The Union of South American Nations - why isn't this a big deal?

Yesterday twelve South American nations signed a treaty creating UNASUR: the South American equivalent, ostensibly, of the European Union. You can read a little about it here.

But, curiously, the summit got little attention. Why? I'm not sure. I'm also unclear why the death of the founder and leader of FARC has not made many front pages. The end of FARC, which his death may be prelude, may mean the beginning of a new era for Colombia and therefore South America. 

Changes are afoot in the Americas. When will the United States of those Americas start paying attention?

Don't do it, Bobby!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/us/politics/21cnd-mccain.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

As great as it would be to have a Louisiana boy in line for the Presidency (and really, how long would John McCain last in the Oval?), I've got one message for Bobby Jindal as he meets with McCain this week:

Don't do it. 

Why? First and foremost, Governor Jindal, we need you. Ethics reform was a crucial first step in your administration, but just that: a first step. There's so much more to accomplish. 

Second, we'll all be very, very upset. You think Louisianians were mad about Saban going to Alabama? 

Third, you'll probably lose. You may be the anti-Obama, and you may make Republican insiders swoon, but the chances of a McCain victory in November are slim. Which brings us around to what some of your staffers must be whispering: hey, Bobby. If you're on the ticket in November, think how much press time you'll get - and if/when McCain loses, what a great position you'll be in for the 2012 race. Maybe. But how much better off would you be if you could point to four years of executive-level accomplishments in a state that needs them? Consider how potent the attacks on Obama's experience level have been in 2008. 

So please, take the free press that comes with being courted by a Presidential candidate. And make buddies with him, please, so that Louisiana doesn't lose all its clout in DC in 2008. But don't take the bait. Louisiana needs you. 

Better than casinos

Shreveport gets some NYTimes buzz:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/20/movies/20shre.html?_r=3&ref=movies&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The little stuff

The weather is perfect today as we approach summer. To that end, I have made myself a glass of sweet mint tea, complete with hammer-crushed iced, and am sipping on it the way my mom always does: making a cup last two hours, or three. I am still unsure how she does that - I can only bear it because the caffeine makes me restless, and leaving it in one spot means that I can work out a little bit of the caffeine by going back and forth for more. In the meantime, I remember all of the little things that I ought to be doing, such as posting on the blog. 

(sweet mint tea break)

In literacy class, which Seth has taken over, the older students read a section out of El Alquimista, or The Alchemist. I hate the book, and every bit of the philosophy behind it. But the kids love it. So much so that one of our regulars, Luis, told Seth yesterday that he had bought his own copy - no small expense for an eleven year-old when books here in Ecuador run about $15. 

(sweet mint tea break)

My friend Carmen gets here on Monday, carrying with her a handful of stuff that my parents have bought to help me replace what got stolen on the way to Montañita. People have been so helpful and gracious, with one friend even offering to get me a new guitar. 

(sweet mint tea break)

Summited Pichincha last weekend with...

(sweet mint tea break)

... Luke, Kayle Dave and Taylor. Didn't make it last time I tried.

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Nothing is so beautiful as Spring--

   When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

   Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;

   The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush

   The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling

-From "Spring," by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Said the universe

My recent visit home to meet my new niece inspired me to make a few changes in my life. I would work a little less than I had been, I told myself, cutting back to no more than, say, 70 hours a week. I would travel more and I would play more music.

Ready to implement these new changes, I took advantage of a four-day Ecuadorian weekend and headed to the beach in Montañita, guitar and five other MPI volunteers in tow.

Blow number one to my newfound enthusiasm for life came at the bus stop in Manta, when I realized that someone had slipped my Timbuktu bag out from under my chair in Puerto Viejo. Passport, wallet (license, debit card, $250 for the weekend), new copy of Friedman’s Freedom and Capitalism, iPod, cell phone, three brand new pair of smart wool socks, and a good chunk of my already pared-down granola wardrobe, gone. Gone too was the nearly complete journal in which I recorded my entire year in Ecuador.

When life hands you lemons, make whiskey sours

My remaining possessions: a guitar, the clothes I was wearing, a pocketknife (with bottle opener), a four-day weekend, and a plan for an open-mic night three weeks from now.

After a solid weekend, blow number two came on the overnight ride back from to Quito, when I was jolted awake by the sound of my guitar crashing from the overhead rack onto the bus floor. Neck cracked, it no longer holds a tune for more than a couple songs. I’m not putting much stock in my superglue-duct-tape jerry-rigging.

Fine, universe. I’ll go back to work.

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A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."