An American in Lima

Peru has discovered the marketing power of the voter-powered “Best of” list.
The trend began in 2007 when a global poll of 100 million voters chose Machu Picchu as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. 
The prestige and tourism revenues generated by that honor inspired Peru to mount its own contest to name the 7 Wonders of Peru. [...]

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Skimming through Expat Women today, I learned that a new citizenship law about to go into effect in Canada will make some Canadian children born abroad ineligible for Canadian citizenship.
Expat Women writes:
Hi Everyone, If you are a Canadian, especially if you are an adult TCK or you have children who one day will be adult [...]

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He was one of my favorite novelists, a person who wrote bracingly honest books about being male, being American, being human.
Now El Fotografo walks into my office and tells me John Updike is dead. Of lung cancer. I had no idea he smoked.
The obituaries are appearing now online, and I’ve snagged one below from Reuters.
I [...]

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tourism company in Cusco is sponsoring an intriguing photo project to highlight indigenous beauty and women’s growing influence in South America. No prize money or payment is involved, but chosen photographers have their projects featured in a select Web-based gallery.

The Inca Princess Photo Project invites professional photographers to submit ideas for “spectacular open-theme material celebrating the beauty and unique nature of South American women.”

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Awful news. Quilca Glacier (5,250 meters above sea level) in Puno has disappeared completely, reports Peru’s National Institute for Natural Resources (IRENA).
The disappearance of Quilca is part of an ongoing recession of tropical glaciers throughout the Andes, where climate change (mainly rising air temperatures) is making it impossible for the ice to regenerate.
Experts such as Marco [...]

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Anderson Cooper wants to inform Americans about pollution at La Oroya, but viewers appear more interested in his hairstyle

I learn some surprising things managing this blog.
Like: Many people spend time online researching men’s haircuts. I think these people are mainly guys looking for a new look, although they could be search-engine-savvy hairstylists hoping to replicate certain cuts in their salon.
This blog strayed into [...]

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Excuse the radio silence. I’ve been holed up writing grant applications to fund an expedition that El Fotografo and I want to do this year in the dept. of Cusco. Keep your fingers crossed.
Expeditions are not the only projects in Peru that are eligible for funding. Research projects undertaken by investigators in the “hard” and social sciences, as well [...]

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The Lima-based Reuters crew just filed this tipico Peru story about a strange court ruling.
A judge on Peru’s top court has ruled that companies cannot fire workers for being drunk on the job. The Peruvian government is fuming about the decision, which it says sets a dangerous precedent.
Oy vey! Only in Peru.
Here’s the entire news [...]

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Here’s some good news for the environment:
According to ANDINA and other news outlets, Peru’s Ministry of Agriculture has initiated an ambitious countrywide tree-planting campaign to counter the effects of climate change.
The project began in December with the goal of planting 40 million trees by February 20. That translates to half a million trees per day or more than 40 million trees [...]

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I knew it wouldn’t happen. Everyone in Peru knew it was a long shot. But somehow, when it was officially announced this month that the Obamas were not adopting a Peruvian hairless dog, I felt keenly let down.
No Peruvian in the White House. Rats.
The new presidential pooch will be a Labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound sourced from [...]

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My posts on the CNN Planet in Peril: Battle Lines program that spotlighted the Doe Run smelting plant in La Oroya, Peru, have elicited comments from a range of people involved in the catastrophe: a journalist, activists and Peruvians whose families live near the toxic plant.
As American investigative reporter Sara Shipley Hines points out, the CNN special gave the false impression [...]

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The New York Times’ Inge Sheve reports on an underdog contender for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. He’s 38-year-old Roberto Carcelen, a surfer and runner from Peru, who hopes to become the best cross-country skiier in South America, as well as his country’s first Olympic cross-country skier. (Carcelen trains in Seattle, where he lives with his [...]

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The photo above was taken in Surquillo Market No. 1, in Miraflores. The vendor is arranging her eggplants and tomatoes as the day winds down.
Peruvians prefer to prepare their meals from fresh fruits and vegetables, rather than buy canned, frozen or processed foods.
Doing so it more economical and tasty, Peruvians agree. As an added bonus, [...]

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El Fotógrafo has an erratic relationship with his hair. He goes for weeks without doing much of anything to it, letting it sprout in extravagent clumps, and then one day, he will be struck by a severe urge to cut his hair Now.
This can be hazardous because EF has a cowlick. It’s not something a person can [...]

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