By : Samuel Oakford


Bolivia Charts Its Own Path on Coca

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A Bolivian cocalero shows his leaf-picking technique. Credit: Diana Cariboni/IPS

This week, the U.N. reported that coca cultivation in Bolivia fell nine percent last year, and a massive 26 percent in the past three years. Two mid-altitude regions – Yungas de La Paz and the Cochabamba Tropics – account for nearly all cultivation in Bolivia and both areas saw significant reductions in 2013. Remarkably, illegal […]

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Wall Street Sets Its Sights on Renters

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Between 2000 and 2012, rents in the U.S. rose by 12 percent while the average renters’ income fell 13 percent. Credit: Bill Lapp/CC-BY-2.0

Six years after the financial crisis, Wall Street’s housing alchemy engine is revving up again – only this time it’s coming for your rental. Right as housing prices bottomed out around January 2012, large institutional investors began buying distressed properties in regions hit hard by the foreclosure crisis; they’ve purchased at least 200,000 to date. […]

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