According to a government report, deforestation of the Amazon by Brazil as decreased by twenty seven percent in the last year. This is a big improvement for a country who's economy has previously relied very much upon the industries that accompany deforestation. Unfortunately, even with a twenty seven percent decrease in deforestation, deforestation is still occurring at an alarming rate. Also worrisome is the fact that Brazil seems to have recently loosened some of it's environmental protection laws.

As Brazil prepares to host both the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, gang violence and police murders overshadow the progress the cities Sao Paulo and Rio De Janiero are making. This year, 95 officers have been murdered in the Sao Paulo area alone, mostly by members of the PCC retaliating against the police. The situation in Rio is being somewhat improved in Rio as the police attempt to regain control of the cities many favelas.

I don't think the issue is that the world cup is not a big enough event to stop the violence. The homicide rate in Sao Paulo is so high because the police to not have control of much of the city. The extremely poverty stricken areas (favelas) are run by criminal gangs. Corruption and economic disparity keep the gangs in power. In fact, in some areas the police's attempts to "clean up" the city have further angered the gangs which is why police officers are being targeted more than ever. The situation is unfortunately complicated and severe.

Mexico's president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto has asked the United States to extend the focus of the United State's relationship with Mexico beyond the war on drugs and illegal immigration. He asks that the two countries bolster economic ties and investments in energy. In general, the United States seems to portray a very negative image of Mexico that focuses solely on violence rather than emphasizing the ways in which the countries could develop together.

Argentina's current president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is currently encouraging a change to the constitution that would allow her to be re-elected. This, as well as the economic downturn in the country have sparked vehement protests against her government. By going global, these protests have garnered international attention and are making the problems Argentina faces more well known.

This article describes a recent update in the long standing battle with Chevron and the Ecuadorian State. Texaco, dumped a devastating amount of pollution into the Amazon basin between the 1960s and 1990s. The results of this pollution ranged from unheard of cancers among the local population and complete ruin of the natural resources that indigenous people relied on. Texaco/Chevron has fought against the accusations and have not apologized for their actions. There is a really good documentary available about this subject called Crude if anyone is interested.

This article describes the recent rise in films being produced in Ecuador. I see this as a very positive thing for the country so that their film industry is not dominated by Hollywood. Local filmmakers often give voice to those who are not typically heard such as Quechua speaking people. I hope that some of these films will be available in the U.S. as well.

The deadly clashes described in this article are a result of police trying to shut down a large open are market. The government views the market as dangerous, unhygienic and crime ridden. However, the vendors argue that they cannot afford to move their stall to somewhere with higher rent. The real problem at work here is not stubborn vendors but Peru's unevenly distributed wealth. Much of the population, including these vendors most likely, live marginally and participate in the informal economy. Kicking these people out of a market will not change the situation, wealth needs to be distributed more evenly.

This article is about violence between a gang, PCC, and the police force in Sao Paulo. The article focuses on the most troubling aspect of this violence which is civilian deaths caused by the police. This is not the first time a police force has taken out their rage against a gang on poor civilians. As dangerous as gangs such as the PCC are, the Brazilian government clearly need to better monitor actions on the part of the police

This article is an interesting update in Venezuelan politics. Chavez one another term with a decent majority proving that his socialist policies may be working for the majority of the population in Venezuela. His win could also be evidence of corruption in the government and election system. However I do not know enough about Venezuela to have any reason to believe that this is true. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. reacts to a continuing Chavez presidency.

This article shows the power of education to change the lives of kids living in favelas. In this case, music gives the children a way out of a life that would otherwise involve crime or some type of participation in the informal economy. This article reminds me of the successful afro reggae programs also started in favelas. I think the most important thing to take from this article is that the situation in favelas, although very difficult, is far from hopeless. I hope that the Brazilian government might someday sponsor programs such as this one instead of viewing favela communities as inevitably crime ridden and not worth helping

This article describes the alarming unrest among underpaid doctors in Peru. 11,000 doctors are on strike as well as 90% of hospital managers over pay issues. This coincides with a teacher strike still going on that I witnessed this summer. Sadly, the strikes are negatively affecting the Peruvian people, especially the huge amounts of people that live in poverty. Although the Peruvian economy has been improving since its complete breakdown a decade ago, this article clearly demonstrates that President Humala needs to quickly make changes to the way the economic system works.

This article shows how technology, in the form of novelas in this case, becomes an integral part of culture. The particular novela that this article is about is called Avenida Brasil, and is significant because it is the first massively popular novela to star the middle class. This shift in the focus of media shows that the middle class is becoming increasingly important in Brazil as their economy rises to prominence.

This article describes a mining mountain in Bolivia, Cerro Rico, that is on the verge of collapse. This mountain has been mined for centuries by quechua slaves and although the people that toil in its bowels today are not technically enslaved, the harsh conditions and meager living workers make can still be equated to slavery. Unless something is done to stabilize the mountain, all the minors lives are in immediate danger. This article is very sad as it shows the ways in which colonial class stratification still exists today in Latin America.

This article explains how poor educational standards in Brazil are holding the country back even while its economy is quickly growing. Because the education system is not capable of producing enough skilled professionals to meet the demands of the work force, Brazil is relying on immigrants to fill skilled labor positions. If Brazil is to sustain its growth, it clearly needs to improve the education system quickly.

This article lays out the reasons why Uruguay's government is considering legalization of marijuana. It has already been decriminalized and full legalization would allow the government to benefit economically from production. The profits could stimulate the economy and even be used to treat drug addicts and go towards drug education. Also, legalization would take power away from deadly cartels.

I found this article especially interesting after reading seasick. It is another example of how humans are impacting the ocean and these impacts are negative. In summary, due to pollution and waste from fishing shark attacks are becoming a serious problem in Brazil's coastal waters.