ztraffer

Pour.  Sip.  Look cool Mate is a traditional caffeinated tea-like drink from southern South America. Unlike tea or coffee, the filtration process happens while drinking, not before: a special metal straw has a closed end whith tiny holes in it that allows in the infusion but keeps out the herb. A special "cup" or gourd is filled with "Yerba Mate" once, and then hot water, usually from a thermos, is poured into the gourd. Lastly, the straw goes into the gourd and the infusion sipped via the metal straw. You can read all about it here . The habit of drinking Yerba Mate is so common in Uruguay that you can often see young and old drinking it on the streets.

Its been six months since the fraudulent elections in Iran, and despite all the arrests, imprisonments, torture, and killings of protesters, the opposition is still very strong, as the recent demonstrations follwing lead opposition cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri's funeral show. It seems clear this goverment won't complete its full term, the question is how long will it last, and what will happen afterwards. I pray for a fully democratic government in Iran that will help stabilize the middle east and prove that full-fledged democracies are viable in muslim countries.

A few weeks ago I arrived home in Montevideo anticipating a peaceful vacation in this small corner of the world. Little did I know...

More snapshots from Mexico City

Walking down the Avenue of the Dead in this precolumbian city, you can almost feel the weight of time adding to the thousands of tons of masonry -over twenty centuries since its first buildings were erected. I was particularly aware of this fact because only a day before, I had been marveling at five hundred year old cathedrals in the historic distric of Mexico City and all the history since the Spaniards arrived in Mexico. Knowing that the builders of this city faded away without ever coming into contact with the people of the Old World feels like watching the remains of an alternate current of history. What if the the Europeans had never crossed the Atlantic and the Mayans had thrived and expanded? Perhaps I'd be posting pictures of ancient Roman ruins and wondering the same thing.

The Zocalo You can feel the flow of history in this town, from the 500 year old cathedrals, to the glass towers from the age of corporate globalization just a few blocks apart, to the great cities abandoned long before Columbus was born. It is also a city of sights and smells: ubiquitous food vendors fill sidewalks with the smell of cooking, the ever-present always-on flashing red and blue police-car lights, the pedestrian-only commercial streets. And in spite of all the hustle and bustle one would expect from the second-largest city in the world, it is surprisingly orderly, and it feels quite safe -at least it feels that way so far -maybe I haven't come across a "fun" neighborhood yet...

I found this old family picture, and I thought about how the past seems like a foreign country: most things are easily recognizable, but just different enough to make them seem a bit strange, unfamiliar. The infant on my great-grandmother's lap is my Dad.

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Of course they had to be French...

After reading this article , my original intention was to reflect on the irrational fear of change that afflicts so many of our species. A useful survival trait perhaps, in an era of tribal warfare, but no more. At a certain level, I feel that Europeans are avoiding their responsibility to take on their share of leadership in the world. I was reminded of the ancient myth of a Europa in distress, and started searching for an appropriate image to go with my yet to be written post. Aside from finding the great bronze piece above, I became more interested in the details of this mythical woman who lent her name to a continent, and so I -ahem- binged her. Thus I found myself browsing this lost presentation. Intrigued by its, shall we say, uniqueness, I looked into it and found it was put together by a school kid. It was then that it hit me -I always talk about how everybody has something to teach and today I was taught ancient mythology by a 6th grader. This was a completely wasted half-hou...

It's been two months since the election fraud in Iran energized the reformist movement. Since then protests have continued, but the government has gotten better at repressing the opposition, and things seemed a bit quieter in tha past few weeks.  Today's demonstrations -piggybacking the Jerusalem Day ceremonies-, have shown that the opposition is alive and kicking, pulsing just below the surface. I think it is reasonable to wonder if Iran's recent softening nuclear policy isn't at least in part an effort to appease the opposition.

Sport, artform, or too-much-spare-time?

Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington D.C.

In theory, lobbying is a tool of democracy. It is how citizens can make sure their voices are heard when they are not voting. Lobbying has helped important causes like civil rights, labor, environment, etc. The corporate sector however, having far more resources, can pretty much outspend anyone else to protect and further their interests -unfortunately they tend to act with short-term benefits in mind. Today, the professional lobbyist, working for the special interests, has far more influence in the legislative process than can possibly be considered ethical.  The NRA actually warned senators that it would punish those who voted to confirm justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court -few Republicans voted for her. ( article ) Like this article explains, it makes perfect sense for the interest groups to hire former congressional members to do their lobbying: it's a win-win: the former congressmen have the experience and contacts needed to know how, when, and to whom to apply press...

I've given in to the pleadings of my conscience and removed the really bad sake haiku I had authored -good riddance!

Chaplin's "The Dictator" has become quite poular in Iran In the past decade, Iran has made headlines often because of its nuclear research and hostile stance in the world stage. Unfortunately it is easy for people reading headlines to think that most of Iran is composed of zealots, especially during a time when the Bush administration made Iran a part of “the axis of evil”. However, the events of recent weeks in which the people have massively protested the election fraud, have helped the world see that in spite of its alleged democracy, Iran’s regime has no mandate from its people. In other words, the people in Iran massively oppose their government: -They do not want to pursue the development of nuclear weapons. -They do not wish the destruction of Israel. -They do not hate the West, Israel, or care to be seen as a destabilizing force. -They are very unhappy with the way the regime has managed the country, in particular the economy, and want to have a say on how it is c...

It's been said over and over: the US spends twice as much in health care as the average developed nation, and yet 1 out of 6 US citizens are uninsured. If nothing is done, the number of people without health care will continue to grow, or the government will eventually go belly up -or more likely, both. OK... but why is this happening in the first place? Answer: The underlying problem has to do with the lobbying mechanisms that allow interests groups to exert such enormous influence on the Congress that it amounts to legalized corruption. Lobbying should be a democratic mechanism for minorities and groups that otherwise would have no voice; unfortunately it has become a tool for groups with huge sums of money to push legislation that favors their interests at the expense of the country, and over the past decades it has had a negative effect on health care. Specifics: 1. Doctors get paid based on the drugs and tests they prescribe -the more they order the more money they make. Yes, ...

Google just announced it is launching its own operating system: Chrome OS. Someone described this as dropping a nuclear bomb on Microsoft, and it kind of feels that way. There's no question a war has been brewing, and the object of that war -market dominance of the Web- is now moving into Microsoft's core territory. As Google put it, existing OSs were designed before the web -that is, they are computer-centered, to run local applications . It has been clear for a while that the computer world is moving from the local PC to the web. So not only is Google threatening the Windows OS, it is threatening MS Office, or pretty much ninety percent Microsoft's revenue. This reminds me of the first web war: the battle between the Netscape and Internet Explorer (see browser wars ) -of course, back then Microsoft used to bundle IE with Windows in new PCs while Netscape couldn't do much but watch helplessly. Google plans shipping its OS with new netbooks and later full laptops and...

I found myself reading the news about the riots in Xinjiang , and wondering, who are the Uyghur people , and why can't the central government just let minorities thrive instead of drowning their cultures among Han mainstream? Fear, of course. But I don't want to think too much... here is some Uyghur pop music, enjoy.

Iran's tide of change continues to advance. According to this NYT article , leading celrics in Qom declared the elections illegitimate, in a direct challenge to the Ayatollah, showing the regime faces strong opposition at all levels. What is most interesting is that there this is supposed to be a stronghold of the regime as there are "...no liberals or opposition groups here(Qom); this is the center of mullah control over the government, culture, and politics of Iran." If the regime is finding strong opposition here, it means it is standing in very shaky ground indeed. This in turn will undoubtedly embolden others to openly opose the regime, which would require even more repressive violence, which would enarage the people even more. The possible arrest of Mousavi seems to be more and more likely -this may prove to be an unintentional boost to the reformists, as it would provide a rallying focus to the protesters. Arrests of citizens and media repression continue: The BBC...

May your true spirit shine in this new era of hope.

The creative graffiti in the streets of Tegucigalpa turns Mel Zelaya to Mel Ze Vaya (Mel Go Away) Honduras ' legitimately elected president, Manuel Zelaya , has been ousted in an alleged coup. I say alleged because in spite of the international backing of Zelaya , so far I have seen no clear evidence that his removal from office was illegal -after all, the move to attempt re-election violated articles of the Constitution that forbid changes to the presidential limit of one four-year term and establish the legal procedure for constitutional amendments- however, the mode of his removal seems hardly a democratic measure and adds legitimacy to Mr. Zelaya's claims. In any case, declarations from OAS, UN, and the US, state their support for Zelaya and demand his return to power. Perhaps I should humbly assume they know exactly what they are doing and are acting out of their selfless devotion to Democracy. I'm not being sarcastic this time (really, I'm not). Elected o...

The government continues to supress demonstrations , and blames the West on government television, even showing "confessions" of protesters supposedly incited by western media outlets. The Iranian bloggers make clear that no one is fooled by this, but since the Supreme Leader decided to show his hand and intervene in the elections, he doesn't have a choice but to play his role and go on with the act, leaning on his security forces. Although Khameini has succeeded in making the public demonstrations diminish significantly, the unrest persists in the minds of the people. It seems clear that this isn't simply going to go away. The clamp down on the media, scare tactics on the party leaders and reformists, violence on protesters, and monitoring of Internet comunications may have calmed things down to an extent on the surface, but underneath the tension hasn't gone away. So far the government has been threatening to arrest Mousavi; if they do, a general strike may like...

Neda Agha-Soltan

Widening Rift in the Clergy It appears that the rift among the the top religious authorities in Iran continues to gain momentum, with the Ayatollah Khameini having to lean more and more in his enforement agencies and less in the rule of law, while his moral authority seems to be spiraling down in all but the most conservative Iranians. According to Reuters the most senior opposition ayatollah, Hossein Ali Montazeri , distanced himself further from Iran’s supreme leader, saying that “ Resisting people’s demand is religiously prohibited … I am calling for three days of national mourning from Wednesday.” and described the election results as something that “ no wise person in their right mind can believe .” Former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani , who leads the 86-member Assembly of Experts -a goverment body with legal authority to remove the Supreme Leader-, is supposed to be playing a quiet but critical role in organizing the opposition. His daughter Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani is...

With chants of "Allah-o-akbar!" ("God is great!") and ”Marg Bar dictator!” ("Death to the dictator!"), the people marched all over Iran today in defiance of Yesterday's threats of violence by the Ayatollah Khameini. Reports of massive use of tear gass, water cannons, and in some cases live bullets slowed slowed down the demonstrations, but did not manage to stop them completely. It looks like the government of Iran has but two options: become a plain dictatorship in all but name, or veer towards freedom and reform. Here is one of the many websites following the ongoing events Videos, photographs, and blogspostes abound. The people are leaving no room for doubt about what they want, and their willingness to pay whatever cost is necessary: >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBOBhguAjjY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t54KKSVl-c Don't miss these revealing facts about the election results here . Meanwhile, demonstrations by Iraninan citizens and the...

A blog post in Persian, translated by the NIAC "I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I'm listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It's worth to read the poems of Forough and Shamloo again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves which I told my family who should receive them. I'm two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a be...

In 1979, the people of Iran raised up to overthrow a goverment they did not approve of. That revolution was supposed to put in place an islamic goverment, empowered by the people. But the recent and highly contested election results triggered a series of protests in which the people of Iran made clear that they did not feel empowered by their government. "It's not about Mousavi, or any candidate, it's about democracy" explained a young protester in the streets of Teheran. It seems to me, from the multiple accounts, interviews, tweets, blogs, and cell-phone videos from the streets, that the people weren't particularly upset with the system of government -at least at the beginning- they just wanted to have a say in how things are run, and they want to be able to express themselves freely -the problem is that this is a classic example of what happens when one branch of government has power over the others: the people's sovereignty soon starts to fade. So now, wit...

I find that knowing my own and other people's personality types can be helpful to understand behavior and motivation, and therefore help find the logic in apparently confusing or contradictory behavior. This tool can then help counteract the classical mistake of assuming that behavior in others is caused by the same motivations or understanding of the world as one's own. Type selector > Test > This is what I got: Your Type is INTJ Strength of the preferences % Introverted - 78 Intuitive - 75 Thinking - 38 Judging - 22 What did you get...?

On June 4th, 20 years ago, many brave people died for demanding that their voices be heard. They wanted reform, freedom, and democracy. I think that when someone takes a stand for freedom at the risk of their own lives, they not only bring honor upon themselves, but elevate all of us, as a species, and we should all be proud of them, our brothers and sisters in the human family. As a small tribute to them, I spent some time reading about, and pondering the events that took place during the weeks that culminated that night on Tiananmen square. Two quotes in particular caught my attention: "Whether you like or not, the events ensured 20 years of fast economic growth" Beijing Netizen, Beijing "June 4th was a time when a group of people sacrificed their lives for democracy. We need to remember their efforts" Steve Chan, Hong Kong It cannot be denied that a peaceful demonstration for freedom is an honorable action and stems from basic human rights -on this belief we shou...

After brief experimentation, I have found no great performance gap between Google and Bing -Microsoft's latest Search Engine re-launch. They are marketing it as a "Decision Engine"; it is supposed to help you sort through results better by selecting more "credible" sources (better-paying sources?) I can't wait for the conspiracy theories on that. While Bing doesn't really have more to offer than Google, it does a better job of presenting and advertising its features. Even the simple, clean-looking Google interface, one of its best liked features, looks a bit too simple after Bing's nice interactive wallpapers. I am sure that if a proper comparisson is done, Google will come out on top performance-wise, at least initially, but for the first time, Microsoft appears to have come up with a credible adversary to Google, and in view of Microsoft's past history, even mighty Google should be losing some sleep. Or has Microsoft finally met its match? Eit...

Play I used to dislike Tango , but this genre seems to grow on you. No doubt some will attribute that to increased wisdom; tango evokes sadness, melancholy, despair -not usually appealing to the very young. It is a reflection, perhaps, of the society in which it was born, and wether good or bad, it seems to have a deep effect on the listener...

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I recently learned -completely by chance- of the existence of a country I hadn't even heard of before: Kabardino-Balkaria. I was amazed at my own ignorance -I thought that by know I knew of every country on Earth, at least by name, so I had to look it up. It turns out this former Soviet repubic is not an independent contry but one of the many oblasts (a type of province) that make up the Russian Federation.

I found this pretty funny. he who has the money, sets the rules, no?

I’ve been thinking about a posting dedicated to this mainstream component of our culture for a long time. It turned out much longer than I had anticipated. As a young child (way before cable or DVRs) I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time than watching TV. Even when there was nothing I liked, I’d still rather watch TV than do anything else. Why do so many children have this addiction for something so worthless? This question kept nagging at me so I had to try to figure it out. For somebody relatively new to the world, few things can provide as much effortless information input density as TV. A child’s mind is an avid information sink. Any information is excellent when you have almost none, so even the dullest cartoon is a synaptic feast of new objects, concepts, and interactions; thus the young brain latches on to it. Eventually, however, information density drops, as most of it is no longer new. The increasingly more complex intellect becomes more demanding, and TV loses i...

After a very long campaign by green activists and responsible leaders, environmental awareness has finally been responisbly met by political will in the White House. (Worldwide sigh of relief...)

I think it is virtually impossible not to like Pandas, they are the rock stars of the animal kingdom, people go to the zoo just to see them -and yet they are the most gentle creatures, as if they existed inside a bubble of peace .