News and reports from North, Central and South America.
Environmental entrepreneurs, known as ‘enviropreneurs,’ are finding ways to create profitable businesses that also benefit the Earth… As a child, Carl Palmer watched as development quickly transformed his south Florida neighborhood. The mangrove forests he once explored went through an extreme makeover, giving way to cul-de-sacs and fancy houses. That experience had such a profound […]
Continue ReadingPolitical junkies are turning from the polls to their new political portfolios to predict the nominees for President… As presidential candidates crisscross the country this spring seeking votes and campaign cash, they aren’t the only ones chasing the early money in politics. Political prediction-market traders, a new breed of gamblers, are hoping to strike it […]
Continue ReadingOnce feared by early explorers, sea monsters now have plenty of fans… When strange blobs of rotting marine animal flesh wash ashore, Sidney Pierce usually gets a call. Pierce, a University of South Florida biologist, has analyzed monster samples from Chile, Tasmania and Bermuda, and one piece of carcass originally found on a beach in […]
Continue ReadingYou say tomato, I say tomahto. But most of us agree, if you buy them at the store, they aren’t very good… “Some of the stuff you see in the grocery store you might as well eat your shirt,” said Paul Wigsten, produce buyer for the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. “I […]
Continue ReadingReal estate dual agents can face conflicting loyalties and ethical dilemmas. But there are steps buyers and sellers can take to protect themselves… You’ve been searching for a new house, maybe buying for the first time or perhaps looking for something new. With all the paperwork and endless details, you’ve decided to hire a real […]
Continue ReadingCoffee cafes are spearheading the fair trade movement to improve working conditions for coffee harvesters in developing countries… Located on a busy avenue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Rapture Cafe & Books stands out among the delis, convenience stores and restaurants that surround it. Its window displays signs praising World Fair Trade Day-a […]
Continue ReadingVolunteer birdwatchers, dubbed “citizen-scientists,” are helping researchers monitor a novel pathogen in the common house finch which may provide insights into avian influenza… The day after Christmas, Susan Williams, a 34-year-old birdwatcher in Loveland, Ohio, noticed a house finch at her backyard feeder—a lethargic brown female with swollen, pink eyes encrusted with dried ooze. Williams […]
Continue ReadingLatinas accounted for 920,000 cosmetic procedures last year in the US, the most of any ethnic minority. Are they trying to become more beautiful, or erase their heritage? Ivannia Munoz knows she’s never going to look like Scarlett Johansson. “I know I’m never going to be a small girl,” Munoz said. “I was born almost […]
Continue ReadingMore than a century ago, the shortnose sturgeon was fished to near extinction by fishermen who sought it for caviar. But the future of this ancient fish now appears to be looking up… In the depths of the Hudson River, a primitive creature is reclaiming its territory. Unlike more modern fish, the shortnose sturgeon has […]
Continue ReadingHe’s one of the all-time poker greats with over $10 million in earnings and two WPT titles to his name, here are some words from the man himself… As a tournament player, he’s established his credentials beyond a shadow of a doubt, but his Cash game is also legendary and he’s progressed to the point […]
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