Monthly Archives: December 2005
On the Road Again
Last night, on a rainy Andean evening under a leaky awning in front of the Tienda Ortiz in Huaraz, Peru, we said goodby to our firstborn and out first grandchild, and headed to the MovilTours bus depot to catch the … Continue reading
The Outer Limits of Globalization
Sitting in the Plaza de Armas of Carhuaz, a small town of some 3,000 inhabitants, almost all Native Americans, one is struck by the contrasts of cultures and world-views. It is not quite a Clash of Civilizations, except as the … Continue reading
Planes, Toyotas and Moto-taxis
One of the reasons that we love the city of Carhuaz, high in the Peruvian Andes, is that is has changed so little over the years. The people look, talk, dress and act just the same. The same stores sell … Continue reading
If at First You Dont Succeed
We heard back from our trusted tech-tester that the Peru video we tried to post earlier this week “doesn’t decode correctly” which means no one can see it. Oh well, we can only plead difficulties of connectivity and lack of … Continue reading
Breathless in the Andes
A scary episode night before last. Up here at almost 10,000 feet, at the very edge of access to Western medicine, we suddenly found we couldn’t breath. It woke us up in the middle of the night, the feeling that … Continue reading
Dowbrigade, Newshound
Although we are ostensibly on vacation, the mind never takes a vacation, or rather the mind takes its vacations when distracted by sex or powerful psychotropic substances, from whence it sends back no post cards. But up here at altitude, … Continue reading
Dowbrigade Video from Peru
Time flows at a different pace at over 13,000 feet above sea level. We deep-sixed our wristwatch the day after arriving, and after a couple of days glancing at our naked wrist, we are back to solar time. Most days, … Continue reading
Dowbrigade South
Short pause, while the Dowbrigade relocates to southern climes. Hopefully, tonight we will be reporting from Lima Peru. The past few days have been hectic and portentious. The few days before any big trip is tense and significant, one can … Continue reading
Why We Can’t Win, Why We Can’t Leave
U.S. Marine Pfc. Willis Tomblin, of Jackson, Ohio, reads mail from home and then burns it to prevent insurgents from collecting personal information about him, at his base in Karabilah, Iraq, seven miles from Syria, Friday, Dec. 9, 2005. (AP/Jacob … Continue reading
Why We Can’t Win, Why We Can’t Leave
U.S. Marine Pfc. Willis Tomblin, of Jackson, Ohio, reads mail from home and then burns it to prevent insurgents from collecting personal information about him, at his base in Karabilah, Iraq, seven miles from Syria, Friday, Dec. 9, 2005. (AP/Jacob … Continue reading
Complete List of Satellites
This is very cool – a complete database of all 800 active satelites in orbit around the earth, including military and "secret" intelligence sats. Who knew that the US still has more satellites than all the other countries combined (413 … Continue reading
We Are the Champions of the World
WASHINGTON President Bush and Vice President Cheney are firing back at Democrats who say the U.S. should start pulling out of Iraq. Bush has dismissed comments by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean who recently compared the Iraq war to … Continue reading