July 6, 2009 Ciudad de Panama
The city is noisy as most cities are, morning brings a steady flow of traffic past the window and the sun just keeps getting hotter, we are practically equatorial. Panama, Polonia, Estadas Unidos, we live in a car driven world.
There's a certain hum to the passing of automobiles that seems to imply money: the passage of cars is money. Being spent, being made, the earth being transformed, the entire industrial military complex is audible in that seemingly simple flow of money; traffic.
Mix automotives with construction and you have civilization. Construction with computers and air conditioning and you have the 21st century. Add a little business suave, space exploration , information technology and a planet with 2/3 of the populace living at or below the base of the capitalist economy and our world starts to take shape. The truth is though, the capitalist system is not based upon people as much as we would like to think it is. There exists no grand conspiracy to capture all of humanity in a giant pyramid scheme (at least not one all encompassing scheme). Our mode of life depends mostly on the abundant riches of the planet itself. We are the planet's children and we have hacked our life out of the flesh and pulled our wealth from metal ore, the river's clay, and the ocean's bounty.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
a few more days in Bocas
After a 15 minute experiment with my underwater camera, it appears I will be out of camera posts for a while, pending its return to functionality.... A friend told me to try some rice, so i guess Ill give it a shot...
otherwise,,, Things on the project are moving forwards, we are in the process of getting some aerial photos with which we (at this point I) will be creating maps of the community in which we are working (the community centered around Dos Bocas) in Bocas del Torro, Panama. The project is currently a preliminary study of the willingness of people living in the Comarca Ngobe to participate in a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degredation (REDD) project. Wee are traipsing across the extant beaureaucratic framework, tenous as it is, in Bocas del Torro, getting information, maps and coordinating activities across different government departments. The process is resulting in getting a fairly clear image of the social forces active in the area, as well as complementary and competing economic interests that manifest in different attitudes and relationships with the environment. For instance, the main economic drivers in the area are agriculture (welcome to the home of Bocas Fruit Company, a major piece of Chiquita Banana), tourism, and a large marine fishery. Tourism and the marine fishery depend on the conservation of marine resources, whereas the fruit companies, think at least, that they need to fertilize, and apply aerial pesticides to their banana plantations to maintain a high profit margin. Should those practices change, i.e. responsible and ecological methods of agriculture being practiced, everybody stands to benefit... the trick of course being, a willingness of the agrigiants to change their practices. As is the story the world over, the paradigm of higher yield reigns supreme, though the alternatives, of ecological land management, have yet to be practiced on an appreciable scale (although they are being tested in some places). Thus we are faced with a choice resulting in definite environmental benefits and uncertain economic ones, can we really afford to not make that choice?
otherwise,,, Things on the project are moving forwards, we are in the process of getting some aerial photos with which we (at this point I) will be creating maps of the community in which we are working (the community centered around Dos Bocas) in Bocas del Torro, Panama. The project is currently a preliminary study of the willingness of people living in the Comarca Ngobe to participate in a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degredation (REDD) project. Wee are traipsing across the extant beaureaucratic framework, tenous as it is, in Bocas del Torro, getting information, maps and coordinating activities across different government departments. The process is resulting in getting a fairly clear image of the social forces active in the area, as well as complementary and competing economic interests that manifest in different attitudes and relationships with the environment. For instance, the main economic drivers in the area are agriculture (welcome to the home of Bocas Fruit Company, a major piece of Chiquita Banana), tourism, and a large marine fishery. Tourism and the marine fishery depend on the conservation of marine resources, whereas the fruit companies, think at least, that they need to fertilize, and apply aerial pesticides to their banana plantations to maintain a high profit margin. Should those practices change, i.e. responsible and ecological methods of agriculture being practiced, everybody stands to benefit... the trick of course being, a willingness of the agrigiants to change their practices. As is the story the world over, the paradigm of higher yield reigns supreme, though the alternatives, of ecological land management, have yet to be practiced on an appreciable scale (although they are being tested in some places). Thus we are faced with a choice resulting in definite environmental benefits and uncertain economic ones, can we really afford to not make that choice?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Amalgams of belated thought, the work progresses, the world waits
Some said it could not be done, really, most said it could not be done. The park ranger scoffed, and gave some bogus account and psuedo terrifying story of rain, darkness, hunger and jaguars. Our host, the caretaker of the secret garden (Jardin Secreto), was also incredulous. Needless to say, after much encouragement from our friend (Kristin Fischer, aka KFi), as well as some tasty tidbits of knowledge from a Texas native english teacher, Jennifer (who told us that the annual race up and down Chirripo had a record time of 3 hrs and 20 minutes, much encouragement), we decided, that a one day peak and return was in fact, a good idea.
A late start (getting on the road, 2.5 k from the trailhead at around 6.20) was prompted by our burial in the valley, the sun had just broken the crest of the ridge as we shouldered our minimal gear (some water, some clothes, some tortillas, a tin of cherry wood smoked oyster, and a packet of walnuts) and proceeded on a brisk pace, summit bound. While I´ll leave the full accounting of the trek for a later date, let us suffice to say that at around 6.30 in the pm, a succesful summit attempt behind us (albeit in about 20 ft of visibility due to thorough ensconscement in water vapour), the light quickly fading we were still 10.5 k from home (a good 8 k from the trailhead). In our defense (maybe) we did have on lost (and found) backpack adventure about 2 k from the summit (during which I took a good 45 minute nap, waking up with a serious headache and feeling cold), and our headlamp had, sadly, been left at home. A stumbling kilometer from (7k to 6k) led us through near blackness to the realization that my camera´s LED light (for illuminating macro pictures) may have enough zing to light the way. A handheld bubble of light led us the rest of the way down to about half a klick from the trailhead, where our valiant source of illumination was finally exhausted. A stump and scuttlebut later (with no serious injuries), we limped into town to be greated by a local named Casper, who spoke a decent street english, fed us shots of Kosako vodka and arranged for his friend Luis, the owner of the Rockadura restaurant and hostel, to sell us a few beers "for the road." A bowl of granola and a hot shower later, we passed into darkness to awake at the crack of dawn to pack our limited luggage and catch the bus to San Isidro. While a full accounting of the vagaries of the Tiko travel system is beyond the scope of this narrative (at this time), it will suffice to say that Dave made his 2.30 flight back to Atlanta, and I am safe and sound in San Jose, at a friend named Marcos´ house, learning about freebording (check it out) and plotting good plans for the future.
A late start (getting on the road, 2.5 k from the trailhead at around 6.20) was prompted by our burial in the valley, the sun had just broken the crest of the ridge as we shouldered our minimal gear (some water, some clothes, some tortillas, a tin of cherry wood smoked oyster, and a packet of walnuts) and proceeded on a brisk pace, summit bound. While I´ll leave the full accounting of the trek for a later date, let us suffice to say that at around 6.30 in the pm, a succesful summit attempt behind us (albeit in about 20 ft of visibility due to thorough ensconscement in water vapour), the light quickly fading we were still 10.5 k from home (a good 8 k from the trailhead). In our defense (maybe) we did have on lost (and found) backpack adventure about 2 k from the summit (during which I took a good 45 minute nap, waking up with a serious headache and feeling cold), and our headlamp had, sadly, been left at home. A stumbling kilometer from (7k to 6k) led us through near blackness to the realization that my camera´s LED light (for illuminating macro pictures) may have enough zing to light the way. A handheld bubble of light led us the rest of the way down to about half a klick from the trailhead, where our valiant source of illumination was finally exhausted. A stump and scuttlebut later (with no serious injuries), we limped into town to be greated by a local named Casper, who spoke a decent street english, fed us shots of Kosako vodka and arranged for his friend Luis, the owner of the Rockadura restaurant and hostel, to sell us a few beers "for the road." A bowl of granola and a hot shower later, we passed into darkness to awake at the crack of dawn to pack our limited luggage and catch the bus to San Isidro. While a full accounting of the vagaries of the Tiko travel system is beyond the scope of this narrative (at this time), it will suffice to say that Dave made his 2.30 flight back to Atlanta, and I am safe and sound in San Jose, at a friend named Marcos´ house, learning about freebording (check it out) and plotting good plans for the future.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
buscaros los veinto frescos
The Quest For Fresh Air
Chapter 1, Leaving Hobbiton
The day is early and the sky is dark. A whole world is left behind when one embarks to Central America, and a new one is discovered. Good and bad, ill and healthy, hale, whole and disconnected. Get on a plane, allow yourself to be swindled and utterly dismember your sense of self, self confidence etcetera, go to a place where you don´t speak the language and allow yourself to be opened, literally opened to a new way of life and a new way of thinking.
In short, discover the scrub forest, the heat, the rain, the bugs and the humanity behind our existence on this planet. The ludicrity, the hilarity, insanity and the niceties of being a human being, a transformer of our habitat, and one with enormous potential to effect positive change. Cast aside the idiocy of self limitation, of socially constructed metaphors for existence and allow yourself to see things as they are. Pierce the disgust and disconnectedness of our sheltered little existence and ramble on through, and if, you are lucky, or if your quest is true, you might just find what you are looking for.
Chapter 1, Leaving Hobbiton
The day is early and the sky is dark. A whole world is left behind when one embarks to Central America, and a new one is discovered. Good and bad, ill and healthy, hale, whole and disconnected. Get on a plane, allow yourself to be swindled and utterly dismember your sense of self, self confidence etcetera, go to a place where you don´t speak the language and allow yourself to be opened, literally opened to a new way of life and a new way of thinking.
In short, discover the scrub forest, the heat, the rain, the bugs and the humanity behind our existence on this planet. The ludicrity, the hilarity, insanity and the niceties of being a human being, a transformer of our habitat, and one with enormous potential to effect positive change. Cast aside the idiocy of self limitation, of socially constructed metaphors for existence and allow yourself to see things as they are. Pierce the disgust and disconnectedness of our sheltered little existence and ramble on through, and if, you are lucky, or if your quest is true, you might just find what you are looking for.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
working in the working world
It's tuesday in the a.m. and the empty regurgitation of yesterday's thoughts and feelings are all too prone to catch you when least expected. In short, a world that is empty of true feeling and understanding will bear the consequences of its lack of connection to things that are Real. Hence, the advent of cubicle life... on to the next...
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