Peru: Cocao replaces Coca as a cash crop

The old way was to go in and destroy a drug crop, and leave the farmers either to starve or replant.  But Peru and Thailand have found a better way.

Timereports that Peru has been encouraging its coca growers to plant cocoa.  To some extent, the policy has paid off.  Today Peruvian cocoa has a decent reputation among chocolate makers.

Continued....

Haitian history and the earthquake

Jotman's most recent posts about Haiti:

• Destruction caused by Haiti earthquake  - A list of people live-blogging the disaster.
  

• The joker's gift to Haiti - How one American fool has helped people to face challenging historical questions.
  

• The real devil in Haitian history  - France?  America? 
  

• Haitian ambassador gives Pat Robertson US history lesson - One Haitian's reason triumphs over an the ignorance of an American televangelist
  

Live-blogging Haiti earthquake

Haiti, the second oldest nation in the New World after the United States and the oldest independent nation in Latin America, is experiencing a terrible calamity.

THERE LIVE lists some people who are live-blogging the disaster.

US remittance flow decline

World Bank:

Remittance flows to Latin America have been falling in large part because of a slowdown in the US construction sector. The new forecasts show a -6.9 percent decline in remittances for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Sub-Saharan Africa is also likely to experience a -8.3 percent slowdown in its remittance flows.

By contrast, flows to Asia have remained "strong."

Dates of independence in Latin America

By the end of the eighteenth century, Spanish and Portuguese power waned as other European powers took their place, notably Britain and France. Resentment grew over the restrictions imposed by the Spanish government, as well as the dominance of native Spaniards (Iberian-born peninsulares) over the major institutions and the majority population, including the colonial-born Spaniards (criollos, Creoles). Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808 marked the turning point, compelling Creole elites to form juntas that advocated independence. Also, the newly independent Haiti, the second oldest nation in the New World after the United States and the oldest independent nation in Latin America, further fueled the independence movement by inspiring the leaders of the movement, such as Simón Bolívar and José de San Martin, and by providing them with considerable munitions and troops.

- Wikipedia: Latin America