Remember those french dancers and how much I said they were going to suck as guests? Well they did.

I wrote a post a while ago about French dancers coming to stay at the hostel and how they were getting all sorts of special treatment. Well, at that point I was just joking about them being dicks. However, it turns they were dicks!


Anyone can look that good after eating special fruit, with that much bass, a low camera angle, and those light effects.

They were pissed off right from the get go because they had been told before coming to Chile that they would be staying in a hotel, so understandibly they were annoyed when they were brought to a hostel. However, each one had their own private room with cable TV, internet, private shower, and a king sized bed. Not too shabby right? And we treated them like kings. When they woke up in the morning they got specially made hot chocolate. I don't even get specially made hot chocolate.

Problem was they were looking for pretty much any reason to leave and ended up getting into it with the night receptionist, Eli, after arriving back at the hostel at 7 in the morning after partying all night and demanded breakfast. They started smoking, drinking, and one of them passed out on the couch with his hand down his pants.

Eli, who doesn't speak French or English put the rules in front of them on the couch and one of them started videotaping the rules and Eli getting all angry. Eli's response? Video tape right back. Boom. (I feel like these videotaping battles are becoming more common place in. The only way to combat someone videotaping you is to videotape right back, I guess. I myself would like to see more iphones ripped out of hands and smashed on the ground as the appropriate response to being videotaped.)

How 'bout that footage (Anyone know any French so we can figure out what he's going on about?):

(Note to the black dude: I feel you with the hand down the pants, we all know it's comfortable, but there is a time and a place, a time and a place.)

Things almost turned really ugly because we had a group of 15 or so "wassos" really blue collar unrefined guys from way outside the city who worked for one of the cell phone companies and were in Santiago for a couple weeks for work. They were all getting up for work that morning and came down to the above scene and apparently when they saw what was going on offered to punch the French guys in the face for Eli. (Which they did not end up doing). Long story short, the Frenchies used their run-in with Eli as an excuse to leave. They didn't feel "comfortable" with her around.

Now cue more of Ben and Stefan dancing!

Cribs: Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia Cribs from stefan modz on Vimeo.
(I recommend clicking on the link and watching this in vimeo, it's bigger/better quality)

A lot of people were asking me about where I was living in Chile and what it was like. Even though I told them I was living in a hostel, for some reason I think people weren't really sure what that meant and kind of pictured me living in a shack or a tent on the bench. Not the case, I did indeed have a solid roof over my head.

I videotaped this a while ago, I just didn't have a computer to myself or the time to put this together until recently. The first half is cribsesque and the second half is kind of designed as a thank you for my friends in Chile. Be forewarned, there is a lot of slow-mo instant replay . . . I went a little overboard trying to make it in the style of Cribs.

(Ya, I realize I spelled "lavar" wrong. I can't believe I did that but the file is too big to correct.)

The Little Andy sized book store

Little books for our little guy.

These books would go perfectly here . . . (If it is three times bigger)

Chamileadog

Actually all I did was figure out how to use the hue or grayness button on my camera or something like that.

Breaking news: Chile staying on the cutting edge of zombie apocalypse preparation

That is the face of joy you get stepping off the plane in Santiago, knowing that you couldn't be in any safer place in the world if the zombie apocalypse happens.

I could go on and on for days about how Chile is the world leader in zombie defenses and this is the place to be when the apocalypse happens, blah, blah, blah. That was before I knew that they actually anually practice the zombie apocalypse in order to better understand and document the tendencies of zombies as well as learn to combat them and even incorporate them into society. Footage from last year's simulation and new programs that are in place:



Zombie education- an important step into making them a productive part of society.


And a leader in zombie rights.


Even break down the zombie food pyramid. God help us if we had any mal-heath educated  zombies walking around.

Smoke cigarettes and you can't get boners

"I remember back when I used to be able to get boners. Then I started smoking . . ." Simple and effective marketing, no beating around the bush, none of that you are going to die in 50 years, you're harming others, blah, blah, blah, crap. If they used this in the US, guaranteed cigarettes are off the market in five years because all men will stop smoking (followed by all women because they lack the ability to think independently) and we have another baby boom, putting our economy back ahead of China welcoming in a new age of prosperity and growth.

PS. Still never smoked a cigarette, I should have a thumbs up.

PPS. Time to hit the gym, I'd say.

Katy Perry Would Be Proud

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times if you do anything in South America, you have to get to a soccer game, its unreal. This is from the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores from about a week ago (I seem to somehow be finding the longest videos out there to make my point these days, things start to heat up around the 2:00 mark). The Copa Libertadores is basically the Champions League of Latin America, where the best professional teams from each country play each other. In this game Penarol from Uruguay is playing Velez from Argentina. Only a third of the crowd died before the game began.

_____

Security: "Senor, do you have anything on you that I should know about that could be dangerous?"

Fan: "Uhhhh, nope, no I don't have anything."

Security: "Wait, what's that in your pants?"

(Fan unveils a couple cans of beer and a shit ton of fireworks)

Security: "You know alcohol is not allowed in the stadium don't you? Sorry, I'm going to have to confiscate that, but have fun burning the stadium down!"

_____

Best youtube comment from the video:

What, no piped-in rock muzak? No big screen telling people when to cheer? No people dressed up firing shirts into the stands? No manufactured atmosphere? Wow, you guys have a lot to learn about real stadium atmosphere! ;)


You're preaching to the choir my man.

Hidroaysen Part II: The videos and pics of the aftermath of the Hidroaysen decision a.k.a what made reading part one worthwhile

Hilarious, real hilarious. Can we get serious for a moment?

No matter where you stand on an issue like this, there's one thing that everyone can admit, nothing like a Friday night protest and a little tear gas to clear the system, wake you up, and start the night off right. Unless you are pregnant.

(In all the videos in this post keep an eye out for random activist stray dogs taking part in the protests. They know what's up.)

This video is probably the most complete one I found, its a little bit long but it does a good job of showing the progression of the protest and compressing about 3 hours into 12 minutes. 30,000 people showed up at Plaza Italia, one of the principal plazas/meeting places in Santiago and the plan was to go from there to the Presidential Palace, La Moneda. What's great about Santiago is that there is one big main road that runs east to west through the city and goes past all the important places. So the obvious plan was to take that street all the way to La Moneda, but about a quarter of the way there the police had formed a blockade so that the march couldn't get through.

(from the backside of the blockade)

From that point it's only a matter of time before things turn ugly. It only takes one rock or bottle thrown for what was a peaceful protest into chaos. The rock brings out the water cannons which don't look too bad. However, what you don't realize is that the water is just awful, dirty smelly and is laced with tear gas. From there comes the tear gas. In the above picture you'll see two vehicles. The big one has the two water cannons mounted on top and the smaller one, that is more like a jeep, has special chutes on the side that launch tear gas. Together, they make a pretty effective pair. It's like an NFL running back tandem. Knock them off balance with your downhill big bruiser running back and then hit them with the quick hitting lightning back and before you know it you are on your ass coughing up a lung and crying.

Please note: The extension on the kick of the tear gas canister above. Unreal. and in those skinny jeans.  You have to kick the tear gas canisters because they come out hot. I'm pretty sure if you tried to pick it up to throw it back you'd be fucked.

From that point, the goal is still to reach La Moneda and everyone still realizes that is where things are headed but it is in a much more fragmented form. You've still got tear gas being tossed about like it ain't no thing and there is a little bit of a running of the bulls effect where all of a sudden everyone in the street comes charging down it as the various police vehicles try to disrupt the efforts of the protest.

After that it turns into a long round-about walk to La Moneda which was probably one of the coolest parts. Up until this point, even with the police using the water and gas and one or two bottles had been thrown it remained a peaceful protest. For the most part, people realize that they have to go with a little MLK action, we shall overcome type deal and stay non-violent to get the point across. Things cool down for a bit. The police stop using gas and water because they accomplished their initial goal of unblocking the main streets. Now you are being funneled down smaller streets to arrive at La Moneda and the police actually are positioned at all the cross streets that could take you back up to the main drag.

What's awesome is in these moments the Chilean culture really comes to shine and it doesn't seem to be just a bunch of hippies out on a Friday night. We happened to be next to a group of dancers from the north of Chile. The north of Chile is pretty much all desert (driesest desert in the world) and there is a large indigenous population there. What's really cool is that people from the north are very spiritual in the sense that they have a strong connection with the land/earth/nature. For them, mother earth is what is most sacred, so that is why they come out to support their "brothers" in patagonia. Amidst the violence, the gas, and all the police dressed up like robocop, there is this beautiful display of culture.

Final Stage: La Moneda

The gathering at La Moneda also was peaceful, but after a while the gas and water was back out. I think from the perspective of the Carabineros, enough is enough. You've had your moment and made your point, it's getting late, we want to get out of here, people stuck in traffic want to get home, so this is where it ends. Having said that the pictures and videos that come out of it do not portray the carabineros in the best light. 

Most badass picture of all time? Can we safely say that Pat would love this picture?

(Also note how well preened the grass is in front of La Moneda. The Santiago public works department is unreal. I would hire them to do Fenway any day and twice for a double header.)

In Latin America, one of the core issues that always arises, no matter what the cause, is the issue of class. Rich vs. poor, government vs. the people and it reared its head here again. Outside of the initial protest against Hidroaysen some of the underlying themes that emerged were unnecessary use of force and that the people don't actually have a voice and that this project is another way for the rich to get richer and for the masses to stay the same.

"Shit, we've got another protester with the flag of Texas."

A few comments (Imagine me sitting by a fire in a robe with pipe in my mouth and a small dog, the type of dog you would like to kick, perhaps a shitzu, in my lap):

- Police:
To me, the police did a hell of a good job given their orders and the main goal of ending the protest. This isn't their first rodeo. As bad as the water and gas look it's only temporary. However, in retrospect, its one of those things that would probably have been best left to burn itself out. Let everyone do their thing and then go home. Instead, you had 30,000 people for this protest and then for the next one a week later 40,000. Clashes with police are inevitable in Chile. There is still a very strong sour taste because of the dictatorship and the brutality of that period. Because of that even now people hate the police. It can be truly amazing to hear someone talk about the police and just how awful they think they are and that they remain a tool of the elite.

Class:

- Like I began to mention above, a lot of the time down here it always comes down to class. Who is going to profit off of this? In this case a lot of Chileans feel that someone, whether it be President Pinera, a family member, or an associate is going to be lining their pockets with the money from Hidroaysen. Same old same old politics anywhere you are in the world. Here in Boston we have Sal DiMasi, who is on trial for benefiting from contracts that he awarded to an associate while he was the Massachusetts Speaker of the House.

Even the Chilean Espicopal Coference felt the need to put its two-sense in: "a decision based only in economics is ethically unacceptable and deplorable because it is goes against the general will of the people of Chile." 

Capitalism, capitalism, capitalism . . . In Chile for most people it isn't so clear cut and socialism is alive and well. For many capitalism is still looked at as the anti-christ and is not the answer for Chile.

Democracy:

- A feeling like Chileans weren't consulted in the process, that there was no democratic process in the Hidroaysen decision. I myself had never heard of Hidroaysen until the day Hidroaysen was passed and sadly I doubt the majority of the 30,000 protesters who took to the streets in Santiago and the 13,000 others in Valparaiso, and multitudes more across the country knew what Hidroaysen was before that either. I think this can be looked at a couple of different ways: 1) like I mentioned above, lack of democractic process due to behind closed doors deals 2) I could be completely wrong but to me it feels more like ignorance. This was an issue that was out of sight out of mind and not until something actually got passed by the elected officials of Chile did people pick their heads up and smell the coffee and get up in arms. from there, there was a large bandwagon effect. All of a sudden, everyone hears about this and it is a do or die cause. "What? They are going to put dams in Patagonia? Never! I love Patagonia!" It's okay to get passionate about the issue, but get yourself informed. Just don't go to the protest cause it's a Friday night and it is an opportunity to drink in the streets and get your ass tear gassed so you can write a blog about it like me.

____

It's too bad is that there will always be the anarchists, the kids who just come out looking for trouble and at the end of the day their actions can cloud the other aspects of the protest. The moments after the protest, getting back to a friend's apartment were the craziest because at that point the police are literally hunting down the individual small groups that are out to do nothing else but destroy. The police helicopters come out with the spotlights to identify where the different groups are and it become mayhem. Gridlock everywhere, the anarchists light whatever they can on fire, tear down sign posts, etc. and that is where it turns unfortunate and sketchy because tear gas just starts flying everywhere and you have old people just going to the store, people stuck in the traffic coming back from work on buses and nobody can breathe because the air is so thick with gas. At one point a couple kids dragged a dumpster into the middle of a busy intersection and lit it on fire.

But in the end you are left with some pretty powerful images and it doesn't reflect too great on the government and its response. The truly passionate people out there are the peaceful ones and through them come the most powerful images. It wasn't just college kids out there but families as well and using force to shut them up does not look too good.

If you are still reading this that is impressive. Below I put together a collection of some of the best videos from youtube of the protest, I embedded the first couple and the rest are links.

A pretty interesting struggle between a group of people and carabineros:

More footage of people getting doused at La Moneda. There is a pretty awesome casual tear gas bomb launch from a shotgun-like launcher from a Carabinero.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j34Wm4p6OGU
This one is probably the most awful. A group of regular carabineros (without riot gear) get cornered and are pretty brutally attacked. One gets sent to the hospital after getting hit over the head with a skateboard (30 second mark).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1nTApMM28w&feature=related
Some pretty unclear sketchy footage of a Carabinero whaling on someone. Can't really see what exactly he is hitting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVRRrrZ66-o&feature=related
news report from TVN, not bad, has footage from Santiago and other cities in Chile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URGeH8qZPdI&feature=related
Up close footage of clash between Caribineros and protesters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vWoImUsVy8
Various protesters being detained by Caribineros, in slow motion with classical music. Basically makes it more dramtic than it really is.

Valpo protest 21 de mayo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS5EutB_sD4

Valpo woman's speech. Powerful stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_UAQfOP6wc

PS. If I took a more active role in these protests as a rabble rouser, do you know how much damage I would do? The thing about the protests down here is that everyone has shit arms. When you only have soccer to play, nobody can throw. Everyone is picking up rocks and bottles and I admire their resolve and efforts to disrupt the police, but lets be real, almost any little girl from the US who had an older brother could throw with more force and accuracy.

What do you even think you are going to accomplish with this throw? Do you not see it is a heavily armoured tank and you are throwing at the backside where there is nothing? Gotta disable the water cannons. Aim small, miss small. Though I will say, good looking follow through on his part. Prof Pic that shit, weon.

Double P.S. do you see much difference between the protest and a Chilean soccer game?

Hidroaysen Part I: The Nitty Gritty

About a month ago on Monday, May 9th a Chilean Congressional Committee that evaluates environmental impact of perspective projects within Chile gave the okay with a vote of 11 in favor and one abstention to move forward with a project called Hidroaysen that is to take place in Patagonia, Chile. What I'm going to do is give a nuts and bolts, who, what, where, and why description of what exactly is going on with this project because I am more and more interested in this environmental BS and all that hippie we're destroying the world crap. (Don't tell anyone that).

Hidroaysen is a project to build five hydroelectic plants in Aysen, which is the second most southern region of Chile. This involves building five dams on two seperate rivers in the region. These five plants will be able to generate the equivalent of 35% of the energy consumption of Chile in 2008.[1]

So what's so bad about this? Everything sounds great and dandy, the project generates good clean energy and a significant amount of it.

The argument against Hidroaysen: Patagonia is virgin, untouched land. It is a truly breathtaking and unique nature reserve that similar to the protagonist in Madonna's hit single, has been relatively untouched by man.

Building these dams would affect an isolated number of ecosystems in one area. It would not be spreading widespread harm and damage (get it?) to the region and its inhabitants. It would affect 22 square miles out of 42,000 square miles. Less than 1% of the region. (the 22 miles is a rough calculation I did. hackers have managed to block the Hidroaysen website so you cannot log in and read about the project. That seems fair. Not.)

With that being said:

"If the Aysen region was a glass of milk, Hidroaysen would be the fly floating in it."

Here's where it gets tricky. Chile needs the energy. It has over double the population of Massachusetts and consumes less energy than Massachusetts. What that tells me is that 1) we are quite the hipocrites here in Mass. with our feel good liberal hippie rhetoric about going green and being leaders in the green revolution while on a global scale, we are incredibly wasteful offenders. (On a sidenote I think a lot of our wastefulness comes out of habit and from the fact that everything is automatic and already plugged in and a lot of what we use is out of sight out of mind. For example we turn the faucet and have hot water, set the house temperature with a thermostat and leave everything plugged in. Versus in Chile, you have to turn on the gas and light the water boiler each time you want to use hot water. If you want heat you need a to connect a 2 gallon gas tank to the space heater but for the most part just put more layers on, and this is a weird one but in Chile you don't leave everything plugged in all the time for fear of electrical surges. To reiterate, out of sight out of mind, when you are actually physically turning on the gas, filling the tank, you feel the consumption a bit more.)

and 2) you forgot there was a 2 didn't you? and 2) energy consumption is clearly linked to standard of living. As the standard of living increases down there, energy use will increase quite dramatically with it.

So why not do a similar project elsewhere or use an alternative energy sources?

Here's where the situation gets more complicated. You've got incredible economic growth in Chile going on at the moment which increases energy demand. 90% of the population lives in the 9 (of 15 total) central most regions of the country which combine to comprise just 20% of Chile. To put it in other words, you got a whole lot of people in a concentrated area in the middle of the country where energy resources are already maxed out. Chile has been experimenting with alternative solutions and in the last 15 years began to import natural gas from Argentina and oil from Brazil, Angola, and Nigeria. The problem is most of these countries are not the most stable places in the world and the supply is apt to get shut off suddenly and disrupt the Chilean economy.

(deep breath) With the concentration of population in the middle of the country it is pretty much maxed out of local resources, 43% of their electricity is already generated through hydroelectricty. Nuclear energy is not really a viable option due to earthquakes (one of the strongest earthquakes in the world occured 2 years ago in Chile) and building more plants that use oil or gas and pollute is not an option due to the forced dependence on unreliable countries and the Metropolitan Region already suffers from a terrible smog problem (kind of mixing issue here because it is mostly caused by cars and buses), this winter they have had 3 separate days of severe smog emergency, where the city recommends not going outside.

Could you imagine how beautiful a city it is without the smog? You actually don't realize you are under it until there is a clear day after it rains and you go, "where did all these snow capped mountains come from?"

and an entertaining video on the smog problem for those who like puppets and speak Spanish:




That my friends is where the issue stands today. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. It seems at the moment the project is by no means going full steam ahead as the government first tries to quell the unrest with the project.

If the Hydroaysen project is scrapped it would be a huge statement and a landmark moment against any future development in the south, basically saying that Patagonia is off limits.

Now that you made it through Part I, you're reward is Part II, the initial reaction following the decision to pass Hidroaysen. Nothing like a good old-fashioned Latin American protest where inevitably capitalism was made to be the root of all evil, government vs. the people and rich vs poor.

[1] Know what's awesome? I don't actually have to do footnotes because its my blog. I just did made that one for fun. Any journalist worth a salt keeps their sources protected.