THE BEAST AND THE BEAUTY

The decision of the organisers of Madrid fashion week to bar \'\'excessively\'\' thin models from the city\'s runways immediately reminded me of a grim joke in very poor taste about Ethiopian children who, seeing the photo of a very, very skinny top model, decided to organise a collection of food to send the destitute woman, writes Leonardo Padura Fuentes, Cuban writer and novelist, winner of the Dashiell Hammett Prize for Best Literary Crime Novel. In this article, the author writes that the fashion world\'s habit of setting extreme thinness as the measure of female beauty (and personal success) appears to have reached worrying extremes: according to scientific authorities, the attainment of these emaciated physiques is related to psychic and eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, which are becoming more and more widespread. If we do not respect that which was granted us by the miracle of evolution, an inhabitable planet and a body with intelligence, the future of the species and its common home could be condemned to premature death generated and engineered precisely by that great human virtue: intelligence. Or by its major defect: foolishness.

Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Dredging to Prevent Floods

- Authorities from the town of Montería, in the northern Colombian department of Córdoba, will begin dredging and rehabilitation work in September on La Caimanera channel.

Warning: Used Cell Phones

Mobile phone use is expanding throughout Latin America, but regulations and technology are insufficient to deal with the obsolete units, which can contain metals and other materials that are harmful to the environment and health.

Thirsty and in the Dark

The current drought -- worsened by deforestation -- is the culprit behind the blackouts hitting Nicaragua during the past four months. If it doesn't rain soon, public discontent could boil over, warns the nation's president.

Two Decades of Biotech Advances

The vaccine against hepatitis B is the star product of Cuban biotechnology, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. In November, scientists and investors from around the world will gather for a meeting in Havana.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Coffee, Ally of the Heart

Brazilian experts are working to prove the benefits of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) for treating heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes, in a groundbreaking study that will take place over four years and involve nearly 4,000 volunteers in this South American country.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Volcanoes Awaken

- Hundreds of Guatemalans are in danger on the slopes of the Pacaya and Fuego volcanoes, which have recently seen increased activity.

Ecobreves – MEXICO: Transgenic Maize Knocking at the Door

Environmentalists, scientists and small farmers in Mexico are on alert after the government announced that it is ready to authorize experimental fields of genetically modified maize. The groups say it would be illegal and irresponsible.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Small Farmers to Protect Water Source

Fifteen farming families will each earn 100 to 260 dollars a month over the next three years for maintaining the forests on the banks of the Cubatao River, which provides water for the half-million residents of the city of Joinville in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.

Ecobreves – CENTRAL AMERICA:: Protecting Biodiversity on Triple Border

Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala have agreed a biodiversity project with a budget of 4.6 million dollars aimed at benefiting some 670,000 people in more than 45 municipalities along the three countries' shared border.

Brazil Experiments with Hydrogen Transportation

The first public buses running on this alternative energy source will begin circulating in Brazil in 2007. But they won't be competitive cost-wise for at least 15 years, say experts.

The Environmental Benefactor

The Global Environment Facility has provided grants totaling more than six billion dollars since its creation 15 years ago. The third GEF assembly takes place in South Africa at the end of August.

Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Tobacco Banned in Green Zone

The 75-hectare Parque del Este (East Park), a green area in the middle of the Venezuelan capital, will become smoke-free before the end of the year, announced Parks Institute spokeswoman Carolina Albarrán.

Ecobreves – CUBA: Predicting Local Severe Storms

Experts at the Cuban Institute of Meteorology's forecast center have designed a system -- still in the experimental stages -- for predicting local severe storms, which cause serious damage in this Caribbean island nation.

Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Garbage Collectors Demand Recognition

The "catadores" (informal garbage collectors) of Belo Horizonte, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, will launch their fifth Festival of Garbage and Citizenship.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Greater Efforts to Protect Sea Turtles

The Friends of the Forest Association, in the Guatemalan municipality of Coatepeque, is promoting a conservation program for sea turtles along the southwestern beaches of Tilapa and Ocós, on the Pacific coast.

Ecobreves – CHILE: Warning for New Pulp Mill

The medical board of the Chilean city of Nuble, 500 km south of the capital, has issued a warning about the potential harmful effects of the imminent opening of the Nueva Aldea Industrial Forestry Complex of the CELCO company.

Sailing Scientists Investigate Arctic Melt

The expedition sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program aims to identify the effects of climate change and more accurately predict future impacts.

Thousands of Pets Abandoned During Summer Vacation

Every year in Italy, some 300,000 dogs and cats are left on the streets by their owners. Eighty-five percent of these household pets die within 20 days.

Ecobreves – GUATEMALA:: Looters in the Ruins

Most of the archeological sites in the northern Guatemalan department of El Petén, cradle of the Maya culture, are at the mercy of looters due to the lack of funding to pay for guards.

Ecobreves – HONDURAS: Betting on Organic Bananas

The government of Honduras and the multinational corporation Chiquita Banana (subsidiary of the U.S.-based United Brands Company) are planning to cultivate 200 hectares of organic banana at the end of the year.