Interesting book that gives basic information about Poison Dart Frogs.  They are found mainly in Central and South America.  The brighter the color the more poisonous they are but they are small.  Their poison was used by natives on their arrow tips.  Poison Dart Frogs are protective of their young.  They also are different in captivity than in the wild.  Some are very aggressive.  They live in different environments.  No two are much the same.  Worth the read.  I like learning new stuff.

Somewhat fitting that my last book of 2019 was about the exploitation of native people.  This was a difficult reading, even knowing that not all of the story was Rigoberta's personal story.   I could probably find similar stories of American colonists taking over native lands here and we're still doing it.

The book was a bit difficult to read due to the language.  Rigoberta does not have a standard education and her word choice and story telling can occasionally be repetitive and hard to follow.  It still added to my understanding of how native people's view the world very differently from western European capitalists.   It was also interesting having her explain how they merged Catholicism/Christianity in with their own beliefs.  Ending up rejecting the "accept suffering here because you're going to a better place" line of reasoning and replacing it with "God would want us to alleviate suffering here and now".  Then taking their own lessons from the bible, especially the underdog defending our territory lessons.   

Rigoberta is still alive and still fighting.

I've been lucky enough to have been able to visit a fair number of World Heritage Sites already -- I don't explicitly go out to "collect" visits to them, but whenever I'm traveling and one of these sites is in the vicinity, I'll at least try to include it in my plans.

Of the places I have not visited yet, two are at the very top of my list: Lillelara's pick, Agkor (Wat), and ... Machu Picchu.  And however much I might be interested in pretty much any other place in the world, if it comes down to "one -- and one only", as you might have guessed from my post about that long-ago trip to Mexico and Guatemala, anything "Precolumbian civilizations" will virtually always win the day.  Especially if it's the capital of one of the most legendary and powerful Precolumbian empires (that of the Incas), is acutely in danger of vanishing forever if its protection is not jacked up something sharpish, and has got this sort of breathtaking a location ... I mean, just look at it!

From the UNESCO website:

"Machu Picchu stands 2,430 m above sea-level, in the middle of a tropical mountain forest, in an extraordinarily beautiful setting. It was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height; its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Embedded within a dramatic landscape at the meeting point between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is among the greatest artistic, architectural and land use achievements anywhere and the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization. Recognized for outstanding cultural and natural values, the mixed World Heritage property covers 32,592 hectares of mountain slopes, peaks and valleys surrounding its heart, the spectacular archaeological monument of “La Ciudadela” (the Citadel) at more than 2,400 meters above sea level. Built in the fifteenth century Machu Picchu was abandoned when the Inca Empire was conquered by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. It was not until 1911 that the archaeological complex was made known to the outside world.

The approximately 200 structures making up this outstanding religious, ceremonial, astronomical and agricultural centre are set on a steep ridge, crisscrossed by stone terraces. Following a rigorous plan the city is divided into a lower and upper part, separating the farming from residential areas, with a large square between the two. To this day, many of Machu Picchu’s mysteries remain unresolved, including the exact role it may have played in the Incas’ sophisticated understanding of astronomy and domestication of wild plant species.

The massive yet refined architecture of Machu Picchu blends exceptionally well with the stunning natural environment, with which it is intricately linked. Numerous subsidiary centres, an extensive road and trail system, irrigation canals and agricultural terraces bear witness to longstanding, often on-going human use. The rugged topography making some areas difficult to access has resulted in a mosaic of used areas and diverse natural habitats. The Eastern slopes of the tropical Andes with its enormous gradient from high altitude “Puna” grasslands and Polylepis thickets to montane cloud forests all the way down towards the tropical lowland forests are known to harbour a rich biodiversity and high endemism of global significance. Despite its small size the property contributes to conserving a very rich habitat and species diversity with remarkable endemic and relict flora and fauna.

[...]

Tourism itself represents a double-edged sword by providing economic benefits but also by resulting in major cultural and ecological impacts. The strongly increasing number of visitors to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu must be matched by an adequate management regulating access, diversifying the offer and efforts to fully understand and minimize impacts. A larger appropriate and increasing share of the significant tourism revenues could be re-invested in planning and management. The planning and organization of transportation and infrastructure construction, as well as the sanitary and safety conditions for both tourists and new residents attracted by tourism requires the creation of high quality and new long-term solutions, and is a significant ongoing concern.

Since the time of inscription consistent concerns have been expressed about ecosystem degradation through logging, firewood and commercial plant collection, poor waste management, poaching, agricultural encroachment in the absence of clear land tenure arrangements, introduced species and water pollution from both urban waste and agro-chemicals in the Urubamba River, in addition from pressures derived from broader development in the region. It is important to remember that the overall risks are aggravated by the location in a high altitude with extreme topography and weather conditions and thus susceptibility to natural disasters. Continuous efforts are needed to comply with protected areas and other legislation and plans and prevent further degradation. There is also great potential for restoring degraded areas."

All images in this post from the UNESCO website:
(c) Silvan Rehfeld, Geoff Steven, and Ko Hon Chiu Vincent

(Task: If you were offered an all-expenses-paid trip to one (one only!) of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, which one would you pick (and why)?)

Plantain chips are more popular in Nigeria. Plantain chips prepared in Nigeria generally contain less than 35% fats and between 1 to 3% of residual humidity. Rest all other plantain chips that are prepared has a lot of fats and calories. As the awareness expands, the uptake of the former is anticipated to escalate, according to the analyst of a recent business intelligence report from IndustryARC. The report is titled “South America Sweet and Salty Snacks Market: By Type (Chips, Extruded Snacks, Nuts, Pretzels, Popcorn, Traditional snacks); By Distribution Channel (Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, Convenience stores, Specialty food stores, Online) - Forecast (2017 - 2022).”

The South America sweet and salty snacks market is thriving on primarily two factors: changing eating habits of urban populations with increasing disposable income and the robustness of distribution network of major manufacturers who are making these products readily available for their targeted customers. These snacks include bakery products, chips, chocolates, etc. South America is one of the fastest growing economic continent, with countries such as Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, and Argentina prospering at healthy GDP.

The South American sweet and salty snacks market is enabling the countries to become modern and have a drastic growth in the food and beverage industry. Chile is one of the fastest growing countries in South America. According to the National Institute of Statistics, Chile has the largest market share in supermarkets, having nearly 50% of the total food sales. Due to the consumption of a large number of snacks the rate of obesity and Type II diabetes is being observed in almost every individual. Therefore, the sweet and salty snacks market vendors in this region as restructuring their product portfolio according to the organic food trend. Products are now baked not fried, and ingredients are more natural, which is enticing existing fan base to pay a premium price for higher quality snacks.

On the other hand, South America sweet and salty snack market used to be filled with chips, plantain chips, and popcorns etc. Snacking pattern and increase in intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has heavily impacted the health of people like cardiovascular diseases, Type II diabetes, and Obesity. Players aspiring greater market share are overcoming this by developing healthier products that fall under governmental guidelines.

Browse 34 Market Tables, 62 Figures spread through 158 slides and an in-depth TOC on “South America Sweet and Salty Snacks Market (2018 - 2023)”

Diet Snack Bolsters in South American Sweet and Salty Snack Market
Kellogg’s has started producing Teff-based snacks (baked chips) based on Ethiopian Recipes. And it has started making a social impact in Ethiopia.
Small and new entrants have started entering the market and supplying organic and natural snack to the offices in South America and earning good revenue. With stiff competition coming from local players, the consumers have plenty of bargaining power and therefore the market demand is on the surge.
Nestle has taken an initiative to have control over sweet and salty snacks amongst people, by uploading diet tips on their websites such as Healthy Snacking, Portion Patrol, and Sweet Enough.

Big Giants Driving Dietary Food in South America Sweet and Salty Snack Market
Kellogg’s NA Co, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, General Mills Inc., Nestle S.A, and PepsiCo are a few major market players operating in South America sweet and salty snacks market.
General Mills Inc. has introduced its cereal portfolio with the launch of Fiber One Strawberries and Vanilla Clusters, which is available in all the stores since January 2019.
PepsiCo has introduced #TostitosLiveBowl, to set an official world record for the longest live stream of tortilla chip bowl on 1st Feb 2019 to promote its snack.
PepsiCo will launch Bubly- Sparkling water in 8 different flavors, with no artificial flavors, sweeteners or calories in March 2019, to offer consumers healthier snack and beverage products.
PepsiCo, General Mills, and Mondelez have begun the conversation to acquire Nutrimental. Company with a revenue of $300 Million and are planning for a sale around $1 billion.

The consumption of snack is considerably increasing constantly due to change in lifestyle and eating habits of the people in South America. The snack producing companies have a good scope in a developing country like Chile, Ethiopia, and Brazil. Major players are continuously producing various snack products due to cut-throat competition and people are moving towards consumption of such products and increasing the demand in the market. However, creating a healthier food environment is very important in the lifestyle that people live in.

Talk to one of our sales representative about the full report by providing your details in the link below:
https://industryarc.com/support.php?id=9569

Related Reports:
Natural Flavors Market: By Type (Natural flavoring substances, Nature-Identical Flavoring substances); By Form (Liquid, Powder); By Application (Bakery, Confectionary) & By Region - Forecast (2018 - 2025)
https://industryarc.com/Report/15049/natural-flavors-market.html

Food Inclusions Market: By Product(cereals inclusion, biscuit inclusion, confectionary inclusion, fruit inclusion, flavored sugar inclusion) By Application (beverages, confectionary, bakery, snacks, dairy, frozen foods); By Form (solid, semi-solid, liquids); By Flavor (fruit, savory, dairy, chocolate & caramel); By Geography - Forecast(2018-2023)
https://industryarc.com/Report/7464/food-inclusions-market.html

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I was initially excited about this book, which describes a wild, little-known part of the world in vivid detail. However, that excitement soon wore off, as Gimlette seems largely drawn to describing war and atrocities, to emphasizing atmosphere over accuracy in his reportage, and to following the stories of white explorers and colonists while stereotyping and relegating everybody else to the sidelines, even though “everybody else” makes up 99% of the population.

The book is structured around Gimlette’s travels through “the Guianas,” three relatively small countries carved out of the Caribbean coast of South America, but which have remarkably little in common with the rest of the continent. Or rather, two countries – English-speaking Guyana and Dutch-speaking Suriname – plus French Guiana (referred to here as “Guyane”), an overseas department of France. These countries’ populations are mostly descended from the black slaves and Indian indentured servants brought there to work the sugar plantations; there’s also a small native population and, in Suriname, villages of “maroons,” descendants of escaped slaves who, centuries ago, formed their own tribes in the jungle. A little over half the book focuses on Guyana and most of the rest on Suriname, with just one 40-page chapter covering French Guiana.

It’s definitely interesting material, and Gimlette devotes perhaps half or less of the book to his travels, while the rest relates the bloody history of the Guianas. I definitely learned a lot from it: Gimlette clearly did a bunch of research, and he visits many sites of historical import and relates stories revealing the significance of these places to the reader. When covering more recent history, he talks to people who experienced historical events, sometimes including key players as well as everyday folk. He travels widely around the countries, from the coast, where 90% of the population lives, to the jungle and the savannah, and meets people from all walks of life. He has an eye for the bizarre, describes his surroundings in colorful detail, and has a smooth, assured writing style.

That said, the more I read of this book, the more disenchanted I became. Gimlette seems drawn to the horrifying, whether it’s the barbarity of slavery or French Guiana’s penal colony, the horrors of recent civil wars, or the mass suicide/massacre of an American cult at Jonestown; this is not a light or easy read, though its tone is often flippant. Gimlette’s writing is atmospheric, but not well-sourced: despite the fact that the book is largely history, it has no endnotes, only a description of his sources generally. And he seems to play fast and loose with the facts. “Even as I write, there isn’t a single road that leads from the Guianas into the world beyond,” he tells us at the beginning, before taking a bus through French Guiana to the Brazilian border at the end. In writing about the Jonestown cult, he asserts that “Jonestown carried on killing for years after the massacre. . . . Even years after the cult’s demise, defectors were still being hunted down and killed” – a claim the internet does not seem to support.

But it’s not uncommon for him to leave his facts vague (who is supposed to have killed the defectors, given that Jones’s loyal followers had already killed themselves?). When discussing Sir Walter Raleigh’s final, ill-fated expedition into the rainforest, he describes in detail the suicide of Raleigh’s friend Captain Keymis and Raleigh’s own execution back home in England, but fails to note why Keymis killed himself or why Raleigh (who comes up time and again in this book) was executed, beyond the vague statement that “the expedition disintegrated into a bloody brawl.” I had to turn to the internet to learn that, in fact, Keymis lead an expedition against the Spanish without Raleigh’s permission, in which Raleigh’s son was killed; Keymis killed himself because Raleigh refused to forgive him, and Raleigh was executed because the skirmish violated the terms of his own parole on a questionable prior conviction for plotting against the king. It’s as if Gimlette wanted to include their deaths for the extra color and weight they lent the story, but couldn’t be bothered to share the facts from which a reader could make sense of them.

And then there’s the fact that so much of the book is focused on white European men like Gimlette himself, even if they did nothing more than wander into the jungle and die (see Raymond Maufrais). It winds up giving the impression that only these people’s stories are worth telling, particularly alongside Gimlette’s ready stereotypes of everyone else. The Amerindians, apparently, are cannibals, as are the Africans. Escaped slaves who set up fiefdoms full of brutality and debauchery are “reverting back to old Africa,” despite the fact that this is how the colonists operated toward them.

So ultimately, I can give this book a cautious recommendation at best. It’s a colorful introduction to a world about which little has been written, but it’s also a heavy read, imbued with the author’s biases and questionable, unsourced assertions. Too bad, for a book that began with such promise.