I haven’t posted, like, forever. Apologies. Here’s a recent story of mine that aired on PRI’s The World. It’s a look at the complexities of Chinese bilingual ballots in Boston. Mobile post sent by gallafent using Utterli.  Replies. mp3 Posted in international

Earlier this month (June 1) the French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent died at the age of 71. He was one of the most influential figures in 20th century fashion. And he was also instrumental in the development of a garment that figured in presidential politics this year. Mobile post sent by gallafent using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Mobile post sent by gallafent using Utterz.  Replies. mp3

Brazil got a new environment minister this month. Carlos Minc has the right credentials - he’s a founder of Brazil’s Green Party. But he’s got a tough job. Balancing the demands of environmentalists with the demands of Brazil’s booming economy is tricky business. For your listening pleasure, here’s my guide to Rainforest Economics. Also, take a look at some extraordinary aerial photos of what’s thought to be an uncontacted Amazonian tribe. The tribe lives on the border between Peru and Brazil

Here’s the first radio piece from my trip to the Brazilian Amazon. It’s a look at the history of Manaus through something that’s not very often associated with the Amazon: opera. Mobile post sent by gallafent using Utterz.  Replies.  mp3

Deforestation is a constant threat to the Amazon rainforest. Loggers, cattle ranchers and farmers press to claim ever more of the forest. The Amazon stores vast amount of carbon that would otherwise be in the atmosphere. Deforestation releases much of that carbon into the air.  But the Amazon serves other environmental purposes as well. For one thing, the giant South American forest affects the globe’s climate. Scientists are working to better understand that relationship. Here’s the second part of my

A trip to the moon today. I was at Urucu, an oil and natural gas facility some 600km west (and south a bit) of Manaus. It sits above massive reserves of natural gas, and smaller fields of high-quality oil. And those reserves are in the middle of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the final approach into Urucu, as seen from my airplane window early this morning. The Urucu facility itself is a strange, strange place. It operates much like an offshore rig - workers come

Amazonas State has a big ticket project to curb deforestation. Trees aren’t cut down here to the same extent as they are in, say, Mato Grosso (where soy is a passport to profit) - but even so Amazonas governor Eduardo Braga is adamant that the rainforest in his state be preserved. I spoke with Braga back in Boston. And on Wednesday - just before I catch my flight home - I’ll meet Virgilio Viana, who leads the Sustainable Amazon Foundation. Before taking up that role, Viana was Braga’s Secretary of Sta