Poor Little Rich Haiti to Be Fleeced of Copper-Silver-Gold Via Caracol Deep-Water Port

By Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Plans are under way for Canadian and US corporations to mine Haiti’s northeast area near Caracol, which has been discovered to contain a wealth of silver and gold, in addition to copper. As in the Dominican Republic’s Pueblo Viejo project, construction of the mines will involve dynamiting of mountains, and the ore will be extracted by an opencast (or open-pit) mining process that contaminates large volumes of water with cyanide. UPDATES: Attempts to issue mining permits to the US’ VCS Mining LLC and Canada’s SOMINE SA, without any environmental impact assessment (EIA) were thwarted by Haiti’s Senate in January 2013. Plans to dredge a deep-sea port in the pristine Bay of Fort Liberte were scrapped in April 2014.

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Industrial Fertilizer Responsible for Climate Changing Nitrous Oxide Levels

By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley Press Release | CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research | Haiti Chery. Scientists from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have discovered that a steep rise in atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) since the mid-1970’s is due to the increased use of industrial fertilizers. Nitrous oxide damages the UV-protective ozone layer in the stratosphere and contributes to climate change as a potent greenhouse gas that causes global warming.

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New Haitian Transport Decree Will Damage Small Agricultural Vendors | Un nouveau décret de transport en Haïti endommagera les petits vendeurs agricoles

By Staff, AHP | Commentary and translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. When the foreign press considers a bad road accident in Haiti, which caused no harm to their nationals, to be newsworthy, something is afoot. Two fatal Haitian road accidents immediately resulted in a ban of transit vehicles from transporting passengers with their goods and livestock. (English | French)

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City Dwellers Flock to Raising Chickens | How to Raise Urban Chickens

By Ben Block, Worldwatch Institute | Andrew Kalinchuk, Green Home Authority | You Tube | Haiti Chery. Grassroots campaigns, often inspired by the expanding movement to buy locally produced food, are leading United States municipalities to allow limited numbers of hens within city limits.

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Abuse of Antibiotics in Agroindustry Generates Deadly Drug-Resistant Bacteria | Antibióticos en la agroindustria generan bacterias resistentes

By Julio Godoy, IPS | You Tube | Commentary by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Five prematurely born children died in Bremen, Germany, from infections acquired in a hospital. The infections involved highly antibiotic-resistant bacteria in poultry. (English | Spanish)

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Poison Seeds, Herbicides, Pushed Again on Haitian Farmers | Des semences empoisonnées et des herbicides encore forcées sur les paysans haïtiens

By Edner Son Décime, AlterPresse | Benjamin Fernandez, Le Monde Diplomatique | Marie-Monique Robin, YouTube | Commentary and translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. Monsanto hybrid and genetically modified (GMO) seeds are once again being pushed as aid. Together with expensive fertilizers, and harmful pesticides, and noxious herbicides, these seeds represent a project to convert Haitian farmers from producers into helpers. (English | French)

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Caracol Free-Trade Zone Jeopardizes Natural and Cultural Heritage | La zone franche de Caracol met en péril le patrimoine naturel et culturel du Nord-Est

By Rachelle Charlier Doucet, AlterPresse | Commentary and translation by Dady Chery, Haiti Chery. A massive industrial park is scheduled to open in the Caracol Bay area of Haiti, although no plan is in place to mitigate the park’s impact on a region that has been proposed as a World Heritage Site for its ecological, historical, and archaeological importance. (English | French)

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Privatization of Water: Benign as Lucifer

By Richard Raznikov, The Rag Blog | Democracy Center | Haiti Chery. About 20 years ago, it dawned on the bankers and some major corporations that if oil was a lucrative commodity, water would be even more so…. The trick was how to take it away from the people and sell it back to them.

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Residents of China’s Wukan Village Elect Own Leaders

By Staff, Xinhua. In an election with 81% voter turnout, the villagers of Wukan elected former protest leaders Lin Zulian village chief and secretary to the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Yang Semao village deputy chief. Back in December, the residents of this fishing village lost one of their leaders in police custody while they were protesting illegal land grabs and abuse of power.

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Lessons from the Indigenous on Promoting Plant Biodiversity

By Jan Salick, Missouri Botanical Garden | Staff, e! Science News. Mountains are considered sacred by both the Yanesha of the upper Peruvian Amazon and Tibetans of the Himalayas. They excel in promoting plant biodiversity. For example, the Yanesha grow over 200 varieties of cassava.

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Common Caribbean Strategies Needed Against Climate Change | Besoin de stratégies communes des Caraïbes contre le changement climatique

Interview of Cuban climate expert Ramón Pichs by Patricia Grogg. Pichs warns that the environmental vulnerability of Caribbean countries is aggravated by the fragility of their economies. ALBA initiatives are underway to improve the response to climate change phenomena and take measures to protect areas such as agriculture and coastlines. These and national efforts will be complemented by inputs from organizations like Caricom and CELAC. (English | French)

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A Revolution for Women | Revolución de Mujeres

By Tortilla con Sal | Jade (music). The following video gives a snapshot of the many different Nicaraguan women who are rebuilding their country, in concert with the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. (Spanish | English subtitles)

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