thursday, may 01, 2008
The Paradigm Shift in American Sportswriting
Earlier this week, Will Lietch, the man behind the fantastically popular sports blog, Deadspin, decided to take part in a panel on Bob Costas's HBO show, CostasNow. Also taking part was Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger, who has made a name as an author of books on various sports themes.The discourse died the second Bissinger told Lietch "You're full of shit."
Now, I might not possess a Pulitzer Prize but years ago, when I was setting out to get a degree in Philosophy, I learned the hard way that the hallmark of a losing argument was when you became incensed. Cursing means you have graduated to simply showing your ass.
Undaunted, Bissinger went on to excoriate Lietch as an exemplar of all the excesses attributable to those who write under the aegis of bloggers. In one sense, Lietch is a valid target due to the sheer dominance his site has over its niche. But the vitrol this lauded writer spewed out obliterated any possibility of discourse. read more
monday, july 30, 2007
A Requiem for Foreign Journalism
I got an email from a gentleman I know very slightly through another website this week asking for information about Peru. Turns out he is about to head down here with his family and had some serious concerns about the situation in the country.He did his research and came up with a number of stories about recent unrest which, allied with a State Department warning issued last week, had sharpened his concerns.
“It is hard to judge from the limited info I can find what the feeling is like down there,” he wrote.
I was able to give him an “on the ground” report – as well as pointing him to my entries on the incidents I’ve posted on my other blog Andean Currents - that assuaged his concerns but the fact he felt the need to even contact me over this was troubling to me. read more
monday, may 14, 2007
Sober
Two years ago I woke up with a bit of a hangover after having a bunch of friends over for dinner the night before and decided that was the last one I would ever put myself through.And, so, with that, I joined the ranks of the non-drinkers.
The first question I get when I tell folks I don't drink is "Why?" My glib answer is that everyone says “I can quit whenever I want to” and I did. The real answer is a bit more thorny.
I like beer. I like all different types of alcohol. I enjoy reveling in a well made brew or mixed drink. Few things in this world are more sublime than a 30-year-old single malt scotch. Also, I like having a buzz but, if I was drinking for drinking sake, I didn’t waste good alcohol on the effort.
That stated, I never liked being drunk - particularly to the point I could not function. The feeling of being out of control was never enjoyable to me. read more
monday, april 23, 2007
Julio Cusurichi and the plight of Peru's indigenous peoples
On Sunday, Julio Cusurichi – a Shipiro Indian from the Madre de Dios region of Peru – was awarded the Goldman Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for environmental activism.Cusurichi was recognized for his work with the Native Federation of Madre de Dios, known as FENAMAD, in creating a 3,000-square-mile reserve in the Southern Peruvian jungle for tribes that choose to have no contact with the outside world.
Loggers looking to harvest valuable old-growth mahogany have encroached on these peoples in recent years, and the result has been devastating to the tribes. They are vulnerable to outside disease and reports of violence against them are becoming more common.
My story on the award and the problem of illegal mahogany logging in Peru, The mahogany wars of Peru's rain forests, is in Sunday’s edition of The San Francisco Chronicle. read more
wednesday, april 18, 2007
Cashing in on Socialism in Ecuador
Last year, I headed up to Quito, Ecuador on assignment and stumbled across a very interesting t-shirt shop in the Simon Bolivar section of the city – Stefan Brandt’s Only Nature Materials factory outlet.The owner turned out to be a 44-year-old entrepreneur who came to South America from from Germany with an advanced degree in physics in 1993 and a desire to start over. Brandt made a few attempts at the business until 2000 when he found the key to make it work; “use only the very best materials.”
The result was his prices shot up but the quality of the product was so high he found a waiting market.
These t-shirts cost about $30 apiece. His other clothing such as light jackets, pullover sweaters and such are priced similarly. In a region where mass-produced clothing pushes tourist tees into the $5 range that seems like a suicidal business plan. read more
monday, april 09, 2007
An Interview with Jaime Razuri
On New Years Day, a Peruvian photojournalist for Agency France-Presse, Jaime Razuri, was kidnapped at gunpoint in the Gaza Strip. For six days his whereabouts were unknown as journalists and diplomats from around the globe demanded his release. He was freed, unharmed, on Jan. 7.The incident made him a minor international celebrity and a major one in his home country. But it also overshadows a more than 20-year career that has included covering some of the most turbulent conflicts in our times.
Jaime studied photography at the University of Lima and then journeyed to Spain to hone his skills further. By the end of the 1980s he was working as a photojournalist in Lima during the devastating conflict led by communist insurgents that included the infamous Shining Path. read more
monday, april 02, 2007
All the President's Men - Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
I had the good fortune (or prescience) to not read All the President’s Men until after I became a working journalist. As a result I was less swayed by the drama of sticking it to the man than the book’s vivid depiction of real journalists at work.It’s my firm belief that every journalist can be classified by their favorite episode in the book (or scene in the movie). Most of the go-getting investigative types I've ever met were inspired by the idea of Bernstein jotting down the notes from the reluctant source on napkins, matchbooks, whatever.
That one always bothered me. It seemed somewhat… unethical. The source clearly is concerned about how they will be affected by giving out the information and the reporter is bending over backwards not to break that spell. Of course when the story is in the paper it’s not going to matter much is it? read more
monday, february 26, 2007
Soft Drinks in South America
You are what you drink. And nowhere is that more true than in South America.Soft drinks – or gasiosas, as they are called in Spanish – can vary widely across South America. With interesting histories and cultural significance that are as important to the people that drink them as the taste itself. The different herbs and fruits that are indigenous to the region give many of the most popular brands their distinct taste.
These also pose a bit of the challenge for outsiders trying them for the first time. Venturing out of my coca-cola universe into this strange world of drinks took as much courage as getting on the plane to come south in the first place.
The most formidable hurdle has to be the undeniable fact that many soft drinks in South America are a god bit sweeter than what you get in the US. A lot sweeter, in fact. Part of this is due to the fact that US soft-drink makers tend to use corn syrup as a sweetener. In South America, sugar prices are much lower and the drinks feature the real thing. read more
monday, december 18, 2006
The Mendívil figurines
The San Blas section of Cusco has long been a center for Peruvian artists. Every storefront along the steep cobblestone streets is an entryway to the handiwork of a local master.Even so, the Hilario Mendívil Museum stands out. Located in the corner of the San Blas Plaza the bold blue doors and balcony are as eye catching as the tile paintings that line the wall. This is the former workshop and home of one of Peru’s most famed artists.
The Mendívil sculptures are ornate and impossibly detailed figurines that depict Madonnas, archangels, saints and many other religious figures. The one characteristic that has become most closely identified with the Mendívil sculptures is the long graceful necks of the figures.
It was a touch Hilario Mendívil took from his childhood – seeing the llamas and alpacas for sale in the streets of his native Cusco. read more
wednesday, october 18, 2006
The Lord of Miracles
There is, perhaps, nothing more Peruvian than The Lord of Miracles. For almost the whole month of October is devoted to this unique religious icon and it is venerated by Peruvians across the globeThe Lord of Miracles, or El Señor de los Milagros as it is known in Spanish, is actually a centuries-old painting on the wall of a relatively obscure church in central Lima.
According to tradition, in 1651 a slave who had converted to Catholicism painted the depiction of Christ on the cross on the wall of a building in the outskirts of Lima where new devotees to the faith gathered to pray.
When a devastating earthquake struck the city four years later the entire building collapsed except for the wall adorned with the painting. Over the next several decades, the image became associated with miraculous incidents. More and more people, particularly the descendents of slaves, began to worship at the site. read more
thursday, october 05, 2006
Points South
A few weeks ago my editor at Engineering News & Record asked me to start writing a weekly 'blog' for the magazine's website. Since actually getting paid to post blog entries is sort of the dream of the post 2000 journalist, how could I say no?But Points South (which is now linked on the sidebar) actually fits pretty well with an idea I've had about my coverage for some time. A lot of my stories have concentrated on specific projects that are going on down here but it has been missing the context.
Living and working in South America requires a whole new point of view that only starts at the different language. Engineers that are interested in work going on in the southern portion of the hemisphere need to understand a bit of that as much as the details of any given job. read more
wednesday, october 04, 2006
Keeping Track of Time
In 1950, Dimas de Melo Pimenta, a businessman in Sao Paulo, Brazil, bought a pocket watch. From that humble purchase he began an obsession with time.He became a specialist in watches, clocks and timepieces and later founded Dimep, a company that today specializes in clocks and timekeeping services.
And he started collecting.
Today there are more than 700 timepieces in the late-inventor’s collection on display at the Dimep offices in Sao Paulo. The oldest being a silver clock from Germany made in 1535 that consists of just an hour hand – minute hands wouldn’t arrive for another century and a half.
The existence of a museum in Brazil might strike some as incongruous in a region of the world where the perception of time is often a bit less. . . restrictive than in most English-speaking countries. read more
sunday, june 11, 2006
How Coffee Changed the Modern World
It is difficult to overestimate the impact of coffee on our modern world. In fact, an peek at how this interesting plant has changed the world we live in can be illuminating on where we might be headed.A few years ago I happened to pick up Peter L. Bernstein’s Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk. It’s a fascinating look at mankind’s long and complex effort to understand risk and probability; or, more precisely, to find a way to predict the future from the confines of the present. It turns out that coffee has an interesting chapter in that tale. read more
saturday, december 03, 2005
Life as a Foreign Jounalist
Since heading to South America to make my way as a foreign journalist I have noticed many of my friends who still toil in the bosom of daily domestic newspapers are a touch envious. They shouldn't be. The grind of being a freelance foreign journalist provides as much frustration and irritation as working a cruddy bureau beat. It provides some of the same ethical dangers as well.Recently, COX News Service put out a story that was blatantly plagiarized from other sources. The usual hand wringing and recriminations followed. They blamed their contract freelancer who, in turn, blamed his “fixer.”
Don’t know what a “fixer” is? Well neither did I and I am a contract freelancer by trade. Luckily, former South American contract freelancer David Paulin penned an interesting article for Editor & Publisher magazine examining exactly how foreign journalism works in the wake of this mess. read more
sunday, september 04, 2005
Rising Tide - Jason M. Berry
In a few weeks, the world will forget Hurricane Katrina. The cameras will leave, the news coverage will become an addendum after dutiful reports of suicide bombings somewhere suitably arid and Louisiana and Mississippi will be left to rebuild as best they can alone.For decades this region of the country has been entirely forgotten except as the butt of jokes and patronizing interest in the more salubrious elements of our rich culture.
Those of us who come from this area know very well that the fact the rest of the country has lost interest, the effect of what has just happened will continue to roll onward. This hurricane will likely transform America as we know it and, likely, in ways more profound than even 9/11.
In 1998, Jason M. Berry published a fascinating book titled “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.” It would do the country good to revisit this tome as we watch the carnage on CNN. read more
thursday, august 18, 2005
Marlin Boulevard
There is a place in the deep blue water of the Pacific about 35 miles off the coast of Northern Peru that was once known as "marlin boulevard." During the 1950’s a unique combination of ocean currents and underwater geography led the sleepy little fishing village of Cabo Blanco to become the nexus of the booming sport of deep-sea sport fishing.Sport fishermen from around the world knew about the abundance of Peruvian waters as early as the 1930s but it wasn’t until after World War II that several Americans came and began looking using scientific analysis. Texas oilman Alfred C. Glassell, Jr. proved the theories right on April 7, 1952 when he caught a 1,025-pound black marlin that was the first fish ever caught that weighed more than 1,000 pounds. read more
sunday, may 15, 2005
Tarata
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Almost precisely halfway down the brick-paved street is a little-noticed memorial. A harsh steel obelisk with a jagged lightening-like design. It stands in sharp contrast to the casual walking area where young children ride their bikes, tourists amble by and restaurant proprietors invite you in to try their food.
This is Tarata.
On July 16, 1992 a car bomb exploded at this site killing 25 people and injuring hundreds more. It was the single most bloody day in the most bloody of conflicts. read more
thursday, february 26, 2004
Peruvian Drinking Etiquette
One of the strangest nights of my life came just about a decade ago when I traveled from Dallas Texas to Austin with my friend John Wayne. The ostensible reason was to watch the NCAA final four with some friends of his; the practical reason was to waste a weekend having fun in Austin. Which we proceeded to do.I have a lot of interesting memories from that trip - whacking golf balls out of the backyard at 3 a.m., playing sink-the-keg, the restaurant where they insult you as they cook your burger - but the most interesting was learning the brutal intricacies of three man.
Now, as a longtime undergraduate, I had encountered the excitement of three man in the past. It is a drinking game where you roll the dice and members of the group must drink according to what numbers are exposed. It is called three man because one person is always designated the "three man" and must drink whenever a three appears. not an enviable slot. read more
friday, february 06, 2004
Climbing Mount Misti
When Lawrence said he planned on climbing Mount Misti, I simply passed it off as the bluster of an English tourist caught up in the excitement of travel. We had already been up to Colca Canyon which, to reach, you have to pass the 4,800 meter mark. Sure it gave you a bit of a headache to be that high but seemed easy enough when we got off the bus and wandered around.So I was more than a little surprised to find myself a few days later sitting on a rock in the middle of the night amid an absurdly steep snowfield approximately 5,000 meters above sea level.
As Lawrence and I tried gulping down breaths in the thin air the freezing wind whipped past us with absolutely no inclination of letting up.
"Who the hell's idea was this?" he said.
I was too exhausted to even offer my regular sarcastic reply. With still had more than two hours left to climb I had reached the point of giving up on this adventure. My legs hurt, I was freezing cold, I could not breath, I had no energy left and I had finally realized that I had absolutely no good reason to be there. read more
tuesday, february 03, 2004
A Mother of a Tongue - Learning Spanish
Learning Spanish is, to use the expression, a bitch.I made at least a dozen attempts to master a foreign language in my checkered career in higher education and none were the slightest bit successful. The blame lies with equal parts indolence, dyslexia and sheer outright difficulty. But, now I am in Peru and I am hoping the immersion method has some promise.
Peru is actually a great place to study Spanish. They speak a very conservative version of the language – Mexican Spanish, for example, has a lot of slang – and they articulate very well. On the downside, they speak it fast.
I have found that, for the most part, people here are patient with you and try to speak in their broken English or very slowly in Spanish. Often though, if you are with a group of people, at some point they slip into normal conversational mode. Then you find yourself sitting alone. It is a disconcerting feeling, much like when you were a child and the grownups were talking. read more
monday, february 02, 2004
Observations and Errata about Peru
Assorted observations about Peru in no particular order:There is a glorious absence of power engines. The workers sweep parking lots and sidewalks rather than blast the detritus with the scream of leaf blowers. And despite the luxury, it is a sad statement on the state of employment, pay and the price of mechanical goods. Similarly the whine of chainsaws is exchanged for the persistent hacks of machetes. A daunting task given the girth of many trees targeted for trimming. of course the abundance of motorcycle taxies in the northern area of the country makes up the difference.
Dinner at a rural restaurant will bring in the stray dog or two looking for scraps. Usually this ends with a hearty yelp and a dash for the door when the proprietor arrives. You leave the chickens alone, that could be your meal tomorrow. Musical duos are just as common. They wander from restaurant to restaurant and, with the owner’s permission, play a few songs for tips. Although i am not even the slightest expert on authentic Peruvian music, these guys usually are pretty good. Lots of practice, I guess. read more
thursday, january 29, 2004
The White City - Ariquipa, Peru
Arequipa is called the white city. Which makes you think about something out of Tolkien but it is much more down to earth. The entire town is constructed of a white volcanic stone that gives it a bright sheen in the sun. There are more than a million people who live here making it the second largest city in Peru.But I heard that from a tour guide. The first lesson you learn here is never to trust a tour guide. To their credit, there is always a bit of truth in what they tell you but take five different city tours and you will be introduced to five very different cities.
While some of the major attractions are well worth a look, I have greatly enjoyed just walking around the city and finding it’s little treasures. Another lesson you learn quickly if you come to Arequipa is to expect a climb. (That turned out to be even more true for me this visit but more on that later) built in a river valley between three volcanoes the geography is wildly uneven. A turn down the wrong street often presents a startlingly steep ascent or descent. The cobblestones give an impression of security and the promise of ample traction but it is hard to overcome the intimidating power of gravity. read more
friday, january 23, 2004
Riding the Bus in Peru
If you are going to travel in Peru eventually you are going to have to take the bus. it is best to prepare yourself early for this because it can be a bit different than what one expects. In the not-so-distant-past I used to travel by bus pretty regularly in the United States. Not the cross-town bus with graffiti on the seat and the shoeless man talking in tongues next to you but the cross-country bus that serves a different caliber individual.In the United States, riding in the bus puts you in touch with a whole new class of person. I’ve met the most interesting and friendly people and I have met the most irritating and despicable brand of individual as well.
You kind of cower in your own little corner of the bus until you figure out what is going on. After a few trips you get used to the pints of old granddad being passed around in the dark in the back, the people trying to get their kids to sleep and the dissonant chatter of a dozen CD players on the heads of anyone under 30. Eventually, you mentally find your own place and, to use the expression, ride it out. After that, it is the luck of the draw to if you will have a companion or not. read more
saturday, january 17, 2004
An Oasis for the Senses
The cities of Peru can be sensory overload for the unwary.Coming from the United States, where the whole of suburbia is ceaselessly sanitized, places like Peru have a wild element that can take some getting used to. it isn’t to be confused with being uncivilized, because, in some ways, Peru is one of the most civilized places I have ever seen. There were empires here millennia before much of the rest of the world, and there is an assured sensibility to the culture today that derives from that.
it is mid-summer here in Piura. The warm winds blow the tall mesquite trees with a rustle that is almost a sigh of exhaustion. The motor taxis are a whirring rainbow on the streets, always in a hurry, but the dust settles behind them with a resignation brought on by the heat. But, just when you think the temperature is becoming unbearable, a cool breeze redeems your spirits. It dries the sweat from your forehead and makes the world relax for a moment. read more
tuesday, january 13, 2004
Setting forth
So who is the orange guy?Well, my friends, meet Ganesha the lord of and destroyer of obstacles. He is petitioned for siddhi, success in undertakings, and buddhi, intelligence. He is worshiped before any venture is started be it project or travel. Otherwise he also holds the reigns as the god of education, knowledge and wisdom, literature, and the fine arts. Which isn’t bad work if you can get it.
And, given what I’m about to walk into, I need all the help I can get. Because, to be honest, I’m scared shitless. I’ve been a bundle of anxieties and over-reactions for several days now. I have a lot that I am trying to accomplish with this venture and the safety net is minimal if there at all. No pressure.
But it is kind of like every breaking news story I’ve ever raced out on. I never have any idea how the hell I am going to handle getting all the information and reporting done and in on time. Usually there is a lightening moment of panic and sheer naked fear when I start trying to strategize. Then I make myself stop. read more
saturday, january 10, 2004
Laissez faire and the Fourth Estate
A few days ago I laid out my reasoning for skipping the country in light of the abysmal conditions of working in modern journalism. Not the super-high-end-major-daily journalism where the halls are paved with gold and the cafeteria serves ambrosia… well, where they at least pay a decent wage and you have the resources to do something worthwhile. No, I mean the middle and lower tiers of the industry where 90 percent of us toil in rude obscurity.A bit of news released yesterday kind of highlighted the doublespeak that envelops your life when you are working in these types of places. It seems the economy isn’t doing as peachy as once thought. According to the labor department the U.S. economy was only able to tack on 1,000 non-farm jobs last month – a little short of the 150,000 the government predicted would be in the offing. read more
thursday, january 08, 2004
Why Peru?
I never intended to go to Peru in the first place. When I had my dark night of the soul about my future all I knew was that I was about to go somewhere but there wasn't a destination I felt intensely enough about to focus my wandering urge.I have some friends in Australia and, after visiting there for several weeks in 2002; I know that I want to go back. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been lucky enough to behold and, despite some of their irritating peculiarities, the folks who live there are pretty nice as well. Returning there to live is one of my long-term goals. But it's not what I needed to do when I decided to change my life.
My father has taught at a university in Peru several times in the past few years and, when I quit my job in California, he was about to head down there. He invited me to come live with him. It was as good an option as any I had at the time and it would be good to spend the time with him. But I had no intention of anything more than going there, reporting a few stories, then coming back to start a new direction in my life. read more
wednesday, january 07, 2004
A New Direction
It is difficult to tell if people think I’m crazier now for heading back to Peru than when I first decided to go in the middle of last year. The first time there seemed to be a general shock at giving up my job and Peru as a destination was just the icing. Now, with my plan of heading off indefinitely, folks genuinely question my sanity.But that's pretty normal.
Yet, this decision to head off to parts unknown isn't as rash or insane as it may appear. I’ve actually thought it out pretty well and have a clear idea of what I would like to achieve. The spur-of-the-moment airs I put on are only to play to my legend.
I spent a good deal of my 20s dead broke with no real hope for a career and tortured by the anxiety it brought. There’s little more depressing than being an unemployed line cook week late with the rent and financially reduced to the point of fishing through the ashtray for butts with a bit of cigarette left. Going somewhere exciting and doing something important seemed as remote a possibility as visiting the moon. read more