Ashaninka: A People in Transition Adapting to the Internet

There are many stories documenting the sad story of the indigenous people of Brazil and Peru moving into a soft focus of the past as the economics and culture of the 21st century renders them redundant.  This is not such a story.  Although the bell of change and time cannot be unrung, the people can use their [...]

U.S Intelligence: Looming Water Wars Will Add to Global Insecurity

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens_Lake  This once bountiful lake dating to 12,000 years ago is the “sacrificial lamb” that, since 1913, has been diverted to feed the needs of Los Angeles, an otherwise desert community.  It is, in microcosm, a vision of our world as population overflows the limits of its resources. Aside from the enormous need for [...]

Zé Claudio Ribeiro da Silva: Dead in Fight to Save Amazon

This is a testament to a tree hugger and his wife.  A couple whose lives ended for informing on lumber interests that must cut down the forest and move on.  Who informed on the cattle interests who converted the clear cut remnants of the jungle to pasture each year – year after year.  - Carlos [...]

Danger on the River in Brazil: – Not Huckleberry Finn

Most know I love Brazil. My knowledge is, however, peripheral.  That is, from Rio south to Porto Alegre.  Brazil is big.  There is a lot to see between Rio and Porto Alegre – a lot.  It’s like looking at a face.  You see the contours and beauty, you see the mystery, you hear the dulcet [...]

Awa Under Siege: Brazil’s Lumber Refugees

This could be a story of America’s west one hundred years ago and we all (almost all) grieve about the maltreatment of our indigenous peoples.  Custer, The Choctaw’s Long March, the indian wars, ad nauseum.   While we grieve, Brazil’s indigenous have been undergoing the same forces of  eradication and genocide by loggers and cattle [...]

Myth and History of “Tree Hugging”

Show the slight­est bit of con­cern for the en­vi­ron­ment and you get la­beled a tree hug­ger. That’s what poor Newt Gin­grich has been deal­ing with re­cently, as the other pres­i­den­tial can­di­dates at­tack his con­ser­v­a­tive cre­den­tials for hav­ing once ap­peared in an ad with Nancy Pelosi in sup­port of re­new­able en­ergy. Never mind that he has since called the ad [...]

Dead Polar Bears Don’t Talk

This deserves some attention.  Why does a government researcher need to be asked to take a lie detector test and be represented by a defense lawyer? At the very least it’s not going to look good at his next performance review. Do scientists not have professional reputations to protect? It might be of interest to [...]

Ten Billion People! Wow, On This Planet?

They sure are cute, but when they grow up they breed like people! Can the Planet Support 10 Billion People? By JOEL E. COHEN, Published: October 23, 2011 How will countries feed and shelter populations that are expected to soar by century’s end? Readers’ Comments • Read All Comments (267) » ONE week from today, [...]

Guatemala’s Presidential Election: Hope for Indigenous?

  A Golden Opportunity To End Mining Conflict Keith Slack, Thursday, 01 September 2011 17:31 When Guatemalans elect a new president in September, he or she will face a truly daunting set of problems. The country is, by any objective measure, a mess, overrun by Mexican drug traffickers and afflicted by one of the highest murder [...]

Brazil Federal Judge Stops State Road Construction on Indigenous Reserves

UPDATE: 11/9/11 Brazil court OK’s construction of dam (http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9QTDE1O1.htm). Another example of the (sometimes slow) Brazilian legal system limiting  the ability of local states to despoil and ravage indigenous communities.  Of course we will have to see how the appeals process and local money affects BR 421 - Carlos Rondonia: Federal Judge Orders Halt Of Road [...]