La Gente: Chican@ Ecology & Latin American Environmental Justice

Alina's Blog

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/alinagalina

Here's a link to a blog I just started, originally as a class assignment but I will probably build up on it and decided to share.

Article from LA Times

Here goes an article about water depletion in California possibly causing earthquakes.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-quake-water-20140515-story.html

Final Project Handout à A Triangular Approach to Stereotypes: Analyzing, Debunking and Overcoming

Final Project Handout à A Triangular Approach to Stereotypes: Analyzing, Debunking and Overcoming

Overview:

- Introducing Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “Martin & Meditations on the South Valley,” as well my own experience in the South Valley

-There are stereotypes of the South Valley and the people who reside in there that should be discovered because media has portrayed South Valley as a violent, indolent part of Albuquerque.

-My aim in this paper is to debunk stereotypes of the South Valley while using Baca’s narrative poems and my personal experience to critic analyze and question the validity of these stereotypes

Breakdown of Paper

-Thesis

-Jimmy’s introduction

-Introduce the book by Fredrick B. Pike

-Introduce Modern Latin America : slavery stats

-compare and contrast the Pike and Baca

- summarize Baca and Pike by reviewing the evidence through my own experience

-come to a common conclusion about stereotypes

Sources Used:

Homeless Needs Assessment, Ethnicity breakdown

Jimmy Santiago Baca Biography

Read from Fredrick B. Pike Myths and stereotypes highlighted in chapter 2

Lastly here's a picture of mestizos coming together and creating a mural of their success 

Chaco

A little connectivity between our paper presentations (specifically Lauren's) and our field trip to Chaco Canyon:

I just received this e-mail to lobby the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) about their consideration of oil and gas expansion in their lands bordering Chaco Canyon.

Here's a link the NPCA sent me within the e-mail:  https://secure.npca.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=CC4A8CAED8F36CC5F89B97ED8AAAC7A2.app338b?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1251&autologin=true&AddInterest=1084

In the e-mail, they seemed most particularly interested in the fact that this could create more light pollution in the area.  Chaco was designated the fourth NPS park to receive the designation as International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association.

I've never heard of the IDSA before -- its interesting to think about the level of dark sky vs light pollution as another thread of land use.

Chile - nut shell report

Christina Marie Glessner

ENG 540 – Chicano Ecology

Dr. Kells

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

“Nut Shell” Report on Chile

​In my experience learning about Chile in Skidmore’s “Modern Latin America,” a vast amount of history was explored in only a few pages.  Because of this, there were many important things grazed by, such as civil wars and activist movements.  This is not necessarily a flaw of the book’s telling, as the writers only have a small amount of space to relay a very large amount of information, but it made me think often about the spaces in-between what was given as much as what was given.  The book most particularly focuses on Chile’s economic and political changes from about 1814-2003.  Both the economy and political landscape were often in flux throughout this nearly 200 year time frame.

Every time the country seemed to advance economically, that time was surrounded by economic depression.  For example, early in the 19th century, Chile’s agricultural exports carried much of their economy, but this didn’t last.  The Wars of Independence put a hindrance on trade.  Then, the California Gold rushed increased agricultural exports, as the rush openedup a market for trade.  Then, when the transcontinental railroad was built, the US didn’t need foreign imports anymore, so Chile lost the market.  A similar trend was seen with their nitrate exports.  The country’s economy benefited from the business, had peaks and lows, and eventually the industry petered out.  Then, again, this trend was seen with copper mining, but this time with an added layer of foreign interference with the industry on Chile’s soil.  With copper mining, when smelting entered the industry, Chile didn’t have the money to engage with that process and sought the help of outside investors.  With this, the benefit of copper mining and exportation on Chilean exports dropped.  There was also less Chilean employment in these important jobs and jobs relevant to copper mining (such as parts production, which was now primarily imported) (110-112).

The political landscape in Chile also shifted often.  The landowning elite consistently carried the most power, but specific political parties are always shifting.  In 1830 a three decade period called the “Conservative Republic” took place.  Then, between 1861 and 1891, Chile was in what was called the “Liberal Republic.”  In 1891, there was civil war, brought on partially because of a nitrate taxation and the president’s proposal to start a National Bank.  These political ideas were opposed by the landowning elite that profited off of private banks and the nitrate industry.

After the civil war, Chile suffered many years of protests and strikes, sometimes turned bloody, where citizens fought for better labor rights.  Every time it looked like labor rights would be favored, favor seemed to return back to the employers.  The level of rights, so the level of rights were also in flux (118-119).

In 1935, the international communist movement was telling supporters to seek out allies to win political sway.  This is the first time where we really see groups from different political parties banned together into coalitions to win races.  A trend started of Chilean political parties banding together, then eventually splitting apart, then new groups banding together, then splitting apart.  This trend caused parties to become really aggressive towards each other.  With each breakdown of the parties, the atmosphere in the country was more split, culminating in a constantly fluxing (often depressed) economy and in civil wars.  People were constantly fighting to over throw presidents (122-127).

What happened, eventually, was that the military took over the government, led by General Pinochet.  Though he at first said he would only rule for a short time, his dictatorship lasted much longer.  He worked to uproot the political system in Chile, ending the civil wars, but the “peace” was based on the suppression of people.  Congress and the constitution were cut, political parties deemed illegal.  He made a curfew and restrictions on media.  His main goals were the “unity of the military” and the “oppression of society to stop battles from political parties and labor unions” (133-136).

During this time, the economy was reconstructed to resemble a fair-market economy, with emphasis on taking ownership back of their own industry, though still relying on outside loans.  This didn’t do much to solve Chile’s economic woes, though, and then a financial crash in 1982 “triggered by Mexico’s de facto default on foreign debt” plunged the GDP down further and increased unemployment (133-136).

With propaganda in place, Pinochet re-opened the election in 1988, assuming he’d win.  However, 14 groups made an alliance called Concertacón, and their candidate won the presidency.  In 1990 this president, Patricio Aywin took office.  He worked to put democracy back in place and to investigate the human rights violations from his predecessor’s rule.  Pinochet didn’t leave the scene, though.  He was still the chief of the army until 1998, and when he stepped down, he was still in a position of power, because he became a “nonelected” senator (133-136).

Pinochet was eventually vacationing in London, in 1998, where he was arrested, on request of Spain.  The British were going to give Pinochet to Spain, who would have executed him, but Chilean president Frei said that he needed to be returned to Chile, because as a senator, he had diplomatic immunity.  He was returned.  In 2001 the EU again brought up charges, requesting Pinochet be given to them.  By mid-2003, more than 300 members of Chile’s military were put in jail, and in 1970, the population was outraged to find that the Pinochet-let military raided mass graves (136-138).

The chapter ends with the line, “Not even the dead were safe from the long arm of the soldiers who had hijacked Chilean justice” (138).

Final Project Handout! :)

[Don't pay attention to the form and knife...menu template on Word ;)]

Peru Nutshell Report

Geographic Features:

-         The geographic features of Peru have helped to create disparate regional economies. The coast has given rise to commercial agriculture and fishing industries, the sierra has been an area for mining, livestock and subsistence agriculture and the montaña has seen the cultivation of coca leaves but no sustained prosperity until recently when the successful cultivation of coffee, sugar and fruit has boosted the economy.

Ethnic Variation:

-         Peru has a large Indian population, the last census to use racial categories in 1940, classified 46% of the population as Indian. Indians live mainly in the sierra.

-         Relatively small white population, about 1/10 of population, most likely originating from the Spanish conquerers.

-         1/3 or more of the total population is made up of mestizos, an ambiguous category in Peru that “represents both the burdens of an oppressive past and, occasionally, the prospects for a radically different future” (182).

A Troubled History:

-         Late 1820, having led his troops over the Andes from Argentina to Chile, Jose de San Martin reached the South Coast of Peru. Several months later the Spaniards evacuated Lima and San Martin pronounced its independence. He made plans to establish a monarchy but this brought opposition from liberals. A constitution was passed in 1823, the following year Bolivar defeated the Spanish in the battle of Junin and Peru became free, though Spain refused to recognise the independence of its colony.

-         In the post-independence era Peru, having avoided conflict until the 1820s, fell under the sway of military dictators and extreme economic difficulties.

The Guano Age:

-         The coldness of the country’s offshore waters attracted large numbers of fish, the fish in turn attracted birds which left droppings on coastal islands and atmospheric dryness preserved these droppings. The preserved droppings, known as guano, contain large quantites of nitrogen and can be used as fertilizer. 1941 saw the start of a half century of export led growth in Peru due to the shipping of guano to other countries. By the early 1860s the government was earning about 80% of its revenues from guano but due to debts to the British, about half the govt.s receipts were going to English bondholders.

Economic Growth and Social Change:

-         Since the early 19thC the Peruvian economy has undergone 3 long cycles of economic growth: 1) 1830s-70s, corresponding with the guano age, 2) 1890s- The Great Depression of the 1930s, 3) The conclusion of WWII – mid 1970s.

-         The geography of Peru seems to have been influential over its economic and political history. By the mid-1960s processes of social change led to fundamental alterations: the coastal elite became involved in commercial agriculture and export-import transactions, the Serrano elite (landowners)-many of whom carried out major innovations in agriculture- found its local authority eroding badly. The lower class, probably 80% of the population was divided along three dimensions: workers and peasants, coast and sierra, Indian and non-Indian, yet migration managed to reduce once-major geographic gaps.  

Final Project Presentation Handout

Presentation Notes

Goals of this presentation:

1. Illuminate a couple key concepts about Vicente Ximenes' life.
   
2. Share some of my rhetorical and research based discoveries in my attempt to aid in the cultivation of an online presence for Vicente Ximenes.
   

1. Ximenes' Legacy
   

• Ximenes' legacy seems to be a difficult to understand concept. Ximenes doesn't fit into a simple archetype and doesn't contain many flashy elements that would make it an engrossing topic. Ximenes' legacy is, however, foundational to the progress that was achieved for Mexican Americans throughout the civil rights era.
  
  • One aspect of Ximenes' legacy that is easily overlooked, is the context of the time he lived in. Ximenes wasn't a Mexican American that held public office amidst a sea of his own peers. Ximenes was something of a trail blazer as a Mexican American navigating the political world from within. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 and Ximenes was heading up the EEOC in 1966, and organizing the El Paso hearings in 1967.
    
  • Ximenes was not “fighting the power,” but instead made strides to change things within the power structure that was slowly evolving in the right direction with civil rights. Ximenes' rhetoric was generally not revolutionary or delivered in the presence of a large crowd with the intention of mass mobilization. Ximenes was an organizer and a navigator of political environments, which through it may seem like a less exciting role, it was a much needed role.
    

2. Discoveries
   

• Initially it seemed like there were not very many resources that a person could access to make connections about Ximenes' legacy, and there are certainly still fewer than there should be, but there were a lot more than I initially knew.
  
  • *Bring up old Wikipedia page in one tab and the new one in another.
    
    • Old page lacked “Legacy,” “Civil Rights Accomplishments,” and sources.
      
    • New page includes these aspects and cross links from categories and linked inclusions in other Wikipedia pages.
      
    • Unseen connections include:
      

• Hispanics in the United States Air Force
  
• American GI Forum
  
• Notable Mexican Americans
  
• People from Albuquerque
  
• The History of Mexican Americans
  
• Listed on the Hector Garcia Wikipedia page*
  
• If you Google "El Paso Hearings 1967" Ximenes' page is the first or second result that appears, and makes connections to more information.
  

Presentation Handout -- Hydraulic Fracturing: Manipulation of Enthymeme to Suppress Technological Truth

Overview

• As oil and gas interests face resistance from New Mexican communities on fracking, some have employed professional documents to tout its benefits
• These documents only present one side of the argument, suppressing technical discourse
•  In this paper, I argue that the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association brochure functions as more than a professional document: it is also an enthymeme, but with the unstated premise deliberately kept out of the reach of the audience.

Context

• New Mexico is the third largest producer of energy in the U.S., largely due to petroleum and gas production
• Recent increases in production are due to unconventional drilling techniques in the Permian and San Juan basins
• Top producing counties in NM are rural, impoverished, and uneducated
• NMOGA produced a brochure designed to appeal to these NM communities

Analysis

Logos

·      Simple, short, easy-to-read sentences

·      Logical, seemingly factual arguments presented with no sources

·      Avoidance of technical information

·      Appeal to familiarity over fact

Ethos

·      Professional design

·      Branding

·      No source info—NMOGA presented as expert

Pathos

·      Plays on emotions associated with poverty by aligning fracking with money and education

·      Calling attention to funding distracts from health and environmental impacts

Comparison to Technical Discourse

•  NMOGA Brochure vs. EPA Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: Progress Report
• Glossed over facts and vague discourse vs. rigorous data analysis, new research, scenario analysis

Hey all!  I wanted to share this video with you.  It's something I keep coming back to and that feels relevant to this class: to the ways it's taught us to always seek more knowledge, to strive for understanding, and to make connections.
"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story the only story," Chimamanda Adichie, "The Danger of a Single Story."

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

Story about Irixicans

Thought this would be an interesting read ;)

Enjoy!

http://thenewwildgeese.com/profiles/blogs/the-irish-soldiers-of-mexico?utm_source=Irish+Fireside&utm_campaign=41f5d6745f-Memorable_Travel_Moments_in_Ireland5_6_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1b836dae67-41f5d6745f-84914895&xg_source=shorten_twitter

Ducal Beans: My Displacement since Moving from California

Once I stepped out of the airplane in August, I was on unknown soil. Being a native of California for over 20 plus years, and now arriving in a different state, I was inclined to be adventurous. To test myself. My parents had done the same, but their decision was based on force—a social & political force. The dictionary defines displacement as “the displacing in space of one mass by another”. When I read this definition, then thought about the word, I knew there was something much more invested in the word. Displacement first arrives into my mind when I think about my parents arriving to the United States without any money, without a place to sleep, and no food. They arrived here at a young age, or as adolescents. That is displacement. Both my parents are from Central American, my mother from El Salvador, and my father from Guatemala. They both brought with them pieces of their land, although displaced, they are rooted in their world. The displacement I have faced is nothing compared to the millions of refugees from these countries. In many ways, displacement can be simple. For example, when moving to the New Mexico, I missed my family. In my family, we gather together at the dinner table and share stories. What we eat is always good because we have each other. Now that I live alone, I think about those moments, and the one moment that always comes to mind is the refried canned beans my father always bought every Saturday morning. They are called Ducal beans. He buys two big cans, and a paper bag of baguettes from the French bakery in downtown Long Beach. What happens is this, in New Mexico, these same beans are not in the grocery aisle. This is the displacement I face by being away from my home, from my space. I ask my father to send me some cans, to eat in memory of this custom, I still have one can sitting in my cupboard. I am holding on to it.

Here is a poem...

A Truck Driver’s Paycheck

Every Sunday morning
my dad is always the first to wake up.
He’s not wearing his work clothes

but his body carries the stench of diesel

by the sea, junk yards
he visits to collect truck parts.
He still places his key chain, wallet, 
and cell phone on his dresser.

Still wears dark blue jeans, 
held tightly by his black leather belt.

I walk down the hall way
he stares at me, rubbing his worn out
wallet, slides into his back pocket.
When I ask him where he is going, 
he doesn’t respond. But I know
we’ve had chicken the whole week, so
he must be going to get the usual: 
Ducal beans and baguettes from
the French bakery on Long Beach Blvd.
I imagine he’s tired of waking up
at 4 am each morning, sliding on
the same brown boots and safety visibility
vest for his late night shift.

The years are playing with his face,

the brown rings around his eyes,

the long nights of working

to come home to a microwaved meal, 
and a tall glass of water, a cup of coffee,

and pan dulce from the Concha bakery,

just waiting for someone to thank
him for today’s meal.

©MelGar2014

Hi! I found this article on CNN and I thought it would be an interesting read. I am sure some of us don't rely on CNN for new, but I stumbled upon it and immediately thought about our class. Link below:

Which is it, Hispanic or Latino?

By Cindy Y. Rodriguez, CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/03/living/hispanic-latino-identity/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

Chapter 7: Columbia Oral Report

Columbia in a Cracked Nutshell

Background

Columbia was first established as a colony by the Spanish, after their victory against the indigenous in the central cordillera, and Tairona, around the Caribbean. Similar to the settlements in central and South America, the Spanish establishment resulted in the mixing of indigenous and Spanish cultures and races. Nearly half of the percentage of inhabitants in Columbia were of mixed origins, out ranking the population of those classified as white, by about 15 percent. Then came the time when Columbia decided to begin to claim their independence. Many were still in favor of the Spanish crown maintaining rule over Columbia but many opted for national independence. This break for independence led to a military movement in which even lower class groups, having the title populachos, and even women were allowed to participate in the movement. Elites wanted to remain the dominant power of Columbia so through the failed attempt to create Columbia as a composite state, they developed a constitutional charter in 1821, which gave more rights for indigenous and Africans to become citizens and contribute, and even run for elections.

Separation in the Political Culture

·         “War of Supremos”- 1848 Development of Conservative vs. Liberal

·         Disagreement upon church authority and other Partisan conflicts

·         Alternating in power  over government

Coffee Cultivating Social Change

·         Coffee was prominent export for Columbia and many other countries in Latin America

·         Coffee’s success promoted new advancements in shipping and receiving supplies

Fall of Coffee, Rise of Cocaine

·         Largest export was illegal drugs, especially Cocaine

·          “Dutch Disease”

·         New economic growth through drug trade promoting social growth

·         The instability of the Columbian workforce led its success to meet a swift decline.

Conservative hegemony to the Liberal Republic

·         Conservative rule weakened by Great Depression

·         Movements that fought for a change in government rule

·         La Violencia

New Trends of Columbian Culture

·         Increased franchise for women

·         Cocaine strikes back

The Alliance Between the FARC Guerrilla group and Drug Cartels

·         Each side used one another to acquire economic leverage through acts of violence and the promotion of the drug trade industry.

·         Their relationships with one another varied from being either, tactical, instrumental, or extortionate.

·         FARC vs. Paramilitary

·         The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt

Venezuela: Environmental Issues

Venezuela:

• Known for the “petroleum bonanza” that forever changed the face of the country

• Venezuela was not tempting for conquest

           -The Spaniards eventually took over but expectations were small

           -It soon became known for its livestock and agriculture

           -Its main role was to produce food for New Spain (Mexico)

• Caracas

         -became the central hub of political and economic life

         -became empowered and wanted independence

Petroleum Age (1908-1940)

• Juan Vicente Gomez –President of Venezuela

• Oil was becoming essential for industrial development and military strength

•  Under Gomez, Venezuela was now in the petroleum age and everything changed.

• “The government had only to produce scraps of official paper granting rights to drill on relatively worthless agricultural land” all petroleum profits were free.

• 1914: concessions were not equivalent to sales-subsequent law said that concessionaires would have rights to exploration of designated parcels not outright ownership.

• 1922: the law changed when the parcels were increased and lengthened periods of exploitation. 

• 1926: petroleum became the country’s chief export

• 1929: Venezuela was the largest oil exporter in the world

Dutch Disease (Royal Dutch/Shell)

•  An increase of oil production restricted Venezuela’s overall ability to create and maintain other industries.

• Government ignored serious social problems, including education, health, infrastructure, agriculture, and domestic industries

• Caused Venezuela to fall behind other industrialized countries

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) 1950S-1960S:

• Goals: Five countries (Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela) working together in order to secure and stabilize the international oil prices.

The Years of Decline 1970s-1990s

• 1973: Oil crisis
• By the 1980s oil prices plummeted again.
• 1990s: More symptoms of Dutch Disease
• 1990-1998: industrial production declined

1998-Present

·         Hugo Chavez took office

·         Policy changes involving the oil industry were made

·         Strengthened Venezuela and other national industries to create a more developed nation.

·         Made drastic changes for the nation and became a historical figure.