Archive for August, 2015

Tropical Storm Erika Strikes Dominica

Monday, August 31st, 2015
Dominica in the Caribbean

Dominica in the Caribbean

Tropical Storm Erika inflicted substantial damage on the Caribbean island of Dominica, killing at least twenty people, washing away homes and eroding roads. Dominica is an island of pristine natural beauty, for which it was given the moniker of “The Nature Island”. Tropical rain forests cover over two-thirds of the island which, despite its small size, offers extraordinary ecological diversity, as the home to over 1,200 plant species.  The lush vegetation is supported by rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the eastern Caribbean. I first came to know Dominica and its beautiful people in connection with a project which becomes especially relevant in the context of a severe hazard, such as Tropical Storm Erika.

Last summer one of my graduate student interns, Alejandro Witschi, worked with me on a project on disaster risk reduction communications in the Caribbean region on behalf of the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Our work plan entailed consulting with the key stakeholders in the region: the national emergency management offices of sixteen Caribbean countries (including Dominica), regional partners and NGO’s, such as the the French Red Cross, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, the Spanish Red Cross, UNICEF and World Vision International. The results of our work included a report we co-authored and I will quote here from page 2:

“The Caribbean region experiences multiple hazards: the region is prone to hurricanes, floods, flash floods, tsunamis, landslides and mudslides. Some islands experience earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The physical risk is combined with socioeconomic factors, such as high population density, fast demographic growth, inequality and great poverty. The combination of these factors results in highly vulnerable communities, with few coping capacities in the event of disaster. Moreover, climate change is likely to negatively affect disaster trends in the region. In addition, the Caribbean region is at elevated risk owing to the highly concentrated impact of hazards on small and undiversified economies. So-called “SIDS” (or Small Island Developing States) are highly exposed to a range of hazards, but precisely because of their small size, a very large proportion of their total produced capital is at risk. The 2013 Global Assessment Report global risk model found, for example, that certain Caribbean countries could expect to lose more than 30 per cent of their value of their urban produced capital to the wind damage caused by a catastrophic, one-in-250 year cyclone. SIDS are among the countries that contribute the least to carbon emissions but are at risk for the greatest losses due to climate change, including disaster losses, that are projected to increase.”

In addition to contributing to disaster relief organizations, we can support Dominica’s recovery by paying a visit as the economy is largely dependent on tourism. The tourism ministries of Dominica’s Caribbean neighbors have donated vacation packages to online charity auctions to raise needed funds for disaster relief. You can find them using the various Internet search engines. UPDATE (October 1): Dominica is supporting a social media campaign which aims to show how areas previously devastated by Erika have been restored, showing the progress of the reconstruction. The government is offering prizes to the winning photographers.

Rest In Peace, Dr. Oliver Sacks

Sunday, August 30th, 2015

The blog for Dr. Oliver Sacks reports that he died at his home this morning, surrounded by his close friends and family. I have always admired the way Dr. Sacks lived his life with passion and purpose and wish peace and comfort for his families and friends at this time.

Preparing for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

Saturday, August 29th, 2015
The Beauty of Nature

The Beauty of Nature

Pope Francis has designated Tuesday, September 1 as World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Pope included the following prayer in his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care of Our Common Home:

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.

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Thursday, August 27th, 2015

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Wednesday, August 26th, 2015

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Tuesday, August 25th, 2015

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Monday, August 24th, 2015

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Favorite Book of the Week – Economix

Sunday, August 23rd, 2015
Book of the Week

Book of the Week

Economix starts with an ambitious goal: to explain how the economy works (and doesn’t work). The book presents economic history in the form of a “graphic novel” or, as one reviewer put it, an “adult comic book”. The creativity of the presentation makes the book very engaging, a significant accomplishment for a subject that is often dull. Economix is organized into eight chapters, beginning with the “Invisible Hand” of Adam Smith and concluding with the challenges climate change poses to our economy today. Leaving aside the author’s occasional caustic comments, as he gets into more political topics towards the end of the book, I thoroughly enjoyed Economix. It is a helpful review of how we arrived at our present state of instability and indebtedness and what we might do to change our course. I appreciated the book’s reminders, for example, that Adam Smith feared increasing monopolistic power of big business and its ability to capture government subsidies and stifle competition. The map of environmental disasters was compelling. The book succeeds as a basic primer in economics and I strongly recommend that every small business owner read it.

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Saturday, August 22nd, 2015

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Friday, August 21st, 2015

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