Cacho was charged with libel and received death threats after publishing a book about a child sex abuse ring involving business figures in Cancun in 2005.
via Lydia Cacho, Roberto Saviano win Olof Palme Prize for exposing criminal networks – The Washington Post.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade issued an advisory at 7 a.m., reporting that the storm is becoming less organized and may fizzle into a tropical storm later Thursday.

via Hurricane Rina fizzling, no longer threat to South Florida – Hurricanes – MiamiHerald.com.

Cancun Hurricane Rina Advisory

For guests scheduled to travel to, from and through Cancun Oct. 26-29, 2011:

• Those whose travel has already begun may make one itinerary change. Rules and restrictions regarding standard change fees, advance purchase, day or time applications, blackouts, and minimum or maximum stay requirements have been waived. Origin and destination cities must remain the same. Changes must be made by midnight, Oct. 29, 2011, and travel completed by Nov. 12, 2011.
• Those who have not begun travel may make one change to their travel plans without a change fee or difference in fare if changed by Oct. 29, 2011 and travel occurs by Nov. 12, 2011. All travel rescheduled after Nov. 12, 2011 may be subject to higher fares if it does not meet original rule or booking class.

For more information regarding Frontier’s weather policy or to check the status of a flight, visit the travel advisory page on FrontierAirlines.com.

These are among the insights in the latest edition of Society at a Glance, which gives an overview of social trends and policy developments in OECD countries. Using indicators taken from OECD databases and other sources, it shows how societies are changing over time and compared with other countries.

A special chapter in the report looks at unpaid work, such as cooking, cleaning, caring, and shopping, in 26 OECD countries, as well as China, India and South Africa.

Most unpaid work is housework. Mexicans do the most, at more than 3 hours per day, and Koreans the least, at 1 hour and 19 minutes. Much of this time is spent cooking. Americans spend the least time cooking each day (30 minutes) and Turks the most in the OECD (74 minutes). Most people spend around 50 minutes a day cooking.

Shopping also makes up a big part of unpaid work. Most people in OECD countries spend 23 minutes a day shopping, with the French spending the most (32 minutes) and the Koreans the least (13 minutes).

The report also attempts to estimate how much unpaid work is worth as a percentage of GDP for the 25 OECD countries for which data are available. It finds that the value of unpaid work is considerable, equivalent to about one-third of GDP in OECD countries, ranging from a low of 19% in Korea to a high of 53% in Portugal.

Other social indicators documented in the report include fertility rates, education and health spending, inequality, migration, tolerance and trust.

via Who’s busiest: working hours and household chores across OECD.

Jose Juarez Gil, who calls himself “Pepe Tiger,” has been battling allegations from private and government groups that animals suffered under his care from inadequate food, space and veterinary care.

The cats “did not have dignified or respectful treatment, and the conditions they were being held in were unsafe,” the Attorney General’s Office for environmental protection said in a statement.

It did not say what the unsafe conditions were, but in November one of the tigers escaped its cage and mauled a man, who later recovered.

Go to original AP story.

An aerial view of La Vía Laktea, Luxury Beach Cabañas, Tulum, Riviera Maya. Click for full-size image.

Bambú Kessler reports from Tulum: “Here’s an offer so great, you’ll think we’re April Foolin’. We have a few nights open during Easter Week at La Vía Laktea Luxury Beach Cabañas in Tulum on the Riviera Maya, so we are starting our low season discount a little early this year. Effective immediately, all reservations — including Easter  — are being taken at the SPECIAL low season rate until July 15. Ocean-front upper $153. Ocean-front lower $135. Jungle-view $85.

About La Vía Laktea

La Vía Laktea consist of ten large, solid, comfortable cabañas with concrete construction and traditional Mayan thatched “palapa” roofs located on one of Mexico’s most remote and beautiful beaches. Most of our furnishings are made by local artisans. The rooms are much larger than any others in this area — 36 sq. m. by 118 sq. ft with a 16 m2/52 sq. ft or larger balcony or terrace. It is one of the last hotels before the Sian Ka’an Biosphere begins.

Installations are designed to reduce environmental footprint. The electrical plant is limited to to seven hours a day for environmental reasons. The cabañas take maximum advantage of natural ventilation. The beach in front of the hotel is cleaned frequently. Laundry is done off-site in Tulum to avoid polluting the lagoon on the jungle side of the hotel.

Co-owner Bambú Kessler says, “Robert and I live at La Vía Laktea. When you stay with us, you are, in effect, staying in our home. We try our best to treat you as friends, not customers.”

The hotel is located on hidden Punta Piedras beach, at the edge of the Sian Ka’an Biological Reserve in the municipality of Tulum, about two hours south of Cancun by car. A very discreet driveway leads through the palm trees and green shaded light that surround the site.

La Vía Laktea (The Milky Way)
Luxury Beach Cabañas, Tulum, Riviera Maya

http://www.vialaktea.info

Hosts: Bambú Kessler & Roberto Alvarenga
Carretera Tulum–Boca Paila Km 9.5, Tulum, Q. Roo, México
Tel: [521-984] 807-4341 & 113-6050 § [521-555] 105-5551

DAILY RATES

* Holiday Season
Dec. 20 – Jan. 5

Ocean-front upper $220.
Ocean-front lower $190.
Jungle-view $135.

* High Season
Jan. 6 — March 31

Ocean-front upper $170.
Ocean-front lower $153.
Jungle-view $105.

* SPECIAL Low Season April 1 — July 15

Ocean-front upper $153.
Ocean-front lower $135.
Jungle-view $85.

* Summer Season
July 16 — Sept. 15

Ocean-front upper $135.
Ocean-front lower $120.
Jungle-view $85.

* Low Season
Sept. 16 — Dec. 15

Ocean-front upper $135.
Ocean-front lower $120.
Jungle-view $85.

Researchers attribute early colonial land-use practices, such as deforestation, plowing and damming with influencing present-day hydrological systems across eastern North America. Previous studies suggest that Native Americans’ land use in eastern North America initially caused the change in hydrological systems, however, little direct evidence has been provided until now.

The Baylor study found that pre-European so-called “natural” floodplains have a history of prehistoric indigenous land use, and thus colonial-era Europeans were not the first people to have an impact on the hydrologic systems of eastern North America. The study also found that prehistoric small-scale agricultural societies caused widespread ecological change and increased sedimentation in hydrologic systems during the Medieval Climate Anomaly-Little Ice Age, which occurred about 700 to 1,000 years ago.

“These are two very important findings,” said Gary Stinchcomb, a Baylor doctoral candidate who conducted the study. “The findings conclusively demonstrate that Native Americans in eastern North America impacted their environment well before the arrival of Europeans. Through their agricultural practices, Native Americans increased soil erosion and sediment yields to the Delaware River basin.”

The Baylor researchers found that prehistoric people decreased forest cover to reorient their settlements and intensify corn production. They also contributed to increased sedimentation in valley bottoms about 700 to 1,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought. The findings suggest that prehistoric land use was the initial cause of increased sedimentation in the valley bottoms, and sedimentation was later amplified by wetter and stormier conditions.

To conduct the study, the Baylor researchers took samples along the Delaware River Valley. Landforms were mapped based on relative elevations to Delaware River base flow and archaeological excavations assessed the presence of human habitation. The Baylor researchers then used a site-specific geoarchaeological approach and a regional synthesis of previous research to test the hypothesis that the indigenous population had a widespread impact on terrestrial sedimentation in eastern North America.

“This study provides some of the most significant evidence yet that Native Americans impacted the land to a much greater degree than previously thought,” said Dr. Steve Driese, professor and chair of Baylor’s department of geology, College of Arts and Sciences, who co-authored the study. “It confirms that Native American populations had widespread effects on sedimentation.”

Scientists from the Smithsonian and Temple University also collaborated on the project.

Media contact: Matt Pene, Assistant Director of Media Communications, 254-710-4656.
Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom

Cancun Hotel Zone beach facing south before sand replacement (Anita Brown)

View south standing on same boulder, after sand replacement. (Anita Brown)

Before: Taken from Plaza Forum balcony looking north in Cancun Hotel Zone. (Anita Brown)

After: View from the Plaza Forum balcony facing north in Cancun Hotel Zone. (Anita Brown)

via Free family flights to Mexico on AeroMexico – Deals- msnbc.com.

“Mexico is home to 10 percent of the Earth’s species and this wealth of diversity is important not only for Mexico’s ecosystems, but for the people here who depend on these resources for their social, economic and physical well-being,” said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. This is the largest private financial commitment from an individual ever made in support of conservation and sustainable development in Mexico,” said Omar Vidal, director of WWF-Mexico.

“This alliance between the private sector, NGOs and government is exactly the kind of partnership that WWF sees as the model for transforming the way we conserve our special places and balance the needs of people and nature around the world,” Vidal said. The work of the alliance will include efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, develop comprehensive water management policies, strengthen civil society, develop innovative financial mechanisms, and invest in local sustainable economies.

“This alliance also underscores Mexico’s rising leadership in global negotiations on the design of new financial mechanisms to help developing nations confront and adapt to climate change,” Roberts said. An assessment of the major issues and recommended actions was developed based on consultation with more than 100 government and civil society experts across the selected regions.

The six regions – the Gulf of California, Chihuahuan Desert, Mesoamerican Reef of Mexico, the Monarch Butterfly Region, and the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca – collectively represent 30 percent of the country.