Election Polls have Toledo ahead

Alejandro Toledo, Keiko Fujimori and Luis Castaneda (Photo courtesy of Elcomercio.pe)

As the Elections in Peru draw closer and closer, a current poll done by Ipsos apoyo has shown Alejandro Toledo ahead of both Keiko Fujimori and Luis Castaneda with 28% of the votes.  Fujimori has  21% and Castaneda 17%.

Bus Accident Kills 27

On Febuary 23, a bus crashed and killed 27 people that were inside it.  The bus was on it's way to the Lima, the capital of Peru, when the driver, according to peliminary reports, lost control of the veichle.  

Earthquaaaaaake!..... Drill

One particular that caught my eye over the weekend took place offshore just outside of Lima.  It appears that a couple of tremors were felt throughout the capitol city around noon on Saturday.  What was strange about these tremors was that they occurred just a couple of hours before the National Defense Institute was to coordinate a nationwide quake and tsunami drill.  Great timing I guess.

You can read the entire article on the tremors here

Media Conglomeration

Time Warner

 Media Conglomerates are those big companies that own various smaller companies in different types of media.  These large companies usually expand through mergers, acquisitions, and alliances.  These companies also occasionally own other companies that are involved diverse business areas.  Television, the Internet, and the radio would be examples of the types of media that are involved.  One of the most widely known conglomerate would be Walt Disney.  Disney currently owns  TV Channels ( ESPN, ABC) and use to own sports teams like the Los Angeles Angels and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Viacom

 The impacts of media conglomeration has to do with with the amount of news coverage that we are given.  If five or six big companies are in charge of our media then it's plausible to assume that those six have an agenda as well as calculated ideas that they want to carry out.  This not only affects the news that they are reporting but also and maybe more importantly, the news that they aren't reporting. These large corporations will do what's in their best interest to maintain their image.

The country of Peru also has some media conglomerates that affects how people receive their news.   However I have found that for the most part these corporations are politically based . Of ten major television networks, only one Television Nacional de Peru, is stated owned.  I know what your thinking, government based channel is only gonna gave 24/7 broadcasts of nothing but political agendas and useless propaganda but that is surprisingly not the case.  TV Peru focuses now on the country's history and culture creating a sense of patriotism in the country.

News in Peru

The country of Peru is gearing up for their upcoming elections scheduled to take place April 10, 2011.    The candidates include Ollanta Humara (Partido Nacionalo Peruano), Alejandro Toledo (Alianza Peru Posible), Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Allianza Por El Gran Cambio), Luis Castaneda Lossio (Alianza Solidaridad Nacional), and Keiko Fujimori (Fureza 2011).  Keiko is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori. Recent polls have shown Toledo to be the odds on favorite to win the election and claim the presidency.

A new development has recently transpired regarding the public polls.  According to an El Comercio article because the new requirements (which calls for the interviewees to give their ID number and home address) established by the National Elections jury have not yet been met, the publication of the polls have been suspended indefinitely.  

One big story that happened during the week was regarding a group of homosexuals that were beaten by the national police.

It all started when members of the Homosexual Movement of Lima, (HMO), were kissing during a ceremony at the Plaza de Armas de Lima.  This protest was deemed "Kisses againts Homophobia."  When the police arrived, they began using physical force without warning.  In all 7 people were hurt and have all since filed complaints against the police.  President Alan Garcia spoke out about the story and expressed his concern.   He described the measures the police took as being both "exagerated" and "illegal".

The Country of Peru

The Ruins of Machu Picchu

Peru is a Latin American country that is located in the Western part of South America, where it's located between Chile and Ecuador.  According to The World Fact book which can be found here, Peru has an estimated population of  29 million as of July of 2010.  It's government, much like our own is a constitutional republic.  It consists of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches as well different Peruvian political parties (Aprista, Union of Peru, Peruvian Nationalist party).  The current president of Peru,  Alan Garcia Perez of the Peruvian  Aprista Party, has been in office since July of 2006.  Peru's national currency is the Nuevo Sol and the country's economy relies heavily on it's natural resources such as minerals (copper, gold, zinc) found in mountain areas, and fish found at the coast.

The media in Peru is dominated by privately owned companies.  Peru is unfortunately filled drug trafficking and corruption, so reporters often times risk their lives when covering these topics.  The three biggest newspapers in Peru are El Peruano, El Comercio, and, La Republica.  El Peruano is the "official" daily paper of Peru.  Founded in the early 1800s, makes it the oldest government-based newspaper in all Latin America.  Aside from giving the news, this paper also publishes every law that passes in the country.  Because of it's affiliation with the government, it does not circulate as well as the other newspapers.  One of Peru's most popular television channels is Frencuencia Latina.  Besides its up to the minute news stories, it's also the subject of controversy for ongoing coverage on the corruption within the Kojimori government.