Choose one of the following two topics for your primary post. Your primary post is due by Wednesday 11:55 PM ET, and your two required replies by Sunday, 11:55 PM ET.

Topic 1. South America in the News

For this topic, find a recent news article (within the past 12 months) that describes the latest developments in a conflict, issue, or other major event in this the South American realm. Provide a brief summary of the conflict/issue/event that your article describes, and your own analysis of how this issue might affect the realm, and might be resolved. Be sure that the topic of the news article has some connection with the geographical issues and concepts we've been discussing, and be sure to highlight these connections in your discussion.

Remember that your article summary must be in your own words to avoid plagiarism.

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Topic 2. Environmental Issues in the Americas

The physical and biological environment that we depend on for our survival is dynamic. It's always changing in ways small and large. Humans can alter the pace of this change and change the environment in novel ways.

For this topic, find an environmental issue or problem that affects somewhere in North, Middle or South America. In your post, describe the causes of the issue, the effects (positive and negative) of the issue on the environment and affected people, and also discuss possible ways to remediate the negative effects of its impact.

You should focus your post on a relatively small geographic area. For instance, if you're talking about deforestation, you could discuss deforestation in the Amazon, or Nicaragua. If you want to talk about pollution, you could focus on Times Beach, Missouri or the Love Canal incident in New York or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. You can start with your text for some ideas or you can look to news sources as well. Be sure to indicate your source.