a life less ordinary…

Yesterday Argentina’s government required the energy companies serving the greater Buenos Aires area to restrict the supply of natural gas that flowed to businesses and homes all over the city, but primarily in the poor parts on the city outskirts. This means that on the coldest day of the year so far, people were shivering in their homes, and many schools had to close because they had no heat. Forty thousand taxi drivers parked their cars at home because they can’t afford the high gas prices. At the same time the subway workers are striking, so traveling anywhere in the city is a mess right now.

Why would this happen in Argentina, a country with one of the largest supplies of natural gas in the world? Let’s look at how fuel functions in a South American economy. Chile is a neighboring country with very little natural gas but a stronger economy. Bolivia also has natural gas, but no access to the coast, and a destitute economy, so they are unable to export abroad for a profit. So Bolivia sells gas to Argentina, and then Argentina sells its gas to Chile for a profit. When there is a shortage, the government is obliged to uphold business contracts it has with countries it exports gas to, like Chile (although they did have to cut off their shipments for a day or so). Meanwhile, the country’s own people go cold and can’t afford the gas prices.

Does this make any sense? Look at how capitalism works. It forces countries to serve other countries’ interests better than their own. I’m not saying that complete socialism is the right answer, either. But Argentina is a perfect example of how unsustainable the neoliberal economic model is.

…must be the sexiest city in the world.

The sweat and sand from the beach give the air a lusty, youthful scent, and the lush green trees create shade where people of all colors, hairstyles, and sexual leanings mill around on the sidewalks, sipping natural fruit juices. The people are so lively, friendly, unafraid to make eye contact, and above all, beautiful. Their strong, slim, tan bodies, and healthy skin and hair, are the result of lots of good sun and fresh fruits and seafoods. Everywhere you go at night, people are dancing the samba: shaking their hips frenetically as their feet jump back and forth as if they were on hot coals. And they do it all while looking so damn cool. With a surfboard in one arm, dark shades, and a smile that lights up like a tropical mid-day sun, the Carioca radiates sexiness.

Tropical paradise, smiling faces offering you coconuts to drink the juice from, miles and miles of beaches where you can dive in the waves, sip caipirinhas on the shore, watch the pink-and-orange sunset on the horizon...papayas and guavas...drummers and capoeira ... [Continue reading this entry]

Comentarios acerca del Centro Conviven Hace tres meses que estoy trabajando en el Centro Conviven de Mataderos como profesora de inglés. No es una escuela como cualquiera, sino que es mucho más. Es un lugar donde gente con pocos recursos puede ... [Continue reading this entry]

It’s hard to say what exactly I am learning now in my life. I keep telling people I am a student of the world, or sometimes I say I am an anthropologist and I study people. But really I am ... [Continue reading this entry]

It's too cold in Bolivia. I'm going to BRAZIL!!!!!!! Surfing, capoeira, Afro-Latin music, fantastic culture, architecture, oh yes, this is going to be one hell of a trip. Ah, caipirhinas, samba, bossa nova...