Guatemalans on your roof

The Arizona Republic published an interesting article today about how Guatemalan immigrants to the area are setting their sights high.... rooftop-high, that is!

Guatemalans tops at filling area roof jobs
Daniel González

A decade ago, Mexican immigrants dominated the roofing trade here. They toiled at one of the lowest rungs of the construction industry ladder doing the arduous, dangerous work shunned by most Americans, especially in Arizona where triple-digit summer temperatures make roofing especially hellish.

But as earlier waves of Mexican immigrants become more established, they, too, are thumbing their noses at roofing jobs. When they move on to better paying, less dangerous construction work, their old jobs are going to newly arrived immigrants from poor Central American countries.

"Day by day, many Guatemalans are coming," said Alberto Menchu, 27, one of the Guatemalan workers.

Menchu said he paid a smuggler $2,000 in 1994 to help him get from Guatemala to Phoenix, where he landed a job as a roofer within three days. In Guatemala, Menchu earned as little as $8 a week cutting sugar cane. Now he earns nearly twice that amount in a single hour of roofing work.

"If it wasn't for immigrant workers, the industry would be severely curtailed," said Dan Cohen, executive director of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.

Read the complete article

a roll in the sack

I was sleeping soundly in my bed this morning when my girlfriend reached over and gave me a gentle shake.

"I'm awake, I'm awake" I groaned. I glanced at the clock... 5:12 am.

"What the heck?", I demanded. And then it hit me... I don't have a girlfriend.

Slowly it dawned on me that the shaking wasn't coming from my make-believe sweety, but from the bed itself. And the floor. And the walls. In fact, the whole darn apartment was swaying like crazy.

There is a point during every earthquake tremor when your body tenses in anxious anticipation: is this as bad as it is going to get? Do I relax and enjoy the ride? Or is it time to put on my pants so that the rescue crew doesn't find me in my blue undies?

Thankfully this morning's groove was relatively smooth, another 5.1 on the Richter scale. In fact, I fell right back asleep.

About an hour later I woke up screaming... but that's just because I remembered that it was Monday morning. (Ugh.)

Photos & etc.

Well, folks... I'm calling it a night.

I finally finished uploading the remainder of the forty May Day photos to the website. There are a few, um... provocative? ... challenging? ... sensitive? ... photographs in the series. Give them a look, and let me know what you think.

As a pre-emptive comment, I'll confess that I did think twice before adding three of the photos in particular. In the end, though, I realized part of a photographer's responsibility is to capture and share moments in time. And in that sense, not publishing them for fear of provoking discomfort or other negative reactions in viewers would be the worst type of self-censorship.

Coincidently, I've started reading an amazing book: Susan Sontag's On Photography. I'll post any quotes that I find to be interesting, inspiring, and relevant!

And on a completely different note, for those of you worried I'm spending a bit too much time staring at a laptop screen... fret not! Just last night I dropped in on a party and ended up in the middle of an impromptu reunion with muchas amigas from my not-so-recent past. At one point I was dancing with Adela, Quimmy, Dina, Miriam, and Claudia... it took me back about ten years.

Yeah, there were some jokes about soon being able to qualify for a senior citizen's discount at the dance clubs, but all-in-all it was a terrific night. We even shut the place down! (OK, so that's not too difficult to do in Guatemala, where the "Dry Law" closes bars and nightclubs at 1am, but still... I was impressed.)

And tomorrow I'm off to the movies. What a life.

One last bit of positive news: This is my 250th journal entry! Go me for writing it, and go you for reading it!

Goats and M&Ms

Ok, I'm beginning to sense a trend here.

When I post information about CAFTA, human rights violations, or levels of violence in Guatemala... your comments are few and far between. But should the topic of M&Ms or goats arise, suddenly there's a torrent of replies!

So, I've decided that -- in the interest of meeting your reading needs -- my next journal entry will tell the tale of a Guatemalan goat that flees to the US in search of dark-chocolate M&Ms.

(Trust me, this is far better than the other journal option, something about "the new goat-flavored M&Ms.")

Hehe, sorry about that mental image.

In recognition that today is indeed Friday, the end of a long work week, I've decided to lighten the mood a bit and present to you the oddly-satisfying and utterly-time-wasting...

virtual bubble wrap!

Turn up the sound, and pop to your heart's content.

(Thanks to the Creative Procrastination website for this simulated stress-buster.)

Human Rights: USA & Guatemala

Amnesty International has just published it's International Report 2005, which takes an unblinking look at human rights violations around the world. The report, which covers 149 countries, came to this general conclusion:

During 2004, the human rights of ordinary men, women and children were disregarded or grossly abused in every corner of the globe. Economic interests, political hypocrisy and socially orchestrated discrimination continued to fan the flames of conflict around the world. The “war on terror” appeared more effective in eroding international human rights principles than in countering international “terrorism”. The millions of women who suffered gender-based violence in the home, in the community or in war zones were largely ignored. The economic, social and cultural rights of marginalized communities were almost entirely neglected.

Irene Khan, Secretary General of A.I. had some particularly scathing words for the United States in the Report's Foreword:

The USA, as the unrivalled political, military and economic hyper-power, sets the tone for governmental behavior worldwide. When the most powerful country in the world thumbs its nose at the rule of law and human rights, it grants a license to others to commit abuse with impunity and audacity. From Israel to Uzbekistan, Egypt to Nepal, governments have openly defied human rights and international humanitarian law in the name of national security and “counter-terrorism”.

The Guatemala section of the Report opened with this discouraging summary:

Forced violent evictions in rural areas increased sharply. Human rights defenders continued to suffer intimidation and persecution. Violence against women, in particular murders, increased. Impunity remained endemic, including for past human rights violations.

It also quoted a United Nations publication about Guatemala:

MINUGUA’s final report concluded that, despite advances in the political sphere, fundamental reforms envisaged in the 1996 Peace Accords had not been implemented. It noted the persistence of problems of severe racism and vast social inequality. It warned that if left unchecked, the problems could lead to social conflict, stunted economic development and the corrosion of democratic government.

The situation facing women in Guatemala was particularly brutal:

The national police recorded more than 527 women murdered in Guatemala, a significant increase from 2003. Many of those killed, mainly from the poorer sectors of society, were raped prior to death. Some were also mutilated. The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women found that the Guatemalan government was failing in its international obligations to effectively prevent, investigate and prosecute violence against women.

The Guatemalan section ends with a poignant paragraph on threats and intimidation:

Human rights activists, witnesses and members of the judiciary involved in investigations of past human rights violations were subjected to persistent intimidation, death threats and attacks. Trade unionists and journalists were also targeted. Such attacks were frequently commissioned or perpetrated by quasi-official groups allegedly acting in collusion with members of the security forces.

Other resources:

U.S. 'Thumbs Its Nose' at Rights, Amnesty Says (NY Times)

Dying for Drugs

This past Monday I was honored to receive an email from the Aids Project Los Angeles, asking to use one of my photographs for their Spanish-language magazine, Impacto!. The magazine is distributed throughout the Americas, and the upcoming edition will include an article about the impact that CAFTA will have on those living with HIV-AIDS.

Of course I readily agreed. Of all the provisions in CAFTA, few are as blatantly evil (and I don't use that word lightly) as those relating to Intellectual Property laws.

In short: CAFTA extends the patent protections offered to major Pharmaceutical companies, thereby limiting the production of low-cost generic drugs. This is nothing less than a death sentence for the men, women and children already burdened by the twin threats of illness and poverty.

I've just finished reading Drug Deal , an interesting article about the subject posted on the AlterNet website. Here are some excerpts:

More than 78,000 Guatemalans are currently living with HIV/AIDS , according to Doctors Without Borders. Approximately 13,500 of them are in urgent need of antiretroviral treatment; only 3,600 were receiving it as of December 2004.

If, in coming weeks, the U.S. Congress ratifies the bill President Bush signed last year -- the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) -- many of these patients could wind up literally dying for cheap drugs.

According to groups such as Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders, CAFTA's intellectual property protections will give monopoly-like status to high-priced, brand-name drugs in poor markets; potentially killing off generics in Central America and preventing millions of AIDS patients from being able to afford the medicine they need.

Look how much more expensive the brand-name versions are...

In two Guatemala City hospitals, and health centers in Coatepeque and Puerto Barrios, Doctors Without Borders administers antiretroviral medicines to 1,100 patients. Because these meds haven't been patented there, MSF is able to treat more patients -- it dispenses drugs that are 75% to 99% cheaper than the brand-name drugs bought by the Guatemalan government.

Example: Doctors Without Borders pays $216 per person per year for the generic version of AZT+3TC, a part of triple combination ARV therapy. Guatemala's social security system, which buys brand-name, shells out $4,818 per person per year for the same combination.

And some final wise words...

"We are disgusted that the government finds it more important to protect the commercial interests of private industry rather than public health," said Rachel Cohen, advocacy liaison for Doctors Without Borders' Access to Essential Medicines Campaign.

"It is unacceptable that health is so subordinate to trade and economic industry. We are fighting for lives of patients, and we do not accept that health is traded away like any other commodity."

Other Resources:

New Guatemalan law and intellectual property provisions in DR-CAFTA threaten access to affordable medicines

Solidarity Quote

I don't believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person and learns from the other. Most of us have a lot to learn from other people.

Monday smile

Ah, Monday.

Let's see... there's about 10 topics I want-need to write about, but I'm determined... grrrr (that was my determined growl)... to finish editing the May Day march photos.

And yes, I realize that May Day was approximately 22 days ago. But until I find an independently wealthy patron to sponsor this site on a full-time basis (hint, hint?) I'm afraid that I'll have to spend most of my day actually working!

Darn the luck.

But here is a hint of the photos to come. I swear that this girl's expression has quickly become one of my all-time favorite faces! I dare you not to smile...

The Baaaaad Streets of Guatemala

Just when I thought it was safe to return to the office...

The ground has stopped shaking.

The wind has stopped blowing.

But the danger always remains.

The streets of Guatemala city aren't for the weak-hearted. Or the unaware. Peril awaits the inattentive pedestrian.

This morning, for example. I was one block away from my office. About to cross Fifth Avenue. Carefully taking note of the oncoming traffic before stepping off the sidewalk.

When I was nearly run over...

by a renegade, runaway goat.

Yes, goat. A goat that evidently had escaped from his herder. (It might have been a female goat, but saying "her herder" just sounds wrong.) The horned menace nearly blindsided me as it ran (the wrong way, I must add) down the avenue, followed frantically by a middle-aged couple in hot goat-pursuit.

For those of you who have not yet been to Guatemala City, I should stress that this is not a common occurrence. The city is painfully urban, and goats are -- on any given day -- relatively scarce in the downtown area. Nor does the city celebrate a goat-version of the "Running of the Bulls" festival in Pamplona.

This was just one of those special Guatemala moments (kinda like a Kodak moment, but far more bizarre.)

Some people might find living in the midst of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fugitive livestock to be too harrowing, too stressful. Me, I try to accept life as it comes. After all, you can't let these things get your goat.

(Ha, tell me you didn't see that one coming!)

The un-hurricane

"Todo quedó en un susto"

That's one of the headlines from today's Prensa Libre newspaper. Roughly translated, it means: "it was all just a scare."

When I awoke this morning I wasn't sure what to expect. I hurried to my apartment window and was surprised to see the sun burning brightly in a shockingly-blue sky.

Thankfully, hurricane Adrian quickly lost strength last night as soon as it hit land in El Salvador. Trees were knocked down, there were power outages, but no major damage was done. There is very sketchy information regarding fatalities:

Already one death was indirectly linked to the storm: a military pilot died Wednesday when the small plane he was ferrying from San Salvador's civilian airport to a military base as a precaution against the heavy winds crashed. Officials did not give the cause of the accident.

In neighboring Guatemala, two workers were killed in the collapse of a ditch they were digging under a light rain in the village of Caxaque, 160 miles west of Guatemala City. Local firefighters said it was unclear whether the collapse was related to the rains.

[Associated Press]

All things considered, it looks as if Central America got off easy with this hurricane. (I'm sure the Rhodes family in Florida would agree with that!)

My thanks, though, to all of you who kept me company in the tense hours leading up to the storm. I was "blown away" (heh, sorry) by your kind comments and emails.

And now, nuts, it looks like it's going to rain.

Hurricane Update #3

It's just about 9pm, and all is quiet. Very, very quiet. No rain, just a slight breeze. From what I can tell, the storm is hitting further south than originally expected. Which means that El Salvador will catch most of the hurricane's force.

In fact, here's the latest from the National Hurricane Center in Miami:

...CENTER OF HURRICANE VERY NEAR THE COAST OF EL SALVADOR...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE COAST OF EL SALVADOR.

AT 8 PM PDT...THE GOVERNMENT OF GUATEMALA HAS DOWNGRADED THE HURRICANE WARNING TO A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE PACIFIC COAST OF GUATEMALA EAST OF SIPICATE TO THE BORDER OF EL SALVADOR...AND DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH FROM SIPICATE WESTWARD TO THE GUATEMALA-MEXICO BORDER.

It seems that Guatemala will escape most of Adrian's fury. So let's keep our thoughts and prayers with the people of El Salvador and Honduras tonight.

More news tomorrow!

Hurricane Update #2

The rain is still falling lightly, and the sky has actually brightened a bit from this morning. The temperature has dropped rather drastically though... I'm actually wearing a fleece pullover in the office.

Just a couple of quick observations:

1. The word for hurricane in Spanish, "huracán", sounds much more threatening than its English counterpart.

"Hurricane" sounds too much like "candy cane" to be truly scary. Whereas "huracán" is pronounced "u-ra-KHAN", which sounds like an evil villain from outer space, or a raiding barbarian warrior.

2. Check out this "good news" article:

Adrian May Become Hurricane, Unlikely To Affect Florida

There's good news for Florida regarding the season's first tropical storm.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Adrian's new track shows the storm staying south of the tip of Florida. Projections also indicate that Adrian should break apart and lose strength as it passes over the Yucatan Peninsula.

The news is not so good for Central America. Until Adrian makes landfall, it is expected to continue to strengthen and may reach Category 1 hurricane strength before it reaches Guatemala and El Salvador.

You know... when Florida got smacked last year by repeated hurricanes, not once did a Guatemalan newspaper carry the story :"Better Them Than Us!" or "Wow, it Sucks to be You, Florida!"

Geez, is it any wonder that the US has the worldwide reputation as a self-centered nation? (Present company excepted, of course!)

3. I'm off to brave the elements (ok, the drizzle) in search of enlightenment (ok, lunch). Be back soon!

Hurricane Update #1

Good morning, everyone!

The rain just started falling on this dreary gray Guatemala City morning. It's barely more than a drizzle right now, almost refreshing on my walk to work. No need for the umbrella.... yet.

By the way, yesterday's tremor was 5.1 on the Richter scale. There were four more repetitions shortly thereafter, and one more this morning at 1am (which I soundly slept through.)

Here's more on the big winds blowing our way:

Evacuations ordered as Adrian approaches

Forecasters predict landfall on Thursday

Guatemala City, Guatemala (AP) -- Central American governments summoned boats from the sea and prepared evacuations as the season's first tropical storm headed for their coasts on Wednesday, and a Salvadoran military pilot died in the crash of a small plane he was ferrying out of the storm's path.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that Tropical Storm Adrian's center could strike near the Guatemala-El Salvador border on Thursday, bringing torrential rains to an area where past flooding has often been devastating.

The pilot was taking a four-seat Cessna away from San Salvador's civilian airport and transferring it to a military base as a precaution in advance of the storm. The plane crashed and burned at a spot about 20 miles southeast of the capital. The pilot was the only person aboard the craft.

Adrian already had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and it was centered about 230 miles southwest of the coastal border between Guatemala and El Salvador.

El Salvador's government declared a tropical storm warning for the entire country.

Adrian was headed east-northeast, toward the coast, at nearly 8 mph, and forecasters said it could reach hurricane force of 74 mph before making land. The storm's outer bands were already bringing rain to parts of Guatemala on Wednesday.

Adrian grew from a tropical depression into a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon.

The executive secretary for Guatemala's disaster prevention agency, Hugo Hernandez, said that officials were getting set for evacuations and to set up shelters for some of the 400,000 people living in high-risk parts of southern Guatemala.

Guatemala and El Salvador banned all maritime activity along their Pacific coasts, calling on fishermen to return to port.

"We are concerned, though we hope that Adrian changes direction and drops in intensity," said Hugo Arevalo, spokesman for Honduras' emergency commission, which declared a state of alert Tuesday evening.

Many rural Central Americans live in flimsy houses on hillsides or near rivers, so storm-caused flooding can cause disasters. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, arriving from the Caribbean, killed at least 9,000 people in Central America.

Most Pacific storms tend toward the northwest, marching roughly parallel to the coastline and then edging out to sea or veering inland.

The Hurricane Center said that since 1966, only one tropical depression has ever hit the coasts of Guatemala or El Salvador in May and none have done it so early. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season only began on Sunday.

The Hurricane Center said there was some chance the storm could survive a passage across Central America and emerge, weakened, in the Caribbean as a tropical depression.

Today's forecast: Hurricane & Earthquake

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Guate anymore...

I'm not worried. So I live in the tallest building in the area. So I live on the top floor of that building. So the only thing that stands between me and a hurricane's wickedly-whipping winds is a roof made of thin tin sheets. I'm not worried.

(Well, ok, maybe just a little bit.)

Hey, who knows? I may be "flying" to States sooner than I had expected!

[AND IF THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH WE'RE HAVING AN EARTHQUAKE TREMOR AS I TYPE THIS!!!!]

Sheesh, you know you're screwed when you have to stop writing about the incoming hurricane because the earthquake keeps shaking your desk.

What a country.

Pacific storm threatens Central America

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

(CNN) -- An unusual-moving Pacific tropical storm threatened Guatemala and El Salvador on Wednesday, and forecasters said it may reach hurricane strength before landfall.

Tropical Storm Adrian, the first of the Pacific storm season, was about 295 miles southwest of the Guatemala-El Salvador border, according to the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

The storm's winds were sustained at 50 mph, with stronger gusts, and the hurricane center said some strengthening would occur over the next 24 hours.

Forecasters also said a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch may be issued for parts of El Salvador and Guatemala later Wednesday. A tropical storm watch already is in effect for the coast of El Salvador and the Pacific coast of Guatemala.

Lost in Guatemala

You might be wondering why I didn't post a journal entry last night.

You see... I was working on a article about exceptionally horrendous reading habits in Guatemala, but I decided to blow it off and watch t.v. instead.

Ironic, right?

Well, if you were looking forward to the journal entry (and you were, weren't you?) then you can blame my friend Karla Droege. If, for some unfathomable reason you were relieved not to see a journal entry, then you can thank her. Either way, it's her fault.

She's the one who got me hooked on Lost, the weekly show about survivors of a plane wreck who are stranded on a beautiful yet bizarre tropical island. What is Lost? Well, if you were to throw Gilligan's Island, Lord of the Flies, and the Twilight Zone into a blender (with a dash of Jurassic Park) you'd get something approximating this strange, enthralling, and ultimately addictive program.

And of course, each Monday evening the show ends with a cliff-hanger, which means roughly 167 hours of hellish expectation until the next damn episode airs.

For those of you Lost fans out there (and you know who you are) I should clarify something. After reading the previous paragraph you were probably saying to yourself "Monday night? I think maybe Rob has Lost his mind. The show airs on Wednesday evenings!"

Well, yes. And no. If you live in the US-of-A then yep, Wednesday nights on ABC. But if you live in the Guate-ma-la then it can only be seen on an rather eclectic cable station called AXN on Monday nights.

AND, I should add... as in many things Guatemalan we're running ever-so-slightly behind in the episode count. In fact, last night I watched episode 12... whereas "up north" tomorrow's episode is, I believe, number 23. So don't you... DON'T YOU DARE... write me with a "ohmigod, can you believe that so-and-so happened last night?!?"... because for me so-and-so won't happen for another six-freaking months.

Ok, tomorrow... back to the "real world".

Matt's Confirmation

I want to give a special shout-out to my nephew, Matthew Perri, who was Confirmed today at Grace Lutheran Church. And not to brag (ahem), but he also scored a 98 on his Confirmation final exam. (And that, he assured me, was without cheating.) Impressive.

Congratulations, Matt... I'm proud of you!

PS: You're still a punk, but now you're a Confirmed punk. And I respect that.

Attacks against activists

Last week it became clear that there is a covert "carrot and stick" campaign underway in Guatemala designed expedite approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

In the "carrot" part of the campaign, President Berger flew to Washington D.C. for smiling photo-ops with George W. Bush, and a face-to-face lobbying effort with skeptical members of the U.S. Congress in order to gain their support for CAFTA.

In the "stick" part of the campaign, unknown assailants attacked individuals and organizations in Guatemala which have spoken out against CAFTA.

In the past week alone, there were eight cases of breaking and entering in the offices of organizations that oppose the trade agreement. In the case of two offices: CNOC (the National Coordinating Body of Campesino Organizations) and HIJOS (Sons and Daughters for Identity, Justice, and Remembrance Against Silence), valuables were left behind while hard drives containing sensitive information were taken.

As one Guatemalan journalist writes: "the object of the break-ins is to discover who is providing financial, political or operational assistance to these organizations."

Other groups which have suffered forced entries are: The National Human Rights Movement in Santa Rosa (May 8), The Federation of Lutheran Churches in the Peten (May 8), The Institute for Comparative Criminal Science Studies (May 10), and the CUSG - Guatemalan Labor Unity Confederation (May 10).There was also an attempted break-in at the offices of the CGTG - Guatemalan Worker's Confederation on May 10th.

On May 11th, the home of Byron Garoz (of CONGCOOP - The Coordination of NGOs and Cooperatives ) and Cristina Buczko (Coordinator of the Austrian Accompaniment Project) was broken into and ransacked.

According to Amnesty International, so far this year 65 activists and organizations have been the victims of attacks which have included "robberies, attempted kidnappings, attempted murders, and persecution." Amnesty has asked the Guatemalan authorities to initiate an immediate investigation, and to bring the guilty parties to justice.

Here's the story from the Washington Post:

Break-Ins Stir Criticism of Government

Guatemala City -- A rash of break-ins at the offices and homes of activists opposing a free trade pact with the United States prompted Guatemala's top human rights official to criticize the government Friday for failing to protect the activists.

Five groups opposed to the Central American Free Trade Agreement were burglarized within 48 hours this week. The attacks were similar to thefts from government critics routinely carried out by paramilitary groups during a bloody 36-year civil war that ended in 1996, and they raised concerns about renewed paramilitary activity.

Many of the break-ins took place as President Oscar Berger toured Washington to drum up support for the pact, which seeks to lower trade barriers between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

The accord is opposed by some U.S. and Central American labor groups who say it fails to protect workers' rights.

Resources:

Ocho ataques en seis días

Amnistía condena ataques

Allanan y violentan las oficinas de H.I.J.O.S. Guatemala

Aumenta nuevamente Terrosimo de Estado en contra de sectores de oposición al TLC

Cool Cafta Quotes

Last Thursday George W. Bush welcomed to Washington the presidents of Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic.

It was a photo-op born of mounting desperation. As the vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) looms ever nearer, it is becoming increasingly clear that it faces serious resistance from both sides of the Congressional aisle.

Why does CAFTA face such opposition from politicians, labor unions, churches, famers, health organizations, and human rights defenders (amongst others)?

I'll let the qoutes speak for themselves:

"While it's impressive for presidents to come and say hello, at the end of the day, with all due respect, the first order of business for me is protecting my constituents." [Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida.]

"All the teary-eyed arguments about how this is good for democracy and prosperity -- none of that will happen if all the agreement does is enrich multinational corporations, cost good jobs here in the United States and create sweatshop jobs in Central America." [Thea M. Lee, chief international economist for the AFL-CIO.]

''DR-CAFTA poses a serious threat to farmers in my country who won't be able to compete with highly subsidized U.S. producers.'' [Victorio Valerio, president of the Dominican Republic's National Federation of Rice Producers, which represents 30,000 small-scale rice farmers.]

"This is going to displace the poorest of the poor without any international development plan for what to do with these people." [Jeff Vogt, a senior associate at the Washington Office on Latin America.]

"Mr. President, the workers of Central America and the Dominican Republic do not enjoy the freedoms in the workplace that permit them to advance the cause of economic stability in their own families, and importantly, in their countries." [Rep. Charles B. Rangel, New York Democrat, and three colleagues in a letter to Mr. Bush.]

''CAFTA says to these countries with woefully inadequate laws and practices, just enforce your own laws. This is a double standard not accepted in any other area of international trade.'' [Sander Levin, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives trade subcommittee.]

"There has always been a certain attitude among some economists and trade advocates that the issue is simply trade: Reduce the barriers and move forward. What we've discovered in the last 10 or 15 years is that, yes, that's a part of it, but if you want to reduce poverty and move people to the middle class, you need more than that. You need an emphasis on workers' rights. A balance must be struck between the short-term needs of business and the needs of workers." [Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington state.]

"In essence, CAFTA is a way to enable American corporations to move jobs overseas, exploit cheap labor in the developing world and import products back into the United States." [Rep. Robert Wexler D-Florida.]

"Cafta -- We Don't Hafta." [A.F.L.-C.I.O. slogan.]

"Generic competition has lowered HIV drug costs. If Bush gets his way, CAFTA will lock countries into tough new patent rules that will drive the cost of life-saving drugs up and delay or obstruct generic competition." [Asia Russell, of the nonprofit organization Health GAP.]

"I believe CAFTA is where Congress draws the line on America's failed trade policies." [Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.]

"Free trade agreements must abide by certain core principles: they should foster closer economic cooperation among and within countries and raise standards of living, especially for the poorest and most abandoned; there should be broad debate about their content and impact in all countries involved; and they should be part of a broader agenda of sustainable human development and closely linked to aid and migration policies. Unfortunately, the Central America Free Trade Agreement falls significantly short of these principles." [Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala]

Just to be fair, I'll end with a quote from a government official, published this evening, that reflects the Bush administration's openness to listening to these varied voices and hearing their compelling concerns:

"We don't feel the need to renegotiate anything." [Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Commerce Secretary]

Sources:
[ The Washington Post, The Washington Post (2), The Sun Sentinel, The World Peace Herald, NewsFactor, IPS News, The NY Times, The Nation, Reuters ]

Peace Duke photo fakery

It was too good to be true...

Well, folks, it turns out that the "Peace Duke" t-shirt photograph I had posted on Tuesday isn't real. A foreign Photoshop fiend faked the funny phony photo! (Say that three times fast.)

The original snapshot was lifted off the website of Senator Olympia Snow (R-Maine) posing here with the Peace Duke.

Yes, what can be more frustrating than a phony photo of a pretend president?

Still I take heart in the fact that:

1. The "Peace Duke" protest and posters were very real indeed.

2. Someone in Latvia will now, undoubtedly, decide to have the t-shirts printed.

3. "Piz-duk", the Russian word for bastard, is a helluva lot of fun to say, and I find that I'm now working it into conversations with people that piss me off.

4. And finally, there is absolutely no proof whatsoever that George isn't wearing "Peace Duke" underwear!

Those Crazy Latvians

During Bush's recent trip to Latvia he was greeted by posters which read: "Welcome Peace Duke".

The surprise is that the posters were actually part of a protest campaign by the very clever Latvian antiwar movment. "Peace Duke", when spoken aloud, sounds exactly like the Russian word "piz-duk", which means... "bastard"!!!! (And that, evidently, is a "gentle" translation of the word!)

It seems that the Washington Post didn't get the joke, either.

All I can say is "Long Live Latvia", the world's most linguistically-wily protesters!

Article: Pirates of the Caribbean

Go C.W.A.!!!

High-tech companies, workers split over CAFTA

Erica Werner
Associated Press

Washington - High-tech companies and the workers they employ squared off Tuesday over a Central American and Caribbean free trade agreement, with the high-tech lobby renewing its support for the pact as employee groups released a report criticizing it.

The study by groups led by the Communications Workers of America labeled the high-tech industry "the real pirates of the Caribbean" for supporting the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA.

The report described benefits from the proposed agreement as negligible and said it could result in fewer jobs and lower wages for American workers, while expanding controversial copyright rules opposed by inventors and others.

"These trade agreements are accelerating the ability and trend of companies to send jobs overseas," Marcus Courtney, president of the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, said at a press conference to release the report.

"What they actually want to try to do is gain access to the cheap labor markets that are available there and obviously are a threat to U.S. workers."

Read the entire article

Help Stop CAFTA!

A click in the right direction....

From Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO

Help Stop CAFTA—Send Congress a Message Now:

Today, more than 1,000 industrial union members are on Capitol Hill, urging Congress to reject the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Please join them in a Virtual Lobby Day by sending a message to Congress now. Click this link, or keep reading:

www.unionvoice.org/campaign/StopCAFTA

CAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) all over again—but with broader reach. CAFTA, President Bush’s No. 1 trade priority, would extend NAFTA’s job loss, economic inequality, workers’ rights abuse and environmental damage to five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. Many people call it NAFTA’s twin brother.

It’s important to contact your members of Congress about CAFTA this week because the pressure’s really on them right now. President Bush is hosting leaders of the six CAFTA countries on Thursday and you can bet he’ll be twisting arms on Capitol Hill in an attempt to win support for NAFTA II.

NAFTA has cost nearly 1 million jobs in the United States and has failed to improve life for the workers of Mexico. Rather than creating good jobs and protecting workers, CAFTA would destroy more good U.S. jobs and actually weaken protections for Central American workers. CAFTA would reward governments that clearly violate international workers’ rights standards by granting them trade preferences—and it would shield these governments from legal challenges about their treatment of workers.

CAFTA isn’t good for U.S. workers and it’s sure not good for our counterparts in Central America and the Dominica Republic. Tell your members of Congress to reject this CAFTA. Click here:

www.unionvoice.org/campaign/StopCAFTA

Please join the Virtual Lobby Day by e-mailing your members of Congress and urging friends and colleagues to e-mail Congress today, too. Click here to invite others to join you:

www.unionvoice.org/campaign/StopCAFTA/forward

Thank you for all you do for working families, here and in other countries.

In solidarity,

Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
May 10, 2005

Big Freaking Mac

On a lighter (or should I say "heavier") note...

A Pennsylvania restaurant is the new home of the world's biggest hamburger ... one that weighs a whopping 15 pounds.

Dubbed the Beer Barrel Belly Buster, the burger comes with 10.5 pounds of ground beef, 25 slices of cheese, a head of lettuce, three tomatoes, two onions, a cup-and-a-half each of mayonnaise, relish, ketchup, mustard and banana peppers, and a 36-ounce bun. It costs $35. (Tums not included.)

But before you order yours, medium-rare, you might want to consider asking yourself one of the following questions, thoughtfully provided by David Letterman.

Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Eating a 15 lb. Hamburger

10. "Does this restaurant have a defibrillator?"

9. "Am I that hungry or should I order the 12-pound cheeseburger?"

8. "Does it come with fries?"

7. "Would it be easier to eat 60 quarter-pounders?"

6. "Can I get it on a low-carb bun?"

5. "How expensive is it to be buried in a piano case?"

4. "What am I going to have for dessert?"

3. "Why is everybody looking at me?"

2. "What would Jesus do?"

1. "Can I super-size that?"

Thanks to The Daily Koz for this disgustingly funny post!

Article: REAL ID a reality

As expected, the House of Representatives last week approved the anti-immigrant provisions known as the "REAL ID Act", which Republicans had nefariously attached to an emergency appropriations bill.

The bill passed by a 368-58 vote. The Senate is expected to approve the final version of the appropriations bill when it resumes sessions this week.

REAL ID Act Approved

The final bill requires applicants for state driver's licenses to show proof of citizenship or legal residency, document a home address and provide a photo ID. State motor vehicle department would have to verify the documents using federal databases. States would have three years to comply with these requirements. If a state didn't comply, its licenses couldn't be used for federal identification purposes, such as boarding planes or entering federal buildings.

Some of the bill's controversial asylum provisions were modified in the final version. As passed, the Real ID Act will require applicants for asylum to prove that their race, religion, national origin, political opinion or membership in a particular social group constituted "at least one central reason" for their persecution. Current law requires applicants show that their persecution was based "at least in part" on one of these factors; the original version of REAL ID would have required applicants to prove that one of these factors was "a central reason" for their persecution.

Taken out of the final version of the bill were provisions eliminating stays of removal (which would have allowed asylum seekers to be deported while their cases are on appeal to federal court), giving bail bondspeople unprecedented power to detain immigrants in removal proceedings, and restricting judicial review of credibility determinations by immigration authorities. In a positive development, the Real ID Act removes the annual cap--presently 10,000--on the number of asylees who can adjust their status to permanent residency.

REAL ID gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to waive any legal regulation that would impede the construction of border barriers, fences, or roads. It also limits legal challenges to such projects to those brought on constitutional grounds. The original version of REAL ID would have required the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive all laws that would impede barrier construction, and would have barred all court challenges.

Read more from the Immigrant Solidarity Network

¡Feliz Día de la Madre!

Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom a guy could hope for!

My mother with Jupiter, a dolphin who currently resides in Cancun. (Mom is the one on the left) Photo by Bob Cruickshank.

And Happy Mother's to day to all the other Moms out there. I don't know how you do it. I really don't. I have been threatened, detained, tear-gassed and shot at... but I am honestly convinced that being a parent is the toughest job in the world.

I mean, going to Guatemala is one thing. But allowing your son to go to Guatemala with your blessing... wow, that's heroic.

I love you, ma! Te quiero mucho, mucho, mucho!

Kingdom of Heaven

Two of my favorite "escapes" are reading and going to the movies. The latter pastime has been greatly enhanced by the arrival in Guatemala of Cinépolis, a Mexico-based chain of movie theatres.

Besides the enormous screens, plush stadium seating, and state-of-the-art digital sound, the company does two things right:

1. It hosts foreign film festivals (a European cinema festival started yesterday), and

2. It frequently releases blockbuster movies on the same day as the USA!

Which is a big thing. Traditionally, movies would arrive here in Guatemala months and months (and months) after they've been released stateside. For example: Spanglish, Son of the Mask, and Phantom of the Opera are currently playing in theatres here.

In fact, when I see a movie being advertised on CBS, and the trailer ends with "coming soon to a theater near you", my first thought is "yeah, not likely".

But on occasion, I am able to attend a movie on the very same day as my friends and family in gringolandia. And today was one of those days!

This afternoon I went to see the premiere of Kingdom of Heaven, starring Orlando Bloom.

Or rather I went to see "Crusade" (Cruzada), as the movie is known here in Guatemala.

I have no idea why film titles are often renamed in Spanish, instead of simply translated. For example, the movie "White Noise" with Michael Keaton, is showing as "Voices from Beyond" (Voces del Mas Alla). The Julia Roberts film "Closer" is known as "Swept Away by Desire" (Llevados por el Deseo). Go figure.

I am pleased to report, though, that "Spanglish" is still "Spanglish".

Anyway...

The movie was an EPIC ADVENTURE. Sorry, but I absolutely had to say that in capital letters. It is a stunning film, visually. The story isn't half bad, either. The theme -- the absurdly high cost of the conflict between Christian and Muslim extremists -- is timely, to say the least.

In fact, if you mix the power struggles from "The Passion of the Christ", with the forbidden amorous relationship from "Shakespeare in Love", add in the battle scenes from "The Lord of the Rings", and the iron mask from the "The Man in the Iron Mask"... you pretty much get the "Kingdom of Heaven".

Definitely worth seeing. Especially if you live in Guatemala, where the ticket price is only $3. (Pocorn not included.)

And finally, because she will want to know... yes Kim, Orlando Bloom is sufficiently hunky in the film. You'll love it.

Guatemala: A Rising Faith

PBS, the last bastion of truly intelligent television.

Their latest Religion & Ethics Newsweekly offers a concise, fascinating, in-depth, and even entertaining look at the amazing inroads that Protestant Evangelicals are making in the very Catholic country of Guatemala.

You can either read a transcript of the program or watch the video. Good stuff!

Guatemala: A Rising Faith
May 6, 2005 - Episode no. 836

Bob Abernethy, anchor: We have a special report today on one of the big changes going on within Christianity. It's the dramatic growth in Latin America, once almost exclusively Catholic, of Protestant Evangelicals. Saul Gonzales looks at what is happening in Guatemala.

Saul Gonzalez: For centuries, faith in Latin America has largely been synonymous with Catholic rites and rituals, like this traditional religious procession through the streets of Guatemala City on the eve of Lent.

Yet increasingly the Catholic Church's spiritual dominance in this part of the world is being challenged by other faiths -- namely Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity.

In recent years, Evangelical Protestant churches have attracted millions of followers in Latin America and moved from the margins of religious life into the mainstream.

In Guatemala, it's estimated that up to 40 percent of the population identify themselves as Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians.

Visit the PBS Religion & Ethics website.

05x3

I'm editing the photographs from the May Day march, and should have the first five or so online tonight (providing I don't fall asleep at the keyboard first.)

Speaking of five... happy Oh-5 Oh-5 Oh-5 day!

That's right, today is 05-05-05. Actually, in Guatemala the date is written with the day first, then the month, and then the year. So it's actually 05-05-05. (Try to keep up with me here, people!)

Today is also El Cinco de Mayo, which in Guatemala means absolutely nothing at all.

Still, I hope you had a happy one.

Big "Oh, Brother!"

George Orwell was obviously a man ahead of his time. Instead of "1984", his story of a totalitarian state controlling every aspect of life should really be titled "2005".

How a license check can become a trapdoor

By Nina Bernstein
The New York Times

Congress is still a few days away from establishing sweeping federal requirements for a driver's license, including proof that an applicant's presence in the United States is legal. But as Jorge Medina-González discovered late last year when he drove to the store for a can of paint, in places like Nutley, New Jersey, the rules of the road have already changed.

Medina, 42, was close to home when two Nutley police officers stopped his Jeep Cherokee because of a broken taillight. They asked for his license and registration, then his Social Security number. In the few minutes it took them to search a national database in a curbside version of the kind of checks that Congress is about to require nationwide, the American life Medina had built over 13 years began to crumble.

Like many of the estimated 10 million illegal residents in the United States, Medina - who came here in 1991 to escape poverty and political violence in his native Guatemala - has repeatedly tried to legalize his status through shifting rules set by Congress, and the delays of an overwhelmed immigration system. He stood before the police as a taxpaying Nutley homeowner with no criminal record, the father of two U.S. citizens, and a cook at a New York catering company that was sponsoring him for a green card.

But the computer search came back with a single message: Immigration authorities, at one point, had ordered him deported. His driver's license became a one-way ticket to immigration jail, where he remains.

Read the entire article.

Positive feedback

Sigh... working on the website.

There are times when, walking back to the office after my post-work cappuccino, that I silently say to myself: "what the hell are you doing?" And then, noticing the odd looks on the faces of the people passing by, I come to realize that I've actually said it out loud.

But what the hell am I doing?

Who in their right mind returns to their office, having already escaped its nine-to-five confines? Ah, but there's the detail: who in their right mind, indeed?

As I watch my evenings, my weekends, and sometimes even my vacations sacrificed on the altar of the almighty Homepage, I begin to question my own sanity. (Yes, as many of you have been doing all along.)

But then something extraordinary happens. Something that makes it all suddenly seem worthwhile: I remember that I didn't have much of a social life anyway, so what the heck, no big loss!

No, no, that's not it. What happens is that I receive a compliment from out of the blue (or whatever color the internet might be):

Kind emails from visitors as far away as Greece and Israel!

An extremely flattering site recommendation from Rudy Girón, a fellow blogger in Guatemala, who I hope to meet someday!

A request from LeftTurn, a progressive online magazine to use one of my photographs on their website.

A letter from a renowned professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, asking to use three of my photos as illustrations for an article that she is writing for the Berkeley Review of Latin American Studies journal.

And an email from a talented graphic designer who wants to use one of my photographs for the cover of a British journal, Historical Materialism.

Now, I'm not bragging here. Well, ok, maybe a little. But what I'm really trying to say is how much I truly appreciate these letters and requests.

It makes me feel --even while sitting here in an empty office at eight o'clock in the evening-- that it just might be worth all the effort!

Article: Moderates slam CAFTA

Yet another nail in the CAFTA coffin?

Moderate Dems Oppose Trade Agreement

Four Democratic moderates who are crucial swing votes in Republican efforts to win approval of a free trade pact with Central America said Wednesday they would oppose the agreement because of what they consider weak labor provisions.

"As ardent supporters of fair trade, we cannot support the existing proposal and we call upon the president to go back to the drawing board," said Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., chair of the centrist group New Democrat Coalition.

Tauscher was joined by Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Artur Davis, D-Ala., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., in a letter to President Bush saying they could not support the Central American Free Trade Agreement. They cited what they called its weak approach to worker rights and the administration's inadequate backing for retraining programs for American workers suffering from the effects of trade.

The four joined the overwhelming majority of Democrats who fault what is called the CAFTA agreement because they say it does little to change labor conditions in an area beset by low wages, child labor and suppression of unions.

Read the entire article

Article: More labor woes

Here's a terrific article to follow up on yesterday's anti-CAFTA post.

Central America lags on labor rights for trade deal

Wed May 4, 2005

By Frank Jack Daniel

Guatemala City (Reuters) - Sitting in a dark room beneath photographs of union leaders slain in the 1980s, workers at a Guatemalan factory say they have been punched, threatened and followed by cars with darkened windows since forming a union in 2003.

Union leaders at the South Korean-owned Nobland clothing factory in Guatemala City are sometimes being escorted by international human rights observers after a series of alleged threats and violence.

Labor activists say Central America still has not done enough to meet conditions for a free trade agreement with the United States.

A skeptical U.S. Congress has refused to pass the U.S-Central America Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, for months as Democrats demand that countries enforce their work codes.

The region's governments are notoriously lax in making companies, such as textile factories, fulfill requirements like benefits packages and severance pay, citing fears the factories will simply go elsewhere.

The three unions in Guatemala's more than 100 textile factories all complain of death threats, harassment, illegal firings and a lack of support from government watchdogs.

Read the entire article

Ah, Democracy...

Unbelievable.

As part of the negotiations for CAFTA (the Central American Free Trade Agreement), the U.S. Labor Department commissioned the International Labor Rights Fund to evaluate the situation of workers in Central America.

Which is a good thing.

Not surprisingly, the ILRF study discovered that labor standards in CAFTA nations are NOT up to international standards, citing examples of workplace discrimination and systematically quashed worker organization.

So the Bush administration tried to bury the report.

Rep. Sander Levin, a Democrat from Michigan, requested a copy of the study, but was rebuffed by the Labor Department for more than a year. Finally, he threatened congressional action to force the documents into the public domain.

The Bush administration then said the study was not suppressed; it was not released to the public because it had "serious flaws." ("Serious flaws", in Bushspeak, means: "the facts don't match our preconceived opinions.")

This seems to be recurring theme in the Bush regime: commissioning studies and then rejecting their findings. Perhaps the most recent example is a Harvard investigation (EPA-financed, co-authored, and peer-reviewed) which emphasized the urgent need to limit mercury emissions from U.S. power plants. The study was then dismissed by an EPA administrator as, guess what: "flawed"!

But back to CAFTA....

The trade agreement, if approved by Congress, would provide more money for enforcement, but would not require any changes in current labor laws.

"Essentially, what CAFTA says to Central American countries is, 'Your laws fall so short of international standards - just enforce your own laws,'" Levin said. "That means, of course, the laws can become even worse."

Chris Padilla, assistant U.S. trade representative, responded: "We prefer to listen to the ... voices of those in Central America who know the most, not to a Washington advocacy group whose work has been repudiated by the Department of Labor".

Well, Chris, listen to this:

CAFTA is more commonly referred to as the TLC, Tratado de Libre Comercio (Free Trade Agreement).

With the TLC: unemployment, violence, poverty, hunger and misery.

The U.S. as Grim Reaper with the TLC.

Children who are aware, will not be fooled. We want our ABCs and not the TLC!

The United Franciscan Family salutes the working class on Labor Day... No to the TLC.

Anti-elitist, anti-capitalist... no to the TLC.

No to the TLC!

Chris, those are the "voices of those in Central America who know the most". So what part of "NO" don't you understand?

Article: Travel Advisory

More news my Mom is going to love...

U.S. alerts citizens of risks in Guatemala

Washington, DC, May. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department Tuesday issued a warning for citizens to be alert for security threats while traveling in Guatemala.

An increase in violent crime on that nation's highways, as well as in armed robberies on city streets and in private homes, prompted the warning.

But the department acknowledged the majority of travelers visit Guatemala without mishap.

"All travelers should remain vigilant and take appropriate measures to limit risk and losses," the department said in a statement. "Assailants often respond violently if they perceive resistance from their victims."

The State Department said robberies in homes occur when criminals impersonate delivery personnel or repairmen, or forcibly accompany guests or family members through an open gate to gain entry to a home.

Urban bandits operate freely on city streets, including major hotel and restaurant districts, and use a variety of weapons to steal briefcases, laptop computers, purses, and backpacks, the statement said.

From The Washington Times

Latest Cafta news

Here's hopeful, albeit lukewarm, news from the Anti-Cafta front:

Democratic Leaders Reid, Hoyer Say Cafta Will Fail

May 3 (Bloomberg) -- Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, and Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, predicted the Central American Free Trade Agreement won't pass because of opposition from their party.

Democrats' complaints about the potential undermining of the domestic sugar industry, the impact on the record U.S. trade deficit, slack enforcement of labor and environmental laws in Central America, and disillusionment over the decade-old North American Free Trade Agreement is putting Cafta in jeopardy.

"I think most Democrats won't vote for" Cafta, Reid said in an interview. "I don't think it will pass."

Hoyer of Maryland told reporters today that he sees Democrats voting "overwhelmingly against" Cafta, and that there may not be enough support among Republicans to even hold a vote.

Read the entire article

May Day!

This morning thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets to celebrate May Day, a world-wide commemoration of workers.

This year's march, through the streets of Guatemala City, was nothing short of massive. It'll be interesting to read the papers tomorrow and see how many men, women, and children actually participated in the protest. My rough guesstimate would be between ten and fifteen thousand people!

Despite a very clear rejection of CAFTA and other adverse economic policies of the Berger administration, the march itself was upbeat, creative, colorful, energetic, and righteously radical.

I'll be putting many more photos on the website in the next few days, so keep checking back.

Now, however, I'm heading home. I'm beyond exhausted. My eyes are so crossed that I'm seeing everything in 3-D. Besides, tomorrow is yet another big day here in Guatemala!

(That's called a teaser, folks!)

Habitat Logo

Here's some interesting news for all you Habitat supporters out there. I like it! What do you think?

Habitat for Humanity Introduces New Logo

Americus, Ga., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity, which is poised to celebrate three milestones -- its 200,000th house worldwide, its millionth person housed and its 30th anniversary -- is today introducing a new logo to secure and promote a consistent image around the world.

Read the entire article.