Cross, Caritas and many other organizations are collecting resources. A connected World started to organize itself to help. That is wonderful!

Talking with my mother I found out that in Lima, there is a mass movement for offering help. The municipalities are receiving donations, the private sector is organizing their employees help and providing additional resources, the stores are collecting founds from each of their customers and many trucks are going each day full of good intentions and brotherhood. In the meantime the political organizations are solving problems in the infrastructure and security. They are facing challenges and making mistakes but it is also true that they are reacting fast and focusing in what matters the most. Individuals are discovering that each one can help, that each one is powerful enough to organize support activities. It is great to see that the people stops making their routines to help.

In the "Plaza de Armas" or main square in Lima more than 500 persons started donating blood. Thats great but it is event greater because tourists participated as well! authorities, members of the army and police department helped and gave the good sample.
Thanks! to all the heroes that are investing their time to help so much. Heroes from all the world and from many different nationalities that took the opportunity to make a positive mark on our history.

Nature is wild and powerful and we, Humans, are experts to adapt. There was never a moment in history with so much people living and using our planet's resources, we need to start thinking where is best to live to avoid nature's dangerous behavior.

Peru, Mucho gusto!

Peru is certainly a beautiful country. Being far from it, I'm constantly missing the Peruvian food.
This time I want to share 2 good news: Promperu, the organization in charge of promoting the image of my country is making a great work and the second one is that now you have the answer to "darling, where to go to eat?" :)

I found other good video:



Find more in http://www.peru.info/perueng.asp