- South and Central America

The Child River Traders Of Brazil

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:43:45 -0600

Peru Approves 10 Year Moratorium On GM Crops

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:47:33 -0600

Source: GM Watch - June 8, 2011

The Plenary Session of the Congress, approved the opinion of the law project that declares a moratorium of ten years that prevents the import of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) on the national territory for cultivation, breeding or of any transgenic production. It was sustained by the president of the Agrarian Commission, Aníbal Huerta (PAP), who declared that in the face of the danger that can arise from the use of the biotechnology a moratorium must be approved to take care of our biodiversity.

...

Finally, the president of the Commission of Andean Towns, Washington Zeballos (BPCD), informed on the modifications to the opinion and that the term of the moratorium would have to be of ten years. The proposal was approved by 56 votes to favor, zero against and two abstentions and exonerated from second voting by 50 votes to favor, four against and three abstentions. The approved norm establishes a moratorium of ten years, determines as competent authority of the subject to the Ministry of the Environemnt and creates a Technical Commission of Evaluation and Prevention of Risks of Use of GMOs, that in two years will have to issue a report on the subject.

Agribusiness Wins, Brazil's Rainforest Loses

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:01:37 -0600

Source: The Telegraph - May 26, 2011

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, was initially intended as a measure to rein in unfettered logging, and increase protections of Brazil's forested areas, which play an important role in reducing greenhouse gases.

But farm-based economic interests prevailed against environmentalists in reshaping the bill to ease restrictions that have been in place since 1965 and are credited with curbing deforestation.

"The Chamber of Deputies (on Tuesday) turned what was a forest protection law into something that will encourage deforestation and the uncontrolled advance of farming and ranching," the NGO Greenpeace charged in a statement.

Environmentalists, scientists and ten former environment ministers fought to the bitter end to stop the bill.

The development was seen as a first setback for President Dilma Rousseff who enjoys majority support in Congress but was unable to keep her party united as powerful rural lobbies managed to divide lawmakers.

Izabella Teixeira, the environment minister, has warned that the president could veto points in the bill that might encourage deforestation.

But National Farm Federation chief Katia Abreu said, "Brazil's farm and ranch interests are celebrating the step forward."

Brazil's Forest Conservation Law dates back to 1965; it limits the use of woodlands for agricultural purposes, requiring owners to keep a certain percentage of their land in its natural state.

In the sprawling Amazon River basin region, the existing law requires that as much as 80 per cent be kept as woodland.

But the new law would allow huge areas to be farmed if they were illegally logged before July 2008; and it would allow farming along environmentally sensitive riverbanks.

"This is an amnesty that sends the message that environmental crimes are not punished. And that will foster more deforestation," argued Paulo Adario of Greenpeace.

The Silver Miners of Potosi, Bolivia

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:40:38 -0600

The Poison Of The Pampas

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:33:38 -0600

(Click the CC button for subtitles)

Flashback - John Perkins: The Corporatocracy

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:55:59 -0700

Brazilian Floods: "It's very overwhelming. The scenes are very shocking"

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:10:15 -0700

Source: France 24, January 14, 2011

Brazil staggered Friday under the worst natural disaster it has ever seen, as it counted nearly 500 dead from mudslides this week near Rio de Janeiro.

By late Thursday, 480 bodies had been collected in the aftermath of the disaster that struck the mountainous Serrana region just north of Rio the day before, according to officials.

That surpassed an estimated death toll of 300 to 430 suffered in 1967, when mudslides crashed through a coastal town called Caraguatatuba that was "up until now seen as the biggest (natural disaster) in Brazil," the news website G1 said.

It was feared more bodies were yet to be discovered as rescuers finally arrived in villages cut off because of destroyed roads and bridges in the region.

Efforts to locate survivors and bodies were taken under the risk of further mudslides, as rain continued to fall on the waterlogged region, making it even more unstable.

"It's very overwhelming. The scenes are very shocking," President Dilma Rousseff said after visiting the area.

She pledged "strong action" by her government, which has already released 470 million dollars in initial emergency aid and sent seven tons of medical supplies.

The catastrophe was seen as her first big test since taking power two weeks ago, taking over from her popular predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Storms early Wednesday dumped the equivalent of a month's rain in just a few hours before dawn, sending mudslides slicing through towns and hamlets, destroying homes, roads and bridges and knocking out telephone and power lines.

The worst affected towns were Teresopolis, which recorded 223 deaths, Novo Friburgo, with 201 deaths, and Petropolis, with 39 deaths. Another 17 fatalities were registered in the village of Sumidouro.

The toll of dead from this one disaster was higher than the 473 rain-related deaths recorded for all of Brazil over the span of 2010.

Churches and police stations were turned into makeshift morgues, the smell of decomposing corpses heavy in the warm air. Thousands of survivors took refuge in shelters.

Outside one morgue in Teresopolis, crowds looked at photos of the dead, searching for loved ones.

"I can't go inside. I don't have courage to," said one woman, Ana Maria, 40.

"You have no idea how hard it is to see the bodies of so many children... It's horrible," one fireman there told AFP.

Elsewhere in the town, in a gymnasium, hundreds of people left homeless by the calamity sat around on mattresses, still in shock, some injured.

Edmar Da Rosa, a 44-year-old laborer whose face was badly lacerated, looked lost and unable to comprehend the deaths of family members.

He said a retaining wall fell on part of his house that he shared with his wife, three children and a grandson.

"My wife died. My grandson ended up dying. And the others are hurt," he said.

A few meters (feet) away, 59-year-old Joao de Lima clutched a doll with desolation written on his face.

"I lost my four daughters and everything I had," he said softly.

"I don't believe Haiti will be rebuilt." - Haiti One Year Later

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:05:41 -0700

Haiti will never be rebuilt, despite the promises of fly-by politicians. This is the sad truth. The resources, and the will of international organizations will wane as time passes. Haiti is widely recognized as a 'failed state', and it's people will in all likelihood live in post apocalyptic conditions until such a time that they themselves absorb an entirely new model for the future. Without international support Haiti is an orphan with little recourse.

Related Post: Failed States - Liberia

EU Approves Ethanol Venture Between Shell And Brazil's Cosan

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:49:29 -0700

Source: Reuters - January 5, 2011

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Brazil's Cosan, the world's No. 1 sugar and ethanol company, won European Union approval on Tuesday for an ethanol and sugar joint venture.

The European Commission, the EU's competition authority, said it did not believe the deal would significantly impede competition in the European Union.

The companies signed a binding agreement in August, with the deal expected to be concluded early this year. The venture will have an estimated annual turnover of $21 billion.

Chavez Given Power to Rule by Decree for 18 Months

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:21:10 -0700

Source: The Telegraph - December 18, 2010

His critics said the move turns the country into a near-dictatorship. It comes just two weeks before a new national assembly is sworn in with a larger opposition bloc that could have frustrated some of his plans to create a socialist state.

The firebrand leader had only asked his allies for the right to govern without referring to congress for a year. Instead, they handed him the powers for 18 months as proof of their "revolutionary commitment", said Cilia Flores, the national assembly president.

The official reason for the move was to allow Mr Chavez to deal with the devastating aftermath of weeks of floods by fast-tracking tax increases and funding for construction of new homes.

But amid a fresh wave of nationalisations of farms and businesses, he has already outlined a long list of new laws that extend far beyond relief and reconstruction.

He taunted the incoming opposition congressmen in a television address.

"You won't be able to make a single law, little Yankees," he said, deploying one of his favourite insults, which depicts his opponents as American stooges.

"We're going to see how you make laws now."

The 18-month period means the opposition will be blocked from any significant role in Venezuelan politics until just months before the 2012 presidential election.

Cold Snap Grips Cuba With Near Freezing Temperatures

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:20:48 -0700

Can it be that the Gulf oil disaster destroyed the North Atlantic current as suggested elsewhere....

Source: The Weather Network - December 16, 2010

An Arctic wave has brought record cold weather to Cuba on Thursday (December 16) where residents used to mild winter temperatures bundled up using what they could find in their limited closets to confront lows as cold as 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.9 degrees C.).

The cold front came down from a continental cold air mass that has dumped snow on much of the Midwest and eastern United States and brought ice alerts as far south as southern Florida where many schools were closed or had late starts due to the exceptional weather.

In Havana, residents wearing layers, coats and hats did their best to keep warm in the coldest weather recorded in 50 years.

“In my 65 years I have never felt such cold. It is too much,” said professor, Graciela Palacios.

Surprisingly cold weather was registered in all 41 Cuban departments with mercury dropping furthest in Colon, 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Havana, where a low of 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1.9 degrees Centigrade) was recorded overnight Wednesday (December 15).

“I'm like, I can hardly walk. My fingers are numb. I am going crazy with this temperature change,” a state employee, Reina Diaz told Reuters in Havana.
It's being called Cuba's most frigid cold snap in 50 years
It's being called Cuba's most frigid cold snap in 50 years

In total 31 records were broken with 22 being records for the month of December and 9 being the coldest day ever recorded in cities including Santa Cruz, 39 F. (4.0 C.); Esmeralada 40 F. (4.5 C.) Veguitas, 45 F. (7.2 C.); Guaimaro, 46 F. (7.8 C.); and Manzanillo, 48 F. (8.8 C.); in the east; Cienfuegos, 40 F. (4.5 C.) in the south; and Sancti Spiritus, 42 F. (5.7 C.) centrally in the island nation.

“I've been to Germany and I have never felt such cold,” said a retired military man, Sixto Jose Feo Aciego.

Cuba's coldest recorded temperature was on February 18, 1996 when the thermometer dipped to 33 degrees Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Centigrade).

“As long as I can remember I have never witnessed such terrible cold. I hope it ends soon because we are gonna be wiped out from all this cold,” said restaurant worker, Gily Borroto.

State television reported the cold weather throughout the Caribbean nation on Wednesday (December 15), warning residents, unprepared for such cold weather, to bunker down for the cold snap on the tropical island.

Amazon's Thirst Alarming for Earth

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 12:46:29 -0700

Source: Vancouver Sun - November 30, 2010

The river loops low past its bleached-white banks, where caimans bask in the fierce morning sun and stranded houseboats tilt precariously. Nearby sits a beached barge with its load of eight trucks and a crane. Its owners were caught out by the speed of the river's decline.

This is what it looks like when the world's greatest rainforest is thirsty. If climate scientists are right, parched Amazon scenes like this will become more common in the coming decades....

The environmental and economic consequences could be huge -- for Brazil, for South America, for the planet.

An intense months-long drought through November drained the mighty Negro river -- an Amazon tributary -- to its lowest since records began in 1902, drying up the network of water that is the lifeblood of Brazil's huge Amazonas state. More than 60,000 people went short of food and many lacked clean water as millions of dead fish contaminated rivers.

It was a once-in-a-century weather event. The weird thing is, it came just five years after another severe Amazon drought that meteorologists had described in the same way. Last year, massive floods in the region killed dozens and made hundreds of thousands homeless, fitting a pattern of more extreme weather that climate models forecast for this century.

Years like this add credence to predictions that, by the middle of this century, the forest will suffer "mega-droughts" lasting years, killing trees en masse.

That, in turn, would reduce rainfall over the remaining forest, creating a vicious cycle that would turn much of the Amazon into a savannah-like state by 2100. Ecologists and climatologists say there may come "a tipping point" after which the death of the forest becomes self-sustained by higher temperatures, dwindling rain levels and destructive fires.

The latest drought came as little surprise to Erli Perreira, a skinny 19-year-old who was fishing for his family's dinner in the shadow of the barge, which lay on a tributary of the Solimoes river about 97 kilometres from the central Amazon city of Manaus. The sun has been getting hotter for years, he said, making it impossible to work in the fields after mid-morning and causing his fish catch to plunge.

"Many things in the Bible are coming to pass," said Perreira, wearing a soaked Guns N' Roses T-shirt and holding a gasping fish in one hand. "At the end of times many things change, like the sun getting hotter."

Their predictions may be less biblical, but climate scientists and ecologists are worried, too. As leaders gather this month for a new round of global climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, the recent weather extremes have sent climate scientists around the world scrambling to study whether they represent a freak or a more sinister sign of climate change.

Rosie Fisher, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Colorado, has always viewed apocalyptic Amazon scenarios with a dose of skepticism. Many of the complex models that seek to map future climate, including NCAR's own, show that Amazon rainfall may, in fact, change little over this century.

Shock and alarm

But she got a shock when she saw maps showing the paltry rainfall over the Amazon this year, less than half average annual levels. The drought of 2005 was severe, but maps showing water deficits over the region this year painted an even drier picture.

"The map that I'm looking at now looks like the extreme bit of my scenario, and it's happening right now. I'm genuinely quite alarmed by this," said Fisher, who specializes in the interactions between climate and forests.

Continue reading "Amazon's Thirst Alarming for Earth"

Robot Explores the Tunnels of Teotihuacan

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:42:17 -0700

An intriguing piece of news, though there is little hope of any significant find reaching the public consciousness if this particular discovery fails to fit into the accepted historical narrative. Archeology has traditionally been very tightly controlled by the 'his-story makers'. What causes me excitement is the possibilities that exist with a new generation of independent explorers.

Related Posts - The Mystery of The Ever-Burning Lamps and The Antikythera Mechanism

Source: AP/Google - November 9, 2010

The first robotic exploration of a pre-Hispanic ruin in Mexico has revealed that a 2,000-year-old tunnel under a temple at the famed Teotihuacan ruins has a perfectly carved arch roof and appears stable enough to enter, archaeologists announced Wednesday.

Archaeologists lowered the remote-controlled, camera-equipped vehicle into the 12-foot-wide (4-meter) corridor and sent wheeling through it to see if it was safe for researchers to enter. The one-foot (30-cm) wide robot was called "Tlaloque 1" after the Aztec rain god.

The grainy footage shot by the robot was presented Wednesday by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. It shows a narrow, open space left after the tunnel was intentionally closed off between A.D. 200 and 250 and filled with debris nearly to the roof.

Archaeologist Sergio Gomez says the footage showed the arched-roof tunnel was an example of sophisticated work by the ancient inhabitants of Teotihuacan, which is located just north of modern Mexico City.

"All of the passage, more than 100 meters (yards) long was excavated in the rock perfectly, and in some places you can even see the marks of the tools the people of Teotihuacan used to make it," said Gomez.

Well-worked blocks and a smoothly-arched ceiling showed the tunnel was not natural, but rather a man-made structure...

Researchers hope to clear the debris blocking the tunnel's mouth and enter passageway by late November or early December.

...

After excavating a vertical shaft that leads to the tunnel entrance, the mouth of the passageway was discovered in July. Ground-penetrating scanner images showed that the passageway lies 40 feet (12 meters) below the surface, and runs beneath the Temple of Quetzacoatl, in the central ceremonial area of the ruins.

The scanner images appear to show chambers that branch off the tunnel...

Experts say a tomb discovery would be significant because the social structure of Teotihuacan remains a mystery after nearly 100 years of archaeological exploration at the site, which is best known for the towering Pyramids of the Moon and the Sun.

No depiction of a ruler, or the tomb of a monarch, has ever been found, setting the metropolis apart from other pre-Hispanic cultures that deified their rulers.

Vertical excavations begun in 2009 to reach the mouth of the tunnel suggest it was a ruler's tomb, Gomez said. Rich offerings were tossed into the tunnel at the moment it was closed up, including almost 50,000 objects of jade, stone, shell and pottery, including ceramic beakers of a kind never found before at the site.

The complex of pyramids, plazas, temples and avenues was once the center of a city of more than 100,000 inhabitants and may have been the largest and most influential city in pre-Hispanic North America at the time.

But nearly 2,500 years after the city was founded — and about 2,100 years after the Teotihuacan culture began to flourish there — the identity of its rulers remains a mystery. The city was abandoned by the time the Aztecs arrived in the area in the 1300s and gave it the name "Teotihuacan," which means "the place where men become gods."

Brazil: The Renewable Home

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:01:26 -0600

Unprecedented: Cold Snap Kills Millions of Aquatic Animals in South America

nospam@example.com (Harvest Dream) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:21:26 -0600

Source: Nature News

With high Andean peaks and a humid tropical forest, Bolivia is a country of ecological extremes. But during the Southern Hemisphere's recent winter, unusually low temperatures in part of the country's tropical region hit freshwater species hard, killing an estimated 6 million fish and thousands of alligators, turtles and river dolphins.

Scientists who have visited the affected rivers say the event is the biggest ecological disaster Bolivia has known, and, as an example of a sudden climatic change wreaking havoc on wildlife, it is unprecedented in recorded history.

"There's just a huge number of dead fish," says Michel Jégu, a researcher from the Institute for Developmental Research in Marseilles, France, who is currently working at the Noel Kempff Mercado Natural History Museum in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. "In the rivers near Santa Cruz there's about 1,000 dead fish for every 100 metres of river."

With such extreme climatic events potentially becoming more common due to climate change, scientists are hurrying to coordinate research into the impact, and how quickly the ecosystem is likely to recover.

The extraordinary quantity of decomposing fish flesh has polluted the waters of the Grande, Pirai and Ichilo rivers to the extent that local authorities have had to provide alternative sources of drinking water for towns along the rivers' banks. Many fishermen have lost their main source of income, having been banned from removing any more fish from populations that will probably struggle to recover.

The blame lies, at least indirectly, with a mass of Antarctic air that settled over the Southern Cone of South America for most of July. The prolonged cold snap has also been linked to the deaths of at least 550 penguins along the coasts of Brazil and thousands of cattle in Paraguay and Brazil, as well as hundreds of people in the region.

Water temperatures in Bolivian rivers that normally register about 15 ˚C during the day fell to as low as 4 ˚C.