In the Crystal River in Colombia.
Rene Higuita: Scorpion Kick
schweeeeet!
(by catalepsia)
“The chemical at the heart of the planet’s most widely used herbicide — Roundup weedkiller, used in farms and gardens across the U.S. — is coming under more intense scrutiny following the release of a new report calling for a heightened regulatory response around its use.
Critics have argued for decades that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides used around the globe, poses a serious threat to public health. Industry regulators, however, appear to have consistently overlooked their concerns.
”- This Huffington Post investigation, based on this report, is worrisome for U.S. policy toward Colombia. Since 1994, a U.S. government coca-eradication program has funded aircraft spraying Roundup over nearly 4 million acres of Colombian territory.
Here I was at work, minding my business, checking out Twitter to get a hold of the most current news, and stumbling upon a Tweet by a Colombian-news site. So I went to the website to read a particular story more in depth, and saw this curious little widget right on the side:
It’s a poll asking readers to pick their favorite gringo blog. (Btw, “Gringo” is sort of a not-too-nice term for US citizens.) You can find the results here; first place went to Medellin Living and Second place to The Tall Gringo (which I voted for b/c, among other things, I thought the author was kind of good-looking.)
Not knowing ANY of these blogs, I thought, “I have a few free minutes; let’s go check them out!” And I did (well, most of them). And I loved them. Of course, they’re each written from the point of view of someone who comes from the U.S. who may thus not be all that used to the dynamics of my dear Colombia. However, I found them refreshing for a few reasons:
- As an only child, I’m pretty much surrounded by my parents’ perspectives on many things— including Colombian life. (I left Colombia when I was 13, you see, so I’m not thoroughly fluent in Colombian living.)
- As someone with many American friends and acquaintances—most of whom unfortunately don’t now anything about Colombia besides the pessimistic views the media presents—I’m also pretty surrounded by your occasional ignorant who’d rather bash other countries than admit that no country out there (even a superpower) is perfect.
- I also enjoy frequenting the sites of highly opinionated writers as I find they’ve done their research and their views have some worthwhile backing. And while I may not agree with them all, I can always see where they’re coming from.
- Lastly, these bloggers have been/are in Colombia. They talk about what they see and have come to know. Again, they may be wearing their U.S. lenses, but I still trust that they’re describing what they see to the best of their abilities and with the right juicio y criterio.
- Medellin Living
- The Tall Gringo
- Little Colombia Observationist
- Mike’s Bogota Blog
- Expat Chronicles
- Gringo Gone Crazy
- Chocolate Con Queso
