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In The News

Rare Caribbean Frog Hops On Banana, Flies To France — Only Banana Is Eaten

Perhaps it was looking to make a statement about the carbon footprint of the food industry, or maybe it was hoping to hop up the Eiffel Tower some day. No one will ever know why (or how) the tiny Guadeloupean frog clung to a banana for 6,400 kilometers to land in Europe, but the odd […]

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Ideas Society

What Is Art? A 20th-Century Question Oddly Lingers On

Are explicitly polemical art works, by now a tradition in modern culture, related to the wave of rebellions across the world? Or are they just a moneymaking tool?

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In The News

Fruits Of Labor

Brazil is a major banana-producing country. In Belem, the gateway to the River Amazon in the north of the country, these dock workers were unloading the day’s cargo destined for city markets. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s World here.

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blog

Peeling Out The Middleman

There was no wholesaler, no packaging and no shipping between producer (these K’iche” vendors, of Mayan descent) and consumer (me) of bananas on the famous Guatemalan market of Chichicastenango.

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Economy Society

How Northern Laos Is Being Swallowed By China

Thousands of Chinese are moving to Laos to benefit from an expatriation bonus. But their mass use of pesticides on banana plantations has created a serious health issue, and displacement of locals has fomented anti-Chinese sentiment.

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Food / Travel

Idjwi, A Quiet Island Sheltered From Congo’s Woes. For Now

Idjwi is a rare example of a preserved ecosystem in the troubled eastern Congolese region. But poverty and crop disease are now putting this tranquil island at risk too.

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Society

Banana-Based Moonshine Microbrew Is A Killer In Burundi

NGOZI – In the north of Burundi, new brands of “beer” have sprouted recently. They are produced locally in a multitude of small breweries or imported from neighboring countries in little plastic bags. These alcoholic beverages are three times less expensive than normal brews – $0.30 for 50ml – and very strong, containing up to […]

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