tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3653471661922111292024-03-13T11:09:32.467-07:00US Expat Living in ChileA blog written for family, friends and whoever regarding life as a US citizen living for the first time in another country-Chile.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-35749542304501211082011-09-11T14:44:00.000-07:002011-09-11T15:43:58.132-07:00The Other September 11th The Chilean Coup<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all remember where we were on September 11th, 2001. I was getting ready for work, watching the first plane hit the first building. The news thought it was a small plane that accidentally crashed. I continued with my pre-work regimen when the second one hit and I drove to work dazed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But how many of us remember September 11th, 1973? Chile-we hardly could find it on a map. The Vietnam War, Watergate...the <a href="http://foia.state.gov/SearchColls/CollsSearch.asp">US backed</a> military coup was lost in all of that. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most striking part of it to me is that we share September 11th, as well as the amount of people killed, around 3,000 in both cases. In both instances, they were followed by heavy privatization (Walter Reed, our US military, the<a href="http://political-abyss.blogspot.com/2011/09/us-post-office-problems-and-whats.html"> post office</a>, etc., etc.) and the socialization of private debt. Jose Pinera was in charge of the large majority of privatization and is writing glowing reports at The Cato Institute and never mentioning these were undertaken under a military dictatorship. A 17 year dictatorship. He neglects to mention the bailout President Bachelet gave to pensions. Or the <a href="http://usexpatinchile.blogspot.com/2009/07/sebastian-pinera-chile-and-us.html">commission expense ratio</a>s that take advantage of people. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some interesting background <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameshenry/2011/09/10/the-other-september-11/">here</a> or <a href="http://www.bidstrup.com/economics.htm">here</a>. It would take many books to really cover the topics, most won't be read because that is too time consuming of course. But id you can spare a few minutes to understand something of what has happened in Chile and the US and understand our commonalities, perhaps we can better predict our futures.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many husbands and wives and children also kissed each other for the last time that day. But their days were followed by many more of <a href="http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48158">detainment, torture and murder</a>.</span><br />
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</span></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-30250971442378332592011-09-07T14:50:00.000-07:002011-09-07T14:50:25.368-07:00The US Post Office and Chile's Correos<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Chile but not their model of Friedman "free market" privatization. I learned to love the US Post Office after living in Chile....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure you've all heard the US Post Office is on the brink of default. Of course, they've been trying to privatize it for many years. But few people really know the US Post Office history. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1775, Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General under the Continental Congress. It was established according to the <b>postal clause in article one of the US Constitution</b> and became the Post Office Department. It operated in much the same way until 1971. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <b>Postal Reorganization Act of 1970</b> abolished the United States Post Office Department, a part of the US cabinet, and created the United States Postal Service, a corporation-like independent agency. Pub<a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_law_(United_States)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Public law (United States)">.</a>L 91-375 was signed by President Nixon on August 12, 1970. The Act also called for the Post Office to be self supporting. So, it has been since that time. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going back to 1969, there was an outcry that the postal service spent too much money, needed to "run like a business" they said....you know the drill. So they changed all that but they're ready to take it to next level. Instead of a quazi-governmental agency, they would like to fully privatize it now. And people would always believe it's government run. Think of all the other quazi-governmental agencies like Fannie Mae, now completely private corporations. That didn't go well at all, let's not do it to USPS. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recent problems with money-where did those come from? Well, it made sense when people said "email and the internet" but wait a minute. Under G.W. Bush in 2004, it was mandated that USPS pre-fund 75 years of retirement contributions in 10 years. Think about that. Imagine your employer said you must fund your entire retirement in 10 years. My retirement calculator won't allow a 75 year timeline so I chose 40. To save $500,000 in 40 years at 5%, you would need to deposit $338.81 a month. Now, just changing the timeline to 10 years-you would need to deposit $3,342.63 a month. And then it would sit there and gain more interest because you don't need it for many more years. <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/government_programs/july-dec11/postoffices_09-06.html">Fredric Rolando said on PBS</a>:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; line-height: 14px;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #313131; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.85em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><i>During the last four fiscal years, the Postal Service, with the recession that we have been through, the worst recession in 80 year, and the Internet diversion, still showed an operational profit of almost $700 million during that period of time. The $20 billion-plus dollars that you read about in losses is nothing more than a congressional mandate that requires the Postal Service, required the Postal Service to take all of their cash and put it into a pre-funding account.</i></div></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #313131; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; line-height: 21px;">The Postal Service actually has somewhere between $50 billion and $125 billion in their other funds that is not taxpayer money. They haven't used a dime of taxpayer money in over 30 years. And the Congress just needs to act responsibly and quickly to give them access to that -- those funds.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I thought I'd check to see what the salary might be of our illustrious Postmaster general. You might be surprised to know he makes <a href="http://www.postalreporter.com/pces-salary.htm">more than $800,000.</a> Senator Jon Tester in Montana would like to know why. (He is facing a Senate battle against money and power). </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; line-height: 20px;">(U.S. SENATE) – <i><a href="http://www.postalreporternews.net/2011/07/28/senator-tester-questions-why-postmaster-general-gets-800000-salary/">U.S. Senator Jon Teste</a>r is demanding to know why the head of the U.S. Postal Service made $800,000 in total compensation while eliminating local Montana positions as the organization is dealing with a multi-billion-dollar shortfall.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><i> </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">I would love to know why, myself. More than the President....turns out the "Postmaster" is actually a CEO, with "additional compensation". $</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">As a US expat in Chile for three years, I can tell you Chile's privatized, Friedmanesque, "free market" experiment failed and is especially evident in their post office (Correos). Some expats there did a little experiment and it took three weeks to send a package from one end of the country to the other. Do expats recommend Fedex or UPS in Chile-NO! They are predictably terrible there. Since there is no competition from the post office there, they are the only game in town. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I asked a Chilena friend about the post office and mailing a package and she exclaimed "Oh Laura-no one uses the post office here! Send it on a bus". (People go to the bus and pick up packages). Expect things to go that way here as well. Not quite the Pony Express but rather close. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">One more thing, I loved my letter carriers both here in the US and in Chile. Jorge on his little red motorcycle (you have to pay for your mail there so give them a tip!). My mail carrier here brings the package to the door, with a smile and remarks I have a new cat. Letter carriers have saved lives-they are the ones walking the neighborhood. I'm not kidding, google 'letter carrier saves life' and you will find 2 million results. </span></span><br />
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</span></span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-68831859284456180382010-09-08T14:42:00.001-07:002010-09-08T15:25:06.210-07:00Chilean Miners-Wives and Mistresses<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Everyone has heard the </span></span><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38807555/ns/world_news-americas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">miracle of the 33 miners in Chile</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> found alive, yet still trapped. The drama on the surface is less told. Divorce in Chile has only been legal since the end of 2004. Chilean men are macho men culturally. Men are men and women are women. I once saw a Chilean man sweep but he was only 30 or so and it was just that one day lol. Seriously, a Chilena friend was shocked that my boyfriend often made the coffee and even cooked dinner! Women there traditionally cook and serve food, do the dishes and do the cleaning. More women are going to work so it may get interesting. Anyway, with traditional roles comes "traditional" mistresses....from the </span></span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/7978509/Mistresses-and-wives-clash-over-trapped-Chilean-miners.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Telegraph</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">....</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="firstPar"><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"Authorities at Camp Hope have had to deal with a rush of women coming forward claiming to be first in the </span></span></i><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/chile/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(35, 75, 123); outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; "><strong><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Chilean</span></span></i></strong></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> miners' affections in order to receive government handouts.</span></span></i></p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 17px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">At least five wives have been forced to come face to face with mistresses whose existence was kept from them by their husbands, who have been trapped more than 2,300ft below since a cave in on August 5.</span></span></i></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One miner has four women fighting over him in an effort to claim compensation offered to the families of those facing between three to four months underground until a rescue shaft can reach them.</span></span></i></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Government officials are considering asking the 33 trapped miners to name those they want to claim the benefits entitled to them in a bid to solve problems on the surface....</span></span></i></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-size:1.3em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; "></span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"Those that truly love their men have slipped away quietly not wanting to cause any more pain to the families but others are putting up a fight." Special welfare officers trained in marital issues have been brought in to provide help to women faced with their husband's infidelity.</span></span></i></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One miner, who has not been named, has a first wife he never divorced, his live-in partner, a mother of a child he had several years ago, and a woman who claims to be his current girlfriend all visiting the camp."</span></span></i></p><p></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The entire article</span></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%22Those%20that%20truly%20love%20their%20men%20have%20slipped%20away%20quietly%20not%20wanting%20to%20cause%20any%20more%20pain%20to%20the%20families%20but%20others%20are%20putting%20up%20a%20fight.%22%20Special%20welfare%20officers%20trained%20in%20marital%20issues%20have%20been%20brought%20in%20to%20provide%20help%20to%20women%20faced%20with%20their%20husband's%20infidelity.%20One%20miner,%20who%20has%20not%20been%20named,%20has%20a%20first%20wife%20he%20never%20divorced,%20his%20live-in%20partner,%20a%20mother%20of%20a%20child%20he%20had%20several%20years%20ago,%20and%20a%20woman%20who%20claims%20to%20be%20his%20current%20girlfriend%20all%20visiting%20the%20camp."><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> here.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Marriage in Chile is complicated. There are at least four ways of getting married:</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1) with joint property rights,</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2) with separate rights,</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">3) the man owns it all or </span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">4) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">the woman owns it all.</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> I think.</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Perhaps because divorce wasn't legal, it is common for a couple to live as if </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">married and never marry. You wouldn't know unless they were kind enough to </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">tell you. But women in Chile don't change their name-although the children add </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">their father's last name.So I believe it became popular to not bother with actual </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">marriage.</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Now divorce is legal. A friend there finally tracked down the husband that had </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">been MIA for a couple years and had a divorce party. She proudly told me she </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">was the first in her family to get a divorce. I asked her what her family thought </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">and she said she had several female relatives that would like a divorce and were </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">inspired by her! </span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And I told myself again, don't assume you understand Chile!</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.7em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.38em; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 28px;font-size:21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-68284019644744466042010-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:002010-09-08T13:03:24.939-07:00North Again...Being a Grandma changes everything!I haven't blogged for a long time and felt I should post an update. I am back in the US with plans to return to Chile for periods of time. I have to say I didn't expect to miss some of the things here-I didn't even realize I missed so much. Strangely-although I never drank much root beer-I find it is a special treat now. Crazy. But I buy the store brand for 59 cents a liter and it makes me very happy. <div><br /></div><div>I'm now a Grandma-and that changes everything....I can't begin to explain how precious this time is. There are many moments daily that are worth...everything. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shopping. People in the US, you have EVERYTHING-and you have no idea. The shopping is beyond compare. Everything for every size of pocketbook is here. And many things are more expensive in Chile. There are so many choices-and if things don't get sold, they have sales. As you can imagine, many things are on sale right now. Yes, it can be expensive to live in the US but by applying a bit of ingenuity and frugality-and by taking advantage of what is inexpensive-a person can live for much less than I once believed. People at retirement have buying the house of their dreams. And I want to scream "DOWNSIZE-WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!!" I understand families-that is tougher.</div><div><br /></div><div> In Chile, I did learn a lot about frugality. Convenience food is either not available or ridiculously priced. Although I did pay nearly $8 for a jar of Safeway peanut butter, it wasn't often. I re-learned cooking and baking. I find myself to be sort of a cheapskate these days-but I also notice more good deals. In the US, fruit and vegetables may be on sale some time other than its season-in Chile, you must watch for seasons. And almost everything else was more expensive than I was used to paying in the states. Marketing in the US is so clever-which is why we are such good consumers. We want everything. Marketing is nearly non-existent in Chile in comparison. They are getting better(or is that actually worse?). Yet people there are fast becoming "good" consumers themselves. This is a little scary. Chileans buy a lot on credit with even less understanding of it than those in the US. And we know how that went. </div><div><br /></div><div>I now notice many big and little differences between the two countries. Many likenesses as well. I still find that fascinating. Vehicles are generally tiny there and here-omigosh they are huge. Although after crazy Chilean driving-here they look positively well-behaved. I'm not sure anyone here in Denver, Colorado believes that but I keep telling people to "move to Chile, you'll appreciate things more!" I was ecstatic at my 20 minute DMV experience after spending countless hours in Chile with bureaucracy, getting a RUT#, ID card etc. Who could have imagined that would make my day? </div><div><br /></div><div>In Chile or the US, it's the little things!</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-89920082356790954312010-03-05T07:15:00.000-08:002010-03-05T13:35:17.545-08:00Chile Earthquake 2010 Part II One week Later<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbI5M6eBs7E-McGET7OUOGsf6lz7PSYb6myOWE28tLGSD4x13kINc-5EFKCN1S7EDfHiL-T2LQ7icS4nya3uObZ-AHd1dH8bdoG-nJjZjC1CxhagFYBLr_RddQSKa4KjSpiYxtJp-Os8/s1600-h/Earthquake+etc+010.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbI5M6eBs7E-McGET7OUOGsf6lz7PSYb6myOWE28tLGSD4x13kINc-5EFKCN1S7EDfHiL-T2LQ7icS4nya3uObZ-AHd1dH8bdoG-nJjZjC1CxhagFYBLr_RddQSKa4KjSpiYxtJp-Os8/s320/Earthquake+etc+010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445264565505451458" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Not all of Chile is like the images you see in the media. The media is showing the worst areas and the worst images for good reasons (areas that still need help) and bad reasons (more exciting headlines).</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The photo is from several days ago-things are normal except for a few things like the skewed letters-It used to read "Fashion's Park"-the not so great English is "normal".</span></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As most people know, the tsunamis caused much of the devastation, entire small towns wiped away. there's a lot of political sniping about warnings and whether people were warned quickly enough etc., etc.....but I know-and I have never lived on the coast but have visited coastal areas in Chile and Oregon-when an earthquake happens, as soon as you can run, you do. You can't wait for warnings. I </span></span><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jJxzB_JfkmPy5I26GtAzzIsyAdDwD9E86O700"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">read a story</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> in which the grandparents saved their grandson's life by running to high ground. There is often little time to waste. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And the number of dead...truthfully, they don't know. Of course many fled the affected areas and many could have been washed out to sea and it is hard to know how many dead and how many missing until people are found or bodies discovered. Some of the numbers are </span></span><a href="http://www.interior.gob.cl/n1266_05-03-2010.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> at the government site-they have apparently identified 279 dead. They say less but you will get different numbers in different places. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The government said on Thursday the death toll, previously reported as 802, was unclear due to confusion over who was missing. Officials said they had identified 279 dead people, but were not sure how many bodies were unidentified. </span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I hate it that politics as usual as entered into this catastrophe so quickly.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><i><a href="http://www.newswise.com/articles/chilean-earthquake-opens-old-political-fault-lines"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Chilean</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> earthquake hit just days before the landmark transition from outgoing President Michelle Bachelet to conservative President-elect Sebastian Piñera, and that is reopening old political fault lines that would better remain closed, says Peter M. Siavelis, director of Latin American Studies at Wake Forest University....</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Beneath Chile’s vaunted market economy is the perseverance of a historically powerful state,” Siavelis says. “Chile’s effective regulatory power, especially in the area of construction, prepared and built the capacity to both withstand and respond to such a catastrophic disaster in a way that a minimalist state could never have.” ...</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Of course the opposition and incoming government believe the opposite, that lives would have been saved had they been in power. Certainly, it is in the incoming government's coalition best interests to discredit President Bachelet because they do not want to run against her again in four years-she has been the most popular president in the history of Chile with over 80% approval ratings. The mayor of Concepcion has been the most vocal critic but it should be noted she is of the far-right UDI party(the party of Pinochet). </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And the WSJ credits Friedman and laizze faire economics-what has happened to the Wall Street Journal???? Oh yeah, that's a Murdoch newspaper now.... the </span></span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/02/wsj-columnist-attributes_n_482326.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Huffingtonpost </span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">does a piece refuting the myth of Friedman's self named "miracle" a little.</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Friedman-style economic policies actually had Chile on a steep, downward path into Haitian-style privation. This is all ably documented by James Petras and Steve Vieux in </span></span></i><a href="http://crs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/17/2/57" style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(228, 51, 0); text-decoration: none; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"The Chilean 'Economic Miracle': An Empirical Critique"</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Under the guidance of the Chicago Boys, Pinochet concentrated wealth in the hands of the upper class, while wages and social services budgets declined. The authors similarly document a massive unemployment crisis in Chile during the Friedman period, which rose as high as 30%. Chileans generally credit Pinochet for putting more people in homes, but as </span></span></i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=MucDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT18&lpg=PT18&dq=housing+rate+under+pinochet&source=bl&ots=EotAvl3jg8&sig=byMzWFx_cBqW2DP57RXMFqwmMw0&hl=en&ei=oi-NS5CNMcy4rAfaxryWAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=housing%20rate%20under%20pinochet&f=false" style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(228, 51, 0); text-decoration: none; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">a 1985 </span></span></i><i style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border- color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mother Jones</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> article points out</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, this was largely due to effective PR -- the housing rate under Pinochet "was actually slower than it was under" the two previous governments.</span></span></i></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And wow, the banks. </span></span></i><a href="http://www.gregpalast.com/tinker-bell-pinochet-and-the-fairy-tale-miracle-of-chile-2/" style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(228, 51, 0); text-decoration: none; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Greg Palast documents</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> the carnage wrought by gangster speculators...</span></span></i></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And Chile had the largest earthquake ever in 1960 which</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> "</span></span><a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">took more than 2,000 lives</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and caused property damage estimated at $550 million (1960 dollars)." </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This happened in a much less populated Chile. Truly, I was unable to get what might be a real count-estimates of the dead in 1960 went as high as 5000. And I wonder if they counted the indigenous population. </span></span></span></span></i></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But the above </span></span><a href="http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">link</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> has some nice historical photos, information and stories about the 1960 earthquake-it was caused by the same geological movement as the 2010 earthquake, so much of the information pertains as well. </span></span></span></span></i></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Life is surprisingly normal here, although the isolated areas are still reeling from the quake. There are no longer even long gas lines or long lines at the grocery stores. The images you see are from the worst areas. It reminds me of effects from a from a really bad hailstorm we had in Denver back in the 80s. </span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A few random thoughts. people here get paid once a month on the first so because the quake hit just at the end of the month, people tend to be very low on food and supplies-hence the rush to the grocery stores afterwards. Always there are long lines on the first, worsened after the quake. But they also tend to stand very patiently in </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">normally</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> long lines to pay bills on the first too. </span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">And one more</span></span><a href="http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/earth-records/61-greatest-earthquake"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> link.</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chile has seen many earthquakes both before the 1960 record-setting temblor and after. Two very large contenders have happened on March 3, 1985, and another on July 30, 1995. These earthquakes both had a magnitude of about 8. Chilean earthquakes are not rare, nor are they small. Large earthquakes in Chile seem, through history, to occur about every 25 to 100 years. They'll continue as long as the Pacific plate continues subducting."</span></span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Things are normal here... except for those of us are a little more nervous with every aftershock(I hate the aftershocks and small earthquakes that I used to ignore). I'm glad I'm not on the coast....</span></span></span></p></span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-70405512060444328142010-03-01T05:38:00.000-08:002010-03-01T09:12:54.338-08:00Chile Earthquake 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UMg91uu1M3tZWlQ7OwxwpeobDb7KkkaR_N8uS5IlFLl34VtJKZGwjIL1pGSC6imFOqrrMC-3oX9790f8Vt8Bqys8yA6dfms99W32ediUnR2TKr3ItAgtpLGVYYmz6QHVRv2cQGM1sas/s1600-h/Earthquake+etc+004.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UMg91uu1M3tZWlQ7OwxwpeobDb7KkkaR_N8uS5IlFLl34VtJKZGwjIL1pGSC6imFOqrrMC-3oX9790f8Vt8Bqys8yA6dfms99W32ediUnR2TKr3ItAgtpLGVYYmz6QHVRv2cQGM1sas/s320/Earthquake+etc+004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443713204250976338" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>As you know by now...</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)-- A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake capable of tremendous damage struck central Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital for a minute and a half and setting off a tsunami. Buildings collapsed and phone lines and electricity were down, making the extent of the damage difficult to determine.</span></i></span></span><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The quake hit 200 miles (325 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers) at 3:34 a.m. (0634 GMT; 1:34 a.m. EST), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.</span></i></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The epicenter was just 70 miles (115 kilometers) from Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, where more than 200,000 people live along the Bio Bio river, and 60 miles from the ski town of Chillan, a gateway to Andean ski resorts that was destroyed in a 1939 earthquake.</span></i></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We are about 40 miles SE of Santiago in the country and our area (according to El Mercurio) experienced an 8.0 magnitude. </span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We have had no power or phones or internet really until now. Here is my best recollection of my experience. The well pump went out the day before because of worn ball bearings so we still have no water except bottled. Can't believe that timing...</span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Friday night we went to sleep as usual around 12:30 but (as is not usual) I awoke in the middle of the night to the bed moving. Having experience the usual small tremors here in Chile from time to time (this is usual every few months), i knew this was different as the tremors grew stronger instead of quickly disappearing as is usual...In the past a small amount of shaking and some rattling that is over in seconds. But this one grew ever louder and stronger and it was as if the earth was undulating and vibrating at an increasing pace.This went on and I was waiting for it to stop-they always stop you see. But it didn't and by the time I knew this was the big one, the house and the ground were moving violently, not slowing, the noise was louder, a roaring of the earth and some of our many books falling, some glass breaking...many noises that I couldn't grasp in my non-Chilean gringa half asleep state. We stayed in bed by that time, knowing it was too late and hanging on to each other for dear life. It was pitch black (we have black out drapes so the nearly full moon won't interrupt our sleep) and the bed was wildly shaking, pitching...and there was so much noise I couldn't take in.And I was terrified but not just of this earthquake but truly I knew for those minutes the untapped, the unleashed power of the earth, of nature. Some will say "God" and "God's will" a lot but I don't see I was better to be "saved" over the over 700 that have died or the millions that are homeless. "There but for the grace of God go I.." -ha I say. It is luck. I hear of the old man clutching his dead wife and I know like the other Chilean older women, she probably went to church and was deeply religious. Chile is 80% or so Catholic-you commonly see people crossing themselves as they pass a church. We were just very, very lucky.</span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some irony here, I had wished we lived in Santiago, where the "action" is...or on the coast. It turns out, this was a better place to be. </span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The house that was built here a couple years ago is perfect, no damage whatsoever. It is cement and brick design with heavy re bar throughout. Now we know how it will fare in an earthquake at least. we had only books toppled (but not the bookcase), the wine bottle on my bedside crashed to the floor(hey, nothing like a glass of good Chilean red wine before sleeping!) and some things scattered to the floor. A little clean up in the morning but really less than you would imagine. I keep my plates and glasses in the upper cabinets and not a one broke so (even though Chileans told me not to), it's okay after all. </span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There are many people looking for people and cell phones were mostly knocked out. Yes, cell phones and most people here use only cell phones. Google has a people finder </span><a href="http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and Allchile is helping with the location of the missing </span><a href="http://www.allchile.net/chileforum/topic3966.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">here</span></a></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Many messages like this...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> "am searching for info about my father Joop Wisse in Chillan.I am very worried about him, and want to know if he is alright." </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">followed by messages of those looking and then....</span></span></span></p><p style="list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; line-height: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> "</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thanks, the only thing i can do is sit and wait...and thats not easy.</span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I hope that my dad is allright and that i soon will hear from him.."</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some other assorted bits from stories:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 15px; font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.467em; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "></p></span></span></span></div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">President Michelle Bachelet said Sunday that the death toll had reached 708 and was likely to rise. She also issued an order that will send soldiers into the streets in the worst-affected areas to both keep order and speed the distribution of aid.She called the magnitude-8.8 earthquake “an emergency unparalleled in the history of Chile.”</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I saw her speak on TV here and she looked so tired and sad. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Some 100 aftershocks were recorded in Chile of magnitude 5 or larger, according to the NEIC. The largest had a 6.9 magnitude. The Chile temblor's aftershock zone—the length of the affected faultline—stretches for 375 miles, far longer than the 37-mile aftershock zone in Haiti.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The aftershocks, although we haven't felt the 100 but there are many, are still frightening. A rumble, a slight trembling and I stop and wait...and hope...</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Earthquakes are caused by friction between tectonic plates, which are essentially shards of the earth's crust. They slip-slide past each other, very slowly but inexorably. Sometimes they get stuck, then jerk forward again, producing a quake. The last big earthquake near this point on the faultline occurred in 1835—when Charles Darwin was sailing nearby—and had an estimated 8.5 magnitude. Since then, the plates at this location have been trying to move past each other, but have been locked in place. Over the ensuing 175 years, the stresses and strains gradually built up.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some say the stress has been relieved now. Some say other parts will be more stressed. Some say volcanoes (Chile has hundreds) will become more active. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And finally, even though the earthquake in Chile was much stronger in terms of magnitude than Haiti's, it was not as bad for a couple reasons. The ground here in Chile is simply more stable and the shaking experienced was not as violent. the ground beneath Haiti "shook like jello". And what makes modern quakes particularly devastating are megacities located near seismically active zones. "Earthquakes don't kill people, buildings kill people," says David Wald of the National Earthquake Information Center of the USGS. And Chile is prepared to a much larger extent. "</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We are organized and prepared to deal with a crisis, particularly a natural disaster," Rodriguez said. "Chile is a country where there are a lot of natural disasters."Calais, the geologist, noted that frequent seismic activity is as common to Chile as it is to the rest of the Andean ridge.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If you know Chileans, you know they have that inner warning system that made them jump out of bed and run outside as we shivered in our bed...</span></span></span></span></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-54358496855492265082010-02-16T09:51:00.000-08:002010-02-16T10:33:22.485-08:00Fall is coming to Chile as I MuseI notice I haven't posted anything for quite a while so I will-although I'm not quite sure where this is going yet. Fall is in the air here-no rain yet but a few cloudy days. A friend farther south in Valparaiso tells me it is raining a lot. Only a few weeks ago, she was boasting about the lovely rain they have every afternoon while there was none here. And it was hot, in the 90s for days. The weather may dictate what part of Chile you like and it can vary a lot....here in central Chile, it is hot, very hot days and no rain for months. It's a Mediterranean climate but know what that really means...I really didn't imagine it meant no rain. But the nights are still cool, maybe the best sleeping I have ever done has been in Chile. Central Chile has a nice long growing season but you better make sure you have accessible water or everything will die. Water rights are not automatic here-they are bought and sold separately so make sure you have them. Don't assume that because your neighbor has utilities, you have access-research carefully. The way everything works is completely different here and common sense may not apply-Rule #1 This Is Chile. <div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I feel that slight crispness that says fall is coming. I see red maple trees starting to turn red. The US is experiencing snow in 49 states I hear. Spring should be there in another month or so-I hope. For many reasons, we are returning to the US for spring and summer at least. I hate winter and am not fond of it here either. It is rainy and humid cold that permeates through your clothes right to your bones. The local folks are not fond of heat-I have yet to see central heating. People commonly wear coats inside and the women wear pantyhose under their jeans (and that works btw). There is rarely snow but a frost covers the ground every morning in winter. People are frugal here and we in the US could learn something about that. Some sort of middle ground would be nice. I have been told by Chileans that brag of a once a week shower(I'm assuming a "spit" or whore's bath in between) and am tired of feeling apologetic of my American ways of desiring frequent showers. I love showers. They make me feel good and perky and ready to take on the day. I really tried to adjust but....so those are a couple of things that a big adjustment. Calefons are common here and are a great idea-instant hot water heater on your wall-a real space saver and endless hot water! The US has taken them and improved them. Definitely think its time has come. </div><div><br /></div><div>The perfect life is to spend the warmer seasons in each country and that is my fervent hope. Chile is a second home but it will always be not quite home. When I go to the US, part of my heart stays in Chile. but I am US-made and part of me is always there. If only we could take the good ideas of both countries.</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-29732333893810843582010-01-18T10:00:00.000-08:002010-01-20T17:20:39.945-08:00Pinera's Not Quite Insider Trading and he's Still a Billionaire<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span><span>Pinera, who was a senator for eight years and ran unsuccessfully for president in 2005, ranked 701st among the world's billionaires in March with a net worth of $1 billion.. Yes, he still seems to be worth the same $1 billion for the past 5 or so years I've been able to track. Oddly, that doesn't square well with the fact that his LAN shares are worth around $1.5 billion. And with common sense finance that tells us our money doubles every 7 years or so("The easiest way to think of it is with the rule of sevens," said Jonathan Berk, assistant professor of finance at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. "If you put $100 into an account and compound it, it doubles every seven years." ) with simple interest compounding. So, how much is Pinera worth?It's obviously a well kept secret-Forbes has no idea either. I think they must call and ask "so, what can we put you down for this year Sebastian?" Research would be difficult and include adding up his stakes in television network Chilevision and his reported 13% of soccer club Colo-Colo. </span></span><div><br /></div><div><span><span>Not to mention, it's still difficult because I'm sure he has become as clever at creating holding and shell companies as any wealthy American. But here's one. And from a 1999 article, I saw this "Through his investment holding Inversiones Bancard, Chilean businessman Sebastian Pinera increased his stake in Entel to 4.7%. Pinera is also expected to unite support from enough partners to be elected to the Entel board." And here's a little more: Chile, May 13, 2002Bancard, the investment company from Sebastian Pinera, has been purchasing shares in the stock market, pursuing a strategy to reinforce positions in the companies where it is already a shareholder. In 2001 Bancard has acquired a 2,79% stake in the electric company Colbun. It has stakes in Lan Chile and Parque Arauco, while it is appointed board members in Pampa Calichera, and Antarchi...</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span>Here's the deal-this is one wealthy guy and his companies all have "stakes" in each other.<br />It's not only an extremely tangled web of holding companies within companies within companies owning each other, it's in English and Spanish! </span></span></div><div><span><span><br />So, about insider trading or as Mr. Pinera might put it "it just looks like it but really it's not"-sort of 'looks like a duck, quacks like a duck but no it's not" . On July 24, 2006, Chilean businessman, ex-senator and right-wing presidential candidate Sebastian Piñera bought three million shares of Lan Airlines, the company he partly owns. The following day, Lan released its first semester earnings: profits went up by 6.4 percent. The Superintendent’s Office for Assets and Securities (SVS) found Piñera’s activity suspect, and yesterday charged him with violating a law that would have precluded him from acquiring shares, after the agency concluded its six month investigation.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br />According to the SVS, the regulatory body charged with overseeing financial transactions in the stock and securities markets, Piñera’s purchase of the shares the day before the company revealed its good news breached Article 165 of a 1981, which prohibits anyone with privileged information from making trades on the basis of it.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br />Here's the part I love: "For his part, Piñera flatly denies any wrongdoing. He defended the purchase by arguing that it was not inconsistent with market tendencies; that the share price raised because it was known that Piñera had bought more stock; and that the actual date of the transaction was decided by a foreign broker."</span></span></div><div><span><span><br />So the share price didn't go up because earnings were up(and that is the general consensus in the financial biz-when earnings are way up, so goes the stock but never mind) the stock went up because Pinera bought more stock. All these years and we have had it backwards-just buy what "they" buy. And his other defense was that the stock was bought by a "foreign broker". How interesting but I don't guess we'll ever know where the stock was held. And because he is Chilean, the SEC can't touch him, I'd guess. And their Chilean counterpart has to keep track of holdings here and there. Not even possible.</span></span></div><div><span><span><br />So, he bought 3 million shares but I can't find how much he made. Was it the Chilean stock market or the US market? So I can't research the price he paid or the price history after the earnings report came out. The fine was $680,000 to $700,000 USD depending on the account you read. The fine would be in Chilean pesos(chp) so you have the currency exchange rate to contend with. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></div></div><div><br /></div><div>And how are international companies and their holding companies dealt with at all? I think abolishing holding companies would be a start so we can see who owns what-for real.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Note: I see when I published. I somehow lost all my links-and there are many! I will work to get them back on. </div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-82422029688453340832010-01-17T03:54:00.000-08:002010-01-17T14:28:20.192-08:00The 2010 Chile Presidential Election-More Thoughts<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First, my opinions in regards to some interesting questions from a commenter-and ones that others may also have.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">"Why do you think the current candidate Frei isn't running with high poll numbers like Bachelet's?" </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br />Michelle Bachelet is extremely smart and likable, a good politician. Frei is...well. pretty boring and was President before(from 1994 to 2000) Look for Bachelet to run again after this 4 year term(you can run again but not consecutively here). Frei will continue policies put forth by Bachelet. So it's the old Frei but with someone else's good ideas. And President Bachelet has been fairly quiet in her support until recently, which is her character-she has never mentioned in public(to my knowledge) the well known fact that her father was killed under Pinochet-as was Frei's father and MEO's father.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;">"Why is the conservative Pinera doing so well?" </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">People want change even when they don't know what that change might be. And I think many think a wealthy man like Pinera as President means this translates to their own future wealth. I have heard comments that a wealthy man doesn't need money and therefore won't be greedy(in that case they should look to the US and Pinera's insider trading-and maybe the bank of Talca)Pinera's best issue was crime(and Bachelet's weakest). They are trying to change the system here-rights to trial etc that is a difficult transition. Also, I think most don't understand that the president's hands are tied largely because the constitution created under Pinochet is in force still and very, very difficult to change. And you still have Pinochet supporters, I think about 20%. Hard to believe but true. Pinera has distanced himself from many right wing policies knowing that he has the support of the right no matter what he says, picking up those votes in the middle. </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.transantiagoinforma.cl/"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;"> "Also - what do you think is the effect of a rule that all must vote? Does that produce more conservative results, or more left-liberal?"</span><br /><br />Good question. Many still don't vote at this time in spite of so-called mandatory voting. And the young voters aren't turning out in large numbers. And they recently changed the rule. People of voting age will automatically be registered in the future but it will no longer be mandatory to vote. Also Chileans that live out of the country will be able to vote absentee in future elections. The voting issue was a change due to MEO influence. And absentee voters will include leftists that expatriated during the Pinochet years(ie <a href="http://www.isabelallende.com/">Isabelle Allende</a>-the writer) as well as right wingers (<a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2005/03/siren-santiago">Jose</a> Pinera-famous for privatization "reforms" he instigated under Pinochet). Note: I love Isabelle Allende's books notably "My Invented Country" and really, really think Jose and his supporters should mention that these "reforms" took place under a dictatorship and are, therefore, not democratic as likes to pretend. </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pinera has made some mistakes recently. He avoided a question in the last debate when a reporter asked him if he would ask MEO to join his government-MEO came out only days later and endorsed Frei. From the NYT: "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In recent weeks, the government of </span></span><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/michelle_bachelet/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Michelle Bachelet." style="color: rgb(0, 66, 118); text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Michelle Bachelet</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, Concertación’s popular president, agreed to fast-track some initiatives espoused by Mr. Enríquez-Ominami, in the hope of helping Mr. Frei’s chances. The initiatives include education and water reforms, and a measure to make voting registration automatic but voting voluntary, reversing the current system in which voting is mandatory for life once a voter is registered. Mr. Enríquez-Ominami had blamed that system for a sharp decline in new voter registration." In other words, the Concertacion is willing to listen, the right not so much. I think Pinera thought he had this won and became complacent. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pinera also came out against </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 4px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 4px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">José Miguel Insulza, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS). Whatever Chilean politics, left or right, Chileans love Chileans and there is a lot of pride and patriotism-and that includes Insulza. And communist left wing poets(see </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Neruda"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pablo Neruda</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">). Or </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Jara"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Victor Jara</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, the singer and songwriter. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I read of MEO's 20% of 1st round votes (that both candidates want) </span></span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/world/americas/17chile.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a poll</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 22px; "><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> found that 44 percent of those who voted for Mr. Enríquez-Ominami said they would vote for Mr. Frei while 20 percent would vote for Mr. Piñera; 21 percent said they would vote for neither candidate. With MEO's endorsement of Frei, there is a possibility of wresting some the 21% that say they won't vote as well as a real possibility that Pinera will lose some of that 20%. </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And the voting has begun. I hear polls close at 4 pm. </span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Edit: Looks like Frei conceded. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pinera took 51.87 percent of the vote with 60.3 percent of polling stations counted, compared to 48.12 percent for Frei. </span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span></p></span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-33386458003543301262010-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:002010-01-16T16:13:34.075-08:00The 2010 Chile Presidential Election<span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tomorrow is the day-the runoff between Center left Eduardo Frei and Sebastian Pinera on the right. </span></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Results from the first round of Chile’s presidential election—held on Dec. 11—placed Piñera ahead with 44.05 per cent of all cast ballots, followed by Frei with 29.60 per cent, independent candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami with 20.13 per cent, and left-wing candidate Jorge Arrate with 6.21 per cent. </span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "></p><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sebastián Piñera holds a slight edge as in Chile’s presidential run-off, according to a poll by MORI. 50.9 per cent of decided voters would support the candidate of the centre-right Coalition for Change (CC) in tomorrow’s election.Former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle of the centre-left Agreement of Parties for Democracy (CPD) would finish a close second with 49.1 per cent.</span></span></span></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; "></p></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The race is now dead even, for all practical purposes as the difference lies within the 3% margin of error. It has been a race to see who can garner MEO's 20% and MEO announced that he would support Frei. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:arial, helvetica, sans;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"Given the uncertainty that the right could block Chile's march toward the future, it is my responsibility to contribute what I can so it doesn't happen," Enriquez-Ominami, the son of a leftist guerrilla leader slain during General Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 dictatorship, told a news conference in parliament.</span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span id="midArticle_6"></span></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"So I formally declare my decision to support the people's candidate who won 29 percent of the vote on December 13," he said, referring to Frei, whom he had until now refused to endorse despite repeated appeals and concessions by the ruling coalition.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1313013020100113"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1313013020100113</span></a></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You'll find the candidates promises </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN039954820091203"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">here:</span></a></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I see the main issue of privatizing CODELCO(Chile's state owned copper mine) further as Pinera would like to do and CODELCO filled Chile's treasury nicely in the past few years. Frei will keep things the way President Bachelet has or a continuation of her policies. She enjoys record high approval ratings of 80% or so. MEO's support is late but big news because the race is so tight already-a small percentage could swing things.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.6; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have googled and read a million articles, watched debates in spanish and now know an unbelievable amount about Chilean elections. I guess I like politics. </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; "><br /></p></span></span></span></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-27440729568617380662009-12-29T10:10:00.000-08:002010-02-17T08:40:53.253-08:00I Love PodcastsOne item I brought back from the US was an Ipod my son bought for me. I had the idea that I would like to listen to music while gardening and other chores. And I read a little about podcasts and audio books. The surprise was that I just love the podcasts. And I am sometimes obsessed with finding the best ones. I download some and can decide whether to continue or not, and newbie that I am, I have found many that have become my favorites. And what a joy when I find an especially good one. I will list my favorites here and add to it as I go along. But I have a few worth mentioning right away. <div><br /></div><div>The odd thing, I think, is that ipods and mp3 players are mostly geared to music listening. While that is pleasant, I really enjoy listening to the podcasts while doing daily chores, weeding or washing dishes, laundry etc.. I have a variety to listen to, depending on my mood. There is a lot on the internet about audio books but I especially enjoy podcasts of 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours so far so I haven't tried the books but I really enjoy the audio short stories. There are classic short stories and new short stories and old Bela Lugosi style horror stories. I like to listen to the news and there is a variety to listen to-many sources have posted their own podcasts. I enjoy politics and there are many choices there as well. And comedy-this is more difficult to find but some of the more amusing ones are also surprising. New podcasts are discovered all the time, and some were started with the podcaster simply stopping. Podcasts are mostly free. All of the ones I listen to are free and I use itunes to keep organized, adding and dropping podcasts. Podcasts are simply a version of radio(especially public radio) and tv shows for the most part (although some are people making their own podcasts) but you can transfer them to your mp3 player to listen to whenever you like. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, here are some that I enjoy, in no particular order. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.themoth.org/podcast">Moth Podcast</a>. I just love this one. The first story I listened to, for some reason, was not memorable but I listened to another later and was so impressed that I listened to some more and now I can't wait for another. These are stories told live in front of an audience, and told by all sorts of people from all walks of life about all kinds of things. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.democracynow.org/">Democracy Now</a>. What can I say? I love Amy Goodman and her crew and can always look forward to interesting, mostly political news and discussion. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/podcasts/fiction">New Yorker Fiction</a>. This is only monthly(darn it) and is writers reading other writer's short stories along with some discussion. Very nice.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Horror stories". No link because I don't know the website-I use Itunes for all my downloads. These are old time Bela Lugosi style-you probably won't die of fright but I think it's fun to listen to.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=35">Wait wait, don't Tell me </a> A fun show. A new radio show as good as an old one. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510202">PRI selected Shorts</a>. Short stories</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/wiretap/index.html?copy-podcast">Wiretap</a>. I can not explain why but this one really makes me laugh. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/">This American Life</a> I also love and look forward to each new episode. Real stories about real life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bill Maher has a great podcast, also 60 Minutes and Frontline but I believe all are on break. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fareed Zacharia has a great podcast, also in video. I think he is one of the smartest men on the planet. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many more at itunes which is free to download and they will save what you want there so it's not necessary to keep everything on your mp3. It takes a little time but you can peruse the podcasts and decide what you like from day to day. There are reviews and suggestions but Isuggest picking a few and trying them. Then adjust them to suit you as time goes by. </div><div><br /></div><div>And yes, I have music on there too! </div><div><br /></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-23390187602124778022009-12-06T11:44:00.000-08:002009-12-06T12:53:57.581-08:00Back to Chile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCawSRDfwAnN7JE0XG1pXMXCS9OeV8PU1EW4oDAwKlXcqRX0BA0VdPykWJ03wWrtez6fMw3Mx_cc7nkDmpmKHsKKpmjz6xPUgSvUziyJTOOj0yVdeE31ZMBcXZ2SC8LQsOQti8zLoHQKg/s1600-h/November+2009+069.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCawSRDfwAnN7JE0XG1pXMXCS9OeV8PU1EW4oDAwKlXcqRX0BA0VdPykWJ03wWrtez6fMw3Mx_cc7nkDmpmKHsKKpmjz6xPUgSvUziyJTOOj0yVdeE31ZMBcXZ2SC8LQsOQti8zLoHQKg/s320/November+2009+069.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412214391962728930" /></a><br />So, back to Chile. Six weeks in the states flew by. And it's summer here. I've been baking some Christmas cookies and now I remember-chill the dough overnight or the cutout cookies will dissolve in the heat. I have some fairly misshapen gingerbread men-and women-but you can't tell the difference. <div><br /></div><div>And I weed. Everything grows so well here, including the weeds that threaten to take over my prized flowers and choke the life from them. The trick is get outside as early as possible, water the appropriate area(earth dries hard like rock) and weed until you are too exhausted to continue. Summers are dry and nearly rain free. More humidity on cloudy days but rain, nada. So, I keep busy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Everything looks terrific but past experience now tells me there will be days with no water in the canal(ditch) and we won't understand why. And flowers will die. And I will mourn them and keep plugging away trying to save others. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I brought computer games so we have entertainment at night when we've tired of our truly awful(but at least we have it) internet. In the states, I surfed merrily on my son's wireless network. A world away where you never get kicked off and everything is fast. But I do have internet though the usb variety where I get disconnected every 10 minutes at peak times and more often now at non'peak times. I'm guessing servers are completely overloaded here. Anyway, the computer games consist of the Agatha Christie type mystery. And a few board games made for computer play. And many paperback books. The books are exciting to have-why was I not excited to have many books before-when I still lived in the US? That's another post but really, I appreciate a lot of stateside stuff more than before. </div><div><br /></div><div>I like both countries. Really. I don't like some stuff about both countries. There is no better or worse except in specific areas like healthcare, for instance. Both countries now have cheap crap made in China. But the US has better cheap Chinese crap. Really. And it costs less, mostly. Chile has a better healthcare system(and that will be true if they pass the most current legislation).</div><div>Chile has a true government option and no one in the system pays more that a certain percentage of their paycheck. They also have a healthy private system. But I digress. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do love Chile. I love gardening and siestas. I love the adventure. Perhaps I enjoy both countries more now that I've had time to define the differences more clearly. The most wonderful thing would be to spend the warm months here and then the warm months in the US. </div><div> </div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-43485268346529713882009-12-06T10:04:00.000-08:002009-12-06T10:55:30.107-08:00And it's December(and it's cold in the US)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsJ2VHXqvcNKTx4sxFStoFYbYv5czPdDnQGy5MnWy4RJDyX0sIQsYqga_DH9_ASCMZ8ojMx7GL0yxyFsWtKTtSsjQBxhefGqSG3jpuJH53l5JbL_A8TMauKy46KEzrVpCgnQ4Tf9jNZI/s1600-h/Josie+3+021.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsJ2VHXqvcNKTx4sxFStoFYbYv5czPdDnQGy5MnWy4RJDyX0sIQsYqga_DH9_ASCMZ8ojMx7GL0yxyFsWtKTtSsjQBxhefGqSG3jpuJH53l5JbL_A8TMauKy46KEzrVpCgnQ4Tf9jNZI/s320/Josie+3+021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412192450046921298" /></a><br />I last posted in September. And it's December-how can that be? The photo is in the US, not Chile-it is summer here!<div><br /></div><div>The end of September, I flew back to the US to visit my son and his wife and their adorable and intelligent little girl-my granddaughter. It was unbelievably nice. There was an October wedding(that was everything a wedding should be) and early snow. Followed by a later October storm and a huge snowstorm. I was snowed in with my granddaughter and we had such a good time watching Elmo and sesame street and Disney classic movies. We ate grapes and cookies.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>Not long before the storm, we swept leaves off the back deck and examined them and when the breeze made the leaves rustle on the trees, I said "listen to the leaves" and cupped my ear. And she did too. After that, she was the one to look at me and say "leaves." And she cupped her ear. </div><div><br /></div><div>We played Hide and Seek although she is not quite two. I would count so she could hide and I'd look down to see this little person counting below me, face and arms against the wall, copying me! Eventually, we learned the basic game and she would run to find me and I would look for her. I always hid behind one of three doors and she soon learned the three places to look. At one one point, I decided to make it more difficult and hid on the other side of a door. She walked up and down the hallway, calling "grandma, where are you?" in her little voice and my heart melted-again. </div><div><br /></div><div>I felt a little like chocolate chip cookies are contraband as my son and his wife are very health conscious(a good thing). But really, there is nothing that replaces a cookie! I gave JJ a cookie once while they were out and forgot to scrub the chocolate evidence from her face(uh oh!) They laughed and I bought chocolate covered grahams which are even worse(chocolate face wise). </div><div><br /></div><div>We ate lunch and dinner together many times and I, in an effort to encourage her intake of food other than grapes(which she loves) did the airplane game-the age old practice of moving the forkful of food around and around while making "airplane sounds". She thought it a wonderful game and did it herself with motions and sounds and a big smile, at which time I had to convince her to eat one herself, followed by feeding Grandma. That seemed fair to her. </div><div><br /></div><div>After the snowstorm, a trip to the zoo followed as the nice weather returned. Of course, there is nothing like a trip to the zoo with a little person. JJ says "look at that", "right there"(or here) and "wait, wait' on a regular basis and her voice is like a song to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>We became such friends and playmates and I carried her as we walked in the airport, holding her as she looked at me as though it were any other day. Just as I entered the maze of security, I heard her say "wait, wait" as though she had realized it was different after all. And that is the voice I hear over and over. "Wait, wait". And I couldn't. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-69112637076462032802009-09-17T14:27:00.000-07:002009-09-19T12:21:41.119-07:00Spring in Chile (September)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnCEEXoWs0tHuKMWzHmAo0lzPNBA6tiCYZX3hPkCpn8bIsUsHaiTntzcq-uKvjkQAiwhktFveYaG63YpAwZBPfXRBmiYXFxZhFDRKHdqEF2-5EhmDVcxgnDPDnsxzvdbEkIP-BZ3mxlk/s1600-h/September+2009+Spring+012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnCEEXoWs0tHuKMWzHmAo0lzPNBA6tiCYZX3hPkCpn8bIsUsHaiTntzcq-uKvjkQAiwhktFveYaG63YpAwZBPfXRBmiYXFxZhFDRKHdqEF2-5EhmDVcxgnDPDnsxzvdbEkIP-BZ3mxlk/s320/September+2009+Spring+012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382552395516020754" border="0" /></a><br />Spring is coming-I see evidence on the sunnier days, although we still have many overcast and cloudy ones. I found this queltehue nest recently. Mom sits on it most of the time but if you walk near, she walks off, shrieking noisily as if to say "follow me! Nothing to see there!' If you follow her, she attempts to lead farther and farther from the nest. Papa queltehue generally stays nearby to help ward off danger.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVpQcqFKUtHyNP_09fPwDMr_Nzp9BGxScPpzaNT4WaIKEv-qVYHPwU0zk5FraeFEosPi44jaKgP5KFc6BaRdpHFs4FCKyeu4KohGCYiMZD_oT3KhRO7j5DIzCcm0jMt5RKHl7-P4Bkwo/s1600-h/September+2009+Spring+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZVpQcqFKUtHyNP_09fPwDMr_Nzp9BGxScPpzaNT4WaIKEv-qVYHPwU0zk5FraeFEosPi44jaKgP5KFc6BaRdpHFs4FCKyeu4KohGCYiMZD_oT3KhRO7j5DIzCcm0jMt5RKHl7-P4Bkwo/s320/September+2009+Spring+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382554068102159106" border="0" /></a><br />A few fruit trees are starting to bloom. Almond and Cherry seem to be the earliest. Keep in mind that it's a bit colder, closer to the mountains in our area. A few miles away, lemon and oranges have ripened on the trees but I will never be able to grow here! But lovely seasons.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-6zySVMxzgTiDLiiI7F06ACgw6RTfR1zph5h-I863Rbdbhfa3ElvJ5smK17-gN4C_dlDAnerDYVVOuHcim4xkS-R7DDvNacx9far8qvBlAsVYwjB-PbAxkN9V92mQSd2UvqeU_qv8gY/s1600-h/September+2009+Spring+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-6zySVMxzgTiDLiiI7F06ACgw6RTfR1zph5h-I863Rbdbhfa3ElvJ5smK17-gN4C_dlDAnerDYVVOuHcim4xkS-R7DDvNacx9far8qvBlAsVYwjB-PbAxkN9V92mQSd2UvqeU_qv8gY/s320/September+2009+Spring+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382559434464734146" border="0" /></a><br />This flower stays alive all winter and blooms a little. I've seen the heavy winter frost crystallize the flower that simply perks up in the sun. But spring brings a new resurgence of growth and blooms in very early spring. There are many colors and they seed freely. Somehow, each flower looks slightly different than the parent.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOqakMRRt7EUyNuT114gs7cR3463Yf33HAmuucGtwF2zGyAgvkdbVh55fABMl1XnrNSE1XK3VLocu37LvNNi0FXTfgHgq5Ppoz_VAn2ZPMFOks6bPlIqjKtXU8rMd0rIRAdwg4vcIVD8/s1600-h/September+2009+Spring+006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOqakMRRt7EUyNuT114gs7cR3463Yf33HAmuucGtwF2zGyAgvkdbVh55fABMl1XnrNSE1XK3VLocu37LvNNi0FXTfgHgq5Ppoz_VAn2ZPMFOks6bPlIqjKtXU8rMd0rIRAdwg4vcIVD8/s320/September+2009+Spring+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382562398112283410" border="0" /></a><br />This photo may not look "spring-like" but this is a sight I often see and love. This was taken just after dusk showing the moon rising over the Andes. The peaks are still snow-covered and the trees are mostly bare. The pink on the mountains is a reflection of the setting sun.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-13670612039024327282009-09-17T14:07:00.000-07:002009-09-17T14:27:08.150-07:00Chile Election Update<a href="http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/34173/chileans_may_see_tight_election_after_all">Here's</a> a newer poll on the Chile presidential election. <p> (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - This year’s presidential election in Chile may not be as safe for the opposition candidate as thought until now, according to a poll by CEP. 35 per cent of respondents would vote for Sebastián Piñera of the opposition centre-right Alliance for Chile (AC) in the December ballot, up one point since June. </p> <p> Former president Eduardo Frei of the centre-left Agreement of Parties for Democracy (CPD) is a close second with 30 per cent, followed by independent, left-wing candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami with 16 per cent. Support is much lower for left-wing candidate Jorge Arrate, former Senate president Adolfo Zaldívar, and independent, left-wing candidate Alejandro Navarro. </p> <p> In a prospective run-off scenario, Piñera holds a three-point lead over Frei.<br /></p><p> If the presidential election took place this Sunday, who would you vote for? </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" width=""><tbody><tr> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> </p> <br /></td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> <strong>Jun. 2009</strong> </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> <strong>Dec. 2008</strong> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Sebastián Piñera </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 34% </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 41% </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Eduardo Frei </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 30% </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 31% </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Marco Enríquez-Ominami </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 14% </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> n.a. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Alejandro Navarro </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 1% </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 4% </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Adolfo Zaldívar </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 1% </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 3% </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Jorge Arrate </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 1% </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> n.a. </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Would not vote </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 6% </p> </td> <td height="25" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 12% </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="54%"> <p> Not sure </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="23%"> <p> 13% </p> </td> <td height="26" valign="middle" width="24%"> <p> 10% </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pinera is the only candidate on the right.<br /></p>Enríquez-Ominami is shaking things up, accusing Pinera of lying as Frei has but the newcomer has a whole new audience of younger people. The first round of Chile’s presidential election is scheduled for Dec. 11.<br /><br />An earlier <a href="http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/33647/piera_barely_clinging_to_lead_in_chile">June poll</a> gave Pinera 41%, 42% in August but now just 35%. <span> <p> Suppose these two candidates reach the second round of the presidential election. If this were the case, who would you vote for? </p> </span> <table dir="ltr" border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" width=""><tbody><tr> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="53%"> <p> </p> <br /></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="24%"><span> <p> <strong>Aug. 2009</strong> </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="23%"><span> <p> <strong>Jun. 2009</strong> </p> </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="53%"><span> <p> Sebastián Piñera </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="24%"><span> <p> 42% </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="23%"><span> <p> 41% </p> </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="53%"><span> <p> Eduardo Frei </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="24%"><span> <p> 39% </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="23%"><span> <p> 39% </p> </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="53%"><span> <p> Not sure / Would not vote </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="24%"><span> <p> 19% </p> </span></td> <td height="30" valign="middle" width="23%"><span> <p> 20% </p> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>President Michelle Bachelet(who can't run again consecutively) enjoys 73% popularity which has not yet translated to Frei. There will certainly be a runoff between two candidates-the question is "who will get the votes from which candidate?"</p><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-41924565825413211292009-08-29T08:57:00.000-07:002009-09-04T19:39:02.895-07:00Senator Edward Kennedy, A Good Friend to ChileFrom the <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-26/ted-kennedy-global-hero/2/">Daily Beast(Teddy's Idealism): </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-26/ted-kennedy-global-hero/2/"> </a>A 1973 military coup overthrew the popularly elected left-wing government of Salvador Allende, whom the United States worked against. Admiral Augusto Pinochet’s new regime shot hundreds of Allende’s supporters in the National Stadium, although the United States Embassy whitewashed the new regime. By 1973, Kennedy had assembled enough support in the Senate to enact a ban on all arms sales to Chile, and in 1981 secured a ban on all aid to that nation until it provided basic human rights. In 1986, he visited Chile, and despite government-run demonstrations against him, met with and encouraged opposition politicians and mothers who came with pictures of children who had been “disappeared” by the military.<br /><br />In 2008, President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, herself tortured and exiled by the Pinochet regime, presented Kennedy with the Order of the Merit of Chile, saying “you were there for us when human rights were being massively and systematically violated, when crime and death was around our country. You are one of the great, good, and true friends of Chile.”<br /><br /><h5>September 23, 2008</h5> <p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong>BOSTON</strong><strong> – </strong>Senator Edward M. Kennedy today received the highest award bestowed to a civilian by the government of Chile, the Order to the Merit of Chile Award, for his decades-long commitment to the struggle of human rights and democracy in the country. Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile, traveled to the Senator’s home in Hyannis Port this afternoon to present the award. President Bachelet is in the United States for an annual visit with heads of state at the United Nations. </span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" >Kennedy has been a leading voice in the struggle for human rights and democracy in Chile for three decades. Following the 1973 coup against democratically elected president Salvador Allende, he worked tirelessly on behalf of the tortured and disappeared. In 1974, Kennedy led the fight in Congress to cut off military aid for the Pinochet regime. This was the first time Congress directed an end to military aid to another nation without waivers, conditions and delays. </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small;" >In 1986, Senator Kennedy traveled to Chile to observe human rights conditions. The Pinochet government refused to meet with him and actively tried to obstruct his meetings with human rights and religious leaders. Four years later, Senator Kennedy returned to witness the swearing-in of Chile's democratically-elected President and has continued working closely with Chile, and President Bachelet, as they have become a thriving democratic ally of the United States.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-dinges/mccain-meets-a-bloody-dic_b_137422.html">Huffington Post:</a></p><p>John McCain, who has harshly criticized the idea of sitting down with dictators without pre-conditions, appears to have done just that. In 1985, McCain traveled to Chile for a friendly meeting with Chile's military ruler, General Augusto Pinochet, one of the world's most notorious violators of human rights credited with killing more than 3,000 civilians and jailing tens of thousands of others.</p> <p>The private meeting between McCain and dictator Pinochet has gone previously un-reported anywhere.</p> <p>According to a declassified U.S. Embassy cable <a href="http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/Pinochetmeeting.pdf">secured by The Huffington Post</a>, McCain described the meeting with Pinochet "as friendly and at times warm, but noted that Pinochet does seem obsessed with the threat of communism." McCain, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at the time, made no public or private statements critical of the dictatorship, nor did he meet with members of the democratic opposition in Chile, as far as could be determined from a thorough check of U.S. and Chilean newspaper records and interviews with top opposition leaders.....</p><p>At the time of McCain's meeting with Pinochet, Chile's democratic opposition was desperately seeking support from democratic leaders around the world in an attempt to pressure Pinochet to allow a return to democracy and force a peaceful end to the dictatorship, already in its 12th year. Other U.S. congressional leaders who visited Chile made public statements against the dictatorship and in support of a return to democracy, at times becoming the target of violent pro-Pinochet demonstrations.</p> <p>Senator Edward Kennedy arrived only 12 days after McCain in a highly public show of support for democracy. Demonstrators pelted his entourage with eggs and blocked the road from the airport, so that the Senator had to be transported by helicopter to the city, where he met with Catholic church and human rights leaders and large groups of opposition activists.</p> <p>Mark Schneider, a foreign policy aide and former State Department human rights official who organized Kennedy's trip, said he had no idea McCain had been there only days before. "It would be very surprising and disappointing if Senator McCain went to Chile to meet with a dictator and did not forcefully demand a return to democracy and then to publicly call for a return to democracy," Schneider said.</p><p>Surprising? I'm not surprised at much anymore.<br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The links between Chile and the USA are endless-I can really only write about a few each time. I believe Chile under Pinochet was an immense planned experiment of privatization under Friedman 'free market" economics and the tactics practiced to get the Chilean people to behave-a combination of starving the people under Allende(military kept the food on the docks and out of the stores) and feeding them under the Pinochet dictatorship. A Chilean friend told me that on the day of the coup, four hours later, food was in all the stores. "FOUR HOURS!" she said. It all worked very nicely. Behave and you get to eat. If you still won't behave, you'll disappear. Thanks to Friedman's "miracle", corporations have control of utilities, education, and even rivers. And there was no economic miracle. </p>“You, Senator Kennedy, were such a friend to Chile in our hour of need,” said Bachelet as she delivered the award. "You were there for us when human rights were being massively and systematically violated … You understood what was happening from the very beginning ... and you acted accordingly." <p></p><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-26/ted-kennedy-global-hero/2/"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></a><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-9363452225948778402009-08-12T06:56:00.000-07:002009-08-12T08:32:21.259-07:00Chuck Norris and sections 440 and 1904Every day, there is a new conspiracy theory about US healthcare bills. Now, remember, there are several in Congress and NONE are a finished bill. They are being discussed and debated. Chuck Norris made some commentary which has spread like wildfire, repeated on blog after blog with absolutely no research, no reading-simply repeated over and over.<br /><br />Chuck says<br /><p> <span style="font-style: italic;">"It's outlined in sections 440 and 1904 of the House bill (Page 838), under the heading "home visitation programs for families with young children and families expecting children." The programs (provided via grants to states) would educate parents on child behavior and parenting skills. </span></p><p style="font-style: italic;"> The bill says that the <span style="font-weight: bold;">government agents</span>, "well-trained and competent staff," would "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains ... modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices," and "skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development." </p><span style="font-style: italic;">Are you kidding me?! With whose parental principles and values? Their own? Certain experts'? From what field and theory of childhood development?</span><br /><br />Government agents??? Like nurses ???<br /><p>I have to start by saying Chuck runs a program called Kickstart and is paid by the Dept of Education for these services. Sure, it's "non-profit" but don't believe for a minute that means Chuck and everyone else doesn't get paid. Non-profit means you want to make sure you spend everything you make. On salaries, etc., just spend it, so you don't lose that valuable tax-free status. </p>KICKSTART is a Middle/Junior High school program that creates strong moral character in teens through martial arts. Founded in 1990 by Chuck Norris with the help of former President George H.W. Bush, KICKSTART provides a positive alternative to drug and gang-related peer pressure for at-risk youth. <span style="font-weight: bold;">KICKSTART is the only prevention program in Dallas offered as part of the daily public school curriculum.</span><br /><br />Well, how nice-DAILY part of the curriculum. Chuck has done very well...<br /><p>So, from the Kickstart <a href="http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=365600965">Myspace page</a>....</p><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"My KICKSTART Program is actively working in 43 schools in the Texas public schools. We have over 6,000 TEAM members learning the philosophies of the martial arts in order to live a more productive life and make healthy choices for themselves. Please browse through these pages to see why I am so proud as well as devoted to my Foundation.Someday, it is my vision to have this prevention program in every school in America! I want to make the nearly 7,000 students we now have develop into 24,000,000 students and beyond.</span>"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I desperately need your help today. You can join this fight against drugs and gangs and make this happen for America and for the youth of our blessed country. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Please send your tax deductible donation to the Houston address or conveniently charge to your Master Card or Visa today </span>and let's give our children <span style="font-weight: bold;">strong, healthy philosophies</span> and hope for a productive future. We can achieve these goals together!</span>"<br /><p align="left"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >During President Bush’s 1988 campaign, Chuck Norris spent several weeks traveling nationwide appearing at fundraising events. It was during these trips that Chuck had the opportunity to discuss his idea of creating a Foundation that targets and instills protective factors which are known to enhance resiliency.* Originally, the Foundation would target drug abuse prevention. President Bush was very encouraging and set up meetings for Chuck Norris with various government entities including the U.S. Department of Education, and the Office of National Service (Thousand Points of Light).<br /></span></p><p align="left">I see, Chuck spent a lot of money on campaign donations in order to get close to Bush I(that takes <span style="font-weight: bold;">really</span> big money folks). Lo and behold, daddy Bush was "very encouraging."<span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></p> <p align="left"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >On August 16, 1990, the Kick Drugs Out of America Foundation was formed in Washington, D.C. The Foundation received its 501(C)(3) status on March 1, 1991. The headquarters for the Foundation is located in Houston, Texas and also maintains an office in Dallas. Currently, the Foundation has a national board with Chuck Norris serving as Chairman, Houston and Dallas Advisory Boards, an Executive Director, a Director of Operations, a Community and School Relations Director, a Business Manager and over forty Black Belt instructors. Funding permitting, the Foundation will be expanding on a continual basis.</span></p><p align="left"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">And Chuck serving in all these capacities-how many do you think are paid positions?</span></span></p><p align="left">From Wikipedia..</p><p>501(c)(3) exemptions apply to corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" title="Religion">religious</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitable_organization" title="Charitable organization">charitable</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science" title="Science">scientific</a>, testing for public safety, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature" title="Literature">literary</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education" title="Education">educational</a> purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. <sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29#cite_note-6"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501%28c%29#cite_note-7"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup></p> Another provision, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Code" title="Internal Revenue Code">26 U.S.C.</a> <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/26/170.html" class="external text" title="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/26/170.html" rel="nofollow">§ 170</a>, provides a deduction, for federal income tax purposes, for some donors who make <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charitable_contribution" title="Charitable contribution">charitable contributions</a> to most types of 501(c)(3) organizations, among others.<br /><br />And if you google 501(c)(3), you will find lots of advice on <a href="http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectId/EA3D3043-9A88-43F5-8DC869639F0F6E77/catID/CE94A6B3-EFB6-4036-8498D5414328FD73/111/262/ART/">how to set up your very own</a>. Of course, you'll need a lot of money...but it's <a href="http://www.501c3.org/">big business</a>.<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Chuck Norris’ <b>KICK</b>START Foundation needs full-time, committed Black Belt Instructors of the Martial Arts to reach <span style="font-weight: bold;">at-risk youth on a daily basis </span>as part of the school curriculum. The Foundation has an opportunity for possible expansion in Texas and needs qualified instructors who are willing to relocate and undergo a background check.<br /><br /></span> <b><span style="font-family:Arial;">THE JOB</span></b> <p><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >Instructors teach approximately 150 students in a public elementary, middle or high school. Beyond teaching kicks and punches, <span style="font-weight: bold;">instructors are required to instill positive life skills</span> to all students. Instructors are required to organize special activities such as belt presentation ceremonies, after school classes and a summer program for their school. They will also assist and participate in tournaments, fundraisers and other events for the Foundation.</span></p>Wait a second here-you mean make healthy choices as those home visit folks want too? Oh, I see, Chuck thinks he would make better choices that say, a health professional. And these black bely instructors have the training to teach "positive life skills"???? So, Chuck is fine with positve life skills-he just likes his own values better. I see. "At risk youth" on a daily basis? You mean "invading their home"? I think I would choose a nurse home invasion over a Chuck Norris home invasion....<br /><br />Here's a link from <a href="http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/141908/health_policy_expert_chuck_norris_weighs_in_on_reform_debate/">Alternet</a>:<br /><br /><p>It was only a matter of time. Chuck Norris has <a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/ChuckNorris/2009/08/11/dirty_secret_no_1_in_obamacare" linkindex="63">weighed in </a>on the health care debate.</p> <p>In an op-ed for the conservative outlet TownHall.com, the former kung-fu action hero says that he was thumbing through the health care bill and found a disturbing section that "is about the government's coming into homes and usurping parental rights over child care and development."</p> <p>The idea that health care reform will lead to government agents raising your children has been floating around right-wing blogs for the last several weeks. Norris' op-ed quickly got a link on the Drudge Report.</p> <p>But it has no basis in reality. Norris is referring to section 1904 of the House bill, which "provides grants to States to support <span style="font-weight: bold;">voluntary</span>, evidence-based home visitation programs for pregnant women and for families with pre-school age children in order to improve the well-being, health and development of children."</p><a name="more"></a> <div id="storycontainer"><p> </p><p>The programs would be voluntary, a number of states already have such programs, and this sort of legislation is introduced almost every year.</p> <p>Last Congress it was H.R.2343, which sought to "expand quality programs of early childhood home visitation that increase school readiness, child abuse and neglect prevention, and early identification of developmental and health delays, including potential mental health concerns, and for other purposes."</p> <p>What kind of radical government-takeover advocates cosponsored such treachery? Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), a member of House GOP leadership, for one. And Republicans Mark Souder (Ind.), Zach Wamp (Tenn.), and Rick Renzi (Ariz.).</p> <p>The Senate version was introduced by that well-known communist Kit Bond, a Republican from Missouri. Former Republican Rep. Kenny Hulshof of Missouri backed the House measure before he left Congress to run for governor. Republican Senators Pat Roberts (Kan.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) cosponsored Bond's bill.</p> <p>Rep. Todd Platts (R-Penn.) sponsored a similar measure this year, H.R. 2667, the Early Support for Families Act. H.R. 2205, the Education Begins at Home Act of 2009, is cosponsored by Republicans Mike Castle (Del.), John McHugh (N.Y.), Vernon Ehlers (Mich.), and Thomas Petri (R-Wisc.).</p> <p><a href="http://edlabor.house.gov/publications/20080618EBAHFactSheet.pdf">The bill</a> passed committee unanimously by a voice vote. Republicans <a href="http://edwork.edgeboss.net/wmedia/edwork/fc/fc061108.wvx" linkindex="64">spoke highly</a> of home visits at the hearing.</p><p>And here's <a href="http://jackrabbitcafe.blogspot.com/2009/08/health-care-reforms-are-turning-into.html">another</a>.</p><span style="font-family:arial,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">By the way, Chuck, people who follow these things refer to "House bills" by their H.R. number. The one you are trying to roundhouse is H.R. 3200.</span></b></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anyway, you seem to have forgotten to include this next part. I thought it was perhaps one of the more, um, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">important</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> passages:</span></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><i><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);"></span></span></span></span></b></i></p><i><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(192, 192, 192);"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to improve the well-being, health, and development of children by enabling the establishment and expansion of high quality programs providing </span><a href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.txt.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">voluntary</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children.</span></blockquote></span></span></span></b></i><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">That's right, Chuck; it's </span></span></span><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">voluntary.</span></span></span></i></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></i></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At ease, Texas Ranger.</span></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></i></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><a href="http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.txt.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></a><a>Here's the whole bill.</a> </b></span></p></b></span><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I noticed that you didn't provide a link to it on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Townhall.com, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Chuck,</span> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">but you </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">did</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> link to your non-profit's website. But, hey--maybe it was an oversight.</span></b></b></span><p></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:Times;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia,sans,sans-serif,helvetica,geneva,verdana;"><b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What does this have to do with Chile? I just cannot believe the US won't have healthcare as good as in Chile. It is too crazy and beyond comprehension.<br /></span></b></b></span></p></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-65088331909313096592009-07-29T06:23:00.000-07:002009-09-17T15:52:00.583-07:00Healthcare in Chile and the USAIn Chile, you have nearly Universal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">healthcare</span></span> including a thriving private sector-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ISAPRE</span></span>-and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">FONASA</span></span>-the public plan. Chileans pay 7% of their income and then make a choice to enter the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">FONASA</span></span> or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ISAPRE</span></span> system-and have further choice to elect greater coverage in private plans.<br /><br />I'm not saying Chile has the best system in the world but it does seem odd and a bit sad that I am less likely to die here because of a needed operation. A friend of mine recently had an operation, a much needed femoral bypass. It cost about $12,000 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">usd</span></span> cash, no insurance-that includes everything and a 5 star room to boot.. The average "list price" in the US is $50,900 according to <a href="http://www.vimo.com/procedure/Aorta-iliac-femoral+bypass/aortofembypass/heart/browse">this</a> website. Apparently it can be done as cheaply as $18,900(huh?). Perhaps that's a good place to check before your next operation in the USA folks.<br /><br />What I know is that the US is falling in status from a number of lists.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >The World Health Organization's ranking<br />of the world's health systems</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (Top 50)<br />In 2000, The US was still barely ahead of...Cuba. Chile beat the US by 4 places(and has improved its system under <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bachelet</span></span> while the US has <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">deteriorated</span>. The US also beat Slovenia by one place. </span>The U.S. spends 16 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, compared with 8 to 10 percent in most major industrialized nations. According to the <a href="http://www.photius.com/rankings/total_health_expenditure_as_pecent_of_gdp_2000_to_2005.html">World <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Factbook</span></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">(which is suspiciously updated only to 2005) The US was #2 in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">healthcare</span> spending by GDP so i would guess it's now easily in 1st place(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">yay</span>!!!)<br /><br />The saddest statistic must be infant mortality. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Nationmasters</span>, I see, no longer lists the US there but there are other sources like <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2008/10/21/us-infant-mortality-ranking-falls-again.htm">here</a>. And now I see, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Nationmasters</span> sources from the CIA <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Factbook</span>-better you don't see that I guess. Anyway,<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Since ranking a fairly respectable 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">th</span> in 1960, the U.S. fell to an all-time low 29<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">th</span> in the world in infant mortality in 2004, according to the report Recent Trends in Infant Mortality in the United States from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The U.S. infant mortality ranking has been falling steadily, from 23rd in 1990, to 27<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">th</span> in 2000. The U.S. infant mortality rate of 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004, compared unfavorably with the lowest rates of 3.5 per 1,000 reported in Scandinavian and East Asian countries. Overall, 22 countries had infant mortality rates below 5.0 in 2004.<br /><br /></span>But wait<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>this is 2009 and those are statistics from 2000-but according to our new link <a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_Infant_Mortality_Rate_aall.htm">here</a>, the US is now #37! <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="rankingodd" align="right">37.</td> <td class="rankingodd"><a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/us/United_States_map_flag_geography.htm">United States</a></td> <td class="rankingodd" align="right">6.37</td> <td class="rankingodd"> deaths/1,000 live births</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Uh oh, Cuba is #35 on that list, no wonder the US government no longer reports it. But we're still a place ahead of Croatia, by god. Wait, this is bad-South Korea has less babies die at birth than the USA???? </p><p>Well, how how about life expectancy-surely a great country like the US places well <a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/ranking/ranking_Life_expectancy_at_birth_aall.htm">there</a>.</p><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="rankingeven" align="right">172.</td> <td class="rankingeven"><a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/us/United_States_map_flag_geography.htm">United States</a></td> <td class="rankingeven" align="right">78.00</td> <td class="rankingeven"> years</td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are 37 countries with better life expectancies out of the total 208 listed, including Bosnia and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Puerto</span> Rico... interesting as well is that many countries are improving while US stats get worse.<br /></p><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="rankingeven" align="right">160.</td> <td class="rankingeven"><a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/ci/Chile_map_flag_geography.htm">Chile</a></td> <td class="rankingeven" align="right">76.96</td> <td class="rankingeven"> years</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="rankingodd" align="right">161.</td> <td class="rankingodd"><a href="http://www.geographyiq.com/countries/cu/Cuba_map_flag_geography.htm">Cuba</a></td> <td class="rankingodd" align="right">77.08</td> <td class="rankingodd"> years</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The point was never that Cuba-or Chile-has better <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">healthcare</span> but that those countries improve while the US continues to fall. </p><p>Continuing on, I looked for other categories but saw this:<br /></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 204);font-size:85%;" ></span></span></p>Healthy Life Expectancy (UN 1997/1999)<br />Health Performance Rank By Country(UN 1997/1999)<br />WHO ranking of the world's health systems (2000)<br />Total Health Expenditure as % of GDP (2000-2005)<br />Global Hunger Index by country 1990-2008<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">HDI</span> - Human Development Index 1975-2005<br />Refugees, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">asylees</span>, internally displaced persons, by country - 2007<br /><br />See the pattern? Old statistics on what I've just discussed but new, bright shiny statistics where the US "shines".<br /><br />I meant to write more but this is an exhausting subject. The US <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">healthcare</span> "plan" every day seems to need a motto like If you're wealthy and 84, we would rather you live in a coma and have a heart transplant than save the lives of babies. If you're 50 and healthy, you will be charged an unbelievable amount-the price of a current mortgage so although your mortgage payment may be low, that extra money will be replaced by an inadequate insurance policy-which, of course, if you ever actually have to use it-you'll be cancelled.<br /><br />Although they say 46 million Americans are uninsured(I would guess it's much higher-people don't know their insurance is inadequate until they need it), the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens. Here's a lot of scary facts <a href="http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml">here</a>.<br /><br />And here's a <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/7/28/758635/-My-Health-Insurance-just-went-up-38">story </a>about a 35 year old and his 35 year old wife. The story is a good one but here's an excerpt:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">She told me that she had just opened a letter from our health insurance that informed us that our monthly premium was increasing from $534 to $738 next month.</span> <p style="font-style: italic;">A $204 increase per month? $2448 more per year? A 38% increase in one month?</p><p style="font-style: italic;">.....They came back again and explained that it was 38%. 17% was an annual increase. The rest was due to my wife and I both turning 35 this year.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">A 21% increase for turning the ripe old age of 35.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">A 38% increase in on month. From $534 per month to $738. $204 more per month. $2448 more per year.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">That's $8,856 a year for two 35 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">olds</span>-how much for two 50 year <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">olds</span>?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's the problem-the money spent on health insurance or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">healthcare</span> is not being spent other places. This is a serious problem for the economy and the USA. Forget that new house or new car, buy health insurance. The best way to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">healthcare</span> if you're middle class is now to become poor so you can get medicaid. </span>I have never in my life used any type of government assistance. I went to college, got my degree, raised my son, paid my taxes, bought a small house(before I cancelled my insurance, it was more than my mortgage payment so I sold my house), bought cars and generally helped the GDP like all good Americans. So I'm very sad. If I ever return to the US, my choice is to divest myself of all assets(I saved for retirement, silly me) and try to hop on the government 'dole' for the first time in my life or just hope I never get sick(I'm healthy but that seems unlikely) or I have the "freedom" to die-even if diagnosed with an easily curable form of breast cancer. </p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A few thoughts in answer to what I hear from the opposition to </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">healthcare</span> reform in the US. I know they're scaring you but they're not telling you the truth.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">1.I hear this "in Canada, my friend's grandmother died because of the lines"</span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A. This is not Canada. None of the plans proposed look anything like Canada's. In Canada, they do have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">healthcare</span> priorities. The 5 year old will be in line ahead of the great-grandmother. </span></span>A 5 year's life is more important to me than my own at 54 and I would hope 84. In the US, the middle class child is more likely to die than a well to do 84 year old. So I believe Canada is correct. But please stop comparing <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">US <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">healthcare</span> to any portion of any <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">healthcare</span> plan around the world that has nothing to do with the US. The rich and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">privileged</span> in the USA will always have the best <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">healthcare</span>. Always.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">2. But I don't want rationed healthcare, I want to keep my doctor!</span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A. You can keep your doctor under ALL plans proposed. Younger, healthy people here in Chile are mostly in the ISAPRE private sector. Those that are older or not healthy use the public FONASA option. I want a choice too. The choice not to die because of non-invasive breast cancer.<br /></span></span></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">3. But America is about Freedom!</p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A. The freedom to live if you have the money and the freedom to die if you don't. The freedom to pay more for healthcare. <a href="http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml">Health care spending</a> is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. Except suicide is illegal. Yet suicide rates are <a href="http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/press_releases/2008/baker_suicide.html">increasing</a></p><p><span class="Header_2">October 21, 2008</span></p><p><span class="Header_1">U.S. Suicide Rate Increases</span></p><p><span class="Header_2"><em>Largest Increase Seen in Middle-Aged White Women</em></span></p><p>The rate of suicide in the United States is increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the <strong>Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s</strong> <a title="Center for Injury Research and Policy" href="http://www.jhsph.edu/injurycenter/index.html">Center for Injury Research and Policy</a>. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase. Whereas the overall suicide rate rose 0.7 percent during this time period, the rate among middle-aged white men rose 2.7 percent annually and 3.9 percent among middle-aged women. By contrast, suicide in blacks decreased significantly over the study’s time period, and remained stable among Asian and Native Americans. The results are published online at the website of the <em><a target="_blank" onclick="window.open('http://www.ajpm-online.net/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE2347.pdf', '_blank', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,location=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes'); return false;" title="American Journal of Preventive Medicine" href="http://www.ajpm-online.net/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE2347.pdf"><em><em>American Journal of Preventive Medicine</em></em></a></em> and will be published in the December print edition of the journal.</p><p>Imagine that-I wonder if that has anything to do with increasing medical problems and healthcare costs in middle age.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;">4. There won't be any doctors!</p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A. Yes, there will. I know many doctors here in Chile. A personal friend is a cardiologist. And <a href="http://www.pnhp.org/">here</a>'s a website from US doctors for US healthcare reform. And let me direct you to their list of <a href="http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#rationing">questions and answers</a>. Granted, they would like a single system which the US is unlikely to get.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">And it looks more likely by the day, that there will be any real reform passed. I am sad. sad for me but sadder still for all the young people that have no idea how bad things can get.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">5. I don't want socialized medicine!<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">A. The most unbelievable really. In answer, I saw President Obama read a letter from an older woman which read in part "I don't want socialized health care and hands off my Medicare!" Really?<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Medicare is socialized healthcare, by most definitions. So this woman is saying "I want it for me but no one else!" She made it to 65, the hell with the rest of you.<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">If you are against "socialized" , you must be against Medicare and fireman. Against a police force, against street cleaners and snow plows. Against the post office(it takes 3 weeks here to send a letter from one end of the country to the other-the miracle of privatization), against the dog pound(don't get me started on the stray dog problem here). The list is endless. </p><p>Yes, the US is spoiled in many ways but healthcare here is better.<br /></p><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-22659728278928139022009-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:002009-07-28T10:51:52.475-07:00Pinochet went to England for healthcare?I was reading today a number of different accounts of chronologies of Pinochet and came across this in a Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/pinochet/overview.htm">story</a>:<br /><br />In October 1998, the 83-year-old <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pinochet traveled to England for back surgery</span>. He was arrested on a warrant issued by Spanish prosecutors...<br /><br />This England?<br /><br /><p></p><span style="font-style: italic;">The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. The NHS provides healthcare to anyone normally resident in the UK with most services free at the point of use for the patient though there are charges associated with eye tests, dental care, prescriptions, and many aspects of personal care. The NHS provides the majority of healthcare in England, including primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology and dentistry. The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948. </span>(Wikipedia)<br /><br />Mr. Jose Pinera, architect of Chile's healthcare system under Pinochet, please tell me why that would be when Chile has a simply wonderful privatized system that you yourself helped to spawn? Did he believe the "socialized" healthcare was better? <br /><br />And don't we hear it said that in the USA, maybe the system has problems but without a doubt, they have the top specialists anywhere? If you can afford it, that's where you want to go to get treated...yet, Pinochet(who could afford it ) went to England where you have one of the largest and oldest "socialized" systems. Oh, I see, that "socialized" tag not completely correct. <span style="font-style: italic;">Though the public system dominates healthcare provision in England, private health care and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are available for those willing to pay.<br /><br /></span>But why England<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and not the say, the USA? Oh, here it is <span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica;font-size:85%;"><br /><br />Even before the former Chilean dictator offered his country's tacit support to the UK during the 1982 Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher had long been an admirer of his radical free market economic policies. </span><p> <span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica;font-size:85%;">General Pinochet was detained in London on 17 October following a request for his arrest and extradition by two Spanish judges investigating some of the 4,000-plus political murders believed to have been committed during his 1973-1990 rule.<br /></span></p><p>Well, all those atrocities under Pinochet but the economy-he and Milton Friedman saved it right? Given that we are talking about the price of lives and freedom now by exchanging a "good" economy for a "bad" one(which I find horrifying), I contend those policies didn't give Chile a good economy. Here's <a href="http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/2538">one </a>take on it(a portion follows):<br /></p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, Tinker Bell and General Augusto Pinochet had much in common.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">All three performed magical good deeds. In the case of Pinochet, he was universally credited with the Miracle of Chile, the wildly successful experiment in free markets, privatization, de-regulation and union-free economic expansion whose laissez-faire seeds spread from Valparaiso to Virginia.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">But Cinderella's pumpkin did not really turn into a coach. The Miracle of Chile, too, was just another fairy tale. The claim that General Pinochet begat an economic powerhouse was one of those utterances whose truth rested entirely on its repetition.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Chile could boast some economic success. But that was the work of Salvador Allende - who saved his nation, miraculously, a decade after his death.</p><span style="font-style: italic;">For nearly a century, copper has meant Chile and Chile copper. University of Montana metals expert Dr. Janet Finn notes, 'Its absurd to describe a nation as a miracle of free enterprise when the engine of the economy remains in government hands.' Copper has provided 30% to 70% of the nation's export earnings. This is the hard currency which has built today's Chile, the proceeds from the mines seized from Anaconda and Kennecott in 1973 - Allende's posthumous gift to his nation.</span><br /><br />So, why is Chile in great shape economically? Copper revenues of course-Allende nationalized and Pinochet didn't privatize(mainly because the military was guaranteed a percentage) and the Concertation rule has meant every President has saved money, lots of it. When the bad times came, they were able to spend quite easily. Save in the good times and spend in the bad times-John Maynard Keynes must be smiling in his grave.<br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-71484363944769801972009-07-25T14:17:00.000-07:002009-07-28T09:26:12.854-07:00Sebastian Pinera, Chile and the USI never realized before I moved from the US to Chile that there are many links between the two countries. These days I seem to run across stories that contain the links on a daily basis.<br /><br />First, a little background. Sebastian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pinera</span> (Miguel Juan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sebastián</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Piñera</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Echenique</span>) was a Presidential candidate running against current President Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bachelet</span> but lost in 2005/2006. A new election is coming soon (there is currently a 4-year limit for presidents here). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pinera</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia,times new roman,times,serif;"> is the perennial candidate of the right-wing National Renewal Party</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia,times new roman,times,serif;">(part of the "Alliance for Chile" coalition) and Michelle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bachelet</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia,times new roman,times,serif;"> of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Concertación</span>-affiliated Socialist Party, has won record high approval ratings (74 percent) for her handling of Chile’s economic crisis. </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia,times new roman,times,serif;">Candidates of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Concertación</span> – formally known as the Agreement of Parties for Democracy – have won every presidential election since 1989, the return of democracy after the Pinochet dictatorship.<br /><br />There are many parties here but they have become part of "coalitions", the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Concertacion</span> specifically to combat the Pinochet years. I hear the screaming all the way from the USA that you need more than a two-part system. And I understand. But the parties here(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Chile">here's a list ) </a><br />simply group into coalitions-and parties join and leave at will(not so different than Republicans becoming Democrats and vice-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">versa</span>).<br /><br />Back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Pinera</span>. His brother Jose <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Pinera</span> works at the Cato Institute in the US now and </span></span>was responsible for promoting a plan of "free market reforms" that he considered could double Chile's annual rate of growth to 7%, he became, first, Secretary of Labor and Social Security (1978–1980), and then, Secretary of Mining (1980–1981), in the cabinet of General Augusto Pinochet. As such, he was responsible for four structural reforms: the creation of a retirement system based on private personal accounts (the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">AFP</span> system), the opening of the private health insurance system (the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ISAPRE</span> system), the redesign of the labor code changing the terms of trade union elections, and the constitutional law on mining. Never mind that the pension system here is a mess(especially after the economic mess), never mind that fees charged for pension account eat most of the returns(<a href="http://www.socsec.org/commentary.asp?opedid=962">link here</a>) with portion below.<br /><br /> <i style="font-style: italic;">There are prohibitively high expenses and fees.</i><span style="font-style: italic;"> Voracious commissions and other administrative costs have swallowed up large shares of personal accounts. </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.aarp.org/research/socialsecurity/reform/social_security_privatization_in_latin_america.html" class="bodylink">It is estimated</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> that roughly 28 to 33 percent one-quarter to one-third of contributions made by employees retiring in 2000 went toward fees.</span><br /> <ul style="font-style: italic;"><li>The brokerage firm <a href="http://www.cb.cl/newcbcl/estudios/macro_temas.asp?Codid=35&Temad=%BFCu%E1l%20ha%20sido%20la%20verdadera%20rentabilidad%20del%20sistema%20de%20AFP?&Pos=2%20%20" class="bodylink">CB Capitales calculated</a> (see English language discussion by Stephen Kay of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta <a href="http://www.frbatlanta.org/filelegacydocs/StateCapacityandPensionsKay.pdf" class="bodylink">here</a>) that when commission charges are taken into consideration in Chile, the total average return on worker contributions between 1982 and 1999 was 5.1 percent-not 11 percent as calculated by the superintendency of pension funds. That report found that the average worker would have done better simply by placing their pension fund contributions in a passbook savings account.</li></ul>That was written with 1999 figures-imagine people with pensions here now with the stock market crash. They were still paying those high "fees" even though their pension funds suffered tremendously.<br /><br />...Are you listening up there in the USA? Look no further than Chile and its "free market reforms" of privatization to see how they don't work. More about those another time...these "reforms" were instituted under a dictatorship(often undisclosed in glowing accounts of Friedman and Pinochet "saved" Chile). Make no mistake, Chile's strong economic position today is the result of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Concertacion</span> policies. But, know that Jose(I see he has a Youtube entitled <em></em><span style="font-size:100%;">"José Piñera - The Man Who Fought for Prosperity and Democracy"....yeah he improved "prosperity" alright for the insurance companies, the corporations. The people? <br /></span><h3 class="r"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&oi=video_result&ct=res&cd=20&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D-8215036437587175272&ei=zCBvSp2GEsyBtge7pojcCA&usg=AFQjCNFJ4fap7CLQ4avMiTRewXJJFomLyQ&sig2=93rUyjGDBKyb5jCgzKWCKw" class="l" onmousedown="return rwt(this,'video_result','','res','20','AFQjCNFJ4fap7CLQ4avMiTRewXJJFomLyQ','&sig2=93rUyjGDBKyb5jCgzKWCKw')"><b></b></a></h3> Jose was by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">GW</span> Bush's side, back in the social security privatization discussions in the US. Ans although you'll see recent rants by Jose about how wonderful privatization is, the other side has moved on-but don't think privatization won't continue to rear its' ugly head in the US. And if you don't think the US health plan won't look similar to Chile's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ISAPRE</span>, I know some swampland for sale...<br /><br />So, Sebastian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Pinera</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">perennial</span> candidate, is running again. I saw a poll showing he and Frei (concertacion candidate) were within a few points but another independent and former socialist party candidate has entered the race. He is somewhat left of Frei and appears to be taking votes-Pinera is now far ahead with the other two splitting the rest of the vote. Pinera has carefully distanced himself from the Pinochet legacy.<br /><br />So today I saw an article that, if true, is pretty shocking.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>Santiago - Documents revealed by the US </span>Central Intelligence Agency </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>(CIA), published on Friday in this capital, relate presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera to ex dictator Augusto Pinochet and several actions for illegal enrichment.</span><br /> <br /> El Siglo weekly highlighted today several CIA documents, one of which said Pinera's father had collaborated with that spy agency since 1965, and his brother Jose, Pinochet's Labor and Mining minister, was its direct collaborator and financial analyst.<br /> <br /> Pinera told Spanish El Mundo daily in early July that he had always been opposed to Pinochet's government.<br /> <br /><span> The weekly, which entitled its front page headline as Dossier Pinera: secret CIA documents, devoted several pages to demonstrate Pinera's closeness to Pinochet's environment, as well as data about </span>the origin </span><span style="font-size:9;"><span style="font-size:100%;">of his fortune.<br /><br /> The reports conclusions emphasized "the inconvenience that a man about whom the intelligence services of the largest power in the world have so much information assumes the Republic's presidency."<br /><br /> Quoting the documents, El Siglo journalist Francisco Herreros revealed a 1982 operation, ordered by the then US ambassador, to take Pinera out of the country because he had been accused of several crimes related to fraudulent placing in administration and liquidation of the Talca Bank.<br /><br /> A list of around 80 false companies were created to receive credit from the Talca Bank and then "to buy its shares," is among the crimes attributed to Pinera and his brother Jose, together with Carlos Massad, El Siglo</span> <br /> </span><br /><a href="http://insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2009/july/25/la04.htm">The link here:</a><br /><br />And I went to the original story which is <a href="http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias_v2/site/artic/20090724/pags/20090724011437.html">here</a> and in Spanish at La Nacion, a small Chilean paper. I did a google translate and it is passable. There are several other stories there that link as well and tell a tawdry tale of high finance, corruption and politics. Chilean banks were mainly nationalized before Pinochet, then sold(privatized) under Pinochet-another "miracle", Allende paid money out of the treasury to nationalize and Pinochet sold the banks, thereby receiving money.<br /><br /><span style=";font-size:100%;" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()" ><b>The first document is a collection of background and analysis on Juan Miguel Sebastian Piñera Echenique, ordered by the Communications Department of the United States Embassy in Santiago, which is numbered WSA/Was/3215B records the data entry 1975, 1984 and 1990 and relates to the laundering of assets, creation of shell companies, bribery and conspiracy, all acts related to the intervention and liquidation of the Bank of Talca in 1982.</b></span> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()" ><b>Below is a list of shell companies set up to receive credits from the Bank of Talca and buy shares of the bank. "</b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()" ><span class="google-src-text" style="direction: ltr; text-align: left;"><b>El documento atribuye la autoría intelectual de esa asociación ilícita a José Piñera Echeñique, Carlos Massad y Sebastián Piñera Echeñique.</b></span> <b>The paper attributes the intellectual authorship of that conspiracy to Jose Pinera Echenique, Carlos Massad and Sebastian Pinera Echenique.</b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://atinachile.bligoo.com/content/view/568922/Documentos-de-la-CIA-prueban-la-proximidad-de-Pinera-a-Pinochet-y-la-vinculan-con-su-enorme-fortuna.html&ei=dUVrSrevMIKItgfwo5zHBQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=6&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpinera%2Bcia%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a">A link here. </a><br /><br />I have to see if I can find the so-called CIA documents...but another day. I have to say it seems suspicious as it's a little unclear how Sebastian Pinera attained his billionaire status, although he is widely know as the "father of credit" in Chile. Hmmm.<br /><br />Update: The Santiago Times has a story <a href="http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009072616758/news/political-news/ex-pinochet-minister-claims-pinera-escaped-jail-sentence-with-her-help.html">here</a> in English.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-7968188387879122612009-07-23T10:24:00.001-07:002009-09-17T16:00:19.830-07:00August in Chile(It's still winter)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpDwm2KrPRXkDhWvtRzPSkVQjIfjQtaV79KCN7mTXvO6LYhxh01P8Q2XE5HbTENrIJYPer6epWMoIoJENcx9U71DXD6py1kHE-_hwVqZ7zvYTLq_3BFY1CT8DCVdVGBU9tkbhyphenhyphenxWxzPk/s1600-h/July+2009+015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpDwm2KrPRXkDhWvtRzPSkVQjIfjQtaV79KCN7mTXvO6LYhxh01P8Q2XE5HbTENrIJYPer6epWMoIoJENcx9U71DXD6py1kHE-_hwVqZ7zvYTLq_3BFY1CT8DCVdVGBU9tkbhyphenhyphenxWxzPk/s320/July+2009+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361708579617958290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Frosty mornings here but the sun soon warms and melts it. You can actually see the frost melt as the sunlight creeps across the grass.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And the rainy days here in the valley translate to lots of snow on top. Yes, they ski up there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CiSsEIWNEXh1P1ad1ppaFDsypIHHMAE6PCGK_TkNuO3QtXFJAsok2xfxrcWwPNs8fw7pEAVom9m9Xrb70NzVOHZo9-RKdeRPV2_7cuwBjM4x3ozN-acnne3lo6gDafwLQgpEQOVr4Vc/s1600-h/July+2009+017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CiSsEIWNEXh1P1ad1ppaFDsypIHHMAE6PCGK_TkNuO3QtXFJAsok2xfxrcWwPNs8fw7pEAVom9m9Xrb70NzVOHZo9-RKdeRPV2_7cuwBjM4x3ozN-acnne3lo6gDafwLQgpEQOVr4Vc/s320/July+2009+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361710592961615234" border="0" /></a><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-31910761667411248542009-07-19T12:55:00.000-07:002009-07-25T14:17:21.770-07:00My Invented Country By Isabelle AllendeMy sister sent me a small box of books(I am so grateful!) and this one was included. Knowing Allende was a writer I would like(thanks Vicki!), I immediately started to read.<br /><br />Isabelle Allende is related to the famous ex-president but not so directly. I believe her father(who left when she was very young-as she says "went to buy a pack of cigarettes and never returned" ) was a cousin. The book is really not very political. She speaks of the horror and it's interesting that she experienced Sept 11th 1973 in Chile and then Sept 11th 2001 in the US. And some reference to the coup as it relates to her state of mind. She left Chile after the coup(not wanting to raise her children under a dictatorship) and didn't return for many years.<br /><br />But mostly the book is the thoughts of a woman who loves and understands Chile and her people and many of the customs. I laughed many times and agreed "yes, that is Chile". This is a book for anyone that wants to understand Chile or already does...or simply enjoys a nice story. I should have read it long ago and perhaps would have understood Chile better in the beginning.<br /><br />The title, My Invented Country, comes from the stories she tells her grandchildren about Chile-and the children think perhaps she invented these stories for them. But I wondered later on-she "invented" a new life in a new country. She currently lives in California and perhaps she is speaking about the U.S. as well.<br /><br />It is a book of nostalgia, as she freely says is the reason she writes the book but also that our memories are always colored by so many things that the book is her truth but maybe not everyone's.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-41020488395237257192009-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:002009-07-07T18:39:51.981-07:00July Weather in ChileEverything you read might make you think there is perfect weather in Chile. And it's nice but not perfect. First of all it's just WRONG that July is winter. The seasons are nearly exactly opposite. Mid-summer in the US is mid-winter in Chile. There are four distinct seasons here, unlike some tropical areas in South America. It is a Mediterranean climate here in the central area (and the climate in Chile can vary within mere miles) and the summers are very hot and nearly without rain. It's humid so it feels even hotter. After 1 pm in the summer, no more yard work but time to move inside to read or take a nap. As the evening gets cool, outside we go again. Lunch here is the big meal of the day, eaten at around 2 pm. Clever Chileans. It used to be(and still is in smaller towns) that everything closed at lunchtime for hours, perhaps the entire afternoon. or maybe until the next day. But even on the hottest summer days, the evenings are cool. We live in a classically built Chilean house-the structure is of massive brick and cement walls. The reason is clear now-the humidity rots and molds any wood structure. And the house is nice and cool in summer. The walls take in the cool of the nights and keep it cool all day-no air conditioning needed. Unfortunately, this same structure means it's darn cold in the winter.<br /><br />Fall here is gorgeous. There are maple trees everywhere turning red and the days are warm and sunny. My biggest problem with fall is what it's always been-it is is clear that winter is coming! But fall is the time to plant many things-before the rains. You can't plant much in the heat of summer for the plants will wilt and die even with heavy watering. But plant just before the rains and watch things thrive! <br /><br />Plants and flowers seed themselves freely here. The snapdragons(perritos) went to seed in mid summer and came back and then repeated the feat again. Many become a brand new variety of different colors-a miracle of cross pollination I suppose. My small Chilena friend's latest English phrase is "look at that!" and that's what I want to say-"Look at that! That flower is yellow and the others are pink!" Ah, the geraniums are still alive on the patio. In the Spring, Summer and Fall, there are many gardening miracles. And many grow in the winter-the palm trees set against the snow topped Andes. The ganzania daisies(at least cousins) continue to bloom on sunny days. And there are sunny days. Sunshine follows rain.<br /><br />But now it is winter. Winters are damp and cold for the most part. Reading by the wood stove is highly recommended. I don't know anyone with central heating. Perhaps a gas heater in the central part of the house but really...we have a wood stove in the main living area and a portable propane heater in the bedroom. Many don't bother, many places are hardly heated. It is the "norm" to wear three or four layers of clothes. It is common for people to wear coats in the house. Soles on shoes are thick for good reason. People walk a lot and tile floors are cold! I was so cold the first winter-and then I learned. On cold days, I wear long underwear. The more stylish women wear pantyhose but...as a gringa, I'm forgiven for my strange ways. Two pair of socks always. And I'm not cold. Here's the funny thing, many Chilean women dress surprisely sexy(well, that is pretty latin) even in winter. I'm glad to be old enough to prefer comfort over level of sexiness!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-39447652384323977592009-06-13T11:31:00.000-07:002009-06-23T10:14:34.463-07:00Why I don't Blog MoreI saw the other day a friend wrote "I bought a new ceiling fan, exciting huh?" Hehehe-it's exciting here!<br /><br />Shopping here is not so easy or boring. When we shopped for a ceiling fan here, there was only the model on the ceiling. Every time after that when we shopped there, I would run down the aisle to see if they had one in a box yet. You should have seen my face when they finally did,(after 7-8 tries) beaming like I won a marathon or something. The most boring tasks are quite an adventure.<br /><br />I think about writing about some of these-and did more in the beginning. But I know few people will be fascinated by my mundane shopping adventures.<br /><br />I can't help it-I was so excited the day I found that the Chilean chancaca substitutes perfectly for molasses! How do I explain that you people in the USA have EVERYTHING...more items appear here all the time and every one is really exciting. Michael found safeway pancake mix and showed me and we were thrilled. And blue cheese dressing-OMG!<br /><br />It's been great for me to learn to cook and bake from "scratch". Definitely healthier. And it adds to the adventure. But I miss those 4 for $1 frozen burritos(you can't buy them here) that you pop in the microwave, add some cheddar cheese(nope, haven't seen it) and some nice salsa(I saw some once) from the jar you have in the fridge. And no dishes(no dishwasher either).<br /><br />And Walmart has come to Chile. There was a time when I wouldn't shop at walmart. But I'm a little excited that Walmart will bring products to Lider(they bought a controlling interest) that I see more shopping adventures in store for me....maybe they'll ship some peanut butter!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-365347166192211129.post-43616693899907326722009-06-10T12:26:00.001-07:002009-06-23T10:03:15.777-07:00The Mountain Parakeet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvXYKVoXSmhmVCwvIBjIbvlExoRVc6K7ZCSy_pEUEMajUUfeMZ5TMOkD1GgmF4U_rsgkqL-XnekcuaKK6l4ysEVCpBYTImTdbGO1geJwGDRlTPFbPEBmyxxBM_8eWS2SYpZxJ61-d-kM/s1600-h/S6302551.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvXYKVoXSmhmVCwvIBjIbvlExoRVc6K7ZCSy_pEUEMajUUfeMZ5TMOkD1GgmF4U_rsgkqL-XnekcuaKK6l4ysEVCpBYTImTdbGO1geJwGDRlTPFbPEBmyxxBM_8eWS2SYpZxJ61-d-kM/s320/S6302551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345783985900730338" border="0" /></a><br />These little green parrots are noisy in a group and are always in a group although not generally this large. They found a nice perch for everyone on the fence and are all singing in celebration of the sunny spot they found I think.<br /><br />I still am unsure what they are called but I read the most common parrots are only found far south. So far, I believe it is the Austral parrot. We are central, not south at all. I'm told they go to Argentina and back. More research...<br /><br />Update...they are the Mountain parakeet, which is a parrot. Link to more information and their song <a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/species.php?species_nr2=862.00">here.</a> The audio was a dead giveaway.<br /><br />Edit: I did find that it's the Mountain parakeet(a type of parrot) not the austral...Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06451317888780816575noreply@blogger.com0