Puh-lease

A strange thing happened yesterday.

Well, first a good thing. A really good thing. My asshole roommate left, and I, hopefully, will never have to lay eyes on that jerk ever again. And, in his place, he has 2 renters for Carnaval. They're a great couple from Canada, and we're having a great time spending time together.

That brings me to my latest story. I ran downstairs with Myles (one of the new guets) to take care of something, and on the way back up he started asking me some basic questions about Portuguese. He doesn't speak a lick of Portuguese, so I was explaining basic greetings and please and thank you. Our conversation carried over into the elevator where there were a few other people. We were speaking in normal tones -- but nothing loud or remotely obnoxious.

As we reached the final floor, the last person in the elevator exclaimed "Puh-lease!" -- in English (heavily accented) -- and Myles and I just sat stunned for a moment because we didn't know what the problem was. Soon, I responded to her in Portuguese and asked what the problem was. She ignored me.

Then, I started getting a sense that she was a bitch.

So, I started pushing and said, "So, you didn't know I speak Portuguese. So, what was the problem? Explain it to me." She walked out of the elevator and continued walking away and ignoring me. I continued saying, "My friend is a guest here, and I was explaining your language to him."

And, that was that. I haven't seen her since. But, she lives on my floor. I imagine I'll run into her again soon.

This was the worst I've seen. But, frankly, I don't feel people are that friendly here. Travelers all talk about how friendly Brazilians are, and I just don't see this. I get a lot of rude remarks, selfish behavior, and nastiness such as this -- and Rio's been the worst.

I don't write a lot about Brazil because I've had a lot of frustrating experiences, and I'm very sensitive to generalizing and making poor judgments -- or judgments at all, but I've had enough. This experience really pissed me off, and I'm quite happy that my Portuguese skills have reached a level where I was able to fight back and hopefully shame her a bit.

One can only hope.

-nick

Hate

There's sure a whole lotta hate in the GOP.

Prop 8 Update

Check out this first article to talk about the latest in the Prop 8 trial. The defense (Prop 8 supporters) have so far made fools of themselves as their arguments consist of non-factual reasoning. Unfortunately, their philosophy of governance is so different than ours that they're happy to govern without facts. 

More on Prop 8

Just a further look at some numbers. 

Not at all racist
“we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country.”  

Who said this?

And, hate back at home! Hopefully, after today, I will never again see my asshole roommate! Renters should arrive in a few hours to take his room for a couple weeks (during Carnaval), and I plan on moving out before he returns. 

-nick

Crisis Intervention

I'm not sure what piqued my interest, but I first came across this article on crisis intervention in Haiti. I found it a fascinating intersection of development, open-source theory, crisis management, and rebuilding plans. In the past, I just assumed that governments and/or organizations knew the best way to rebuild. But, after Katrina, Iraq, references in the book The Shock Doctrine, and oh-so-many other examples, I see that they're just as capable of failure. So, this is fascinating to see such a new approach on an old problem.

That article sent me to Architecture for Humanity's website here and this wonderful brief presentation by the founder, Cameron Sinclair. I highly recommend the 3 minutes it takes to watch the presentation. (It also brought me back to the wonderful TED website -- worth several other posts of its own.)

-nick

Speaking of Dirtbags

Republicans are dirtbags, too!

If there's ever one article which I want you to read, it's the results below of this newly-released poll.

Markos Moulitsas is the founder of the DailyKos, a widely-read liberal blog and one which I frequently read. Research 2000 is an independent polling company that does all the polling for DailyKos. Markos hired Research 2000 to do a large polled of "self-identified" Republicans and supplied Research 2000 only with the questions he wanted asked. His involvement in the poll ended there.

Here are the results

Here is Bill O'Reilly's and Karl Rove's attack of the poll. Strangely enough, they themselves think the results show Republicans to be "stupid and evil". They never attack the poll on merit but attack Markos personally and assume that there's an improper relationship between DailyKos and Research 2000. They also imply that Research 2000 greatly missed the Scott Brown election -- a factually inaccurate statement.

Research 2000 has a good track record and there's no reason at all to presume that the actual responses would fall outside the poll's margin of error. Plus, the entire procedure, questions, and crosstabs have all been released. And, I wouldn't personally be surprised if another organization is currently making the same poll to compare responses.

This is another site that covers the poll results in an easier-to-read fashion, and I found the comments section to be highly interesting. Many readers ask -- and are later answered -- questions that you may have.

Here's where I truly see the usefulness in this poll: Many people, especially of the generations older than myself, have legitimate memories and experiences of the Republican party that may be different than the party is today. I know I have family members, close and distant, and neighbors and acquaintances who truly believe they're Republican out of habit or myth or outdated information.

The results of this poll should kindle some healthy cynicism, if not outright anger, toward a party that has not only permitted itself but outrightly encouraged itself to become a den of paranoia. Our government cannot function properly with only 1 party, and it is not the job of the opposition party to simply oppose everything for the sake of opposing everything (which the GOP is currently doing -- links on this tomorrow).

Yet, this is what has happened. The GOP is obviously not interested in governing. It's only interested in consolidation of (and return to) power and the fall of Obama. If you're Republican and are sane, please call your Senators and demand some real governance which, tough as it may be for you, implies compromise. (It wasn't reported on Fox, but the Democrats have already compromised numerous times with the GOP on many issues -- including a third of the stimulus and many provisions within the attempted healtcare bill.)

-nick

Dirtbag Update

The other night my roommate asked to talk with me about the computer incident, as described in my previous post. After a long and arduous preamble, he finally got to the point that he had broken the computer and attempted to cover it up. 


Score 1 for the good guys. 


But, wait, he still hasn't apologized to his friend, and it's unlikely he'll ever pay up. So, this 'friend' is studying (in Chile) outside of his own home country (Mexico) -- without his computer to assist with communication, logistics, or even his upcoming apartment search when he returns. It's an extreme inconvenience - not to mention an expensive one as well. 


Returning to dirtbag, the strangest part about the whole thing is that I think he may actually be crazy. It's really hard to tell the line between reality and lies, but this guy seems to be lost in a reality of his own creation and only gets to peek out once in a while. It was one of the stranger conversations of my life, waiting for this guy to follow a tortuous line of thinking to an unexpected end. His judgement is poorer than a 15 year-old's. In fact, I'm not sure he has judgement. He has his ego and will stop at nothing to protect his ego from harm -- even if that entails creating a fictional narrative to explain away obstacles. 


Thank God the new renters arrive tomorrow (one day later than expected). I hope that'll be the last time I ever have to even look at dirtbag in my life. 


-nick

Dirtbags

I seem to keep picking winners with whom to live.

One roommate got angry with me when I wanted to speak Portuguese with him (as was agreed to beforehand) -- because "how was he supposed to learn English?".

Another roommate enjoyed explaining his prostitutal exploits to me. But, this may have been an improvement over his past as a former & simultaneous cokehead, dopehead, and alcoholic.

Now, I have a roommate who used a "friend's" laptop, without permission, and somehow got it wet and caused it to completely short out. The worst part, he tried to hide the evidence and skipped town leaving a note about a family emergency. Furthermore, he's involved his boyfriend in the elaborate (and stupidly executed) charade to convince us that the medical emergency is real (I don't believe it for a second). If there's any doubt in your mind, the computer's power cable was bubbled and melted -- an obvious sign of a short.

Fortunately, I only have to deal with this asshole for 5 more days. Then, he's rented out his room for Carnaval (and will presumably spend it himself in some cave). At the end of Carnaval is the end of my lease. And, as of today, I've moved out most of my own valuables into a friend's place.

Obviously, I must be doing something wrong here:

1. Living with Brazilians
2. Living with people who are not already my friends

I'm presuming my readers will assume that answer 2 is the more likely explanation. At this point, I'm not particularly convinced. Number 1 seems to be a continual disaster, and not just for me.

Other things going on. But, right now, I'm just trying to relax enough to sleep knowing that douchebag is in the other room.

-nick

In the News, with Peruvian Bonus

As for Brazil news... Well, it ain't exactly Brazil.

Have you read about the major, major flooding in Machu Picchu in Peru?
If you haven't, check out: here, here, or here (videos).

(Incidentally, 'peru' in Portuguese means 'turkey'. I always find this strangely ironic. Does every language's word for 'turkey' refer to a different country? ok. Entirely not relevant.)

It is news in and of itself, but I bring it up specifically because, well, my ex, Anderson, was one of the 2500 hundred trapped in/on Machu Picchu. We had actually gotten into (yet another) argument 2 days before he arrived there, and it was a pretty serious one. I'm not sure we'll be talking again. Next thing I know, I got word that he was trapped up there, and I "couldn't" even send him a message. One of those weird ironies of life.

Luckily, everyone finally got airlifted out, including him. He's safe and sound. And, we're still not talking.

________________________________

Never with a Fuller Purpose
Devilstower is one of those writers / human beings whom I'd love to just spend 6 months following and learning from. He always seems to write with such a wonderful perspective on history and politics. His latest doesn't let down.

Book Reviews
I think I like book reviews more than I like books. In this case, the reviewer covers two books -- one on the New Deal and the subsequent reactions by business, the right, conservatives, etc. Looks interesting. The second book just sounds hilarious! I don't think I'd ever consider a book like this had I not read the review, but now I'm dying for it to be available on my Kindle. As for what it's about, just read the review.

-nick

Misdirection

Is Fox the "Most Trusted Name" in news?
The news has been reporting recently the results of a new survey saying that Fox is the most trusted name in news. But, do the numbers really say this? Why aren't others digging into the numbers?

About Reconciliation, the Congressional kind.
What's this mysterious reconciliation? Would it help? Is it as extreme as it's portrayed? Would it save money? Some questions answered, with surprising results.

-nick

Tying it all together

What do Brazil, Goldman Sachs, Bolsa Família, the financial crisis, and its related Inquiry Commission have in common?

Mike Elk explains in his article, My Crazy Trip to a Goldman Sachs Executive's Brazilian Slave Plantation, or Why We Need a Special Prosecutor

It's not a masterpiece, but I love it for the content -- I'm a fan of "multi-disciplined" ideas, and I like how the author brings together various topics near & far.

-nick

Some links

George Lakoff, one of the originators of the concept of 'frames' of thinking, and a well-known linguist / political scientist, asks "Where's the Movement?". He talks about what we need, what we have, and what we're missing. Many of us were hoping for Obama to bring it all together and spring us along into a movement, but that hoping is rapidly fading. We're gonna have to do it the hard & traditional way.

The following two article are just about two amazing quotes from the Republicans.
RNC and duping "is the point
Don't feed the poor. They'll breed.

-nick

What a Mess

Just when I was beginning to think my country was getting its act together... The Dems completely fumble  something bad. 

WOW. It's simply disgusting. 

But, it's been a couple days, and much of the fresh anger has dissipated. Now, it's time to start thinking about the next step. What are we going to do with healthcare? 

I say... House, pass the Senate bill. 

Here's why: 

1. It's gonna help a whole lotta people
2. Dems will own health-care-for-all
3. We can improve it later (like SS, Medicare, Medicaid were all improved over decades)
4. It'll call the Republicans' bluff -- they don't think we have it in ourselves to vote for the Senate plan
5. Prevent the Republicans from taking credit for healthcare in an even more weakened "bipartinsan" bill later (link here)

And, speaking of helping people, why isn't that front & center in all the discussions? 

And, along these lines, here are my 2 favorite columns about recent events. 

Naomi Klein explains how corporations have already taken over (despite the very recent Supreme Court ruling giving them vast more influence). I'm in the midst of her phenomenal book, "The Shock Doctrine". It's enlightening and articulate. Her perspective on Obama is appreciated and appears right on target. 

And then there's Nate Silver who writes about Progressives' experience as if he were inside my head. Thanks for bringing us back to reality. 

That's all, folks. 

-nick

Dear Mr President

Below is an email I just sent to President Obama. It's a bit over-the-top, but the obvious doesn't seem to be working with him. I'm so frustrated and disgusted by what's become of him. 

_______________________

Dear Mr President, 

Do you pay attention to those who put you in office? 

I, my parents, and many of my friends were strong supporters of yours. And, now, we're luke-warm. 

Is that what you want with your moderate policies? Moderate support? 

Matt Bors' cartoon puts it best: http://comics.com/matt_bors/2009-12-21/ 

You are squandering the strength, energy, power, support, and loyalty of your very base. Massachusetts was a preview of November if you don't begin to FIGHT and to fight TOUGH. 

I'm so ashamed by what you've become. What ever happened to CHANGE? 

And, don't doubt, MA was a reflection of your lack of leadership. 

Sincerely

-nick

Some Humor

Because if I didn't laugh, I'd cry. Oh, politics! Why are you so stressful (I'm looking at you, Massachusetts)?

Anyway, I don't really understand this diary, but I do know that it contains a few dozen political cartoons, many of which are verrrry funny. Check it out! 

Oh, Rio. Sun, lots of sun. And, heat. Don't forget that.

-nick

This & That

This:
I've been a bit concerned about the possibility that I owe (a significant amount) of taxes here. But, upon further examination, it appears unlikely. It's not 100% certain, but I can stay relaxed for now. It would be a frustrating blow to receive a big bill at this point in the game -- near the end of my funds.

Just confirmed with my (narcissistic) roommate that I'll be moving out on February 20th! I'm going to miss this amazing location in Copacabana, but I won't be missing the company. I'll be moving to the sofa at a friend's place temporarily -- until I get word about my visa or I just give up.

That:
Just two articles for today, both from the Daily Kos. In the unlikely event someone from Massachusetts reads this today, please vote for Coakley tomorrow! She didn't run a good campaign, but she really is a good public servant.

Devilstower, a well-known writer at Kos, wrote this piece about conservatism and liberalism, and how liberalism, by definition, always comes from behind. The Anchor

Angry Mouse put out a good diary putting the gay marriage fight in perspective. It's actually a fantastic summary of factoids of political scandal, marriage reality, and a new and insidious threat to marriage. If you're pro-gay-marriage, read it for the entertainment. If you're against gay-marriage, read it for the panoply of concern for the marriage institution that's backed up by adulterous behavior. A New Threat to the Sanctity of Marriage

And, along the lines of adulterous behavior, I forgot to mention something about my trip to Ilha Bela! Along the way, we passed a club advertising for its New Year's Adulterer's Party! Seriously. I was with a bunch of Brazilians, and they confirmed I understand the sign right -- and that they had never heard of such a party. But, as you can imagine, the jokes start flying about how you would have to prove that you were committing to adultery. I can see the bouncer now, "I don't see a wedding band! You no enter!"

-nick

Just some miscellany

Nothing earth-shattering. No news here in Rio. 

Two old towels and a pair of worn sneakers
A short and moving piece about the realities of life in the US. 

President Obama is my hero today
Yup, Haiti is exactly like the failed Christmas Day bomber. Or, nothing like it. 

Identifying Thoughts Through Brain Codes Leads to Deciphering the Brain's Dictionary
Fascinating update in neuro-linguistics! Anyone interested in the mind or language -- or the foundations of human though -- should read this. Not very long and pretty high-level. 

-nick