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Mark A. Bonta

Cultural geographer and educator Mark A. Bonta covers ecology, democracy, local self-reliance and community-based solutions to global problems.

Tourism, a global economic force, is beaten down by COVID-19

By Mark A. Bonta / July 10, 2020 / Comments Off on Tourism, a global economic force, is beaten down by COVID-19

Tourism, a critical segment of the global economy, accounts for 10 percent of economic activity worldwide, and provides 330 million jobs. That’s at least 15 percent of all the jobs in more than a quarter of the world’s nations.  Now, with the world in the grips of the ever-expanding COVID-19 pandemic, tourist destinations have restricted […]

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Summer travel in America: High hopes, false starts

By Mark A. Bonta / July 7, 2020 / Comments Off on Summer travel in America: High hopes, false starts

Camping, biking and hiking are on the rise, as Americans head outdoors and hit the road in search of some semblance of a normal summer-vacation season during the COVID-19 pandemic. But surging infection rates and shifting, inconsistent government policies are putting a damper on ambitious plans to re-open tourist economies. Hawaii and Puerto Rico: Islands […]

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When #BlackLivesMatter came to Tyrone, Pennsylvania

By Mark A. Bonta / June 12, 2020 / Comments Off on When #BlackLivesMatter came to Tyrone, Pennsylvania

TYRONE, Pa. — The massive pickup truck slows down for the obligatory four-way stop out front of the Tyrone, Pa., municipal building, as the Black Lives Matter protestors stand expectant. It’s Friday, June 5, and they are clutching signs with slogans in black magic marker — “I understand that I will never understand, but I […]

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Police, protests, and the pandemic converge in India, Africa, China and elsewhere

By Mark A. Bonta / June 3, 2020 / Comments Off on Police, protests, and the pandemic converge in India, Africa, China and elsewhere

The killing of George Floyd has sparked angry protests and violent repression not just in the United States, but around the world, where pandemic lockdowns have also mixed with authoritarian abuses. • Related: “A deadly convergence of racism, brutality and disease across America — and the world” India: Brutality day by day India, a multiparty […]

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A deadly convergence: Racism, brutality, disease

By Mark A. Bonta / June 3, 2020 / Comments Off on A deadly convergence: Racism, brutality, disease

Days of protests and violence following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer have shaken cities across the United States, with nightly curfews locking down populations already reeling from months of COVID-19 restrictions. And this deadly convergence of disease, violence and racism are mirrored in other nations around the world. • Related: […]

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How COVID-19 preys upon poverty — and will make it worse

By Mark A. Bonta / May 15, 2020 / Comments Off on How COVID-19 preys upon poverty — and will make it worse

In the wake of COVID-19, the world economy is set to contract 3 percent in 2020, according to recent estimates from the International Monetary Fund.  As devastating as this may be, the long-term economic prospects are even worse, as a research analysis by IMF economists found that five years after a pandemic, economic inequities will […]

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