In the Heart of Hurricane Alley, Cubans Are Safe | Au cœur du passage des ouragans | En la autopista de los ciclones tropicales

By Patricia Grogg, IPS. Cuba’s national disaster prevention system has made it the country with the lowest number of storm-related fatalities in the area encompassing the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico (English | French | Spanish)

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Tropical Oceans: Beating Heart of Climate Change

By University of Plymouth Scientists, Phys.org. The tropical regions of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans appear to act like a heart: accumulating heat and then pulsing it in bursts across the Earth.

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Landmark Sentence for Agrochemical Contamination in Cordoba | Dos condenas y una absolución en el primer juicio por el uso de agroquímicos en Córdoba

By Kate Beioley, Argentina Independent | Staff, Los Andes. Two men, rural producer Francisco Parra and chemical-application person Edgardo Pancello, were sentenced to three-year prison terms for use of the agrochemicals endosulphin and glyphosate in the barrio of Ituzaingó Anexo. So far, 200 cases of cancer have been discovered in the barrio, 100 of these fatal. (English | Spanish)

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Isaac Takes Boat from Haiti to Florida GOP Convention

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Haitian government officials finally did something about Tropical Storm Isaac. They gathered 32 boats and 1250 temporary shelters as peace offerings to the storm gods. Then they gave a press conference at which they demanded that all those in charge of safety — whoever they might be — do their jobs, whatever these might be.

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Hurricanes and Climate Change

By Brenda Ekwurzel, Union of Concerned Scientists | NOAA | Haiti Chery. Scientific evidence links the destructive power of hurricanes to higher ocean temperatures driven by global warming.

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Haitian Government Does Nothing About Isaac | Le gouvernement haïtien ne fait rien pour Isaac

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Isaac should hit the island of Hispaniola the night of Thursday August 23-24 with rainfall of 8 to 12 inches, dangerous waves, and storm surges that might raise the coastal waters 3 to 5 feet above normal. With less than 24 hours left for preparations to save lives and property, the Haitian government had done nothing except issue general safety warnings. (English | French)

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Documentary Film Declares War on Belo Monte Dam

By Glen H. Shephard, Notes from the Ethnoground. Brazilian filmmaker André D’Elia has declared war on the controversial hydroelectric dam along the Xingu river in the new film Belo Monte: Anúncio de uma Guerra (Belo Monte: Declaration of War).

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Colonialism in a Poncho: Subordination of Panama to Multinational Force | Otra vez el Comando Sur de EEUU Avanza la militarización subordinada de Panamá

Marco A. Gandásegui Jr, America Latina en Movimiento | Translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. In an annual exercise called Panamax, from August 6 to August 17, 2012 Panama was virtually occupied by troops from the U.S., France, Canada, the Netherlands, and 14 supposed Latin American allies, although the Panamanian Constitution says Panama has no army and its sovereignty is inalienable and nontransferable. (English | Spanish).

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Colonialism In a Poncho: Ecuador and Brazil Help Install New Haiti Military

By Joseph Guyler Delva, Buenos Aires Herald | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Brazil and Ecuador plan to help install a new army in Haiti that is meant to replace the UN “peacekeeping” force MINUSTAH.

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Disaster Capitalism Brazilian Style in Haiti

By Yvon Janvier, Le Matin | Translated by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Brazilian company Construtora OAS Ltd unilaterally stopped ongoing work on 43 miles of National Road 7 in southern Haiti and abruptly cut short its contracts with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Interamerican Development Bank (IDB).

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Soaring Food Prices in Haiti | Flambée du prix des produits de première nécessité sur le marché haïtien

By Ricardo Pierre Placide, Le Matin | Translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Over the past several months, Haitian households have faced an unprecedented 40% increase on average in the prices of essential commodities such as eggs, rice, sugar, and flour. (English | French).

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Haitian Hot Cocoa

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. In Haiti, a freshly baked roll with a cup of hot cocoa is a typical dinner. We have the Aztecs and Mayans to thank for the elaborate process for manufacturing chocolate from the seeds of Theobroma cacao: “food of the gods.”

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Amazon Rainforest Gets Half Its Nutrients From Tiny Spot in Sahara | Saúde da floresta amazônica

By Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic | Staff, Amazonia News. About 40 million tons of dust are transported annually from the Sahara to the Amazon basin. This represents half of the annual mineral supply that fertilizes the Amazon basin. Thus the health and productivity of the Amazon rainforest depends on a supply of dust from Africa. (English | Portuguese)

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Dialogue Between Amazon Rainforest and Water | Decifrado diálogo entre selva amazônica e água

By Alice Marcondes, Tierramerica via IPS | Envolverde. Phenomena that alter the Amazon ecosystem also strongly affect the release of gases from the rivers. When the temperature rises, the emission of gases accelerates. – Paulo Artaxo. (English | Portuguese)

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