Ciao!

Bolivia bomb update

Here are the next-day details on the explosion in parliament after ex-miner Eustaquio Picachui blew himself up, taking two police officers w/ him & wounding ten others (previous details here, including the names of the dead/injured). About 2,000 other ex-miners are marching on La Paz; they'll arrive sometime today.

Continue reading "Bolivia bomb update" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 03:17 PM | Permalink

72 hours

Despite losing 2-0 to Chile, La Paz still put on its 72-hours-long cultural festival near Plaza San Francisco. In part, the event was put on "in defense of Bolivia's cultural heritage" after a news report declared the Diablada — the traditional Oruro Carnaval dance — as part of Chile's cultural patrimony. This ignited further anti-Chilean sentiment. So. Many of the same dance troupes that performed this year in Oruro were invited by the mayor of La Paz to put on a show after the fútbol match.

Posted by Miguel at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Explosion in parliament

Shortly after 3pm today, ex-miner Eustaquio Picachuri (changed from Picachuy in latest report) blew himself up inside an annex to the parliament building. Only minutes after President Mesa had left the Palacio de Gobierno. Along w/ Picachuri Picachuy, died Colonel Márvel Flores, in charge of parliament security. Picachuri Picachuy had been stopped from entering the parliament building's main rooms. Meanwhile, legislators & other government officials were hastily evacuated.

Continue reading "Explosion in parliament" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 06:11 PM | Permalink

Housekeeping updates

Killing an afternoon uploading some minor updates. I've updated my About/FAQ page, including my phone number in Bolivia & a Creative Commons notice on citing my blog (I'm amazed at how many emails I get from college undergrads asking to cite some blog essay I wrote). I debugged my Archives page — Apple's Safari browser is very forgiving, in a way MS Internet Exploder isn't. I've also included a link to my Amazon Wish List (for no particular reason). Also updated the O Mundo site, w/ a slight debugging of code for non-Apple browsers. I still need to put up the final, full site.

Posted by Miguel at 05:46 PM | Permalink

Ministry of Stupidity

That's what you'd call a commission that plans to have a referendum election w/o any pre-electoral propaganda (for "yes" or for "no"). Welcome to Bolivia. Parliament's hoping to pass a referendum law — a law that allows for & outlines the gas referendum — that explicitly prohibits any political propaganda. Of course, the obvious question is: How the hell do you enforce this? What counts as propaganda? And why do you want a public referendum where two million voters are asked to discuss a complicated, technical issue w/o the benefit of an information campaign?

Continue reading "Ministry of Stupidity" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 05:43 PM | Permalink

(Missing) the big game

Today's the World Cup qualifier between Bolivia & Chile. All the more important because Bolivians hate Chile — an attitude the state's spent decades encouraging — and the game falls a week after Día del Mar. It's a muggy, rainy day out today, but there are few people in the streets. Even the little caseritas have their handheld radios, listening to the game. Crowds huddle under umbrellas outside any store w/ a television set, straining to see a bit of the action only a mile away in a packed stadium.

I was hoping to see the game. Until my ticket source fell through. So I headed down to La Terraza to do email & watch the game on their TV. But. They have a different cable provider, which doesn't carry Canal 2. Huh? What kind of crap is that? So I packed up, headed up to the Prado. Too late. The game's already almost half over, it's impossible to catch any action.

So. Up to the Prado's La Terraza — which as no TV — to see if I can follow the action online (I doubt it). I'll just have to read about it in tomorrow's paper. I hope Bolivia wins. Not because I hate Chile (I don't swallow that nationalist poppycock). But because Bolivia needs to beat Chile & Paraguay to qualify for the 2006 Cup. There's always hope.

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UPDATE: From J. Scott Bernard I found a site that has live webfeeds of World Cup qualifiers. It's the 44th minute of the second half, and Bolivia's behind 2-0. It's over. Sniff.

Posted by Miguel at 04:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Returner

W/ no TV in my Sopocachi apartment, I rent DVDs to watch at home most nights. Spoiled from enjoying Kalamazoo's Video Hits Plus (the largest movie rental place in Michigan w/ three stories & thousands of titles), the selection at my neighborhood Sky Movies is rather limited (six shelves & dozens of titles). That said, sometimes you find a few unexpected gems.

Like. Returner. It's got this amazing blend of anime sensibilities w/ the gritty look of Blade Runner. Wow. The action's anime quality, w/o looking overdone (they hardly used wires, ever). The heroes are classic, even walking in that über elegant, exaggerated anime style. The villain is perfectly over-the-top. Plus, Anne Suzuki's Milly is the cutest kid-from-the-future action hero.

If you're looking for a 1980s-style post-apocalyptic sci-fi pulp action movie (I know lots of people who are), this is it. It's got that look & feel, but w/ modern cinematography & amazing aesthetic design. I'm now a Takashi Yamazaki fan.

Posted by Miguel at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Early morning interview +

Finally got my interview w/ Carlos Toranzo. We've met a few times, and he's been helpful since I met him 4-5 years ago. But he likes morning meetings (he's not usually even in his office in the afternoons). We met a while back just to catch up. Then, over a month ago, when he gave me the phone numbers & names of people I should interview. Now we finally sat down to his interview.

Posted by Miguel at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The state of public opinion

La Razón just published their latest poll (conducted along w/ Nuevo Día & ATB) of Bolivian political attitudes. The survey has a representative sample of 819 residents from the cities of La Paz, El Alto, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz — no other areas were covered in the survey (though these cities cover 50% of the national population). Graphic included.

Continue reading "The state of public opinion" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 05:33 PM | Permalink

Party not as crazy as anticipated

Daniel called me up to meet him for dinner at Rocky's in San Miguel. Behind the mint green sign was a Bolivian version of Big Boy or Bob Evan's or some other similar restaurant. Great food; cheap prices. We talked a bit, caught up on our lives. He's moving to a larger apartment in Los Pinos, now that Luciana's old enough to walk around.

Posted by Miguel at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Matchmaking (pt. 2)

I figured out how to get Match.com to spit out a picture of my "ideal" mate. After flipping through a series online picturebooks — a process more difficult & stressful than dating, believe me — I got a picture of the person I'm supposed go find, woo, & wed. It seems both Duane & I share an Asian fetish? Weird. Especially since I've never dated an Asian woman (but I'm open to the possibility).

My test results are here, including a battery of other runner-up candidates for my undying affections. Results point out that I'm interested in dating "very beautiful" women. Who knew?! That puts me in the "very picky" category. Again, who knew?! Also, I apparently like Ecto-Mesomorphs. Whatever that means.

For other test results: Here are Tom's, Steph's, Melli's, Duane's, Nedad's. Anyone else?

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UPDATE: Contrary to yesterday's Match.com report, I was reminded last night that my quirks number in the many. Sometimes I need 2am phone conversations to keep me grounded.

Posted by Miguel at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Thanks, Decepticons

The wheels of justice do eventually creak to the finish line. After more than a year since Markeet Primer was caught red-handed w/ my stolen moped — my beloved Lucia, mind you — I get my court settlement. Of course the Kalamazoo County Clerk misspelled my name & mistyped my address, but the check for $166.92 in damages finally arrived.

The fact that my name's horribly mangled on the check leads to wonder whether I can cash the check anywhere, let alone Bolivia. So. Back in the mail the check goes, hoping Dad can deposit it for me. But it's nice to see the court system works (at least sometimes).

The story of the saga is here, here, here, here. And at the Moped Army website here, here, here, here.

Posted by Miguel at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Matchmaking (pt. 1)

As sort of a running joke w/ some friends, I decided to set up a Match.com account and take their dating personality test. Here's a link to my results. Basic results were about what I expected — except I'm apparently more focused on feelings & less rational than most men my age. Huh?

Only 5% of men are like me (making me either a rare catch or a freakball). Although it seems I've no major "quirks." I'm also attractive to 55% of women ("very" attractive to 7%). Of course, 10% are turned off by guys like me.

Seems I'm also looking for someone as shy/introverted as me, but who's more cheerful & optimistic than I. Only 9% of women are my "type" (here's hoping they're the 7% who're "very" attracted to me). Still, 9% of all women means there are millions of women out there who're my "type."

Which actually makes my calculations on how many people are a "match" for any single person on the planet rather pessimistic. I'd calculated perhaps 10,000 women my age w/ similar interests I could meet in my lifetime that I'd find attractive & who found me attractive. So far, I've burned about 25-30 bridges. So I've got room to spare, eh?

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ADDENDUM: The calculations are as follows: There are 5 billion people on the planet, half of them are female (2.5 billion). Those in my rough age group are 1/5 of the female populations (500 million). Of those, let's assume that only 10% of them find me attractive (50 million) and that I find 10% of these attractive in turn (5 million). By "attractive" I mean looks, personality, interests, etc.

Of course geography plays a factor, since I can only expect to meet people near me (or that I run into someplace). This has some correlation w/ tastes, since I stand a better chance of having similar tastes in music, movies, etc. w/ someone in my "cultural milieux" than someone from Mongolia. Still, let's say I can someday in my life run into 1% of the women who I find attractive & find me attractive (50,000). Of these, let's assume that 1/5 of them are single at the same time I'm single when we meet (10,000).

So. You see? It's perfectly reasonable to assume there's a few thousand "perfect" matches for anyone. There's no one "perfect" person, mind you, just lots of possibilities. Love isn't written in the stars, the fates aren't Hollywood scriptwriters. Love is a choice (and a social contract).

Posted by Miguel at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

COB out of sync w/ Bolivia

The COB (Central Obrera Boliviana) marched last night, as they said the would. This time, the police showed up to secure peace & order — unlike Wednesday where their total absence led to violence between protesters & pedestrians after the few cobistas assaulted anyone who jeered them.

I estimated maybe 2,000 marchers; Sergio guessed about 1,000. Either way, they were almost dwarfed by the rows of police lining the Prado all the way to Plaza San Francisco. We watched as the marchers began entering Plaza San Francisco (for a rally & speeches) and w/in 5-10 minutes the last marchers had reached the plaza. The line of marchers extended maybe 5-6 blocks.

Continue reading "COB out of sync w/ Bolivia" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 02:18 PM | Permalink

Domino theory

For what it's worth. Take this w/ a grain of salt. But. The Wolfowitz doctrine for new American foreign policy is essentially this: oppose dictatorships, spread democracy, be hawkish. It also espouses a domino theory (or the use of demonstration). Is it working?

Let's see. After toppling a brutal authoritarian regime in Iraq (and one in Afghanistan) & announcing the goal of installing democracy in the region, several interesting things happened. Lybia publicly announced it had a WMD program, but would abandon it. Syria & Jordan take steps to chill out. Saudi Arabia starts going after the wahabi sect. The pro-democracy movement in Iran gains momentum, even challenging the state military & police in recent clashes. Hamas trips over itself to announce it won't target Americans. Now, Lybia's done a 180 & joined the US/UK-led coalition against terrorism.

So. Are the dominoes falling? Is Wolfowitz correct? Will his plan bring democracy to the region — and, subsequently, a decrease in terrorism? Consider this an open thread.

Posted by Miguel at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Toot my own horn

Here's a web interview w/ Michael Darragh, founder of the Living Network websites — which include Living in Latin American & Southern Exposure (two I write for). In the interview, he mentions me (I'll forgive misspelling my last name). It's always nice to get some props.

Posted by Miguel at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

25 favorite sitcoms

I was gonna wait until 1 April. But why wait? Here's a list of my 25 favorite sitcoms in alphabetical order. Of course, it's skewed towards what I've seen on syndication (reruns), since I mostly watch FOX & cable (esp. Comedy Central).

Absolutely Fabulos
Ally McBeal
The Andy Griffith Show
Boy Meets World
The Cosby Show
Dharma & Greg
Duckman
Frasier
Futurama
Growing Pains
Happy Days
Home Improvement
M*A*S*H
Newhart
News Radio
Northern Exposure
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Reno 911
Roseanne
Seinfeld
The Simpson's
South Park
Sports Night
Will & Grace
The Wonder Years

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OTHER LISTS: Nenad took me up on the challenge; here's his list. Here's Steph's list. Here's Tom's. Or you can add your list in the comments.

Posted by Miguel at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Missing favorites

Yes. I know it's ironic that I'd have "favorite" clothes (considering my tendency towards minimalism). But it makes some sense: having few clothes makes me really cling to some particular items of clothes against all potential replacements.

Tuesday I picked up my laundry from the lavanderia. I'd rather do my own laundry. But my apartment has no laundry facilities & I know of no coin operated laundromats in La Paz (if you know of some, do tell).

Anyhow. I took my laundry home to an unpleasant surprise. My favorite pair of jeans was missing, along w/ some button shirts. Now, I only own two pairs of jeans (Alpha & Beta). I hardly ever wear Beta (soon to be replaced) and wear Alpha almost every day. Missing? The first pair of jeans that fit me just right in years. Missing?!

I run back to the lavanderia the next day. Alpha's waiting for me. Such a relief. There's also three shirts (good, since I only own 7). But no white button shirt. My favorite shirt, mind you. I hardly ever wear it, because it's not as casual as the others (and white stains so easily). But. It fits me better than any shirt I own. And it's an amazing crisp poplin blend. Missing?!

Why do these things happen to me? The girl at the counter asked if I was sure it wasn't at home. Response: "Look, I own very few clothes. I can tell you each one's color, size, brand, and distinguishing features. I know when my favorite shirt's missing!"

Argh!

Posted by Miguel at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Opinions about people you never talk to

Posted by Miguel at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pictures from Día del Mar, La Paz

These are a handful of pictures from the Día del Mar (23 March) commemoration around Plaza Avaroa. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version. Hover cursor over an image for brief description.

Posted by Miguel at 01:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Spring cleaning

It's about that time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when I do "spring cleaning" & rid myself of a sizable chunk of possessions.

How'd this crazy tradition begin? A few years ago my apartment burned down. Took most everything w/ it. I managed to salvage a good portion of my books, CDs, a load of laundry (essentially, what I wore day in, day out). You'd think an apartment fire'd be devastating. Actually. It was liberating. All that stuff that went up in flames? Realized I didn't need it.

So. Each year, I get closer to truly simplifying my life (it's amazing how quickly I accumulate junk). Still. Each year, I get rid of fewer things (learning not to buy unnecessary junk). My main goal's been to reduce my wardrobe to the absolute minimum possible.

I came to Bolivia w/ most of the clothes I own (except for my two suits). Which makes this rather easy. Plus, I figure I'll replace ratted sweaters w/ nice (and cheap) Bolivian alpaca ones. That said, here are my targets (if you really wanna know):

Posted by Miguel at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Día del Mar

Sometimes you're reminded that you need to have your digital camera w/ you at all times. Last night started the festivities for the Día del Mar, the national holiday commemorating the loss of Litoral province to Chile 125 years ago. I thought the military parades were this morning; they were last night.

Here's some pictures from El Diario:

Squads of cavalry lancers accompanied the remains of Eduardo Avaroa, the hero who led the defense civilian defense of the Topater bridge against invading Chilean forces. As well as the flag that flew at Calama & the Battle of the Alliance, where Peru & Bolivia were defeated. The cavalry looked dashing in their dark blue 19th century uniform & polished helmets. Following them, came ranks of the Batallon de Colorados, the presidential palace guard — who still wear the uniforms from the War of the Pacific. Bolivian political culture has a strong sea fixation.

Following the Colorados, came ranks of honor guards from the different services, applauded by the civilians looking on from along the sidewalks. There was the army, the navy (of course), the air force. Interestingly, no cheers or applause when the police marched by — people are still sore about last Wednesday. Massive cheers & applause for the firemen & the volunteers from SAR (Search & Rescue). Behind all this, came the hundreds of civilian municipal government workers, many of them yelling "Death to Chile!" and other such remarks.

Eventually, the procession made it to Plaza Avaroa, in Sopocachi. A navy honor guard carried the small casket w/ Avaroa's ashes to the place of honor beneath the Calama flag.

All through late morning & noon hours, schoolchildren marched through the streets along Plaza Avaroa in processions to commemorate 23 March. This is supposed to be the largest (and most expensive) Día del Mar celebration in decades. It really demonstrates the importance of the loss of Litoral to the Bolivian political psyche. And Mesa's popularity is bolstered — in large part — because he's taking a very nationalistic stance against Chile. But. I wonder: How much of this is bread & circus?

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UPDATE: If you want to know my opinion about the Bolivian sea issue, I've posted about it here, here, here, and here.

Posted by Miguel at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

XML, anyone?

I want to export my iTunes library into a web page. Problem: I don't have my XML book w/ me in Bolivia & can't figure out how to build a web page w/ that database. This is just a tinkering thing for me, nothing urgent. And nothing fancy, just listing artist, track, album. It's a huge database; the XML file's 4.7 MB. If anyone knows how to do this, let me know.

Posted by Miguel at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Anti-war?

LT Smash, an Iraq war veteran attended a recent anti-war protest and posted his observations. Excerpt:

Someone had arranged 571 pairs of shoes in neat little rows, to represent all of the American soldiers who have died in Iraq. I know a couple of those people, I thought. I don't think they would have found common cause with these protestors – they believed in what they were fighting for ...

The mother of Jesús Suárez del Solar, a US Marine who died near Umm Qasr, was up first. I felt deep sympathy for this woman, but also some disappointment that she were allowing others to exploit her pain for political purposes.

Jesús, I knew, had joined the Marine Corps against his parents' wishes. They were, of course, heartbroken when he died. But they had failed to honor his memory by respecting the cause for which he gave his life. Instead his father, Fernando, has turned this young Marine into a martyr for the anti-war movement, a cause to which young Jesús clearly did not subscribe.

Smash's overall observations of the protest are interesting. Whatever you think of the war (I've always admitted there are good reasons to oppose it) it's hard to avoid the fact that much of the anti-war movement is somewhat misguided. Then again, you can't expect rich, white Americans to really understand, can you?

When you make speeches calling on people to support the so-called Iraqi resistance (I use "so-called" because 90% of the fighters are non-Iraqis) you're not anti-war — you're just on the other side. And it's OK to be on the other side. But don't describe rousing cries for "resistance" fighters to "drive" (i.e. kill) coalition soldiers from Iraq as anti-war.

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UPDATE: Winds of Change has similar observations, w/ links to essays on how to fix the anti-war movement for the better. Perhaps making it effective, even (anti-war demonstrations tend to increase support for the war).

Posted by Miguel at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bahá'i & Tinku

My first Bahá'i experience was interesting. Saturday night, the Bolivian Bahá'i community hosted its Naw Ruz (new year's) celebration — and I was invited by M, who's a friend of Karen, a gringa Bahá'i. After a not-so-brief set of scripture readings & explanations of the community's faith, there was a tinku presentation.

Now. Tinku's not a Bahá'i tradition, but one from Bolivia's altiplano. It's a lovely dance that ritualizes (a better word than "interprets") the meeting (tinku roughly means "meeting") between two villages. As lovely as the dance is, it's essentially ritualized violence. The dance involves lines of men & women dancing in "warrior" steps — and eventually clashing in a mêlée of fisticuffs & whatnot, literally (it's not uncommon for someone to die in a genuine altiplano tinku celebration).

But. The Bahá'i are non-violent pacifists. So. This tinku dance had no "fighting" — replaced w/ everyone joining hands, instead. Sort of described to me as "tinku meets square dancing."

I was roped into taking pictures & filming the event as best I could, juggling a digital camcorder, a film camera, and my own digital camera. I'm told the dance was quite lovely. I did get to see it later on video.

After the tinku, there was a sajta de pollo & ají de lengua dinner. We sat, talking politics & telling jokes, eating delicious ginger cake. Then, it was down to Zona Sur to Rockhouse for dancing & drinks — and listening to Té con Té.

Posted by Miguel at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Couldn't resist

While I like Law & Order (sure, it's no The Shield, but then, what is?), I'll readily admit it's plots are repetitive. Here's a Law & Order plot generator online (via GeekPress). It's funny 'cause it's true.

Which made me think of something. In memory of my 100 favorite songs list (which should be updated this summer, make it a 1 July tradition) — I think I'll try to list my 25 favorite sit-coms. Anyone else up for the challenge? I'll post them on 1 April & we can compare.

Totally unrelated: I updated to the new Mac OS (v. 10.3.3) plus some other software updates & widget apps. Being awake Saturday early afternoon has advantages, I guess.

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UPDATE: OK. I just thought it might be tough to come up w/ 25 good/great sit-coms. So how about a top 10 list, instead? Also, you can use non-US TV shows, of course. But they must be situation commedies, not funny soap operas (e.g. "El verano de 98") or variety shows (e.g. "Kids in the Hall") or dramas (e.g. "ER").

Posted by Miguel at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Bowling & Thai food

Met up w/ M in San Miguel last night & went out for Thai Food at Maphrao On. Wow. What great food. The place was closed for some time, so this was my first chance to try it out. My chicken in hot peanut sauce was spectacular; made me glad I'd skipped lunch that day.

Posted by Miguel at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Happy Father's Day

Today's Bolivian Father's Day. So. Just sending all the best to my dear papi today.

Posted by Miguel at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

W/ friends like him ...

Posted by Miguel at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The success of O Mundo

Tourism's back in Bolivia. I see more & more "gringos" (which means Americans, Canuks, Europeans, Aussies, Kiwis, etc. in the Bolivian context) in the streets. Especially around the Sagarnaga & Linares neighborhood. Which is right were O Mundo Café's located. W/ just a bit more advertising, it'll start to take off.

Posted by Miguel at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Happy birthday

Today's the anniversary of the launching of the blogzine Command Post. It's the best source for "war on terror" news, news on hotspots in the world (Iran, North Korea, etc.), and related news. It regularly beats CNN, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, and so many others by hours (if not more). And it's just a large group of volunteer bloggers from around the world. Welcome to the future of news.

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UPDATE: Here's the link from TCP itself, w/ a little history of the site.

Posted by Miguel at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Guinness all night

Had a great Saint Paddy's Day. My cousin, Martín, stopped by w/ a friend, and the drinking of Guinness began. Later, my fellow Fulbrighters arrived w/ some friends, and more Guinness. I think I drank 5, maybe 6, but I lost track. I rarely drink — but it was Saint Patrick's. So. You, know.

I stumbled home around 2am, fell into bed. I'll probably regret it tomorrow — OK, I won't. But it was a good time. O Mundo Café did good business, I'd a great time w/ some friends, and so that's all that counts.

Posted by Miguel at 02:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Where's the police?

It started this afternoon. Despite announcing a 10-day "truce" w/ Mesa's government, the COB decided to march through the Prado. About 3:30pm I heard the sound of rockets going off, and (perhaps foolishly) went out to take a look. A few hundred members of the COB & others were marching through the streets of La Paz. In the wake of several injured after cobistas openly attacked passersby, the main question was: "Where's the police?"

Continue reading "Where's the police?" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 02:11 PM | Permalink

A pioneer

John Seybold, who coined the concept WYSIWYG, died Sunday. WYSIWYG is more than jargon, it's more than the theoretical base on which PARC developed the GUI, it's become an ésprit de vie that permeates the internet — and the dominant philosophy of the blogosphere.

Posted by Miguel at 04:03 PM | Permalink

Iran, Iran, anyone?

It's now more than 4 days since an uprising began against the Iranian mullarchy. There's still no mention of this in any major media. You can keep up w/ running events here. Protests have spread from the little town of Fereydunkenar. Last night, there were street battles in the capital city of Tehran; there are anti-regime protests & battles spreading throughout Iran. This is major news — and not a single mention in any major media. Oh, there's also something brewing in Syria, too. But no one cares about that, either.

OK, the National Review's blog does have a brief blurb (scroll down to "Iran erupts?"). That almost counts as "major" media.

Posted by Miguel at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Bolivia & technology

The UNDP (United Nations Development Program) just released its 2004 report on human development in Bolivia. Despite October's turmoil, the report's optimistic — even though Bolivia ranks 114th (out of 175) in the human development index.

Continue reading "Bolivia & technology" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 03:36 PM | Permalink

Breakfast before noon

Sam's amazed I'm awake two mornings in a row. Yesterday was a fluke, really. Today, I'd a scheduled interview w/ a faculty member at Universidad Nuestra Señora de La Paz. I arrived on time; after waiting ten minutes, he rescheduled for the afternoon. That's life in Bolivia. So. Here I am. Awake well before noon (before 9am even!) two days in a row. Should I go for a whole week? It'd be the first time in over a decade. Since I've never had one of those "8 to whatever" jobs.

Posted by Miguel at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Blogosphere 1, New York Times 0

The National Debate won it's confrontation w/ The New York Times. The paper's public editor, Daniel Okrent, made it public. So. Now the Times recognizes the parody nature of the Columnist Corrections page. You can download the letter Cox' pro bono lawyer sent the Times. It's priceless — citing Supreme Court amicus curae briefs filed by the Times itself in support of similar cases.

Posted by Miguel at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Saint Paddy's

I love Saint Patrick's Day. And it's just around the corner (17 March). So. If you're reading this. You're invited to my Saint Paddy's Day celebration at O Mundo Café (7ish to 12ish). You don't even have to wear green if you don't want to (but don't wear orange!). Oh, I managed to score a case (pick up tomorrow) of Guinness — a nigh impossible task in La Paz. And I've got a few CDs of Irish music, including Black 47. Come drink, come dance, come sing (if you want).

Posted by Miguel at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Farewell to the fallen

Bob Zangas, an American reservist, working as a civilian in Iraq's reconstruction was killed last week. I know about him because he was a blogger (a pretty good one, too). Here's Zangas' last post. Whatever you think of the war, Bush, or whatever. These men & women are just doing their job — a job they volunteered for (ours isn't a conscript army). It's tough; it's lonely. But they're just human beings caught in less-than-ideal but oh-too-real world.

Posted by Miguel at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Finger pointing

Mesa's speech last night was a stern talking to aimed at the legislature, the syndicalists, and the cruceño business class. And while the missive included a desire to engage in political dialogue w/ each of these sectors — and a call to put personal interests behind & think of Bolivia first — it didn't go over well w/ any of the three target audiences. After Mesa's first real clash w/ the legislature last week, it's clear the honeymoon period's over.

Continue reading "Finger pointing" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 09:42 AM | Permalink

Iran revolt?

Not yet on major media. Since no one cares about it, apparently. But it seems a major revolt against the Iranian dictatorship — which just hosted sham elections — is under way. It started in the little town of Fereydunkenar. Here's more. The Iranian pro-democracy movement — ignored even my Indymedia.org — has been forced into the only corner of freedom left: the internet. Most Iranian blogs fell silent after the mullarchy "won" its election (an election in which no reformist candidates were allowed to run). No surpsie on the silence. You can go to jail (or worse) for blogging in Iran.

Posted by Miguel at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A note to terrorists

I want to write something condemning terrorism. It's too easy; and at the same time, too hard. Instead, I'll post a quote from my good friend, J. Edmund:

[A] note to any terrorists out there: Grow up you fucking assholes. No one is perfectly happy with the world, and no one's world exactly matches their religious view of how things should be ... but you don't fucking hurt people because of it. Just suck it, accept personal responsibility and get on with things. Grow up.

And another thing. You think that there is a big American conspiracy against muslims? Wake up. We don't give a shit about you until you throw your little baby tantrums. We watch all-star-survivor. You think we can be bothered to hate people we've never heard of? Greedy? sure. Brutish? yeah. Clumsy? yep. Stupid? that too. But the unfortunate truth is that we are just too lazy to go out and find new people to hate. I think you just like the attention. Wah! Kick your legs on the floor little baby. That's a sure way to get what you want, and plenty of respect.

Ok, you wanna hate the US for being oil mad and greedy? Guess what, we hate the oil-mad greedy ones too. So single those people out an kill them. Whoops, that plan doesn't work does it. No, that would be too much effort, oh and you have to consider people as individuals ... which makes killing them so much harder.

Once again, grow up, assholes.

Posted by Miguel at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A letter from Spain

Australian blogger, Tim Blair, offered his blog to two Spanish bloggers (HispaLibertas) — to write in English — about their Madrid experience. Read it.

Posted by Miguel at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fight corporate censorship!

I've joined the fight against The New York Times. By posting a mirror image of the list of corrections to New York Times columns — something the Times has never done. It's part of a growing list of mirror sites. Four law firms have offered to represent Robert Cox pro bono. So. It's on. Of course, none of this would've been necessary if the Times just decided to live up to its own purported journalistic standards. Glad there's a world of online fact checkers out there to keep old media dinosaurs in check.

Posted by Miguel at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I ♥ Spain

A massive terrorist attack in Spain on 3/11. Everyone knows this now. And that al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the attack. Once again, we're reminded just how real a threat terrorism is — It's not a figment of our imaginations or a product of fear-mongering. Terrorism's real, folks.

Posted by Miguel at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The logic of presidentialism

The Achilles' heel of presidentialism is the system of checks of balances. Why? Because in presidential democracies, political parties (especially the opposition) have invested interest in sabotaging the executive's agenda. They can cast blame on the executive (and/or his party), winning electoral support for themselves. Prior to October, Bolivia's political system was more parliamentary than presidential — or a system of "parliamentarized presidentialism" (to use a buzzword).

Continue reading "The logic of presidentialism" at Southern Exposure

Bolivia news roundup

A virtual vice-president; a march to the sea; the COB up to its old tricks; locals seize gas pipeline.

Continue reading "Bolivia news roundup" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 02:48 PM | Permalink

Two more continents

The Living on the Planet blogzine family is growing. New additions include: Living in Europe & Living in Australia. They join the existing Living in Latin America (and Southern Exposure), Living in China, and Living in India. It's Indymedia w/ better, more interesting writing. Go check them out.

Posted by Miguel at 04:42 PM | Permalink

Happy birthday, Evil

Evil Bill turned 27 today. He wrote this bit of philosophy:

Posted by Miguel at 03:32 PM | Permalink

Finally, a decision

The four owners of O Mundo Café finally got together — and we finally got some things off our chests. Most importantly, we're hiring the person to run the day-to-day operations this weekend. About time! Sergio's leaving for Japan in 2 weeks. But he & I were tired of running the place every day, w/ little break. Now the pressure's off; we can start having personal lives again.

I could work long hours at night in the café when I was just doing archive work in the days. But now I'm doing interviews, which requires hunting down subjects, doing the interviews, and then finding time to transcribe. And. In case you didn't know. Transcription's a real pain in the ass. It can take hours to transcribe a 25 minute interview (play a few seconds, rewind, repeat).

Plus, I'm trying to write one (or two) papers to send off to journals for peer review. I write best in the evenings (or late at night), but I need hours of time to hash out a page or two in a single shot (I edit later). I was too tired from the café to do that, which was really starting to frustrate me.

It's all behind now. One or two more weeks of tough work at the café, then it's out of my hands. Meanwhile, I'll try writing in the mornings, at least to get skeletal drafts.

I'll be training the new hire this week, perhaps into the next. Then they'll be pretty much on their own, though I'll stop in whenever I can. I've been looking for a café to spend my hours since I got here. Especially a place to play chess, read, write. Plus, I just want time to enjoy La Paz & Bolivia — travel, explore the nooks & crannies of the city, hang out w/ people.

Posted by Miguel at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

¿Democracia de Referéndum?

My punditry on "referendum democracy" ran in this week's Tiempo Político. It's a slightly shorter, translated version of the piece I originally posted at Southern Exposure (you can comment on the piece there).

Posted by Miguel at 02:46 PM | Permalink

Corporate censorship?

I recently linked to a website that posts corrections to factual errors in New York Times columns. Today, it was threatened w/ a cease-and-desist lawsuit from the Times' lawyers. Fortunately, the blogosphere has its share of lawyers — such as Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit), a law review editor who frequently testifies before Congress on tech law. According to him, the lawsuit's on shaky ground. The Times was probably trying to scare Robert Cox into quitting. So. Question. Why doesn't the Times just make its own corrections — or better, fact-check its columnists — rather than try to gag a person who points out their mistakes?

Posted by Miguel at 03:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Interview procedure

Stephanie emailed & asked me to post about what my interview process is like. Well, it's actually rather simple. But I'll post the four basic "frame" questions I use, then explain how I do my interviews.

What is your opinion about the governing coalitions? Specifically, is there a relationship between the electoral system and government coalitions? Or do they have other causes?

What opinion do you have about the Bolivian party system?

What were the most present causes for October?

How do you see the national panorama? What constitutional or political changes do you see in the future?

These are informal interviews, so they turn into conversations. I sit down w/ an interview "subject" & talk, while a dictaphone (fancy word for "taperecorder") records the conversation. I start w/ the first question, then ask followup or clarification questions as needed until the conversation lends itself to a transition into the next question.

That's pretty much it. Nothing fancy. The reason for the questions' open format is to let the respondent come up w/ their own reasoning. There's no "leading question" (except perhaps where I specifically ask about the electoral system). I try to let the respondent go in whatever direction he/she wants. Then, I follow them in that direction, as appropriate.

Do I expect to find the "true" cause for coalition governments through this process? Of course not. Opinion isn't fact. All I'm concerned w/ are two things: A) since I'm interviewing "public intellectuals," their responses might turn me on to factors I hadn't yet considered and B) I'm trying to find out what "public political discourse" in Bolivia looks like. That's it. Nothing groundbreaking.

The reason I interview "public intellectuals" is because of their sociopolitical role. They play an important role in any society; they create/mold/diffuse opinions to the mass public. In Bolivia, academics are pundits are government officials. It's not uncommon for college professors to write weekly opinion columns & be (or have been) involved in some government project. So. Bolivian "public intellectuals" are extremely important. They're discussions don't just reflect — they almost encompass the whole of public political discourse.

Examples: Ricardo Paz wrote a history of Bolivian political parties, has advised several campaigns, and currently oversees the gas referendum constituent assembly. Carlos Hugo Molina, studies identity politics, helped write the Ley de Participación Popular, and was appointed Santa Cruz prefect by Mesa. Jorge Lazarte, studies electoral systems & democratic institutions & previously headed the National Electoral Court. Carlos Mesa wrote a seminal history of Bolivian presidents (Entre urnas y fusiles), moderated various academic conferences on politics & public communication, now he's president.

The Ley de Participación Popular, which decentralized the country & created 314 municipal governments was the product of an academic conference sponsored by ILDIS & other research institutes. A group of academics met to discuss "decentralization" — many of them were later called by Goni to head up the project eventually passed into law.

So. That's why I interview "public intellectuals" and care what they say — collectively & individually. I've added the question about October since, well, I can't not ask them about it. The interviews tend to last just under 30 minutes.

Posted by Miguel at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Kerry & the world

Winds of Change has the text of Kerry's foreign policy speech in Los Angeles online, w/ balanced commentary. It's worth a read.

Posted by Miguel at 03:28 PM | Permalink

Site updates

I've just updated my About/FAQ page. It now also includes a few more bits, plus a link to a brief version of my curriculum vita. If there's anything else you think this site lacks (or would like to see in a FAQ), email me.

Posted by Miguel at 02:42 PM | Permalink

Mesa's on the ropes

For the first time in twenty years of democratic history, Bolivia's facing the harsh realities of presidential politics. For the past two decades, Bolivia resembled a parliamentary system, where every president was supported by a solid legislative majority. Bolivia overcame the governability problem inherent in presidential democracy (read Juan Linz on this subject). In short, Mesa's more isolated politically than ever before.

Continue reading "Mesa's on the ropes" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 02:40 PM | Permalink

A new media model

Stephen VanDyke's posted an interesting graphic & theoretical model for how news travels the internet. It demonstrates the dynamic convergence of "traditional" media & blogs — both feeding off each other.

Posted by Miguel at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bolivia's administrative divisions

Here's a map of Bolivia divided by municipalities. Bolivia's a centralist, "unitary republic" — the prefects (governors) of the country's 9 departments aren't elected, but appointed by the president. This map (published in La Razón, click to enlarge) shows the country as divided into 9 department (the basic colors) and their divisions into municipal governments — which are popularly elected.

Since the last municipal elections, 13 new municipalities were created (joining the 314 civil & 2 indigenous reserves created in 1994). The Ley de Participación Popular pushed through by Goni's first administration gave rural Bolivians for the first time ever the chance to vote for their local governments (the major cities did already elect mayors). The new local governments enjoy a per capita distribution of 20% of the national treasury. New municipal elections are scheduled for December.

There is debate, however, about possible changes to administrative divisions. After all, the country's to be "re-founded" in the upcoming Constituent Assembly. Along w/ the possibility of giving regional autonomy (perhaps even federalism), there are various new administrative division projects in the works.

Continue reading "Bolivia's administrative divisions" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 03:35 PM | Permalink

Mesa's tax woes

President Mesa's tax proposals are under fire in Bolivia's parliament. MAS & NFR now oppose the proposal to impose taxes on Bolivians w/ more than $50,000.

Continue reading "Mesa's tax woes" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 03:10 PM | Permalink

Peña & a trip to the lake

Saturday night, the all-female Arawimanta played at O Mundo Café. They were quite good, and were forced to play an encore by the audience. All eight of the group's members can play any of the traditional Andean instruments — zampoña, quena, bombo, etc. — and would alternate instruments between songs. Quite impressive. So. We had our very own little peña (traditional-folkloric music performace) at the café.

It was also great to see an all-female group; most Andean folk groups are all-male. It also added another tone to the music, which was a more traditional, genuine Altiplano style. I certainly hope they come back to play again.

After closing, I got a few hours sleep before an early Sunday morning trip to Lake Titicaca w/ Daniel & Sylvia & Luciana and José Mario & María Angela. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera, since at the last minute they called & decided not to go to Copacabana — and then at the really last minute (10:00 am) we decided to go to the lake, regardless.

But it was a great time. It's a two hour trip out through the Altiplano, which is actually green this time of year. I've usually only seen the Altiplano in winter, so these last few weeks of seeing it green, w/ crops & livestock, was a treat. There's patches of quinoa, amaranto, maíz, potatoes, avas, and more w/ their various colors & flowers.

We ate fish fresh from the lake in the village of Puerto Perez, before a half-hour boat ride on the world's highest navigable lake. All in all a great trip, and well worth the car trip. I want to go again, to take pictures. Perhaps the Easter pilgrimage?

Posted by Miguel at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The 9/11 ads

I've not seen the ads, so I can't directly comment on them. But it does seem that many Americans have forgotten 9/11 — or are desperately trying to convince themselves that this was Bush's fault or a Zionist conspiracy even or is no longer relevant. Not relevant? Bush is running on his record; 9/11 is part of his record. And. Haven't there been anti-Bush ads using 9/11 imagery? Why, I think it's the cover of a recent Chomsky book. Pot calling kettle ...

The always brilliant & funny James Lileks has a post on the Bush 9/11 ad controversy. Here's an excerpt:

Obligatory statement: I am tired of making the following obligatory statement, but I must. Obligatory Statement the Second: I do not believe Bush walks on water. I have arguments with many policies. McCain Feingold: gah. Gah in excelsis deo. Other policies I understand as political expediencies, but that doesn’t mean I like them. I have one issue above all: the war. And yes, I'm one of those deluded types who thinks we're at war, and that the absence of attacks since 9/11 no more means we're not at war than the absence of air raids on Manhattan in 1942 meant we weren’t at war with Germany and Japan.

Obligatory Statement the Third: I was not a Clinton hater. I eventually developed an eww-ick distaste of the man, but I was frequently amused and impressed by the politician; he was good. And he did some things I liked. It’s possible, you know: you can disapprove of a politician's value set, applaud some decisions, dislike others, and wish his exit - that's normal and American. If you see the guy on TV and you have an aneurism because the crawl doesn't say THIS MAN BURST FROM A CARBUNCLE ON SATAN’S BUTT! you have a problem.

Statement the Fourth: it's the war. That's what counts. If I had a choice between an isolationist Republican who would withdraw all American troops from everywhere and cast Israel adrift, OR a Joe Lieberman Democrat who understood the threat and wanted to take the fight to them - and nevermind what our valiant allies thought, like Russia - I'd pull the lever for the D. As I've said before: we can argue about the future of Western Civilization after we've ensured Western Civilization will survive.

Posted by Miguel at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Maybe I should move to Britain?

Why can't this guy be my president?

Posted by Miguel at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Bolivia news roundup

I just posted a Bolivia news roundup at Southern Exposure.

Posted by Miguel at 02:42 PM | Permalink

Wi-Fi woes

It's good that there's at least one company offering public (for the time being, free) Wi-Fi service in La Paz, Bolivia. It's not good that it's unreliable — or that it has no online tech-support (not much better phone support; their idea of support is "can you wait a minute?"). Únete offers wireless internet access from La Terraza. But. There are snags.

Posted by Miguel at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's Friday

Yesterday was an overall good day. I wrapped up an important interview w/ René Antonio Mayorga. I still haven't transcribed it yet, since I had to work at O Mundo Café. Then two other interviews today — one was cancelled, the other's in an hour (I should hurry, I need a new mini-cassette).

Posted by Miguel at 03:45 PM | Permalink

Work & Work

O Mundo Café was rather busy last night, which is a good thing. Tourism's starting to make a comeback. Also, we've an all-female Andean band (Arawimanta) playing Saturday night. I think we still need to do something more for publicity, but we haven't had an owners' meeting in ages — and there's much to talk about.

Posted by Miguel at 03:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

NYTimes corrections

A blogger has decided to start posting corrections to New York Times columns since, well, the paper refuses to do so itself. Just more evidence of how internet "citizens' media" will kill the old media dinosaurs.

Posted by Miguel at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

More of the weirdness that's Bolivian politics

Currently, there are two Bolivian film productions in theaters: El atraco & Los híjos del último jardín. Of the two, El atraco is hands down the better film — better cast, better production values, better script, better cinematography, etc. As such, it's received better critical reviews & more box office receipts.

And. So. The cast & crew of Los híjos del último jardín went on hunger strike to demand more people go see their film. What's this, you say? Yes. A hunger strike to demand more people go see their film. Of course, it wouldn't hurt if they (the director) maybe screened the film in more cities/theaters. But the idea that somehow you're entitled to an audience for your work of art is just ... well ... insane.

Posted by Miguel at 04:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Venezuela

If you want to keep up w/ the crazyness that's Venezuela these days (for a while, actually), you can't do much better than Miguel Octavio's blog posts. He covers Venezuela at Southern Exposure, as well as on his own blog, The Devil's Excrement.

Posted by Miguel at 03:07 PM | Permalink

The gas referendum's slow pace

Tentatively scheduled for 28 March, the gas referendum may be postponed because parliament's not yet ratified the necessary law. President Mesa only sent the law to parliament on Friday. The National Electoral Court (CNE) warned that it needs at least 90 days from the date of the law's approval to successfully run a referendum. CNE's report also announced the referendum would cost Bs.30 million (approx. $3.8 million).

Continue reading "The gas referendum's slow pace" at Southern Exposure

I've also posted a "Bolivian news roundup" at Southern Exposure

Posted by Miguel at 02:39 PM | Permalink

I want an office

I've never been able to work at home. In part, the physical act of packing up & going somewhere else is an important ritual. Also, home's where I relax, read books & comics, watch DVDs, stuff like that. It's certainly not where I want to work. Sure, I can write at home if I have to, it's not a life-or-death issue. But. Recently. I've come to the conclusion that I want an office.

I'm currently writing a paper (hopefully for publication). I'm also transcribing taped interviews. So. I'd like a place where I can sit for hours & write, write, write. Back in Kalamazoo, I'd hide in a corner of Waldo Library (near the "J" stacks, for those who know what that means) when I wanted near-absolute privacy. Or at The Fourth Coast or The Space (while it existed). I could write, while enjoying a Wi-Fi connection, good coffee, and the occasional friendly distraction.

Sure, I could do that at Café La Terraza (the only place in La Paz w/ Wi-Fi). But it's not the same. La Terraza resembles Starbucks, not a neighborhood coffee shop. And it's probably not a good idea to spend long, predictable hours in a café on a laptop in downtown La Paz. Plus, the tables are rather small, so you can't really spread out your notes, references, drafts, etc.

Over a year ago, the ILDIS co-director offered me office space for when I arrived in Bolivia. Maybe I should ask if the offer still stands. I don't really need anything fancy, just an out-of-the-way place where I can sit & type unmolested.

Another option's to turn my second (smaller) dining room into an office. But that would mean buying a desk. And if you know me, you know how reluctant I am to buy furniture.

Posted by Miguel at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Car bomber caught

The Brazilian man who set the car bomb that killed the Santa Cruz district attorney Friday was caught. He's since implicated Marco Marino Diodato, head of the mafia in Bolivia, who recently escaped from custody on 31 January. Diodato's been implicated in arms trafficking, narcotics, electronic espionage, and other crimes.

Posted by Miguel at 02:56 PM | Permalink

Outline of Bolivia's new constitution

Last week, Bolivia's parliament passed Ley 2631, a host of amendments to the nation's magna carta. As such, it's considered to've introduced a "new constitution" since it radically altered 15 constitutional articles. Many of these changes were previously outlined in the August 2002 Ley de Necesidad de Reformas de la Constitución Política del Estado. You can compare the changes to Bolivia's 1994 Constitution. Keep in mind that Bolivia's constitution belongs to the "code law" tradition (as opposed to the US "common law" tradition), and is therefore extremely long & detailed.

Following are the amended articles & sub-articles, w/ most significant changes emphasized in bold text. I've interspersed brief commentaries.

Posted by Miguel at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Speaking of new constitutions

Iraq has a new constitution now, too. This is important. It means that US troops are a step closer to coming home and that Iraq's another step closer to elections. Whatever your feelings about the war, the "quagmire" is about to end. And it's further along than German reconstruction (where local resistance kept killing allied soldiers until 1947).

Posted by Miguel at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Lent & Giving

It's the Lenten season. So. Instead of doing a fundraising drive for my website — since I'd blog regardless — I'm doing a fundraising drive for causes I support. If you like my site (or even if you don't), I encourage you to support the following causes:

Posted by Miguel at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Breaking up is hard to do?

It really shouldn't be that difficult, but I'm not exactly sure when Paola & I broke up. She started seeming distant some time ago, and I asked her about it. Then, I didn't hear from her for weeks. But I think the statute of limitations comes after a month, right? At least I've Bay Jo's official seal of approval on this.

Posted by Miguel at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)