About bobotang

bobotang

All People Be Happy!

Location:

Venice, CA (90291, USA)

Joined on:

12/12/06

Occupation:

Political Organizer

IM Contact:

usaejtava

Contact:

allpeoplebehappy@gmail.com

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  Politics

  Greenland Global Technology, Inc.? The University of Antarctica?

  A little while before departing the US, I sent friends and family an email with statistic on the economic situation of Latin America. Here it is again for those who missed out:

  There are 125 million people in Latin America living on less than $2 a day. 125 million! That amounts to almost half the population of the United States! $2 a day! I´m having trouble enough getting by on my set goal of $10 a day!

  Basically, we are talking about one very poor region of the world. But let´s expand our scope a bit and look at the global economic picture. Here´s one more stat for you to chew on:

  Of the 30 top economies of the world (as measured by GDP per capita for countries with more than a million people), only two lie within the region of the globe known as "the Tropics" (the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn - approximately 23.5 degrees north and south lattitude respectively). The 28 others as well as almost all of the next 20 countries on the list reside outside the tropical latitudes. Furthermore, the two exceptions - Singapore and the special administrative region of Hong Kong are really exceptions that prove the rule more than defy it, as I will explain soon.

  Okay, so why mention all this in a blog about Latin America. Well, for those who are not too geographically-inclined, bust out a map and you will find that almost all of Latin America lies within the tropics! Likewise, the other regions of the world with a plethora of poverty - Africa and Southeast Asia - also primarily fall within the tropical zones.

  What I am getting at is that one very important dimension of economics that I feel is often overlooked is the role that environmental and geographical factors play in the development (or lack thereof) of economies around the globe.

  Europe, North America, East Asia, and Australia* have all flourished in lands for the most part blessed with moderate climates, rich soil, long growing seasons, and a solid repository of resources. Conversely, countries in the tropics suffer frequently from floods, droughts, hurricanes, monsoons, and, above all, insufferable, unrelenting, oppressive HEAT!

  My inspiration for this blog entry came while I was sweating through long, hot days in the Coahuila desert. Under such conditions, you don´t want to work, you don´t even want to move. It´s too hot to even think. You just want to sit in the shade and doing absolutely nothing.

  How could any economy possibly flourish under such stifling conditions?** As I allude to in my title, the same can be said of life on the other extreme of the climate spectrum. It´s damn near impossible to imagine innovative businesses, top-tier universities, or 5-star tourist attractions springing up in areas within the frigid arctic realms.

  Of course, lattitudinal positioning is not the be all and end all of environmental/climate fortune-telling. It is merely a useful jumping off point. Many other factors such as the presence of navigable rivers, coastal ports, and proximity to other potential markets also must be considered. That is why the superbly-positioned coastal havens of Hong Kong and Singapore are exceptions from my earlier stat that prove the rule.

  In political science terms, the concept I am describing is known as "Environmental Determinism" (a term I find a bit too fatalistic, but whatcha gonna do?). Unfortunately, Environmental Determinism is often frowned upon in academia. Most scholars tend to focus more on human-controlled forces like history, culture, religion, governmental intervention, racism, colonialism, and imperialism to assess and analyze economic development.

  I am certainly not denying the importance of these factors. However, I am positing that just as topography outweighs all other forces in determining the path of a river, environmental and geographic realities outweigh all others in determining the path of economic development.

  Now, I could stop here and you might assume that the tacit conclusion of my theory is that we are more or less helpless recipients of environmental fate and thus we should passively accept whatever hand - or, more acurrately, whatever land - we`re dealt. Unfortunately, the world is not quite so simple.

  We humans are and have always been an inextricable part of the environment around us and what we do affects our environment just as invariably as our environment affects us. Furthermore, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent technological age, we have become an ever-increasingly more powerful force in turning the tide (figuratively and sometimes literally) on Mother Nature. To continue the metaphor from before, we know truly do have the ability to overcome topography and direct rivers where we so desire. Of course, we have not always used our new powers responsibly or with great foresight as we are painfully realizing through the emergence global warming. Neverthless, I see no reason why the same human race which invented the car, the airplane, and the spacerocket cannot figure out ways and means to produce ecological versions of these and all other forms of technology that we have so benefited the rise of our civilization.

  Thus, rather than employing my theory to justify an attitude of fatalistic withdrawal, I conversely hope it can be seen as a (nonviolent) call to arms or sort, a challenge to humankind.
  We can and must tackle the poverty of the world. (It would be too much for me to claim it is a moral obligation for all, but that is how I personally feel and I hope many others feel more or less the same.) Nevertheless, in so doing, we surely must not overlook nor turn a blind eye to the role of environmental forces in facilitating the creation of this poverty in the first place. Furthermore, it is critical that we always strongly consider environmental factors when innovating and implementing prescriptions for this monumental and heartbreaking problem which damns millions of our fellow human being to lives of extreme misery. To do otherwise would be utterly irresponsible.

  ...But that is just one mohawked kid´s opinion...

  If I´m on the wrong track, holler back and let me know why. Till then, I´m gonna go aid the economy of this tropical region by downing a couple piña coladas. ¡Hasta luego from Aguascalientes!

  * A quick survey of the areas within Africa and Latin America with stronger economies than their counterparts adds further evidence to this observation. North African countries like Morocco and Egypt as well as South Africa which lie outside the tropics have much stronger economies than the African countries sandwiched between. Likewise, Mexico which is half in and half out of the tropics and the southernmost Latin American countries like Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina have traditionally possessed much healthier economies than the countries in between.

  ** Having grown up under the influence of Houston´s endless summers, I tend to attribute the mass dissemination of air-conditioning units as at least as important as oil to the boom of the economy of my birthcity. If it weren´t for AC and soccer practices, I may have never left the house. :)

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  Posted on May 14, 2007 by - bobotang

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  Politics

  "Loyal Bushies" and the Politicization of Justice

  The phrase "No justice, no peace" once struck me as a hackneyed hippy protest chant. Today, with multiple wars raging abroad and scandal after scandal at home, it's seems more like the official slogan of the White House.

  The Bush administration has been nailed to the wall for another despicable act of dirty politics – in this case, the politicization of the Justice Department. Predictably, rather than confessing to their misdeeds, the Bush administration has fallen back into their habitual routine of denying, lying, and claiming they cannot say more for "national security" reasons.

  A little background:

  If you recall, while the smoke still drifted up from Ground Zero in the weeks after 9/11, the US Congress hastily passed the Orwellianly-titled the USA PATRIOT ACT. It turns out that buried within this 342-page behemoth piece of virtually unvetted (and, for that matter, unread) legislation was a provision granting the U.S. Attorney General the power to quietly fire and replace federal attorneys WITHOUT the usual process of Senate confirmation.* How this special new power could be used to "protect the Homeland" as is the purported goal of the PATRIOT Act is not entirely clear. What is clear, however, is how it could be used to "cleanse" the Justice Department of "dissidents."

  Despicably, it appears that that is precisely what White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other within the Administration sought to do. At least 8 federal prosecutors were suddenly removed from their posts despite having receiving positive performance reviews from their Justice Department peers. Their common failing it seems was not acting the part of " loyal Bushies ." (That endearing epithet is actual language from an email exchange between White Counsel David Leitch - acting as a liason for Rove - and Gonzales's chief of staff Kyle Sampson). In a nutshell, these diligent public servants lost their jobs for either failing to adequately harass and prosecute Democrats they felt had committed no crime or too aggressively prosecuting Republicans which they felt had.

  Am I alone in finding this purge utterly despicable? This is the JUSTICE Department we are talking about for goodness sake! Justice! Call me naïve, but I have always believed that justice was about deciding what is right and wrong regardless of people's race, gender, class, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Not in Bush's America apparently.
  

  President Bush continues to refuse to have his people testify under oath. It now appears that it will take a congressional subpoena to pry out the full truth. Meanwhile, as released emails and documents cast serious doubt on Attorney General Gonzales's claim of ignorance and noninvolvement, the calls continue to grow from both sides of the political aisle.

  The politicization of our country's halls of justice is simply unacceptable. I strongly encourage members of Congress, the media, and citizens everywhere to keep pressing for the truth in this matter until true justice is finally served.

  
  * To their credit, the Senate passed a bill (by a 94-2 margin) to repeal this provision of the PATRIOT Act. Hopefully, the House will soon do the same and Bush will have the decency to give his official stamp.

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  Posted on March 26, 2007 by - bobotang

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  Politics

  DEBACLE and DEBAUCHERY: Post-Katrina New Orleans during Mardi Gras

  [small]I have never been especially fond (nor unfond) of Charles Dickens, but I feel compelled to begin by referencing “A Tale of Two Cities.” For New Orleans in the post-Katrina age, Mardi Gras truly is the best of times amidst the worst of times.

  I spent five days there experiencing both worlds, and here are my thoughts:[/small]

  "Eighteen months. When I walk through the ghost town that was once the Lower Ninth Ward it boggled my mind to realized that it had been eighteen months since Miss Katrina impolitely barged her way through the Crescent City.

  The few “houses” which still remained standing looked like they’d been hit by a missile and the next strong breeze might occasion their collapse. Eighteen months. Hundreds of thousands of residents still hadn’t returned. Hospitals and schools still had their windows boarded up and their doors locked and chained. Eighteen months.

  There is so much talk about “rebuilding” New Orleans. But where are the cranes? Where are the motherfucking construction cranes? I spent nearly a week going all over that city and I didn’t see one goddamn construction crane. Where exactly is all this supposed rebuilding taking place? And where are all those federal dollars which are supposed to finance this “rebuilding” effort? (If you answered “Iraq” – that other scar of shame on our nation - you’re only partially right.)

  It’s tragic. And it’s enraging. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that America’s continuing legacy of racism is the thing that Katrina's deadly waters most exposed and continue to expose. Probably the truest words spoken in all of 2005 came from the unlikely lips of Kanye West when he said on national television that “George Bush does not care about black people.”* He could have extended that accusation to include most of the federal government.

  Believe you me, If Katrina hit Martha’s Vineyard I can guarantee F.E.M.A. would have been on site within hours and the nation’s elite would have had their mansions rebuilt with federal assistance in a matter of months. But New Orleans isn’t Martha’s Vineyard. When Katrina struck, two out of three residents were African-American. And George W. Bush’s America like George Washington’s America does not care about black people.

  But like I said in my introduction, this is a tale of two cities. And I don't want to depress you any further. So if you want to read and see more about the continuing disaster of Katrina then let me recommend this recent article by Bill Quigley.

  [big]When Disaster Nears: FOLLOW THE FRENCH![/big]

  Now, while I was volunteering with Common Ground Relief in the Upper Ninth Ward, I was told something the truth of which I have yet to investigate but which intuitively strikes me as very plausibly correct. A colleague said that every place in New Orleans where the French colonists originally settled had survived Katrina with no major damage.

  The French Quarter (which represents the physical heart of the “other city” in this tale of two) is, of course, the primary exemplary of this truth. The historic homes near the famed St. Louis Cathedral may certainly have lost a few shingles or sustained some broken windows, but the toll was nothing in comparison to the utter devastation which befell their neighbors in the Ninth.

  This reminded me of another fact I had heard in the wake of that other recent natural calamity – the post-Christmas 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. In the aftermath of that six-figure killer it was reported that the only city along the Coromandel Coast of India NOT to sustain significant damage was Pondicherry. Why do I mention this? Well, Pondicherry happened to be the only FRENCH colony in all of India. And the reason Pondicherry was spared? Well, unlike their colonial competitors, the Brits, those clever Frenchies built a large sea wall around their city.

  So, the lesson is: if a disaster is coming your way, ask yourself “What would the French do?”

  [big]"The Meaning of Mardi Gras" As Told By A Chinese Jew From Texas[/big]

  Alright, so before talking about Mardi Gras on the French Quarter, it behooves me to step back and give a short historical essay on the event known as Mardi Gras. I do this as someone new to many of the facts that I am about to relay. Maybe most of what I say will be obvious to you, but I’ve found from verbal telling that it is not to many if not most.

  First, it only struck me about halfway through my time in NOLA that the words “Mardi Gras” translate in French to “Fat Tuesday.” And, of course, the finale of “Mardi Gras” does coincide on a Tuesday every year.

  However, the Mardi Gras season extends far beyond just one crazy day. The madness begins on the 12th day after Christmas and runs for a good month and a half through Ash Wednesday – which marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent.

  There were AT LEAST three parades every day I was in the Big Easy, and I went to around six or seven total. Each parade has it’s own history, it’s own theme, it’s own winding route through the city, it’s own “krewe” of masked misfits, and, above all, it’s own assortments of “throws.”

  [big]“Throw Me Something, Mista!”[/big]

  Now, I’d like to take a little time to talk about “throws” and the art of bead snatching. The first thing that must be understood is that Mardi Gras “throws” aren’t all beads. Yes, the majority of items tossed from the passing floats are beads of all shapes and colors but the truly valued prizes – the ones that make the crowd go wild – are the little toys – the stuffed animals, the mini-footballs, the frisbees, the felt-covered spears, the coosh balls, and above all: DA BLINKY THINGS!!!

  Now, I don’t know what it is about shiny, blinking objects that make grown men and women act like six year olds hyped up on Red Bull, but I must confess that I was as guilty as any other. When da blinky things were teasingly brandished by the float-side throwers, I jumped and screamed like a little girl. If I had tits I woulda shown them. If I had nunchucks, there woulda been some battered and bruised grandmothers and grandchildren littered all over the streets. I mean, I wanted da blinky things more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

  And I tried. And I tried. And I tried and tried and tried. But nobody would throw me a blinky.

  And then it happened.

  Time seemed to slow down as that beautiful flashing medallion spiraled towards me. My eyes zoomed in like F-16 locking on its target. With visions of Lynn Swan-style Super Bowl glory running through my head, I bent my knees and leapt into the air high above the screaming masses. My eyes sparkled as the plastic prize arched directly into my outstretched hands. Coming down with my trophy, I broke out into the most obnoxious celebratory dance humanity has ever had the unfortunate task of enduring. I felt like the greatest human being on the planet. With that blinking token of triumph around my neck, I felt invincible – utterly superior to all those lowly cretins who lacked a blinky thing. For the time being, I was immortal.

  But apparently, immortality doesn’t last forever.

  Later that night I grew tired of the enormous weight of beads and trinkets around my neck, so I took them off and stored them in a dark corner of a bar. It was only when I made it back to our lodgings that night that I realized I’d left all my hard-earned throws behind. D'oh!

  Now, I could probably write an entire book about the subject of beads and “throws,” but I just want to make one more point before I move on.

  And that point is that during Mardi Gras there are absolutely NO RULES nor etiquette in regards to attaining beads. Let me give you an example: Numerous times during the parades, I would snatch beads at the same time as the person next to me. One time, in fact, I jumped up and grabbed a set of four beaded necklaces wound together only to realize Jabba The Hut’s twin sister standing next to me had simultaneously grabbed hold on the other end of the four entangled beads.

  Now in a normal world of manners and decency, the logical solution to this impasse was clear: We split the four beads evenly, two apiece. That made good sense to me, so I let go of my grip and turned to face Ms. The Hut to divvy up the spoils. I smiled at her, but SHE DIDN’T EVEN LOOK MY WAY! For a good thirty seconds, I stood there completely dumbfounded at what has just transpired. This monstrous woman just stole beads that, in my untrained mind, I believed I had legitimately earned.

  But such is the way of Mardi Gras. Time after time I allowed my giant weakness - a sense of common decency - rob me of beads that could have been mine had I been willing to wrestle them away from whiny little children or their ruthless parents.

  Next time I find myself at Mardi Gras, trust me, I will come prepared to fight. There will be no mercy for the weak.

  [big]The Man Who DIDN’T Get Bourbon-Faced on Shit Street[/big]

  Of course, in addition to the parades, Mardi Gras in New Orleans is all about Bourbon Street. Now, I didn’t know much about Bourbon Street before this trip, but I knew it had a reputation for three things: music, tits, and getting shit-faced. And it did not disappoint on any of those three accounts.

  Stepping over growing piles of bead casualties and crushed plastic cups, my comrade Unai and I waded through a swarm of humanity. As the night wore on that swarm grew louder, drunker, and (mostly for the women) more willing to expose themselves for beads. It truly was debauchery at it’s most debaucherous. (Okay, spell check didn’t like that one. Let’s try: “debaucheristic.” Fuck. Uh, how ‘bout “debauchafragelisticexpealidocious.” Okay, nevermind. Let’s just say it was “crazy-crazy.”)

  But, truth be told, debauchery isn’t really my scene, so I spent most of my nights at the still-crazy but much less obnoxious bars and clubs on Frenchman. And, for no particular reason other than to be contrary, I decided I’d try to go straight-edge (no drugs, no alcohol) during the entirety of my stay. And I succeeded more or less. In five days and five nights of virtually non-stop partying (I saw the sunrise twice!), I consumed only five alcoholic beverages. That averages out to only one per day. I really should call up the good folks at the Guinness (no alcoholic pun intended) Book of World Records and see if I didn’t just break the record for “Most Sober Mardi Gras in Recorded History.”

  But in spite (or possibly because) of my sobriety, I had one ball of a time. I can truly say that New Orleans is a national treasure. In many ways it’s very much like Las Vegas – where virtually anything goes. But it’s Las Vegas with soul. It’s Las Vegas with history and with class.

  Only in New Orleans can you finish off a night of dancing with some powdered beignets and coffee at the world-famous Café Du Monde. Only in New Orleans can you go out to a five-star dinner dressed up in the most garish of costumes and the hostess won’t think a thing of it. And only in New Orleans, at least only in post-Katrina New Orleans, can you drive yourself from the First World to the Third World in a matter of minutes."

  “Laissez le bon temps rouler again and forever for NOLA."

  [small]*Go download “George Bush Don’t Like Black People” (to the tune of Kanye West’s Golddigger) by Houston hip-hop artists the Legendary K.O. It came out a mere week or two after Katrina hit and I still think it may be one of the most potent political songs I’ve ever heard.[/small]

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  Posted on March 4, 2007 by - bobotang

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  Environment

  response to  Patrick James's post Monkey See, Monkey Kill

  Get Your Hands Off of Me, You Damned Dirty Ape!

  Spear-throwing monkeys?! We must stop them IMMEDIATELY. Haven't any of you seen Planet of the Apes?!

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  Commented on February 22, 2007 by - bobotang

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  Politics

  response to  Noah Shachtman and Joel Holland's post Under the Radar

  Not Sure that's what they meant by a "Green Revolution"

  Cool stuff. Reminds me of the power of governmental spending. All the money we dumped into the Pentagon during the Cold War lead us to the establishment of the internet. Now, if only we could convince our leaders to spend more money promoting green alternatives everywhere and not just in remote desert bases smack dab in the middle of an illegal and distastrous war.

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  Commented on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang

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  Culture

  response to  Yes Men's post GOOD Guide: Culture Jamming, Introduction (sec. 1 of 7)

  The Jagannath of Change

  If only it were as easy and fast to create as destroy. It's taken a couple years for us to wreck Iraq, it'll take a couple of decades to rebuild it. Likewise, it's taken a couple decades to poison our earth, but it'll probably take a century of diligence to cleanse it. And then we'll have new problems to confront, I'm sure. Jefferson said something about the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. It's tough, but eternal vigilance sure beat the alternative.

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  Commented on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang

• 2 votes

  Living

  response to  Worldchanging 's post We Inherited A Broken Future...

  Get the WorldChanging Book!

  It's like an encyclopedia of awesome ongoing in our world. I'm only a little way through, but this bad boy is already well worth the hefty $37.50 price tag. It's filled with great ideas for improving our homes, our eating habits, and our communities. As their motto goes: "Another World is Here." So stop waiting and start making here, everywhere.

  Comments (1)

  Commented on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang

• 1 vote

  Business & Money

  response to  Catharine Livingston and Olivier Laude's post DIY Venture Capitalists

  When the People Lead

  I don't have the statistics at my fingertips, but it's really pathetic how little money the US gives in direct foreign assistance to the developing world. It's pathetic in comparison to what we spend on warmaking. And, it's even pathetic percentage wise to what most of the rest of the industrialized world gives. The Japanese and Swedes, for example, are tremendously more generous with their aid money.

  Well, Kiva is a great way to lead by example. The true path to global peace is not through spreading war, but hope. Kiva allows us to directly aid the less fortunate to start up busineses and lay the foundations for a vibrant economy which will increase quality of life, improve health care, and extend life expectancy for all. I'm planning a trip where I'll get my friends and family to fund a person's business through Kiva, then I'll go down there and actually help that person get things off the ground.

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  Commented on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang

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  Environment

  response to  Mac Barnett and Duncan Stewart's post Grease Lightening

  ... and that smell. Yum!

  I've got a couple of friends who've made the switch to vegetable oil for their cars and they love it. But really, I think the best part of these biofuels is the smell of the exhaust. I love driving behind them because it smells like french fries! I really think some clever fast food joint ought to capitalize on that and start paying folks to drive around the city in cars emblazoned with their company logo and dispensing that wonderful smell out their exhaust pipe. Seriously. I'm getting hungry right now just thinking about it.

  Comments (1)

  Commented on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang

• 2 votes

  Politics

  Convert or Die, Infidel!

  People who've known me for a while, know that I am no fan of religion. I'm about as nonbelieving as one can be. It all strikes me as total bunk. Christianity. Hinduism. Islam. Judaism. Untruthful crap heap of lies, myths, and sometimes decent, but mostly despicable moral dogma.

  Yet, often times when discussing my dearth of faith in faith with my more liberal friends, I'm urged to "be respectful" or "try and sympathize" with those who subscribe to a religion. And, being the pussyfooting liberal that I am, I do sometimes.

  But, then some days I wake up and read a story like this in the paper: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL

  Here, let me spoil it for you. Apparently, there is a violent video game out there based on the wildly popular Left Behind series where players are urged to go out and "convert" nonbelievers to Christianity. Failing that, they gun them down, because those infidels must be agents of the Anti-Christ.

  Now, what bothers me most about this game is the fact that it's sure to be - like the book series it's based upon - a runaway bestseller. And not because it's a good game. (It got an abysmally bad 3.4 out 10 rating from GameSpot.com) But because millions and millions of Americans out there believe the ridiculous nonsense behind the game's concept. Millions of Christians didn't buy the Left Behind books to be entertained, but rather to steal a glance at the future they are absolutely positive is in store for humankind.

  Many Christian and Jewish groups saw the invasion of Iraq as a necessary precursor for the Rapture as foretold in Revelations. Far from wanting to avoid war, death, and destruction, they see it as necessary to bring about the Apocalypse and send them to a life of eternal bliss while the rest of burn in Hell's fires.

  It's unbelievably disturbing! To think that people who whole heartedly believe this crap are out there - Everywhere! Running businesses or nonprofits or our country! Reading Good Magazine!

  This level of delusion is dangerous and disturbing. This is why we must not politely avoid challenging religious lies. These lies are shaping the minds of the people shaping our world, and no good can come of that. As Gunter Grass once wrote: "The job of a good citizen is to keep their mouth open."

  Comments (0)

  Posted on December 12, 2006 by - bobotang