Image of newly discovered passion flower

One of the newly discovered plants from Madidi National Park in Bolivia, this is Passiflora madidiana.

Newly discovered species in Bolivia

Eight new plants discovered in Bolivia
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
November 07, 2010

Researchers have described eight new species of plant from in and near Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Andes and Amazon rainforest. Described in the journal Novon by botanists with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the National Herbaium in Laz Paz, Bolivia, seven of the eight plants were found as apart of the Proyecto Madidi (Project Madidi), a ten year effort to describe the plant species of three inter-connecting protected areas in Bolivia—Madidi National Park, Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve and Communal Lands, and Apolobamba Integrated Management Natural Area.

"Before we started this project in 2000, this botanically rich area was essentially a white area on the map, almost unexplored," says Dr. Peter Jørgensen, associate curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, in a press release. "There has been very little general collecting in this area. Over the course of a decade we have documented more than 7,000 species, which is about a third of what you can find in North America."

Of these 7,000 species, researchers with the project have found 132 that were unknown to science, only 32 of which have so far been formally described.

The protected areas spread over 100,000 square kilometers and cover habitats from high glacial peaks to the Amazon rainforest. Although protected, portions of these areas are threatened by new roads, expanding cattle ranching and farming.

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Quechua Week at New York University

Quechua at NYU Updates

Quechua Night Many thanks to Cassandra Torrico, who presented at the recent Quechua Conversation night in Bolivian Quechua. We had a great turnout, and the new format for the event is working out well. For those studying or interested in the language - this is a great place to continue developing your Quechua communication skills. Quechua Night is a monthly event held in Quechua that includes a presentation and lots of conversation time -- even those speakers at the basic level will leave having practiced Quechua. Read more about Quechua Night. Instead of having a Quechua Conversation Night in December, we will be focusing our energies onQuechua Week, see below.

Quechua Week 2010 NYU's first ever Quechua Week will span the days between Monday December 13and Friday December 17. While some details are still pending regarding a film screening event, the rest of the week's events are posted on our Quechua Week page. Please forward this info to friends and colleagues who may be interested! If you are a student at NYU and would like to help with these events, please reply to this email with your availability.

Evo Morales speaks in New York

Last night, 21 September, the Amigos de Bolivia crew went to hear Evo Morales speak at the Community Church on East 35th Street, after a session at the UN and a talk at Hunter College the day before. The line was around the block by 5pm, with the speech commencing at 7pm. A full house cheered him on with shouts of Evo! Evo! and he delivered in top form.
The subject was the rights of Mother Earth, and he made many references to capitalism and its role in impoverishing people around the world. Fidel Castro, he pointed out, made the remark 15-20 years ago that rich nations ought to recognise their ecological debt to the world; Morales noted that at first he did not realise the significance of that remark. But now with melting glaciers, dry spells, cold snaps that kill millions of fish, water levels receeding and other problems, he finds it very significant.
He rejected the Copenhagen accord which would have allowed for a rise of 2 degrees Centigrade worldwide, noting that an existing rise of .7-.89 degress was already in effect and was unbearable.
Such policies have not earned him praise among the corporate rulers, and one doubts that this speech will get the coverage it deserves -as so many papers are so indebted to the corporations which advertise in them - from the New York Post to even the Guardian (see the outing of this paper for its large 4X4 ads at http://www.hempforvictory.blogspot.com). He noted that after 9/11 the rich countries labeled him and some of his colleagues as drug dealers and, yes, terrorrists.
He ended saying he was actually a bit nervous, peasant farmer that he was, speaking to a crowd in a part of the world that labeled him drug dealer and a terrorist.
We are glad he stood up to his detractors, and look forward to hearing more from him in the future.

Evo Morales to speak at Community Church of New York

The Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the United Nations

Invites you to attend a public lecture by

President Evo Morales

"Nature is not for sale: the Rights of Mother Earth"

At the Community Church of New York

40 East 35th St. (between Madison and Park Ave.)

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 7 PM

Doors open at 5:30 PM. General admision.

Please confirm attendance to bolivianmission@gmail.com (does not guarantee a seat).

***

La Misión Permanente del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia ante las Naciones Unidas

Invita al acto ofrecido por el

Presidente Evo Morales

"La naturaleza no se vende: los derechos de la Madre Tierra”

En el Community Church of New York

40 East 35th St. (entre Madison y Park Ave.)

Martes, 21 de septiembre de 2010 a las 19:00 PM

El ingreso será a partir de las 17:30 PM. Espacio limitado.

Se ruega confirmar a bolivianmission@gmail.com (no implica reserva de asiento).

Evo Morales to speak at Hunter College in New York City

Evo Morales Speaks at Hunter College
Monday, September 20, 1:15-2:30pm
Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, will speak at Hunter College in celebration of the publication of the English language edition of Martin Sivak’s biography, Evo Morales: The Extraordinary Rise of the First Indigenous President of Bolivia. His speech will be followed by a brief Q & A and a discussion with bi-ographer Martin Sivak.
THIS EVENT IS IN SPANISH, WITH TRANSLATION
Headsets are available for English translation.
For security reasons, guests must present a valid photo University I.D* before entering the event. Guests are discouraged from bringing large bags and backpacks.
Copies of Evo Morales: The Extraordinary Rise of the First Indigenous President of Bolivia will be sold at the door.
* If you do not have a university I.D., please contact jfriedla@hunter.cuny.edu
Location: The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
East 68th Street (North Side) between Park and Lexington Avenues
DOORS OPEN AT 12:30 p.m.
The program will begin promptly at 1:15 p.m.
Free to the Public.
Seating is limited.
This Event is Co-Sponsored by:
Hunter College’s Departments of Africana and Puerto-Rican/Latino Studies, Anthropology,
Economics, Film and Media, Geography, History, Latin American and Caribbean Studies,
Political Science, Romance Languages, Sociology, and the Center for Puerto Rican Studies.
CUNY Graduate Center’s Departments of Anthropology, History, Political Science,
Sociology, and the Bildner Center.
New York University’s Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies, the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics, and Department of History
Palgrave Macmillan
Special Thanks To:
The Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies at New York University

Bolivian event in Hackensack

Sunday I took the bus to Hackensack, NJ, where the Bolivians had their annual festival. A couple friends showed up, one who writes for HDL in Israel, and they were quite impressed. Each departamento had their dancers in colourful native dress do a parade.

Marco Medrano was officiating as usual, this being an event he started for the Bolivian community before he became Consul General in NY.

Native food was also on hand, and I had a very nice ceviche, which was not acidic at all as some can be. Best with lots of cilantro and some red onion, washed down with some jugo de tamarindo or coco.

What impressed me the most was just the vibe, real friendly, there does not seem to be much strife in their society, despite the decades of turbulent politics. It happens that this is a very safe country, there are no real crimes, so travel to Bolivia is in demand. Try to go when there is a festival, and you are in for a treat. The next event I know of there is the Tenth Annual Orchid Festival in Concepcion, Santa Cruz, 8-10th October, which will be just as colourful as the parades of dancers in native dress - check out the cattleyas, brassias and sobralias!