US Expat Living in Chile

The Other September 11th The Chilean Coup

2011-09-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

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.

But how many of us remember September 11th, 1973? Chile-we hardly could find it on a map. The Vietnam War, Watergate...the US backed military coup was lost in all of that.

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 post office, 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 commission expense ratios that take advantage of people.

Some interesting background here or here. 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.

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 detainment, torture and murder.

The US Post Office and Chile's Correos

2011-09-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

I love Chile but not their model of Friedman "free market" privatization. I learned to love the US Post Office after living in Chile....

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.

In 1775, Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General under the Continental Congress. It was established according to the postal clause in article one of the US Constitution and became the Post Office Department. It operated in much the same way until 1971.

The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 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.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.

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.

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. Fredric Rolando said on PBS:

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.

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.

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 more than $800,000. Senator Jon Tester in Montana would like to know why. (He is facing a Senate battle against money and power).

(U.S. SENATE) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester 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 would love to know why, myself. More than the President....turns out the "Postmaster" is actually a CEO, with "additional compensation". $

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.

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.

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.

Chilean Miners-Wives and Mistresses

2010-09-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

Everyone has heard the miracle of the 33 miners in Chile 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 Telegraph....

"Authorities at Camp Hope have had to deal with a rush of women coming forward claiming to be first in the Chilean miners' affections in order to receive government handouts.

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.

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.

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....

"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.

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."

The entire article here.

Marriage in Chile is complicated. There are at least four ways of getting married:

1) with joint property rights,

2) with separate rights,

3) the man owns it all or

4) the woman owns it all.

I think.

Perhaps because divorce wasn't legal, it is common for a couple to live as if married and never marry. You wouldn't know unless they were kind enough to tell you. But women in Chile don't change their name-although the children add their father's last name.So I believe it became popular to not bother with actual marriage.

Now divorce is legal. A friend there finally tracked down the husband that had been MIA for a couple years and had a divorce party. She proudly told me she was the first in her family to get a divorce. I asked her what her family thought and she said she had several female relatives that would like a divorce and were inspired by her!

And I told myself again, don't assume you understand Chile!

North Again...Being a Grandma changes everything!

2010-05-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

In Chile or the US, it's the little things!

Chile Earthquake 2010 Part II One week Later

2010-03-05T07:15:00.000-08:00

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).

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".

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 read a story in which the grandparents saved their grandson's life by running to high ground. There is often little time to waste.

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 here at the government site-they have apparently identified 279 dead. They say less but you will get different numbers in different places. 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.

I hate it that politics as usual as entered into this catastrophe so quickly.The Chilean 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....“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.” ...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).

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 Huffingtonpost does a piece refuting the myth of Friedman's self named "miracle" a little. 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 "The Chilean 'Economic Miracle': An Empirical Critique". 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 a 1985 Mother Jones article points out, this was largely due to effective PR -- the housing rate under Pinochet "was actually slower than it was under" the two previous governments.

And wow, the banks. Greg Palast documents the carnage wrought by gangster speculators...

And Chile had the largest earthquake ever in 1960 which "took more than 2,000 lives and caused property damage estimated at $550 million (1960 dollars)." 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.

But the above link 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.

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.

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 normally long lines to pay bills on the first too.

And one more link. "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."

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....

Chile Earthquake 2010

2010-03-01T05:38:00.000-08:00

As you know by now...

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.

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.

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.

We are about 40 miles SE of Santiago in the country and our area (according to El Mercurio) experienced an 8.0 magnitude.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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 here and Allchile is helping with the location of the missing here

Many messages like this... "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." followed by messages of those looking and then....

"Thanks, the only thing i can do is sit and wait...and thats not easy.

I hope that my dad is allright and that i soon will hear from him.."

Some other assorted bits from stories:

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.”

I saw her speak on TV here and she looked so tired and sad.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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. "

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.

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...

Fall is coming to Chile as I Muse

2010-02-16T09:51:00.000-08:00

I 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.

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.

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.

Pinera's Not Quite Insider Trading and he's Still a Billionaire

2010-01-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

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.

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...

Here's the deal-this is one wealthy guy and his companies all have "stakes" in each other.
It's not only an extremely tangled web of holding companies within companies within companies owning each other, it's in English and Spanish!

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

Note: I see when I published. I somehow lost all my links-and there are many! I will work to get them back on.

The 2010 Chile Presidential Election-More Thoughts

2010-01-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

First, my opinions in regards to some interesting questions from a commenter-and ones that others may also have.

"Why do you think the current candidate Frei isn't running with high poll numbers like Bachelet's?"

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.

"Why is the conservative Pinera doing so well?"

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.

"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?"

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 Isabelle Allende-the writer) as well as right wingers (Jose 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.

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: "In recent weeks, the government of Michelle Bachelet, 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.

Pinera also came out against 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 Pablo Neruda). Or Victor Jara, the singer and songwriter.

I read of MEO's 20% of 1st round votes (that both candidates want) a poll 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%.

And the voting has begun. I hear polls close at 4 pm.

Edit: Looks like Frei conceded. Pinera took 51.87 percent of the vote with 60.3 percent of polling stations counted, compared to 48.12 percent for Frei.

The 2010 Chile Presidential Election

2010-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the day-the runoff between Center left Eduardo Frei and Sebastian Pinera on the right.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

"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.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1313013020100113

You'll find the candidates promises here:

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.

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.

I Love Podcasts

2009-12-29T10:10:00.000-08:00

One 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.

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.

So, here are some that I enjoy, in no particular order.

The Moth Podcast. 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.

Democracy Now. What can I say? I love Amy Goodman and her crew and can always look forward to interesting, mostly political news and discussion.

New Yorker Fiction. This is only monthly(darn it) and is writers reading other writer's short stories along with some discussion. Very nice.

"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.

Wait wait, don't Tell me A fun show. A new radio show as good as an old one.

PRI selected Shorts. Short stories

Wiretap. I can not explain why but this one really makes me laugh.

This American Life I also love and look forward to each new episode. Real stories about real life.

Bill Maher has a great podcast, also 60 Minutes and Frontline but I believe all are on break.

Fareed Zacharia has a great podcast, also in video. I think he is one of the smartest men on the planet.

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.

And yes, I have music on there too!

Back to Chile

2009-12-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

And it's December(and it's cold in the US)

2009-12-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

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!

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Spring in Chile (September)

2009-09-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

Chile Election Update

2009-09-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a newer poll on the Chile presidential election.

(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.

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.

In a prospective run-off scenario, Piñera holds a three-point lead over Frei.

If the presidential election took place this Sunday, who would you vote for?

	Jun. 2009	Dec. 2008
Sebastián Piñera	34%	41%
Eduardo Frei	30%	31%
Marco Enríquez-Ominami	14%	n.a.
Alejandro Navarro	1%	4%
Adolfo Zaldívar	1%	3%
Jorge Arrate	1%	n.a.
Would not vote	6%	12%
Not sure	13%	10%

Pinera is the only candidate on the right.

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.

An earlier June poll gave Pinera 41%, 42% in August but now just 35%.

Suppose these two candidates reach the second round of the presidential election. If this were the case, who would you vote for?

	Aug. 2009	Jun. 2009
Sebastián Piñera	42%	41%
Eduardo Frei	39%	39%
Not sure / Would not vote	19%	20%

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?"

Senator Edward Kennedy, A Good Friend to Chile

2009-08-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

From the Daily Beast(Teddy's Idealism):

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.

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.”

September 23, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON – 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.

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.

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.

From the Huffington Post:

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.

The private meeting between McCain and dictator Pinochet has gone previously un-reported anywhere.

According to a declassified U.S. Embassy cable secured by The Huffington Post, 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.....

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.

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.

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.

Surprising? I'm not surprised at much anymore.

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.

“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."

Chuck Norris and sections 440 and 1904

2009-08-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Every 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.

Chuck says

"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.

The bill says that the government agents, "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."

Are you kidding me?! With whose parental principles and values? Their own? Certain experts'? From what field and theory of childhood development?

Government agents??? Like nurses ???

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.

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. KICKSTART is the only prevention program in Dallas offered as part of the daily public school curriculum.

Well, how nice-DAILY part of the curriculum. Chuck has done very well...

So, from the Kickstart Myspace page....

"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."

"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. Please send your tax deductible donation to the Houston address or conveniently charge to your Master Card or Visa today and let's give our children strong, healthy philosophies and hope for a productive future. We can achieve these goals together!"

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).

I see, Chuck spent a lot of money on campaign donations in order to get close to Bush I(that takes really big money folks). Lo and behold, daddy Bush was "very encouraging."

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.

And Chuck serving in all these capacities-how many do you think are paid positions?

From Wikipedia..

501(c)(3) exemptions apply to corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, educational purposes, to foster national or international amateur sports competition, or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. ^[7]^[8]

Another provision, 26 U.S.C. § 170, provides a deduction, for federal income tax purposes, for some donors who make charitable contributions to most types of 501(c)(3) organizations, among others.

And if you google 501(c)(3), you will find lots of advice on how to set up your very own. Of course, you'll need a lot of money...but it's big business.

Chuck Norris’ KICKSTART Foundation needs full-time, committed Black Belt Instructors of the Martial Arts to reach at-risk youth on a daily basis 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.

THE JOB

Instructors teach approximately 150 students in a public elementary, middle or high school. Beyond teaching kicks and punches, instructors are required to instill positive life skills 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.

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....

Here's a link from Alternet:

It was only a matter of time. Chuck Norris has weighed in on the health care debate.

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."

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.

But it has no basis in reality. Norris is referring to section 1904 of the House bill, which "provides grants to States to support voluntary, 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."

The programs would be voluntary, a number of states already have such programs, and this sort of legislation is introduced almost every year.

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."

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.).

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.

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.).

The bill passed committee unanimously by a voice vote. Republicans spoke highly of home visits at the hearing.

And here's another.

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.

Anyway, you seem to have forgotten to include this next part. I thought it was perhaps one of the more, um, important passages:

‘‘(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 voluntary home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children.
That's right, Chuck; it's voluntary.

At ease, Texas Ranger.

Here's the whole bill.
I noticed that you didn't provide a link to it on Townhall.com, Chuck, but you did link to your non-profit's website. But, hey--maybe it was an oversight.

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.

Healthcare in Chile and the USA

2009-07-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

In Chile, you have nearly Universal healthcare including a thriving private sector-ISAPRE-and FONASA-the public plan. Chileans pay 7% of their income and then make a choice to enter the FONASA or ISAPRE system-and have further choice to elect greater coverage in private plans.

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 usd 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 this 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.

What I know is that the US is falling in status from a number of lists.

The World Health Organization's ranking
of the world's health systems (Top 50)
In 2000, The US was still barely ahead of...Cuba. Chile beat the US by 4 places(and has improved its system under Bachelet while the US has deteriorated. The US also beat Slovenia by one place. 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 World Factbook
(which is suspiciously updated only to 2005) The US was #2 in healthcare spending by GDP so i would guess it's now easily in 1st place(yay!!!)

The saddest statistic must be infant mortality. Nationmasters, I see, no longer lists the US there but there are other sources like here. And now I see, Nationmasters sources from the CIA Factbook-better you don't see that I guess. Anyway,

Since ranking a fairly respectable 12th in 1960, the U.S. fell to an all-time low 29th 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 27th 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.

But wait, this is 2009 and those are statistics from 2000-but according to our new link here, the US is now #37!

37.

United States

6.37

deaths/1,000 live births

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????

Well, how how about life expectancy-surely a great country like the US places well there.

172.

United States

78.00

years

There are 37 countries with better life expectancies out of the total 208 listed, including Bosnia and Puerto Rico... interesting as well is that many countries are improving while US stats get worse.

160.	Chile	76.96	years
161.	Cuba	77.08	years

The point was never that Cuba-or Chile-has better healthcare but that those countries improve while the US continues to fall.

Continuing on, I looked for other categories but saw this:

Healthy Life Expectancy (UN 1997/1999)
Health Performance Rank By Country(UN 1997/1999)
WHO ranking of the world's health systems (2000)
Total Health Expenditure as % of GDP (2000-2005)
Global Hunger Index by country 1990-2008
HDI - Human Development Index 1975-2005
Refugees, asylees, internally displaced persons, by country - 2007

See the pattern? Old statistics on what I've just discussed but new, bright shiny statistics where the US "shines".

I meant to write more but this is an exhausting subject. The US healthcare "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.

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 here.

And here's a story about a 35 year old and his 35 year old wife. The story is a good one but here's an excerpt:

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.

A $204 increase per month? $2448 more per year? A 38% increase in one month?

.....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.

A 21% increase for turning the ripe old age of 35.

A 38% increase in on month. From $534 per month to $738. $204 more per month. $2448 more per year.

That's $8,856 a year for two 35 year olds-how much for two 50 year olds? Here's the problem-the money spent on health insurance or healthcare 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 healthcare if you're middle class is now to become poor so you can get medicaid. 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.

A few thoughts in answer to what I hear from the opposition to healthcare reform in the US. I know they're scaring you but they're not telling you the truth.

1.I hear this "in Canada, my friend's grandmother died because of the lines"

A. This is not Canada. None of the plans proposed look anything like Canada's. In Canada, they do have healthcare priorities. The 5 year old will be in line ahead of the great-grandmother. 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 US healthcare to any portion of any healthcare plan around the world that has nothing to do with the US. The rich and privileged in the USA will always have the best healthcare. Always.

2. But I don't want rationed healthcare, I want to keep my doctor!

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.

3. But America is about Freedom!

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. Health care spending is 4.3 times the amount spent on national defense. Except suicide is illegal. Yet suicide rates are increasing

October 21, 2008

U.S. Suicide Rate Increases

Largest Increase Seen in Middle-Aged White Women

The rate of suicide in the United States is increased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. 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 American Journal of Preventive Medicine and will be published in the December print edition of the journal.

Imagine that-I wonder if that has anything to do with increasing medical problems and healthcare costs in middle age.

4. There won't be any doctors!

A. Yes, there will. I know many doctors here in Chile. A personal friend is a cardiologist. And here's a website from US doctors for US healthcare reform. And let me direct you to their list of questions and answers. Granted, they would like a single system which the US is unlikely to get.

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.

5. I don't want socialized medicine!

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?

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.

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.

Yes, the US is spoiled in many ways but healthcare here is better.

Pinochet went to England for healthcare?

2009-07-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

I was reading today a number of different accounts of chronologies of Pinochet and came across this in a Washington Post story:

In October 1998, the 83-year-old Pinochet traveled to England for back surgery. He was arrested on a warrant issued by Spanish prosecutors...

This England?

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. (Wikipedia)

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?

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. 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.

But why England and not the say, the USA? Oh, here it is

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.

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.

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 one take on it(a portion follows):

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, Tinker Bell and General Augusto Pinochet had much in common.

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.

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.

Chile could boast some economic success. But that was the work of Salvador Allende - who saved his nation, miraculously, a decade after his death.

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.

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.

Sebastian Pinera, Chile and the US

2009-07-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I 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.

First, a little background. Sebastian Pinera (Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique) was a Presidential candidate running against current President Michelle Bachelet but lost in 2005/2006. A new election is coming soon (there is currently a 4-year limit for presidents here). Pinera is the perennial candidate of the right-wing National Renewal Party(part of the "Alliance for Chile" coalition) and Michelle Bachelet of the Concertación-affiliated Socialist Party, has won record high approval ratings (74 percent) for her handling of Chile’s economic crisis. Candidates of the Concertación – formally known as the Agreement of Parties for Democracy – have won every presidential election since 1989, the return of democracy after the Pinochet dictatorship.

There are many parties here but they have become part of "coalitions", the Concertacion 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(here's a list )
simply group into coalitions-and parties join and leave at will(not so different than Republicans becoming Democrats and vice-versa).

Back to Pinera. His brother Jose Pinera works at the Cato Institute in the US now and 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 AFP system), the opening of the private health insurance system (the ISAPRE 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(link here) with portion below.

There are prohibitively high expenses and fees. Voracious commissions and other administrative costs have swallowed up large shares of personal accounts. It is estimated that roughly 28 to 33 percent one-quarter to one-third of contributions made by employees retiring in 2000 went toward fees.

The brokerage firm CB Capitales calculated (see English language discussion by Stephen Kay of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta here) 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.

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.

...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 Concertacion policies. But, know that Jose(I see he has a Youtube entitled "José Piñera - The Man Who Fought for Prosperity and Democracy"....yeah he improved "prosperity" alright for the insurance companies, the corporations. The people?

Jose was by GW 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 ISAPRE, I know some swampland for sale...

So, Sebastian Pinera, perennial 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.

So today I saw an article that, if true, is pretty shocking.

Santiago - Documents revealed by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), published on Friday in this capital, relate presidential candidate Sebastian Pinera to ex dictator Augusto Pinochet and several actions for illegal enrichment.

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.

Pinera told Spanish El Mundo daily in early July that he had always been opposed to Pinochet's government.

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 the origin of his fortune.

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."

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.

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

The link here:

And I went to the original story which is here 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.

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.

Below is a list of shell companies set up to receive credits from the Bank of Talca and buy shares of the bank. " El documento atribuye la autoría intelectual de esa asociación ilícita a José Piñera Echeñique, Carlos Massad y Sebastián Piñera Echeñique. The paper attributes the intellectual authorship of that conspiracy to Jose Pinera Echenique, Carlos Massad and Sebastian Pinera Echenique.

A link here.

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.

Update: The Santiago Times has a story here in English.

August in Chile(It's still winter)

2009-07-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

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.

And the rainy days here in the valley translate to lots of snow on top. Yes, they ski up there.

My Invented Country By Isabelle Allende

2009-07-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

My 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

July Weather in Chile

2009-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Everything 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.

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!

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.

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!

Why I don't Blog More

2009-06-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

I saw the other day a friend wrote "I bought a new ceiling fan, exciting huh?" Hehehe-it's exciting here!

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.

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.

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!

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).

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!

The Mountain Parakeet

2009-06-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

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.

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...

Update...they are the Mountain parakeet, which is a parrot. Link to more information and their song here. The audio was a dead giveaway.

Edit: I did find that it's the Mountain parakeet(a type of parrot) not the austral...

And soon it will be June( winter is here)

2009-05-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

How time flies-I haven't posted in a while. It is cloudy and cold today. That is relatively speaking because it rarely gets to freezing even in the night.

In the picture is a pear tree which yielded one pear which looked beautiful but tasted terrible. it seems sad trees lose their "clothes' when it gets cold-no wonder we feel a little sad. The roses in the background are really just cuttings that were planted that should grow roots and be "real" roses next year.

I'll miss seeing the birds as much. the little parrot on the right is normally seen in flocks flying fast but disappear in winter, flying North I suppose. The bird on the left has a very bright red breast and sings like a meadowlark(as a matter fact, it is a type of meadowlark). There's a legend about him and a hunter and the blood makes his breast red. There's almost always a story here....

These guys on the left perched on the house for a moment. They are large and honk something like geese. These are the Buff Necked Ibis or Bandurria as they're called locally. Listen to them here

And the Queltehue(pronounced Ka-TELL-way) is very common. We see many every day, all winter long. From the front, they look like they have a tuxedo when they march. Females and males look nearly the same. The hawks that I love to watch are their greatest enemy although Mom and Dad stay together and defend their young with courage and vigor (note the sharp "claw" protruding from the wings). If you get too near the nest, they will dive bomb you while calling loudly to others. They sound much like gulls and actually the southern lapwing. When they fly, they spread huge wings and a black and white underbelly is seen-making them look like an entirely different bird.
They are actually the Southern Lapwing. They have loud alarm calls whenever someone walks nearby-our own "watch birds". And another call while flying which is much like the chittering of seagulls.

And even now, at 7:45 pm, I hear them call in the pitch dark.

English in Chile- A Story

2009-04-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

The neighbor has been insisting she would like her kids to learn English. I decide I would try to help. These are the neighbors who have been wonderful to us. They have 5 children but the 11 year twin girls seemed like likely subjects. English is taught in all the schools in Chile yet none(or few) of the young people speak or seem to understand English. I found this hard to believe-surely they are just shy or reticent to act or sound foolish, I thought.

The twins came over with their English school books-both adorable with their long, dark hair and big brown eyes. But when I spoke any English, their eyes clouded and I could tell they understood nothing at all. I looked at their books. Written in English at about a "Tom Sawyer" level, I asked if they could read it. They nod and read-correctly-a paragraph. But they understood nothing of what they read. Nothing. They recited English like a memorized poem in another language. And understood nothing.

We went on to their English lesson they had done in class. There was a paragraph and the typical "who, what, when, where" questions for comprehension. Because they were done in class, they had the answers, they were done with the lesson. But they didn't know what "swim" or "boat" or "run" meant. They could easily "read" the paragraph but with no meaning.

I don't know if they'll come back for help. I speak little Spanish and explained meanings through mostly pictures and pantomimes. They did understand the paragraph when we were done-you could see it in their eyes. They would say the word in Spanish(I understand more than I can speak) "Correr" after I said the English "Run"so I knew they understood. But they have good grades in English, why would 11 yr olds waste their Saturday morning? Unbelievable to me.

And how can I explain it's good to be bilingual when this is my first experience in learning another language?

Travel quotes

2009-04-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Nice quotes that bear repeating...From here-they make a lot of sense!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson

“When you travel, you experience, in a very practical way, the act of rebirth. You confront completely new situations, the day passes more slowly, and on most journeys you don’t even understand the language the people speak. So you are like a child just out of the womb. You begin to attach much more importance to the things around you because your survival depends upon them. You begin to be more accessible to others because they may be able to help you in different situations. -Paul Coehlo

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” - Jawaharial Nehru

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

“There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” - Charles Dudley Warner

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” - Benjamin Disraeli

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” - Maya Angelou

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe” - Anatole France

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca

“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do - especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” - William Least Heat Moon

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” - Freya Stark

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” - G. K. Chesterton

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” - Clifton Fadiman

Pirque Wine Festival and Concha y Toro

2009-04-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

We recently went to the annual wine festival here and enjoyed it immensely. Pirque and the surrounding area is home to many(20?) vineyards. We live near the Concha y Toro Pirque vineyards(drive by going to town). The festival was lots of fun, many wines to taste and complimentary wine glass-for $5000 pesos, hehe. I forgot my camera-darn it. We ran into some friends and we all tasted and tasted(and many vineyards had an English speaking representative). There's a lot of wine here and it's all good. The climate here is perfect and vines here were originally imported from France , largely because there was a disease there killing the old grapevines so to protect them, some were sent to Chile.

Lots of food and booths and interesting things for sale. People in this area don't seem to preserve/can foods at home(like mom so many years ago back in Montana) but at the booths there were a number of women selling pretty jars of various strange canned fruit with spicy additives such as garlic. Odd combinations and fun to look at. But I don't want my fruit with garlic. The local artisans had an array of carved and homemade items-I couldn't resist the older lady who had made little monk outfit wine covers. Or the man who had made little wood stoves(everyone has one here) that actually had smoke coming out the stove pipe(little incense burners).

There was rides for the children and food everywhere. Everyone seemed happy and many carried a glass of wine around. I could have stayed into the evening but we didn't and missed the dancing later on.

http://www.fiestadelvinodepirque.cl/index.html

We also finally took a tour(last week) at Concha y Toro, which we drive by almost daily. Very strange to see the same field from inside instead of outside. We visited the famous devil's cellar but what I didn't realize is that the cellar(made in the old way of bricks and mortar) is the same (cold) temperature as above which is cooled in a modern fashion(with evaporative coolers). The field we drive by on our way home is actually a field of cabernet grapes and is one of their best, the guide says-slated for the best wine. The grapes are tiny and sweet(yes, she encouraged us to taste).

Concha y Toro sells wine for everyone. They sell everything from boxed wine to Don Melchor(their most expensive wine). And Don Melchor is the wine actually kept in the old cellar, not the Casillero del Diablo that bears the name. I have to say they don't make a bad red wine.

The original mansion built on the grounds had 20 bedrooms which are now offices and has French period architecture everywhere, many statues on the grounds, which I believe she said is 58 acres. The Concha y Toro Vineyard was founded by Melchor Santiago de Concha y Cerda and his wife, Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883. To start the winery, he brought grape varieties from the Bordeaux region in France.

It's the Little Things/A Perfect Day in Chile

2009-03-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

There is an almost sensual feeling one gets when you climb into bed and feel the slightly cool sheets on your bare toes. Not cold-I hate the cold! Yes, I've experienced it before(you can anywhere you live) but I don't think I reveled in the simple enjoyment of it until I moved to Chile, especially out here in the country. Maybe it's because there is little else to do but pay attention to the little things. Maybe it's because the cool nights all summer always ensure that cool sheet feeling. Maybe it's because life has been simplified to such a degree that I can appreciate those small pleasures better than before. Or maybe it's the physical work we do-cutting weeds, creating and tending flower beds, a labor of love but we do sweat like....well, like workers!

A perfect day, these days, is getting up early(to avoid the heat that will come later) and working outside for 3-5 hours, then a hot shower, a late lunch and a nap. Each one makes the next one perfect. A hot shower after getting sweaty and dirty, then even simple food for lunch is like the nectar of the gods, and culminating in a delicious yet well-deserved nap. That is truly decadence.

After a nice siesta, we have a some free time before dinner. I might play around on the computer while he reads a book. Perhaps we'll go back outside and survey the landscape and talk about what projects might be next. Or clip some dead flowers here and there. By then it's getting close to dinnertime so we leisurely make dinner while listening to Dean Martin(the tile floors are perfect for an impromptu dance in between) and enjoy whatever we've concocted that day.

After dinner, we take our coffee(or wine) outside on the patio and(depending on the time of year) sit in the dark enjoying the stars or watching the sunset. When our souls have had their fill of the dark landscape, we traipse inside and settle down in our room to watch a movie or have some more computer time. There is no particular schedule.

And I get in my my big t-shirt and settle in under the covers with a book(that I am re-reading because we've read everything we have) and my bare feet reach out for the cool sheets and I enjoy that almost sensual feeling again.

Fall is here and the Plants know it

2009-03-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

The weather here is still beautiful. But the nights are cooler. Gardening is challenging because there are new rules. I have to stop and think "March here is like....September maybe?" The growing season is longer so it's difficult to gauge just which month is comparable. a month ago many flowers were going to seed(collecting seeds has become a obsession to me) and now a number of them are blooming again. We planted our vegetable garden too late yet our two foot tall corn stalks still attempted to tassel and grow corn cobs just like the big guys in the field! We did get some tiny watermelons which were tasty nonetheless. Plants have an internal clock and it's different here. Even though we don't know when things should be planted or ripe, they do. So i'm trying to listen to them.

Some flowers continue to flower through the winter and I'm watching closely to see which ones thrive then. Those are the ones I want a lot of, blooming all year. The patio has been a laboratory(with many pots of all sizes and shapes) all summer where I plant seeds and transplant the babies elsewhere to fill in flowerbeds.We have had ongoing issues with when we get water flowing in the canal (ditch) but Alejandro is growing alfalfa behind us and uses the same canal so we have water. I have a feeling we can always ask Alejandro why we have no water and he'll know. He is 74 years old and you can see him walking around early in the morning and at dusk. We work for 3-4 hours outside in the morning and can hardly walk! He knows a little English and seems to enjoy a friendly chat for a few minutes when he sees us. It's nice to have another friend to help us untangle the mysteries of Chile.

And Another One Bites The Dust

2009-03-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK — Bernard Madoff's longtime accountant was arrested on fraud charges Wednesday, accused of aiding the man who has admitted cheating thousands of investors out of billions of dollars in the past two decades.

The charges against David Friehling, 49, come as federal authorities turn their attention to those who they believe helped Madoff fool 4,800 investors into thinking that their longtime investments were growing comfortably each year. Friehling is the first person to be arrested since the Madoff scandal broke three months ago.

Friehling ran an accounting office in a nondescript suburban building north of New York City, and quickly drew scrutiny. Experts in accounting said it would be preposterous for such a tiny firm to audit properly an operation the size of Madoff's.

He had served as Madoff's auditor from 1991 through 2008 while he worked at the sole practitioner at Friehling & Horowitz. He was paid a tidy sum by Madoff: Prosecutors said he made between $12,000 and $14,500 a month from 2004 to 2007, or $144,000 to $174,000 a year.

Friehling faces up to 105 years in prison if he is convicted. He is charged with securities fraud, aiding and abetting investment adviser fraud and four counts of filing false audit reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

And this...

Federal prosecutors in New York and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are preparing to file a legal action against Ruth Madoff, wife of jailed fraudster Bernie, amid fears that she will try to flee the United States or move her $70m fortune beyond their reach.

Department of Justice sources told the Observer that prosecutors were "working around the clock" to build a criminal complaint against Mrs Madoff in an effort to ask a judge to freeze her bank accounts, which they believe are filled with the proceeds of her husband's crimes.

And this....

US prosecutors on Tuesday targeted wealth held by fraudster Bernard Madoff's two sons, in a widening attempt to recover billions of stolen dollars.

They also argued that Madoff, 70, must be denied bail at a hearing this Thursday because he is likely to try to escape, possibly to France, where he has a luxury seaside home.

Madoff was jailed last week after pleading guilty to 11 counts of fraud, money laundering, perjury and theft in what may be the biggest scam in history. He will be sentenced on June 16 and is likely to be condemned to life in prison.

The attempt by prosecutors to seize 31.55 million dollars from Andrew and Mark Madoff, both close business associates of their father, followed a similar move to seize the assets of Madoff's wife Ruth.

No one else has been charged in the multi-billion-dollar investment fraud and Madoff claims he acted alone.

However, speculation is growing that his immediate family are under scrutiny over the decades-long fraud, in which billions of dollars given by wealthy investors disappeared into Madoff's personal accounts.

Which reminds me of the Whiffenpoof song:

We are poor little lambs
Who have lost our way.
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We are little black sheep
Who have gone astray.
Baa! Baa! Baa!

Gentlemen songsters off on a spree
Damned from here to eternity
God have mercy on such as we.
Baa! Baa! Baa!

It would be nice if they sing on their way to jail.

Chile falls back, the US springs forward (timewise)

2009-03-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

I added a handy-dandy little gadget to the blog showing the time differences in a few places. You'll notice Chile is the same as EST right now. Before you people set your clocks forward and a few weeks later, we set ours back, there was a 4 hour difference between here and Colorado. Now only two.

The Yale Whiffenpoofs in Pirque

2009-03-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

One of our English students who has become a friend wanted to go see a "chorus" in Pirque. From the US she said, the famous university "Jolly". We thought she might mean Yale but she insisted she was told "Jolly". So, sure enough, at a little old building in downtown Pirque, there were 14 young men, dressed formally and singing a cappella, from Yale. It was amazingly fun and I was sorry to hear the last song. And we got our photo taken for the next Pirque Revista magazine. They sang I'll Be Seeing You and Midnight Train to Georgia and Bye Bye Blackbird and many more. I'll be seeing you...in all the old familiar places...got to me.

Sour cream and molasses Found!

2009-03-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well, sort of. I used Chancaca as a molasses replacement. Chancaca smells exactly like molasses. It comes as a sugary solid and you melt it in water. I'm still working on consistency but I think it will do quite well. I use the double pack of chancaca with about a cup of water.

My other small victory was finding a good sour cream substitute. I used cream with a couple teaspoons lemon juice and made beef stroganoff which seemed like heaven to taste...but it may be partly because I had given up hope. Never give up hope!

US State Department 2008 Report on Human Rights in Chile

2009-02-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

US State Department 2008 Report on Human Rights in Chile
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/wha/119152.htm.

This is the US report on Chile. Chile replied.

SANTIAGO -- The Chilean government questioned the "moral authority" of the United States in criticizing the human rights situation in other countries, local media reported Friday. "There is no Guantanamo in Chile," Francisco Vidal, a spokesman for the Chilean government, said in a statement.

The US State Department pointed its fingers at the human rights situation in other countries without checking its own behavior first, he said, in reaction to the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices presented to the US Congress by the State Department on Wednesday.

The detention center at the US military base in the Guantanamo Bay has been repeatedly criticized as several detainees there have claimed that they were tortured and subjected to inhumane treatment. Most of the detainees there have been accused of having engaged in terrorism but have spent several years in prison without trial.

Vidal said Chile's tragic experience during the military dictatorship has made the country "realize that violations of human rights is not a local issue."

"When a human being is tortured in any place of the world, the dignity of the rest six billion human beings is also violated," he said.

China received a scathing report, and was not happy, so published a "back-at-ya" report on the US. You can read that report here:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/26/content_10904741.htm

The sad thing is the China report is mostly correct. I know we get a pretty one-sided view in the US but I swear it gets worse. I've never been to China but the US was heavily involved in backing the Pinochet coup in Chile. Under the Pinochet dictatorship, they got the first privatized pension system in the world(see Jose Pinera at the Cato Institute, the brother of Sebastian Pinera who is running for President here again)and a school voucher system here.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20000919/index.html

Chaiten Volcano Erupts Again

2009-02-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

No worries for us, we're far away but awful for the South of Chile. I have an online friend building a house in Futalefeu. Imagine the luck of moving to the most beautiful part of Chile and a volcano nearby (that has not erupted in 9000 years-yes 9 thousand.) erupts (the first time last May). These are a few of her comments back then.

May 2, 2008 This is an odd thing...

I'm accustomed to earthquakes having lived along fault lines is Costa Rica and Panama, and I know that Chile is an active quake country. However, I find no evidence of quakes over the past two days to explain the jumps and bumps we've felt each evening for the past two days. I go on the usgs site, but nothing shows. Both nights between midnight and 1 am, we've felt the rental house here is Futa jump, and the windows rattle...no traffic (uh, in Futa there is no traffic or large trucks that can travels at speeds to shake the earth). So, I'm wondering what could cause the three very significant earth-shaking events we've felt in these two days. Jokes aside, you jokers!

Vicki

2:28 am...another significant jump with windows rattling and the otherwise fearless dog scrambling under the bed. But still no notation on the USGS site for a quake. Odd, because these seem like BUMPS, as opposed to shakes. The pueblos animals are all a buzz, with roosters crowing and dogs barking. Maybe someone is dynamiting around here.

3:55 am.., You know, strange things do seem to happen here. I have started to take my camera, batteries charged, all the time with me, because I'v'e seen some of the oddest cloud formations ever....a single cloud in the air with a perfect hole in the center. Cool things like that. So, if for no other reason that to have a cool picture...

The USGS just shows a quake of 5.0 listed in Chubut (a vast province east of here) Argentina.

Vicki

And then....

Don't know where but a volcano blew. Silly me woke up and thought it snowed. I went outside in my jammies to take a picture of my first snow, but it was volcanic ash.

Vicki

...It is confirmed that the Chaiten volcano has erupted near Futaleufu in the Patagonia.

Nine thousand years. You never know. What followed was a mad scramble for information and links(the volcanism blog is a good one) and the Chilean government evacuation of Chaiten and the decision to re-build elsewhere. And Vick's trials and tribulations and humor amongst the ash. Listening to her experiences make me really take a look at what I whine about. They are currently building hydro power for their house because after a year, electricity is out of the question. The worst part about Chile is that things are slow here-but that's also the best part.

ABC News
Published: February 26, 2009

Chaiten, Chile—Chile’s Chaiten volcano erupted again, on Tuesday, the third time in less than 24 hours.

The blast forced the remaining residents to flee their homes…

Vulcanologists are warning that this most recent explosion could push the lava flows in reach of the city.

It was devastated last May, when the volcano erupted for the first time in 9,000 years.

It rained today!

2009-02-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

"Oh that Laura, she's easily entertained" you say. It hasn't rained(that I can remember) in December, January or February. I do love to grow things and being without water is like trying to cook without the ONE ingredient you need. Nothing substitutes for water. We have a well for water but don't know how limited it is. We thought it was unlimited until the well briefly went dry in early spring(just before mountain snow melt).

It rained! The thunder echoed through the mountains-it was wonderful. It feels like fall here-78 F days and 50 F nights-very nice. So I won't be ranting again about water until next year! (it'll probably be about the coming cold weather).

Alejandro and water rights

2009-02-28T10:50:00.000-08:00

We live in the country. The parcela is not huge but big enough-about 6,500 sq meters I think. This a "Mediterranean" climate which means hot days and cool nights all summer. And no measurable rainfall all summer-lots of rain in the winter, but that's another story. No rain in the summer means the canal system is very important. If we don't have canal water for a few days, our vegetable garden, flowers and grass die. There is apparently no organization of water rights or a 'ditch rider" as we had in rural Montana when I was a kid. People simply dig canals as needed and divert or shut off water as they desire. This has been a source of frustration for over a year now with no solution in sight. We talk to the neighbors, we have meetings, we cajole and beg, we get angry-all with the same result: nothing changes. Some days, we have water, some we don't. We rarely know why. If we have have water, we frantically water everything we can because tomorrow, who knows? When we don't have water, it means any trees or plants we have planted may die. earlier in the spring, I excitedly went outside in the morning to look at all the new growth around the parcela and marvel at how they had grown. Now, I check to see what has died. I have learned to plant in the fall or early spring only when the rain is still frequent.

My point here is not to complain about Chile but it made me think about that fine line between needing some organization/government intervention(the ditch rider worked for the county and had the ultimate say in water fairness-who gets water and on what days) and being left alone(in this case the neighbors argue back and forth and nothing is solved for more than a day or two).

Now about Alejandro. Alejandro is a farmer who started an alfalfa field behind our parcela. He came over to see how our canal ran through the parcela so he could make decisions about how to best water his fields. He is a little man with his pants rolled to his knees, wearing sandals, weather beaten face. In rural areas, very much like other local farmers. But he did something unexpected-he spoke some English(very few of the "country locals do)! That was nice enough. Then he told us he had been to Washington DC when Carter was President. This little old ordinary Chilean farmer had been to the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. Remarkable.

We see Alejandro from time to time and I always smile and imagine him as a much younger man in Washington DC. he waves at us across the field or from the road and I know he carries a fond memory of the US with him.

Back to Chile

2009-02-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

During the long flight back to Chile, I sat next to a Chilean man who had been to the US on business(something to do with a US system for poultry processing). He knew some English so we had a long conversation-it still strikes me as funny today that his command of the English language included saying "shit" in every sentence at least once and I'm sure he didn't know it's not exactly "correct". And I didn't have the heart to mention it. So, an overnight flight and waking up to morning and sunrise over the Andes. I managed to get all the correct lines and get my baggage and was soon greeted by Chilean taxi drivers and then Michael broke from the crowd(nice to be tall!) and whisks me away.

It's summer again! Leaving Denver in the cold and then to be outside of the Santiago airport in the heat is just strange. I know it's been 12 or 14 hours but...it is strange. We hop in the jeep(after stowing my bags of treasure) and roll the windows down and we're on our way to Pirque. The now-familiar sights along the highway and then the road to Pirque(yes, I remember-right here, left there) and we're at the house again. I open the door and there are my things and I have an urge to look and touch these items. I must be home.

Michael has been working hard while I've been gone and I'm ready to jump in and help. The strangest thing happens-I got sick. It must have been a virus combined with the change of temperature and humidity(cold, dry Colorado to hot, humid Chile) and the result was that I became quite sick with normal flu-like symptoms but as those subsided, I lost my equilibrium. I couldn't walk straight-or even at all without support. I was completely dependent on Michael to walk any distance at all. "This is what it feels like to be very, very old" I thought. "What if I don't get my balance back? What if I don't get better". But surely I will. As someone who almost never gets sick and never had to be dependent, it was life-changing. We still didn't have internet at the house so were going to the internet cafe for short periods of time. I missed the internet terribly. This was my lifeline to family and friends, to a library of information, news and current events. Combined with being an invalid of sorts and just having left my family, it felt devastating. After about a month, Helia gets a prescription from her doctor which I take for 10 days-and it does nothing. I've looked on the internet and decided it's probably caused by an ear infection and I need antibiotics. Michael hatches a plan for Helia to take me to her Spanish speaking only doctor. So I pay extra to have Helia to interpret Spanish to English and insist on antibiotics. By now, I'm worried. But the antibiotics clear it up and I'm normal again in 2 weeks or so. Whew!

The internet. The neighbor next door helps us connect to his internet(sort of-it's too far away) through the wireless router we brought. So I have internet while standing in the tool shed. Our neighbor is wonderful for helping us and I am happy to have some access to internet although it's not reliable and sometimes we still go to the internet cafe for a quick email check(3 days without internet access, I find, is my limit). Getting internet(or phone etc) has proved to be quite difficult. The utility poles(there is a one a few feet on the other side of our fence) here are not as easy as calling the company and hooking up. There are complicated rules we don't understand. You must get permission to use any poles(poles are owned by the landowner not the company) and even then other rules may preclude that use(only so many or only certain types may use certain poles). Over the months, it only gets more complicated. So no internet. We ask and ask. We get answers of "no problem" but still nothing happens. The best thing about Chile is that things are slow here. And that's also the worst. There is no sense of urgency at all. A friend in far southern Chile recently ranted about no electricity after a year-which makes my internet complaint small. Internet comes to us much later when a Chilean friend says "No problem!" and means it and through her we get a usb internet plug-in that picks up the signal from cell towers. Cell signals are easy here while home phones are rare. Since January, I've wasted untold hours on the internet. I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Back in the USA

2009-02-20T06:47:00.000-08:00

I see my last previous post was November 2007...so much happened after that. This will be my attempt to bring things up to date. Back then, we were living in a rental in Puente Alto and had internet! Soon after we moved to the new house(still under construction but with a bedroom, bath & kitchen finished) and sadly no internet. We got moved in and mostly settled and soon after I flew to the US for the coming birth of my first grandchild. Well, and also to see a few friends, do a little shopping for things that are difficult or expensive to buy here in Chile. But the main reason was to see family, hold my granddaughter, re-connect with my son and get to know the love of his life.

Going back to the states was a huge culture shock that I didn't expect. You expect it coming to Chile but going back to the US didn't feel like going "home" as I thought it would. I went through immigration/customs in Atlanta where I barely made it through long lines and security checks(during a 90 minute layover) in time to catch a plane to Denver. My son Mike came to get me at the airport and that was such a nice reunion! I was just thrilled. There was that little strangeness of going from summer to winter(I do hate the cold). I had a long list of oddities I needed to buy to bring back to Chile. An oven temperature gauge(not included on ovens here), books(in English, as many as I can carry), various kitchen utensils, pie pans, spices, well-a very long list. Not long after I arrived, so did little Josephine, on December 22nd-just in time for Christmas. Mike came back to get me(I know, I should have rented a car!) at about 11 am the 21st and Jessica's parents dropped me off at the house again at around 4 am on the 22nd. Looking back, the trip just seems like a blur. Mike was, of course, with Jessica at the hospital a lot until she came home and I did get a lot of baby holding time while Jessica slept(trying to recover from late nights with baby). My ears did perk up when they mentioned a possible shopping trip and I ran around in a frenzy attempting to cross items off my "list". The baby is wonderful and I so enjoyed that time. I also squeezed a quick trip to Seattle and Oregon in to see people. Before I knew it, it was time to go back to Chile. I packed all my clothes and oddities carefully, trying not to be overweight in any one bag. Looking back, I wish I'd spent time holding Josie that morning but such is life. Somehow I had pictured the whole family going to the airport with me and Josie in the back seat as we had before. There, I thought, I'd tell her how much I loved her and I would say my goodbyes. As it turned out, they stayed home and Mike took me alone. Of course it made perfect sense and I felt like a silly old woman. Mike hugged me tight when he dropped me off and I cried foolishly as I turned away. The baby will never remember the many times I held her, fed her, diapered her. The circle of life. And I was back on a long flight to Chile.

Summer in Chile-and Christmas is coming!

2007-11-20T08:17:00.001-08:00

It is truly summer, I think. I believe it was 90 degrees yesterday and will be again today. And almost Thanksgiving but it just doesn't feel like it. Living with opposite seasons is a little disconcerting. The ski resorts are opening in Colorado and our backyard is in full bloom these days. It's one thing to live someplace like Florida or California and have a warm Christmas but when it's actually warmer than any other time-that takes some time to sink in.

In our tiny front yard, the roses bloom. The bougainvillea died over the winter-how sad! And I have no idea why since I've never had it in my yard.

More roses cover the side of the house and lavender grows below. The yards are tiny in town and many perfectly kept. Yes, those are bars on the windows-almost a cultural thing here. All the houses have them, no matter hwat the neighborhood.

Homecenter(Chile's answer to Home Depot) celebrates the summer season with patio furniture and Christmas greetings for shoppers.

The gardening section in Homecenter....I love it there. I always sneak off to look at plants and flowers while Michael looks for nuts and bolts. I found Jasmine vines(which I know nothing about) for 490 pesos or about $1 each. Mostly I just look at all the varieties, some familiar and some not.

A few steps away from gardening and swimming pools, a huge Christmas section. I believe that's decorated fake wreaths-about $26 US.

When I snapped this photo, a staffperson shook her finger. No photographs of their displays apparently allowed. Maybe she thought I was a spy from another store.

They not only "do" Christmas here, they do it big!

Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina and Back Part III

2007-11-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

And then, we were going down and I was quite happy not to be one of the brave souls sitting on the top level. Mountains eventually turned to foothills, then countryside and vineyards, then we rolled into Mendoza and the bus station. We walked out of the station where taxis wait and hopped in to go to our motel.

The motel (which we booked online) was attractive partly because they are a European, multilingual chain. The company that owns then also owns Motel 6, no kidding. And it looked like a European Motel 6-except for the bidet! As I said, the same and different. Everything very basic but a bidet a necessity apparently. Out our window, what else but a soccer field where the kids played as long as they could! By then it was 6 pm and we were starving but were told the restaurant didn’t open until 8 pm-shouldn’t have been surprised because they eat later here but we were a little sad. So we watched TV for a while and went back to restaurant promptly at 8. We had those famous Argentine $7 steaks and fries. It was so good, we repeated the next night. I also had to have several glasses of Argentine wine-for research, you know. It seemed delicious but I repeated the next night to be sure.

Nothing fancy but good to be off the bus.

The next morning, we set off for a day of tourism. First stop, the cambio to change convert Chilean pesos to Argentine pesos. It seems many will take Chilean pesos but I don’t think they were happy about it. The cambio looks just like a bank but isn’t. The exchange rate was actually better there than a bank. Then, we walked to one of the town squares, window shopping as we went. Mendoza has many, many trees everywhere you go. After sufficient walking, we stopped at café on the street and had the San Ramon special which consisted of a piece of ham, topped with cheese, topped with a fried egg and served with papa fritas(fries). Then we wandered the streets some more, mostly window shopping. It’s surprising to me that in both Argentina and Chile, clothes cost the same as in the US. I don’t know how people can afford them. Perhaps they just don’t buy as many. It’s also funny to me that you see stores that cater to hard rock bands-Metallica, Guns and Roses, Pink Floyd and all things black and pierced! Outside one store, a guy does a pretty good impression of Edward Scissorhands….

We hopped in another taxi and stopped at the mall near our motel. It was Argentina’s version of Cherry Creek mall with expensive designer type clothes so we soon decided it was time to go back to the motel and have a nap before dinner. Yes, the big steaks and wine. Michael found a casino and ran off to play his beloved blackjack for an hour or so where he won and came back before he lost. Smart guy.

A lovely old house downtown, a law office now I think.

The plaza-Argentina loves trees.

Edward Scissorhands in front of a store. He moved now and then to let you know he was real.

The next morning we went to the bus station early to catch a bus and soon we were back on the road. I did find some bus station shopping to keep me happy. I buy very little these days but love to look at things. The bus ride back was still fascinating-we even saw a different side and immigration coming back was quicker, maybe because we left earlier. The same and completely different. A trip to do again.

Many, many more photos. Amazing colors.

This one looks futuristic except for the bridge!

Yeah, I just loved the way this looks....

You just can't have enough rocks in photos, I think.

This looks like a digital painting. Nice shot, Michael.

Just so you don't think we were hiking, there's the rim of the bus window!

This mountain seemed to rise from nothing, like a promise.

Checkpoint along the way.

So that's how those rocks get their curves...the wind blows constantly too.

Snow on top and green below. We're back to summer and construction now....

Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina and Back Part II

2007-11-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

The bus stopped at the top for immigration where it was cold and windy. The Argentine flag was valiantly flying but it no longer looked blue and white but was faded from its high perch at the top. They busline served a snack but many more experienced bus riders chose to buy something from the little café there. We were unfortunately in line behind 4 or 5 other large tour buses so immigration there was quite slow. We all got in a very long line, first to Chile’s immigration and then to Argentina’s immigration booth. Everyone’s papers and passport checked and stamped, as well as all the luggage and backpacks. All of that took nearly two hours, but we were able to admire the many Porsches coming through the shorter lane. There must have been some sort of Porsche rally or race because there were dozens. Finally, we were on our way.

Our bus waiting at immigration.

A tiny little restaurant and evidence that Argentinans use horse trailers(In Chile, I've only seen horses in closed trucks.)

The argentine flag waves goodbye as we get back on the road.

Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina and Back Part I

2007-11-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

We recently took the 7 hour bus trip to Mendoza, Argentina. While 7 hours on a bus sounds unattractive, it was a really lovely trip. The bus was a large tour bus with comfortable seats (comparable to 1st class air travel seating) and cost 10,000 Chilean pesos or about $20 US. Dozens of tour buses go back and forth daily from Santiago to Mendoza so you can simply go to the bus station and choose one (of dozens of companies) that is leaving when you like.

The bus was a double decker and we chose the bottom level. I’ve heard the top level can be quite frightening but those who enjoy roller coasters might enjoy the upper level best! The large windows show great scenery and views but I wonder how those sitting on top felt going around the many curves(you can feel the top of the bus sway) on narrow roads passing large trucks and slow moving vehicles! I think we saw plenty from our level, thank you very much.

The views from the bus window were surprisingly good-photos even came out better than expected.

You did have passing trucks obscure the photo now and then- just when you almost had the perfect shot.

The views were just gorgeous and fascinating. Never ending and always changing colors and textures due to different mountains and terrain as well as the wind and water’s affect on them.

We took many photographs but every turn in the road brought a brand new view that seemed completely different and more beautiful. It’s hard to describe and the photos don’t do justice to them really but the Andes are simply remarkable. They are sometimes like the Rocky Mountains but are also completely different. That’s something that runs through life here-I see schoolchildren on the street, passing by the house, and think “they are the same as kids anywhere” as they laugh and share secrets and flirt. But at the same time, they are so very different too. I digress-back to the Andes…. We started from the Santiago bus terminal and the first part of the trip is the outskirts of Santiago, soon the views are countryside and vineyards. After a time, you can feel the bus begin to really climb and the foothills are in full view. The scenery continues to change and real mountains roll by outside. Small mountain streams and waterfalls appear here and there, along with sheep and even horses grazing amongst the rocky land. For about 2 ½ hours we gazed out the windows-I can’t describe how amazing the Andes look.

Both telephone lines and ski lifts run across the Andes. I didn't get a photo but many closed lodges up high.

It's summer here but plenty of snow on top for those that miss it!

The highway winding below us.

I don't remember finding rocks so amazing but they were...

A mountain peak seems to beckon us, as we near Argentina and immigration.

Rauli Kitchen Cabinets

2007-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

The new cabinets are installed and we are pleased. Maybe especially me. I am more than tired of the tiny little "American-style" kitchen in the rental house. The counters are both shorter in height and not as deep as counters in the US. The counter with the sink is even shorter so as I do dishes or peel potatoes, I have to lean over in an awkward position. If I do that long enough, I soon realize my back is not that of a 25 year old!

We have granite countertops and a nice big window over a double sink under a nice big rauli wood window so I can daydream properly. There is a little corner cupboard for wineglasses-remember that very inexpensive yet very tasty Chilean wine!

Over to the left, we'll have a nice little kitchen table with another window above it.

It's all starting to come together and we plan to move in "as is"-whatever it is-the end of the month. More photos of the rest of the house to come....

Chilean Independence Day Part 2

2007-09-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

No Independence Day would be complete without a rodeo-and Chile is no exception. We went to the local rodeo in Pirque and walked around the grounds outside the arena too. Huaso(cowboy) wares aplenty for sale and Helia explained the finer points to me.

The Chilean saddle is completely different from western saddles but oh-so comfortable.

Yes, rides for the kiddies and ice cream and cotton candy too. And some pretty good people watching.

The Fonda is a big beer/chicha hall with dancing and barbeque.

And then, the main event the rodeo. The rodeo has one important event. They use older calves they call bulls(after the rodeo they apparently go to slaughter). The huasos attempt to control the bull, keeping to the outside edge of the arena. One huaso in back and one to the side of the bull. The bulls are supposed to be used one time only but many obviously knew this routine and tried to get back to the corral. They are scored on their control of the bull. Then, at a place in the arena which is padded, they actually run the horse into the bull, pushing it against the padded area(they score higher for hitting the bull just right) and often knocking the bull to the ground.

Huasos controll the bull. Chilean horses have a special sidestepping gait that is unique.

Getting into position out of the gate.

Losing control of the bull. Notice the padded area-this is where the huasos were to stop the bull.

Two huasos after their run.

Huaso gear. Parade stirrups and nasty looking spurs.

Viva Chile! Now can I have a nap?

Chilean Independence Day Part 1

2007-09-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Chilean Independence Day was September 18th and what a week it's been. The week is practically a national week off. Not much work was completed on the house but a smart person resigns themselves to the inevitable and joins asados and festivals and rodeos. Not easy but somebody has to do it.

We attended Valentina's school program celebrating the culture and history of Chile. And of course, it was wonderful and adorable. Really, the kids were great. To the right is children in cuaca dance attire. Even the very youngest performed-the teacher was on stage coaxing the children along.

Chile has really pretty children. They just look so healthy-maybe fresh fruits and vegetables help-and happy. They tend to look European but a couple at an asado(a-sod-o/barbeque) have a blonde blue eyed child that could be from my family. She looks exactly like my niece Katie at that age. Her parents look like they could be from Boulder or Oregon until they speak-the Spanish is not gringo-spanish!

The grocery stores filled to the brim as preparation for the holidays continued. Jumbo circulars were passed out at the corners and dropped into the yard. I read that the cars leaving Santiago on Friday stretched for miles. The weekend had a holiday atmosphere with the normal September kite flying greatly increased. People in Chile love kites. They are sold on every available street corner and park. The kites are mostly small and cheap-and since 5 have landed in our back yard-I understand their thinking.

Kite sales are brisk at this local park. A small customer has Dad to help him choose. You won't be surprised when I say the dads buy kites for themselves as much as the kids! Yes, even here, the guys are big kids. With fiberglass line, a clever fellow can cut the line of any competing kite flyers.

The other photo shows the kite salesman's "fleta" parked under the tree. , which have a very large basket in front, are used widely by the feria(street fair) people, delivery people, and other merchants. There are no bike or fleta lanes-people seem to patiently go around them.

People fly kites in the street, in the their small back yards, in the parks or any empty lot they can find.

The black Jesus and the evil eye

2007-08-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Religion and superstition in Chile are openly intermingled, and it is sometimes hard to see what came first, the superstition or religion. The black Jesus on the way to Pirque is pictured at left. The story goes that a man sold his soul to the devil, made some kind of deal, then just before he died, he asked God(who is El Senor here-not just senor) to take him back. God forgave him and the devil(El Diablo) was mad because he didn't go through with the deal. The man had built the Jesus statue for God and redemption and the devil turned the Jesus black. The legend goes on to say that you can paint the Jesus white but it always turns black again to remind people. The statue was, at some point, really painted white but started turning black immediately. That may have something to do with the smoke from the candles burning below him but certainly an entertaining story.

The Evil Eye. I read the following online:

The evil eye is really one that combines superstition with religion. The evil eye is the name for a sickness transmitted -- usually without intention -- by someone who is envious, jealous, or covetous. It is also called the invidious eye and the envious eye. In Hebrew it is ayin ha'ra (the evil eye), which in Yiddish is variously spelled ayin horoh, ayin hora, or ayen hara. In mainland Italian it is mal occhio (the bad eye) and in Spanish mal ojo or el ojo (the bad eye or just the eye). In Sicily it is jettatore (the projection [from the eye]) and in Farsi it is bla band (the eye of evil).
The evil eye belief is that a person -- otherwise not malific in any way -- can harm you, your children, your livestock, or your fruit trees, by *looking at them* with envy and praising them. The word "evil" is unfortunate in this context because it implies that someone has "cursed" the victim, but such is not the case. A better understanding of the term "evil eye" is gained if you know that the old British and Scottish word for it is "overlooking," which implies merely that the gaze has remained too long upon the coveted object, person, or animal. In other words, the effect of the evil eye is misfortunate, but the person who harbours jealousy and gives the evil eye is not necessarily an evil person per se.

Here in Chile, babies are given a type of amulet or necklace made of silver and red with a picture of the virgin Mary for protection.

The other story that I love is the one about Casillero del Diablo-the Devils Cellar. You may know the wine, sold in the states, but not the propagation of a century old legend known throughout the world. In the 19th century, the founder of Concha y Toro, Don Melchor, discovered that his vineyard workers were sampling his greatest wines. To discourage this action, Don Melchor spread the rumor that his deepest, darkest cellar was the Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil), so that no one would dare go in there. It worked, and a legend was born. Today, this mysterious and legendary cellar continues to hold the finest, estate grown wines of Casillero del Diablo.

Another version of the story is that rebels trying to free Chile from Spain hid down there and Spanish soldiers were told that the devil was there. Being good Catholics, the Spanish refused to search the cellar. It's possible that Don Melchor knew that story and used it to his advantage later.

Signs of Spring in Chile August

2007-08-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

We took a little drive around the Pirque area today and noticed many signs that Spring is on its way! I have no idea what the tree at left with yellow blooms might be but it was beautiful.

This one is an orchard of some kind in full bloom.

I have no idea what this is but we want one!

Kids flying kites in the park. There are people selling kites on many street corners, kite-flying a very popular activity this time of year.

Spice Update

2007-08-04T08:38:00.001-07:00

I found Allspice at Liders after internet research told me that it might be called Pimiente Dulce(translation: sweet pepper). There it was, with both titles on the label! Cream of Tartar, I've heard, may be found at the pharmacy. Hmmm.

We bought a portable CD player too. It was an interesting discussion with the Chilean salesperson who spoke no English and our rudimentary Spanish. I lost track and Michael did the talking. He is much better at speaking a few Spanish words and getting them to reply in a few words. One Spanish word on my part seems to encourage a Spanish paragraph or more from the other person, both confusing and nowhere near understandable to me. It seems when we don't understand, many think if they just use more words, we will! Of course, it's just the opposite-fluent Spanish speakers run words together so we no longer understand the words we know. There are those that understand that and slow down, mostly those that know a little English and thus, how difficult it is to understand a second language.

But this guy was really helpful and very nice to us. And we eventually purchased a cd player and batteries. By the way, square batteries are batteries here-or bateria (car battery or 9 volt battery) but the round batteries are called "pilas". At one point, another salesperson tried to help and we got our pilas-silly us, asking for baterias. Always a new lesson.

We looked at baby clothes, hoping to find a lovely Chilean oufit for my new grandbaby. But the clothes are generally what they deem to be US knockoffs. Some terrible English translations often grace the front of T-shirts. And what them they believe is USA style is often pretty funny. My Chilean pots and pans have the US Tradition brand right on them(made in China). Which reminds me-the American kitchen you often see advertised is tiny. Helia said that is because they think Americans in the US don't really do much in the kitchen, just cook. And I think they believe we don't really cook much. Lol.

An Ordinary Life but with Pasta Muro

2007-07-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

Look, no big hole in the front yard!

For those of you that expected to read fascinating experiences about my life in Chile, it occurs to me that you may be disappointed. My sister asked what my days are like and I gave that some thought. My days are surprisingly ordinary in many ways. We never use an alarm-I love that. We get up, have some coffee, turn on BBC, check the web for news and open our email. Generally, we then drive out to Pirque and work on the house. That depends on whatever needs to be done that day. We recently started our pasta muro project, which is a coating for the interior cement walls before paint. Three thin layers are apparently recommended. Pasta muro is similar to joint compound and dries to a plaster-like texture. So, we have been trying to emulate maestro Tio Victor's style as best we can, but very slowly and with more of a mess! It's quite a workout for the arms and wrists, I must say. So much cheaper than a health club.

Our days will revolve around construction for some time yet. There are rainy days at times, although those are dwindling as Spring approaches. The seasons are still confusing to me. I've been told that September or October is Spring, yet this is the time to plant fruit trees! It seems that you have a very short, mild winter but hard to pin down down times for seasons or planting. Maybe I'll make my own gardening in Chile calendar, like those in the US that tell you what day to plant everything! The guy in the parcela(land) next door has a crop of lettuce and this is still winter, so you see my problem. There is basic difficulty in becoming un-regimented since that's what we've done all our lives. Sure, some of that is easy but the whole day?

We try to utilize rainy days for shopping for materials and supplies at Home Center, which gets us out of the house as well as curb the frustration we have at not being able to work on the house. Michael bought a chainsaw the other day and an English-speaking employee actually gave him her card and said to call her anytime. That will allow us to buy more there without bringing Raul along to interpret. Our Spanish skills are improving but the words become unrecognizable to us when they speak quickly(as in normally).

There is also grocery shopping. It takes a little longer if we're looking for something we haven't found before. (See my post on baking ingredients). But, we improve everytime and gradually collect new things for the cupboard.

And fruit and nut tree shopping! We hope to do that soon. Visions of lemons, oranges, tangerines, paltas(avocado), cherry, peach, apricot, almond, walnuts dance through our heads. We have a list with Spanish names for all. We also want two pineapple palms for the pond in the front yard. Although when I mentioned I liked the pineapple palms, that was thought to be a strange name for them.

There are many ordinary activities more time is spent doing that in the States. Preparing meals(from scratch), doing dishes(no dishwasher and because of the humidity, they don't air-dry!), laundry(the funny little clothes dryer takes 2 hours for a tiny load), etc, etc..

Soon, we have to get our 90-day tourist visa renewed. We can go to a government office or travel across the border to Argentina-which sounds much more fun. I'll write and post photos when that happens.

Other various activities may include practicing Spanish, reading novels, playing on the computer, playing cards, watching TV and taking a nap. Helia, Raul and Valentina come by once a week or so for 4-5 hours which includes dinner and conversation and entertainment by Valentina. And she is definitely entertaining.

So, in many ways, it's all very ordinary. But a horse and cart clip-clopping on the street outside or the unfamiliar voice of a bird reminds me it's not ordinary at all. Laura, you're not in the USA.

Things to bring to Chile

2007-07-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Absolutely the most important things we brought were our notebook computers. The internet is just the best source of information. I use it to find baking substitutes and recipes, besides the million other reasons-news, encyclopedia, dictionary, communication....

Small non-electric kitchen items are also great, especially if you have certain special items you love to use. Favorite spices are nice to have too. Some are hard to find and many are hard to decipher because they're named something different here. Someone said cream of tartar and allspice are impossible to find but I haven't confirmed that. I also wish I'd packed a spice rack of some type. The ones here that I've seen come in sets of 4 jars. I was thrilled(go figure) to find a pie pan yet baffled by the spring form cake pan-I'll have to check the internet on how to use them. I haven't yet seen the layer cake pans. I haven't baked much previous to Chile but I find if we want a "real" chocolate cake, that's the way to go. So, even baking is more rewarding and adventurous.

I wish I had brought some of those little bag clips because everything(spices, marmalade, you name it) comes in little bags here and the small clips would be perfect for resealing them. I did throw in a couple for larger ones for chips which are handy, especially with high humidity. When we have more room in the new house, we'll acquire more containers.

I'm really glad we brought paperback books and cards for some of these rainy winter days. And happy to have warm, thick socks and long underwear for working outside when it is cold. The cold can't compare to Montana but 40 degrees and humid is quite cold to me! Sunny and 68 degrees in the winter is a nice relief on the non-rainy days. I also wish I'd brought a couple favorite board games. I have been completely unsuccessful in finding a crockpot, yet have found many rice cookers!

I brought an Ipod from the states and I love it-not so much for music but for the many free podcasts available. I know a few people that brought a Kindle and they love them.

And finding both familiar and new items is all part of the adventure! Chileans have been very helpful-one told me I'd find dark chocolate at Copec(the gas station-not the grocery store or department store) and there it was! Talking to Chileans is essential to the adventure and while you're talking, you'll hear some great stories. There is a lot of superstition here. We were recently told not to live in Pirque because high in the Andes there is a "bottomless" lake (Laguna Negra). When the dam breaks, the never-ending water will pour out and drown all of us! I guess we'll build a boat. Maybe it's easier for them to ignore the earthquakes and concentrate on a lake. Another perfectly sane Chilean told us to beware of the evil eye. The evil eye is the name for a sickness transmitted, usually without intention, by someone who is envious, jealous, or covetous. In other words, a person can harm you, your children, your livestock, or your fruit trees, by looking at them with envy and praising them.

Baking in Chile

2007-07-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

I decided I wanted to bake a US style chocolate cake. The cakes here tend to quite dry-it almost seems they bake them very low for a long time. So, I decided to try to find baking ingredients. First I found baking powder, then baking soda. Also vanilla and powdered sugar and baking cocoa. You can see that a non-Spanish speaking person like myself might feel part detective

Bicarbonato is baking soda. Horno de polvo is baking powder. Flor is powdered sugar and chocolate amargo is unsweetened cocoa for baking-there is also a dulce(sweet) version available.

Then we went to Lider, which is something like a Chilean Kmart. Lider has groceries, clothes, shoes, bags and bags of dog food, sets of dishes, shampoo... And I found a rectangular cake pan, a Pyrex measuring cup with both US & metric measures, a loaf pan for banana bread and a pie plate!

And the chocolate cake turned out just fine. I'll make some adjustments on the oven temperature and time next attempt but we were quite happy.

Queltehue

2007-07-03T12:39:00.000-07:00

We see these birds all the time around the place at Pirque.

They lay eggs in the grass and are also called the Southern Lapwing. I also found they are related to the Plover/Kildeer family. When they fly, they look completely different, showing a large wingspread and are all black and white from below. They swoop and drift something like seagulls and will announce loudly anyone nearing your property. Watchbirds, if you will!

Expat definition

2007-07-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently resident in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, fatherland).

The community of people living here that are from somewhere else uses expat to differentiate us from the native population. As in "Expat get together Saturday at 7 pm" or great website for expats to get information about living in Chile or where ever.

Apparently some believe it has some negative connotations so I just want to clarify the way I use it. Quick and easy slang, nothing more.

We have windows and doors-and snow!

2007-06-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

We have windows and doors! They were all custom built and are made of Rauli wood which is a Chilean cherry-like wood. Roble wood was considered but we're glad that it's Rauli since we were told Roble is oak but it turns out it's not oak at all(rather a type of beechwood). Roble is Spanish for oak so many, many years ago, I imagine a Spanish person named it Roble and that's what it has been ever since. And hence the confusion between Spanish and English. I'm sure beechwood would have been very nice, just the same...

And this morning it snowed in Pirque. The mountains just disappear in this kind of weather-humidity was 100% while generally it's only 85% or so! Snow is rare here so it was quite exciting for many.

No work until Monday when the weather forecast says sun for at least several days. Good news on the electric-another 10 days or so. And the well guy will be out Monday(Lunes).

Construction Lessons in Chile

2007-06-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

It's raining again-'tis the season. But we hope for some more dry days to finish a few things. Uncle Victor is working on the electricity and various other tasks. The septic system work is at a dead halt with the rain-also the water well. But the windows and doors are being installed so I'll take some new photos at the end of the week. Our hope is that we'll soon (2 weeks?) be able to work inside the house... meanwhile, a little background. The house has brick foundation which is covered by cement.-thick sturdy walls. The windows and doors are custom made. A number of "maestros" have been and will be used for different types of work. While Uncle Victor works on the electrical stuff(and today the small wall against which the woodstove will stand), another Victor works on bricklaying & cement work relating to the septic tanks. Nephew Hugo will be building metal tops for the septic, and did remarkable metal work on the front fence. Another guy is a whiz at digging holes where ever needed. It helps to have family connections-someone always knows someone!

The Calefon

2007-06-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Calefon is used here for hot water instead of the big hot water tank I'm used to in the States. Basically, the cold water flows through coils and is instantly heated. It hangs on the wall, and is, of course, a space saver as well as an energy saver. I saw one at a home show in Colorado touted as if it was a brand new concept!

The great thing about the Calefon is that you never run out of hot water! However, I at first had trouble adjusting the hot water just so. I would turn on the hot water in the shower, then turn on a little cold, turn down the hot, turn up the cold...and so on. But, the cold water faucet is really unnecessary although sometimes desirable. The flow rate determines the temperature of the water so if the water is too hot, turning up the "hot" water actually increases the amount of cold water flowing through(because the calefon can only heat a certain amount of water-if the flow is too high, the water cools off).

So, the answer to the perfect shower temperature is to turn on only the hot until steaming hot, then turn the "hot" up slightly until you reach the perfect temperature for you! And if you like it a little hotter during your shower, simply turn the "hot" water down...You may have a different experience from winter(when the pipes are cold) to summer. But you must start with the hot water and gradually adjust either the hot or cold water.

A couple hours at the mall

2007-06-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

It is winter here and that means rain. We're hoping for a break in the weather but are sure the newly built septic tanks look like water wells. So, we went to the local mall to satisfy my curiosity.

The mall looks like any other mall-but different. There were several large stores-Falabella, Paris and Ripleys. And the many smaller stores in between. We found children's coloring books in the bookstore, not the toystore. In one department store, we were looking at a portable CD player and one salesclerk tried to help but soon found we spoke little Spanish. A few minutes later, a young Chilean man appeared and spoke some English. The other sales clerk was quite grateful and he seemed to have a little extra importance in his step because he was able to help the gringos.

Many shoe stores. I was surprised that shoes and clothes are as expensive as US prices, or so it seemed. An electric warming mattress was $100 USD and expensive athletic shoes available as well.

Shopping was limited-I'll have to go on my own to really browse....

Commerce in Chile

2007-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Commerce here-wine! Mmmmm. You can find lots of Chilean wine there too. The Pirque house is very close to Concho Y Toro. which is perhaps the biggest and oldest in Chile. The wine here is unbelievably cheap. Fruit-you guys get many of Chile's fruit in the winter too. There are fruit and vegetable stands everywhere you look and stopping there is really fun. We load up on everything for around 5000 pesos($10). Avocados for $2 a kilo(2.25 lbs) but they're much cheaper in season which, I'm told is July(which is deep winter here). Everything else runs $1 to 1.25 a kilo. I've been making soup with all the veggies. They have a few fruits I've never tried-persimmons and pepino(which is the size of a pear and you peel and tastes like melon). Oh and kiwi. There is always fruit, I'm told because they get it from the North(which is desert) and South(which is colder). And nuts-almonds, walnuts. And olives. They have this juice made in Santiago, strawberry and apple the best. Nothing like it that I've tasted, just delicious. And marmalade, very cheap and delicious.

Other commerce is salmon, which is mostly exported-look for it at King Soopers. They also make clothes, just for here I think-haven't shopped much yet beyond the grocery store. The President)Michelle Bachelet)has been setting up trade agreements so I expect more access to varied products. Beef is from Argentina mostly I think. They have no concept of grain fed or feedlots here. The common breed I read can be used for beef or dairy and the owner decides his need! I also read that they are importing some angus beef for restaurants to see if people like it. Beef here is grass fed, which is much leaner but not as tasty as the grain finished beef. We should get very healthy here!

There are many US companies here-Dominos Pizza, ADT alarms, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell. And they love many US products-they do like to dress pretty much like North Americans but everythings with a twist. Like the pizza has very different ingredients. They love hot dogs-called completos-but with mayonnaise and creamed avocado. Taco Bell has burrito supremes but no nacho chips, instead fries with cheese on it. Only Dorito chips in the store-no other tortilla chips. I can't seem to get enough guacamole with cheap and plentiful avocados & tomatoes. I tried some olive and tomato flavored chips here that they make that were really good. Coca Cola is drunk in every home at every meal-even those that have very little money-don't know how they did that. So, a lot of US business is done here. By the way, they will point out, Chileans are also Americans-you are Norte Americano!

We noticed the Jeep Cherokee we bought here is Canadian made, a little smaller, but gets 38 mpg-the one he had in the states got 22 mpg. Have no idea why yet. His friend is buying a Ford Ranger that is supposed to get 50 mpg. I have heard emissions would make the difference but this Jeep does have a catalytic converter.

Chile Videos

2007-06-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a link that features Michael's daughter Helia in some videos that were done for a tourist site. The rodeo was rather odd to see the first time! Her husband Raul is the one with the hat flying off.

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/chile/santiago/plaza-de-armas

There are also videos for Valparaiso-click on the Destinations box above...

Fruits and Vegetables and other things

2007-06-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

The fruit and vegetable stands, which are everywhere(many entrepreneurs) are wonderful. Huge vegetables-the celery wouldn't fit tin the fridge uncut-of many varieties. Tomatoes all year round. Fruits include oranges, lemons.grapefruit, apples, kiwi, pomegranates, avocado, and also walnuts and almonds. We bought lots of nuts(we thought before the season ended) but Helia told us this is the expensive time of year-the local ones be will be ready to harvest in July! Vegetables & fruits seem to run from 100($.20) pesos to 500 pesos a kilo($1 for 2.2 lbs). They get fruit from the North(hotter) or South(colder) year round so it's always available. There is a little fruit stand on the road to Pirque so we stop there often.

I've started making soup with lots of vegetables. Perfect after a day working out at Pirque.

Some interesting things I've learned: You tip the postman but never the taxi driver! Everyone drinks Coca Cola at nearly every meal! On trash days, the trash(in small grocery bags) is put in the elavated trash basket in the front of the house. When that's full, people hand them on the trees or the fence. We weren't sure we had the right day, but there was the garbage truck about 8:30 at night! The yards are almost all fenced with wrought iron fencing and yards kept very neatly, except in the poor areas. The fences keep the stray dogs out(there are many in poor neighborhoods), in this neighborhood, I've seen people even walking their dogs on a leash! Also, there is very little violent crime here but lots of graffiti everywhere(and purse snatchings) wrought iron fences-solid walls are so much better for tagging, I think. The cars are parked inside the fencing too. Some of the graffiti is quite colorful and art-like but mostly quite ugly. There are many small "Mom & Pop" stores in the neighborhoods(two on this block) that sell Coa Cola, coffee, some fruit and vegetables and milk-Leche, which is sold on small (1 liter?) cartons and kept on the shelf-refrigerated only when opened! It tastes strange, partly because it is whole milk-no 1% here! The wine is cheap-Concho Y Toro also on the road to Pirque. Their "Exportacion" Cabernet in a 1.5 Liter was less than $3 and very good.I believe they keep a certain amount aside for the locals.

2007-06-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

June 10, 2007

Yesterday, we went to Jorge's house. He drives buses for Transantiago and lives with his wife Nina(Neenya) and 14 yr old(about?) son, Jaime(James). Anyway, it was really fun. These people were just the happiest people and live in a tiny, tiny house. Jorge(who is maybe early 50s) works 6 days a week and drives a 25 yr old Peugeot. The house is clean but the living, dining and kitchen in a space about the size of my old kitchen! I've noticed there is always a large table in dining and kitchen-so big, you can hardly move! The living room area matters little but a huge dining table is important. Jorge speaks some English(mostly from Michael) and Michael speaks his halting Spanish and I could understand quite a bit of what they said. It was weird because we laughed a lot-as if we all understood perfectly. They have little money so we said we'd already had lunch yet they gave me a bottle of wine to take as well as 2 empanadas(kind of a homemade hot pocket). Jaime sat with us and laughed too, he knows some English from school. A younger cousin was also there, just the nicest family. Michael and Jorge have had a running joke about Jorge's wife, that Michael visits her when he's at work(this is from many years back) and it's suspicious that Jaime is tall, like Michael! So, of course, Jorge made a big joke of giving me wine and indicated that maybe he and I could get something going!

Anyway, some lessons in there somewhere about happiness and life and money. I only wish I knew enough Spanish to express my gratitude for their kindness and absolute acceptance. It struck me that someone who knows only Spanish in the US would not be treated so kindly. It's interesting being the immigrant. I worry about my Spanish but Chileans assure me I'll learn quickly. Michael says that's because here they think blonds are smart! Very funny.

Blogging

2007-06-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

We did get our wireless connection...which enables me to write this blog. Sorry, I am catching up on writing some things that have already happened-including VTR coming out and getting our wireless laptops connections online. It took a while and a number of phone calls over a week and a half. VTR insisted many times they were on the way or we were first on the list the next day...eventually being a "squeaky wheel" was the only answer.

We’ve been going to the land daily. The other day we saw one of the many birds that run around on the ground with three babies. But, a few days later, we found the babies dead. Too cold, we were told. Apparently they lay eggs all year round. Often, you find their little brown eggs in the grass.

The view surrounding the Pirque parcella is gorgeous. The Andes loom above it all, and you can see fresh snow on the peaks. The countryside is so very quiet and peaceful here-only a whinny from nearby horses and the song of a bird. I feel like I’m home here. Is it because it reminds me of Montana, where I was born and raised?

Waiting for wireless connection

2007-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

So much to say but it`s great to be here. I`m on Helia`s computer and it`s hard to work with-old with sticky keys and in Spanish. "Blog mayus" is apparently caps lock and "supr" is delete!! I`ll write more when my wireless is hooked up and can use my own computer! Hope it`s not in Spanish...anyway, I`m safe & sound! It`s 22:03 and we`re exhausted(24 hr clock)-10:03 US!

Had to tell you have at least 20 cable channels that are sometimes in English. There are Spanish subtitles so hopefully that helps me.. One more thing. We actually saw Jon Stewart yesterday. He has his show on Intl CNN. I do recognize some words now. By the way, on the computer start menu, instead of Start it says Inicio...Ahhh, it will be a relief to use my laptop.

Banking and shopping

2007-06-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the bank and waited outside as Helia did her banking, exchanging dollars for pesos and making a deposit. Everything is slow here and patience is important. We made a game of translating signs from Spanish to English, and watching the people. Many study my blonde hair intensely if they think I’m not looking. Helia says I have no eyebrows!

The taxis are black with a yellow top while collectivo(many can ride in one) taxis are all black. Cars are of course, all smaller than those in the US. But I think many in the states wish their cars were smaller with the current gas prices.

Then we went to the mall. Looks like any mall but signs in Spanish. A Radio Shack style electronics store was our first stop to get a transformer. (The transformer blew the breaker and we took it back later). Then the food court. McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell. The portions are much smaller and cheesy fries are served instead of tortilla chips with nacho sauce. Once again, we made a game of interpreting signs and prices. Life hasn’t been so interesting since I was very young! Now, if my Spanish improves...we'll see if immersion really works!

The rental neighborhood

2007-06-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Bougainvillea and roses still bloom in spite of the impending winter.

As neat as the yards are in this neighborhood, they are the opposite in poor neighborhoods. Graffiti is everywhere and is sometime colorful and arty but more often is ugly. You can almost tell how bad the neighborhood is by the amount of graffiti. The Chileans love bright colors and the neighborhoods are nearly a kaleidoscope. I can see the fences serve many purposes. No one bothers to "tag" an open fence-solid walls are much more fun. The stray dogs are kept out and it's good for security-people love to keep their doors open but robbery and petty theft is a problem here. I'm trying to keep the yard and sidewalk neat like the neighbors. They must think us very strange already.

Little stores everywhere, two on this block. They sell whatever fits in their space-vegetables, fresh Chilean bread(which is almost like rolls), milk (leche) and Coca-Cola which everyone drinks at every meal, poor or not.

The Adventure Begins May 12, 2007

2007-06-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

May 12th, 2007

The adventure begins! We’re on a Delta flight to Santiago, Chile. In nine hours, we will reach Arturo Benitez International airport at 7:30 a.m. Much of the flight will be at night so it will feel much quicker., I hope.

May 13, 2007

I awake to see the sunrise over the Andes, the huge peaks, clearly outlined. My heart beats a little faster. Omigosh, I'm really in Chile. We embark exactly on time. We go to pick up our bags and move toward customs. A woman in a uniform asks if we are Norte Americano and directs us to special, shorter line.

After a couple different lines, Helia picks us up in the Jeep Michael had her her purchase for us. How funny to see the Chilean license plates. On the ride from Santiago, there are so many strange plants and flowers along the roadside, yet some are very familiar. Red maples and giant Aloe Vera plants. Helia points out a homemade shrine at the side of the road and tells a story about a woman with a baby in the desert. People made her a saint and now bring her bottles of water. There are hundreds of bottles.

We pull up to the house we rented. It has a wrought iron fence around it and the driveway is inside the fence. It has three bedrooms and one bathroom and a funny little propane gas heater in the living room. It’s quite small, like a 1950s era house in the US. A tiny kitchen, with the refrigerator in a back room off the kitchen-the Chilean way! The yards in the neighborhoods are very tidy and there’s a tiny store across the street.