Blockades and Breaking Points
Those of us in Cochabamba are in for a fun ride over the next while. A meeting was recently held in which the leaders of the Opposition movement and Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, were scheduled to discuss solutions and compromises in light of the recent referendums. The opposition leaders attended. Evo did not; Evo sent a low-level flunky in his stead. The opposition closed the session and returned to their respective locations. Santa Cruz is, essentially, taking the attitude of – “Fine. We can the blockade game, too. You [Evo, et al.] have three days.” This means, for...
Read MoreDía del Peatón
Día del Peatón in Cochabamba is the annual Sunday (yesterday) when all driving is prohibited in preference to pedestrian traffic. A travesty of rights and active discrimination against the motorist the day may be, but the town sure is quiet! Our busy street of Simon Lopez, which is normally filled with honking cars and screeching brakes, was filled with cyclists and walkers. Quiet Streets for Families: Día del Peatón from Lorien Johnson on...
Read MoreFilm Review: Last Legion
I took a film analysis course in the autumn of 2007, for which I had to write a number of films reviews. As I’m sorting through my 320gig hard drive which ran out of space this week, I’ll be posting those reviews here. Why not? Here’s the pitch: take advantage of the critical success of Gladiator and the hype of the more recent 300 by dropping the ready-made plot of Arthurian legend into the Roman Empire. Toss in the dignified Ben Kingsley as the most notable wizard of quasi-history, put Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth, in a suit of Roman studded leather, and for that extra touch...
Read MoreThomas the Talented Employed Fellow
Meet Thomas. Today, Thomas walked into an office for his very first job interview. Today, Thomas filled out his very first job application (in Spanish, no less). Today, Thomas got his first professional job: teacher of English grammar. In short, Thomas rocks. I have brilliant...
Read MoreA Fairly Normal Cochabamba
Since the election 8 days ago, everything has been rather… normal. The early days were a bit quiet, but otherwise one wouldn’t generally know that anything was different. I haven’t any idea what happened with the folks marching on the city from the Chapare – as far as I could tell, they never arrived. I almost regret that. I’m not advocating violence; I am advocating resolution. Sometimes resolution requires a set of confrontations which causes the various involved parties to kick into gear and get things done. Very little of that really happens in Bolivia, and...
Read MoreUngrounded.
After a month or three, one readily forgets that life in a country with ungrounded electricity (Bolivia) is rather different from life in a country with grounded electricity (the rest of the world). The difference swiftly becomes apparent when one feels little jolts of snippy-snappy electricity from one’s headphones. In the ear canal.
Read MoreAbout Lorien
I vote as a libertarian influenced by Hayek and Burke, and I think as an anarchist guided by the biblical principles of liberty. I have fenced foil in a diaper-suit and run for political office in a skirt-suit, but my shoes were always fabulous. Both dreadful politics and inspiring design are likely to make me teary.
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