One of the World's Last Remaining Uncontacted Tribes! (Fascinating Video in Brazil)

It is hard to believe in 2011 that there are still part of the world that are uncharted and that there are people who have not been contacted by the outside world. If the video does not display above, then click here to visit the Uncontacted Tribe site.

Uruguay to Legalize Up to Eight (8) Marijuana Plants for Personal Use

Jurisdictions around the world are loosening the legal restrictions on marijuana. Many States in the United States have passed or are considering passing medical marijuana laws. Last year, California even attempted to legalize marijuana for non-medical uses too.

Uruguay is the latest country to jump into the mix by proposing to legalize marijuana. The below quote is from the translated story (via Google Translate), but you can read the original Spanish story here.

The Frente Amplio (FA) agreed a draft law to regulate the use of marijuana. The new text was adjusted between the Movement of Popular Participation (MPP), the Socialist Party and the New Space (NE).

The initiative, to be adopted on Tuesday 26 April by the bench of the FA in the Lower House, allowing the planting, cultivation and harvesting and industrialization and trade up to eight cannabis plants per household.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, "shall include quantity for personal consumption to 25 grams of marijuana," as defined in Article 3 of the bill agreed that El Pais.

Source: El Pais Digital

Two Giant Whirlpools Discovered in Atlantic Ocean off Coast of Guyana & Suriname

Wow. The wonders of this planet never cease especially the undiscovered wonders. How did scientists miss two (2) giant whirlpools all these years? These whirlpool suckers must have just appeared on the scene. Stay tuned, because I have no clue what it means when two (2) whirlpools appear out of the blue.

US scientists discovered two giant whirlpools in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Guyana and Suriname. It became a sensational discovery because this part of the ocean has been studied thoroughly, and no one expected anything like that to appear in the area. More importantly, no one can understand where the whirlpools came from and what surprises they may bring to people.

Source: Pravda

FLASHBACK: Did President George W. Bush Acquire Over 98,000 Acres in Paraguay near Acuifero Guaraní? (2006)

I need to confirm if this story is legit, but with the so-called "water wars" on the horizon, it would make sense for the rich Bush family to secure land and potentially water rights near one of the largest underground reservoirs in South America.

The land grab project of US President George W. Bush in Chaco, Paraguay, has generated considerable discomfort both politically and environmentally.

The news circulating the continent about plans to buy 98,840 acres of land in Chaco, Paraguay, near the Triple Frontier (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay) is the talk of the town in these countries...

Argentinean Adolfo Perez Esquivel warned that the real war will be fought not for oil, but for water, and recalled that Acuifero Guaraní is one of the largest underground water reserves in South America, running beneath Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (larger than Texas and California together).

In case any of the links herein is not working, please click here for a backup link.

Source: Archive.org (Prensa Latina)

Plague Kills Peruvian Teenager & Infects Thirty-One (31) in Ascope Province

Two weeks ago, Remixx World! reported on a possible plague outbreak in Peru. The story I quoted in Three (3) People Contract Pneumonic Plague in Trujillo, Peru as Fears of an Outbreak Increase was a foreign language story, so I had to rely on Google's translation of the web page in order to write the blog. While I am usually confident with Google's translation, I am always worried that something will be lost in the translation. FoxNews.com has just confirmed that previous blog entry.

Peru's health minister says an outbreak of plague has killed a 14-year-old boy and infected at least 31 people in a northern coastal province.

Source: FoxNews.com

Three (3) People Contract Pneumonic Plague in Trujillo, Peru as Fears of an Outbreak Increase

I happened to catch this plague outbreak in Trujillo, Peru story right before I was about to go to bed. Apparently, the pneumonic plague develops from bubonic plague where the bacteria enters the bloodstream and is transported to the lungs. You will have to trust the Google translator for this one, because the original article is not in English.

An outbreak of pneumonic plague, virulent disease with high mortality rate, was detected in Trujillo. Three patients, including a resident doctor and a medical student, whose health is serious, so the doctors are striving to save their lives.

This evil is a complication of bubonic plague, that is, that when a patient is not treated properly or promptly, it creates a generalized infection in humans and the bacterium Yersinia pestis (causing bubonic plague) spreads through blood and infects the lungs, causing pneumonic plague.

China Gives $20 Billion in Non-IMF Financing to Venezuela in Exchange for Shipment of Additional 400,000 Barrels of Oil Per Day

Chavez Picture ©2009 London Telegraph. All Rights Reserved.

Here's another major world deal that does not involve the United States. China is going to buy $20,000,000,000 in fuel from Venezuela and Hugo Chavez. I guess the Monroe Doctrine is long dead. Nevertheless, I do not recall if the Monroe Doctrine applied to business transactions.

China will contribute financing of $20 billion" to help with development in Venezuela under conditions that in no way have anything to do with the excessive interest rates of multilateral lending entities, such as the International Monetary Fund, Chavez said ahead of a meeting here Sunday with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

"All the petroleum that China may need to consolidate itself as a great power is here," Chavez said, adding that the Asian country will become "the No. 1 great world power".

Source: Economic Times

Ecuador Plans to Nationalize Foreign Oil Companies That Fail to Sign Royalty Agreement with Quito

I have not had much South America news lately on the blog, but the below article may help remedy this lack of coverage on my end. The story comes from Ecuador and from a website called Hamsayeh.net.

Latin America’s fifth-largest oil producer Ecuador warned foreign oil companies currently operating in the country to sign-up to a new proposed deal or face nationalization by Quito.

Large Forest Fire Threatens Iguaque Nature Reserve in Colombia

Huge Fire Threatens Nature Reserve in Colombia

BOGOTA – The forest fire affecting an enormous mountainous area in the northeastern Colombian province of Boyaca since last week is now threatening the Iguaque nature reserve, emergency management officials said on Sunday.

More than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of native forest have been destroyed by the fire, 800 of them in the Iguaque flora and fauna sanctuary, in the jurisdiction of the municipalities of Villa de Leyva and Chiquiza, some 180 kilometers (112 miles) northeast of Bogota.

About 500 people, including firefighters, soldiers, police, emergency management office and Red Cross personnel, volunteers and Indians are working on the task of putting out the flames, which in some spots are more than 10 meters (32.5 feet) high.

Source: Latin American Herald

Venezuela's Orinoco Oil Belt Holds One of the World's Largest Oil Accumulations at 513 Billion Barrels

Here is an interesting press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior. If you believe the information presented in a previous Remixx World! article entitled Haiti Has Larger Oil Reserves Than Venezuela Say Scientists (An Olympic Pool Compared to a Glass of Water), then based on the information defined below by the government, Haiti's oil reserves are greater than 513 billion recoverable barrels.

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Technical Announcement:
Venezuela Holds One of the Largest Oil Accumulations
Released: 1/22/2010 6:31:58 AM

Contact Information: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Office of Communication 119 National Center Reston, VA 20192

Chris Schenk Phone: 303-236-5796 Jessica Robertson Phone: 703-648-6624 Brenda Pierce Phone: 703-648-6421

New Research on How Much is Currently Recoverable

An estimated 513 billion barrels of technically recoverable heavy oil are in Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt.

This area contains one of the world's largest recoverable oil accumulations, and this assessment is the first to identify how much is technically recoverable (producible using currently available technology and industry practices).

Worldwide consumption of petroleum was 85.4 million barrels per day in 2008. The three largest consuming countries were United States with 19.5 million barrels per day, China with 7.9 million barrels per day, and Japan with 4.8 million barrels per day.

“Knowing the potential for extractable resources from this tremendous oil accumulation, and others like it, is critical to our understanding of the global petroleum potential and informing policy and decision makers,” said USGS Energy Resources Program Coordinator Brenda Pierce. “Accumulations like this one were previously very difficult to produce, but advances in technology and new understandings in geology allow us to assess how much is now technically recoverable."

“Heavy oil is a type of oil that is very thick and therefore does not flow very easily,” said USGS scientist Christopher Schenk. “As a result, specialized production and refining processes are needed to generate petroleum products, but it is still oil and can generate many of the same products as other types of oil.”

This is the largest accumulation ever assessed by the USGS. The estimated petroleum resources in the Orinoco Oil Belt range from 380 to 652 billion barrels of oil (at a 95 and 5 percent chance of occurrence, respectively). The Orinoco Oil Belt is located in the East Venezuela Basin Province.

The USGS conducted this assessment as part of a program directed at estimating the technically recoverable oil and gas resources of priority petroleum basins worldwide. To learn more about this assessment, read the fact sheet, "An Estimate of Recoverable Heavy Oil Resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt, Venezuela" and visit the USGS Energy Resources Program web site.

Bolivia Declares National Solar Radiation Emergency!

If the Sun does not affect the Earth's climate as the BBC has previously reported, then why would a Nation-State declare a solar radiation emergency? Bolivia has taken this step and declared solar radiation a national emergency.

UV radiation index in the bolivian altiplano reached from five to seven out of eleven, which is considered extremely high. Experts have recommended the population to avoid being exposed to sunlight from 10 am to 3 pm, and encourage the use of long-sleeved shirts, hats and sunglasses.

The Bolivian Health Ministry, conjointly launched the alert with the Meteorology and Hydrology National Service, whose representative, Felix Trujillo, explained that during the summer season in the southern hemisphere, UV rays are stronger and directly affect the bolivian altiplano.

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Al Gore Campaign Contributor Occidental Petroleum Reportedly Caused Hepatitis B Infection That Threatens to Wipe Out Amazon Tribe

This is a good story to quote as a counter the next time someone spouts off about how Al Gore loves the environment and is a green warrior. It is being reported that hepatitis B threatens to destroy an Amazon tribe pushing it closer and closer to extinction.

The Candoshi people in Peru's northern Amazon jungle are close to extinction from a hepatitis B infection that has gone unchecked since 2000, tribal leaders and health officials say.

The locals believe that Occidental Petroleum is responsible for the disease.

Gianina Lucana, a Candoshi nurse working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said 80 people have died from hepatitis B since 2000 in her region.

She said the disease broke out in the 1990s, when Occidental Petroleum Corporation was granted exploration rights in her jungle region.

Why is this story relevant to Al Gore? Well, Al Gore made some of his fortune off of various transactions with Occidental Petroleum. From The Buying of the President 2000:

For example, in the Democratic Party, Vice President Al Gore has had a longtime relationship with Occidental Petroleum that has been enormously beneficial to the company. Occidental’s late chairman, the controversial Armand Hammer, liked to say that he had Gore’s father, Sen. Albert Gore Sr., “in my back pocket.” When the elder Gore left the Senate in 1970, Hammer hired him for $500,000 a year. Personally and professionally, the vice president has profited from Occidental largesse. To this day, he still draws $20,000 a year from a land deal in Tennessee brokered between his father and Hammer, which cumulatively has amounted to more than $300,000. The personal relationship between young Gore and Hammer was very close throughout the 1980s, including trips on Hammer’s private jet and constant campaign contributions.

Source: The Center for Public Integrity ; ABC Australia

Colombia's Military is On Maximum Alert! (Is War Imminent?)

Earlier this year, Remixx World! posted articles about a possible South American war called Hugo Chavez Warns of War in South America and Venezuela Breaking Off Diplomatic Relations With Colombia (South America War?). Now, the Nation of Colombia is on maximum alert due to these rising tensions with Venezuela.

Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva issued the warning after a meeting of the country's national security council in Arauca, a city on the eastern border with Venezuela.

He said President Alvaro Uribe and the military forces of Colombia were intent on remaining calm "because they know there are provocative forces on the border that must be avoided at all cost.''

But this "does not mean that we are not prepared or are not on maximum alert to prevent any aggression against Colombia, against Colombians or against our territory."

Source: Herald Sun

Paraguay's Itakyry Community Village Sprayed with Aerosol Toxic Chemicals from Group Allegedly Connected to Brazilian Soya Farmers

I remember reading about how troops used to salt the local growing fields, so the local populations would be unable to grow food. I remember hearing about how American Indians were given blankets infected with smallpox to destroy the tribes through biological warfare. Those evil stories were always from a long time ago. Therefore, it is always shocking to hear similar types of stories that are happening right now.

In Paraguay, an indigenous population was first evicted from its homelands. Before the order was executed, the order was overturned and the people were allowed to remain on the lands. Soon thereafter, aircraft appeared over the village and sprayed the people with toxic pesticides. causing many people to get sick. Below is the press release from Amnesty International.

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Paraguay indigenous community threatened by illegal eviction and pesticide attack
10 November 2009

Amnesty International has condemned the use of apparently toxic pesticides to intimidate an indigenous community after they resisted being forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands.

The organization urged the Paraguayan authorities to step up its efforts to provide protection and healthcare to them, and investigate the events of last week.

On Friday 6 November, over 50 men apparently representing Brazilian soya farmers claiming ownership of the land arrived in the Itakyry district of eastern Paraguay to try and remove them by force. The Indigenous Peoples resisted using bows and arrows.

Later that day, an airplane arrived and sprayed directly above their homes with what are believed to be pesticides normally used on soya crops. Over 200 people were affected, reporting sickness and fainting among other symptoms. At least 7 people were taken to hospital.

A worrying precedent had been set earlier in the week when the Human Rights Commission of the Paraguayan Senate, the same body that recently thwarted attempts to return traditional land to another indigenous community, the Yakye Axa, was used as a platform to promote the eviction.

The eviction order was cancelled by a district prosecutor just before it was due to be carried out on Friday 6 November. It is believed that the threats against the community were carried out in retaliation.

“Indigenous Peoples´ lives are being put in jeopardy by those who should protect them,” said Louise Finer, Paraguay Researcher at Amnesty International. “The risk faced by the Itakyry communities was predictable. Insufficient action was taken to protect them from the threats they faced from this renewed attempt to evict them from their ancestral lands.”

“The Paraguayan authorities - the Executive, Congress and the Judiciary - must work together to address the immediate needs of the communities after this attack, but also to ensure that it does not happen again." said Louise Finer.

Only a small number of local police were present during the attack, despite the threat of intimidation towards the communities.

Despite local authorities promising to send ambulances to assist people suffering complaints such as vomiting and fainting following the spraying, it took several hours for them to receive any health treatment.

Despite the rights of Paraguay´s Indigenous Peoples being a key campaign pledge of President Fernando Lugo, the legacy of widespread land misappropriation from the dictatorship-period remains unaddressed.

Promoting large agricultural development is often put before safeguarding the land titles of Indigenous Peoples. The seriousness of the government´s commitment to addressing their land claims has not been demonstrated in practice.

In May, Amnesty International denounced that deforestation, soya plantations and the use of agro-chemicals continued to affect the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples.

Recent satellite imagery shows that deforestation in the north of Paraguay continues unabated despite existing government controls, putting at risk Indigenous groups such as the isolated Totobiegosode peoples

In October, Amnesty International criticised the Paraguayan Congress for rejecting a draft bill that would have allowed the state to return ancestral lands to the Yakye Axa indigenous community, leaving at least 90 families homeless.

According to international human rights standards, the right to traditional lands is crucial to Indigenous Peoples as it is a vital element of their sense of identity, livelihood and way of life.

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Remote Amazon Indian Tribe Hit by H1N1 "Swine Flu" (7 Dead)

Even deep in the Amazon rain forest, one is not safe from the H1N1 "swine flu" virus. The isolated Yanomami tribe in Venezuela has been hit hard by this H1N1 "swine flu" as seven (7) people have died and more deaths are expected.

It is feared the flu could sweep through the area and kill many more Yanomami as the Indians have little resistance to introduced diseases.

About 32,000 Yanomami live in the Venezuela-Brazil border region and form the largest relatively isolated tribe in the Amazon.

I bet that the W.H.O. or its regional designee will attempt to vaccine the Yanomami tribe for the H1N1 after this recent outbreak.

Source: Reuters UK

Venezuela Signs $36 Billion Oil Deal With China and Russia

I know that Obama and his administration are upset that the the United States was not invited to this Venezuela/China/Russia $36 billion oil party. Hugo Chavez has stated repeatedly that the South America is on the verge of war and this deal appears to make Venezuela prepared for such outcome.

China pledged to invest USD 16 billion in Venezuela's eastern Orinoco oil belt, where it will operate alongside state-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, he said. PDVSA and China's National Petroleum Corp. have been working to reach an agreement since signing a statement of intent last year.

On Saturday, PDVSA announced that a consortium of five mostly Russian companies had also agreed to invest in the heavy oil-producing region, and Chavez said that investment would total USD 20 billion.

Source: Zeenews.com

Venezuela Ready to Go Nuclear with Russia's Help!

Russia is ready to assist Hugo Chavez and the Venezuela Nation State in its nuclear ambitions as Venezuela announced its intention to build nuclear energy facilities with Russia's help. Obama will not be happy with this development and Venezuela may end up on a revised "Axis of Evil" list. However, Chavez said during a recent visit to Moscow that he is not looking to build a nuclear bomb.

In what would be a first for the South American continent and likely a bold challenge to U.S. foreign policy, Venezeula announced its intention on Monday to establish nuclear energy development facilities on its soil. The construction of Venezuelan nuclear power plants would come together with the help of Russia.

Source: Digital Journal