2011:Year End Report

[Artemis]

Well, my year has been pretty uneventful. It hasn't been great, but not annus horribilis either.

The biggest accomplishment has been quitting smoking. It will be 6 months at the end of the month.


So, how has this year been for you guys?

[Hype]

So busy, I love it. Stressed as hell, but I get to do philosophy as a career for at least the next 3.5 more years.
The next two weeks will be a cacophony of 50 or so shitty essays to mark (on Berkeley and Locke's anti-skepticism) and Christmas food and two more papers to write before the 25th. I started the year in a gas station and I've ended it being paid to do what I love.

[sinep]

I started the year in a gas station and I've ended it being paid to do what I love.

metoo!

started the year working shipping/receiving ended the year working at an awesome job in the field of my major.

2011 was a good year.

from my first day of work:

[Larry B.]

It's been a pretty interesting year... I finally could start 'something' with the girl I had had a crush on for like 5 months. Even though we broke up like a month and a half ago, she was sweet and extremely hot, and I'm glad we had good times.

Work-wise, it was very, very good... plenty of interesting projects, found a few new clients, learned a lot... however, since I didn't take as many days off as I would've liked, I was kinda burned out by the end of the year. That's why I'm practically taking a 45-days vacation. I don't need that grief.

On the down side, at one point during the year I was a bit depressed for 2 or 3 weeks, maybe. However, this depression helped clarified some things and I made some plans that brought me up again.

I got to listen to the musical The Book of Mormon, which I thought was amazing.

I kept on strengthening my relationship with my nephew and niece. I love those little kids and, fortunately, they know it.

I also protested against this horrible government and I even got to the point to make plans to go to Punta Arenas armed with a knife and kill a specific guy (the government attempted to mess with people from Magallanes. Rule #1 as a President of Chile: you do not mess with people from Magallanes). I decided to hold out and the protests did their thing: the government stepped back. It was a little scary recognizing that I saw killing that guy as an actual possibility. I was 2 clicks away from purchasing the plane ticket and I was like 'sure, it's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it. you don't fuck with my people'. It was interesting to realize that I would actually fight and kill for my land, should it be necessary.

Overall, a fine year. I hope it will end (and 2012 will begin) on a high note, spending New Year's Day in Torres del Paine and being completely disconnected from the rest of the planet for at least 2 weeks.

[creep]

I even got to the point to make plans to go to Punta Arenas armed with a knife and kill a specific guy (the government attempted to mess with people from Magallanes. Rule #1 as a President of Chile: you do not mess with people from Magallanes).

[Larry B.]

It's true

I believe it was 1984; Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator in office, visited Punta Arenas. Even though killings and tortures were rampant, there had never been a powerful public demonstration in the country, basically because any attempt was quickly subdued by the police.

At that time, Punta Arenas' unemployment rate was at 23% and wages were really low. When Pinochet arrived at the main square of the city, he was received with chants like "Murderer! Murderer!" and "He's going to fall... he's going to fall..." But the highlight of the protest was a dead rabbit thrown at Pinochet. Blood stains adorned his clothes.

Demonstrators were dispersed by the police and hid inside a Cathedral for 6 hours, until the police and soldiers (all dressed as civilians) left the place. Pinochet was furious and I don't recall him ever going back to Magallanes.

In Chile, that demonstration is widely known as "el puntarenazo", and it's by far the most powerful civil demonstration against any figure of power.

This year, the government tried to raise the price of gas for the Southernmost region on Earth, the strategically valuable region that needs heat 365 days of the year. People from Magallanes spread throughout Chile demonstrated in every town (myself included, of course). At one point, the central government decided to send special forces to Magallanes, in order to subdue demonstrators, and the President was scheduled to visit Punta Arenas. One week before his visit, he was declared persona non grata, as in, 'nobody wants you here, motherfucker'. The President traveled there but never left the airport; he had a meeting and then went back to Santiago. When special forces traveled, along with the Secretary of Economy, that's when I thought of traveling to fight. Things were getting out of hand, there were rumors that the military was getting ready to defend Magallanes from 'the Chileans'. Rumors of armed forces in Argentina ready to help too. So, killing the Secretary of Economy would have been a clear sign: 'get out of here. you don't fuck with us. you come here, we'll fuck you'. Finally, it wasn't necessary. Those special forces came back to Santiago two days later, and it was announced that the price of gas would not change for at least the next 10 years.

Mission accomplished

[Turncoat]

Fuck 2011.

[Hype]

[Mescal]

That wasn't 2011

[Hype]

That wasn't 2011

It wasn't 1969 either.

[creep]

i guess i was the only one disturbed to read that larry was planning on killing a govt official because they were going to raise gas prices. if you were seriously thinking of doing that you need more help than i thought. is this any different than the nut jobs that kill abortion doctors?

[Jasper]

I think it sounded so batshit insane that I couldn't possibly imagine that Larry would be capable of it. I mean, the amount of hatred that sometimes comes out of the guy's mouth is kind of astounding, but at the same time, talking crazy and actually doing something crazy are usually different things. In case there's any doubt, Larry, what you said was insane, and you shouldn't be entertaining those thoughts. Just fucking relax and watch Gandhi. There are better ways to deal with political issues.

[Larry B.]

Just fucking relax and watch Gandhi.

I may have communicate a surprise or two in the following 2 years (if the USA and the Internet are still around).

[Jasper]

Where the fuck did my Gandhi image go, and what the fuck does this thing below mean?

I may have communicate a surprise

I hope you're not planning some surprise that involves you trying to kill someone. We really don't want to be that website.

[Juana]

2011 was a bad start as I found out I was in stage 3 testicular cancer but by July it was looking good and then everything business wise was going well and the end of the year is looking really good. Very excited for 2012

[Larry B.]

Where the fuck did my Gandhi image go, and what the fuck does this thing below mean?

I may have communicate a surprise

I hope you're not planning some surprise that involves you trying to kill someone. We really don't want to be that website.

No, no, no, no murders or any type of crime involved. More like a surprise related to relaxing and chilling out.

And yeah, I forgot to delete the 'have' after writing 'I may have a surprise', my mistake

[Larry B.]

2011 was a bad start as I found out I was in stage 3 testicular cancer but by July it was looking good and then everything business wise was going well and the end of the year is looking really good. Very excited for 2012

[sinep]

i guess i was the only one disturbed to read that larry was planning on killing a govt official because they were going to raise gas prices. if you were seriously thinking of doing that you need more help than i thought. is this any different than the nut jobs that kill abortion doctors?

i'm not surprised.

i kind of wish he would have done it.

we could have had fun reading the articles about his arrest and incarceration.

[creep]

i guess i was the only one disturbed to read that larry was planning on killing a govt official because they were going to raise gas prices. if you were seriously thinking of doing that you need more help than i thought. is this any different than the nut jobs that kill abortion doctors?

i'm not surprised.

i kind of wish he would have done it.

we could have had fun reading the articles about his arrest and incarceration.

we all know he wouldn't have been successful so i guess it would have been funny to see him fail.

[Larry B.]

i guess i was the only one disturbed to read that larry was planning on killing a govt official because they were going to raise gas prices. if you were seriously thinking of doing that you need more help than i thought. is this any different than the nut jobs that kill abortion doctors?

i'm not surprised.

i kind of wish he would have done it.

we could have had fun reading the articles about his arrest and incarceration.

we all know he wouldn't have been successful so i guess it would have been funny to see him fail.

If I'm ever arrested for a crime I will blame you.

[Bandit72]

Larry, as a matter of interest, how much is gas in Chile? If we had protests like that over here, the government would be killed every six months.

Been an OK year for me, largely uneventful. I still have my job in a time of terrible recession and I have the birth of my daughter to look forward too in February 2012. Then that's our lot!

[Artemis]

I have the birth of my daughter to look forward too in February 2012.

February is my month(26th) - an excellent time to be born.

[Larry B.]

Larry, as a matter of interest, how much is gas in Chile? If we had protests like that over here, the government would be killed every six months.

Gas for automobiles is usually around USD 1.22 and it has the same price across the country (with minimal variations depending on the gas company).

The issue in Punta Arenas was regarding natural gas used for heating and stuff. The only gas-pumping towers in Chile are in Magallanes, and since that region needs heat 365 days of the year, 24/7, natural gas prices are way lower than in the rest of the country (otherwise, everybody would be bankrupt). The government wanted to raise gas prices in Magallanes in 16.5% and said 'party is over in Magallanes'. Of course, we were not going to accept that. Such a lack of respect. Besides, of course, the fact that the reason behind such raise were corporate interests (our government is FULL of businessmen/women).

[Artemis]

is that per litre?

here the cheapest is around $1.10 per litre.

[Larry B.]

is that per litre?

here the cheapest is around $1.10 per litre.

Yup, per litre. However, the prices of gas for automobiles has never sparked demonstrations here; this whole deal was regarding piped natural gas (what are the terms that would differentiate these two types of gas?)

As an average, people in Magallanes use about 20 times as much gas as the rest of Chile, yet the monthly gas bill is around USD 120 for a family of 4 or 5 (which would be a high gas bill during winter for a family of 4 in Santiago). In Chile, most of the electric energy is based on water/dams; however, since Magallanes isn't part of the 'interconnected central system' that provides energy for most of the country, most of the electric energy in Magallanes is based on natural gas, which is pumped right there.