Vikings of Rexburg

Did you know BYU has a campus in Rexburg, Idaho? Well, their thriving jazz culture, according to Wikipedia (take that as you will) prompted an international visit from their band to Concepcion, Chile. The Universidad de Concepcion sponsored a "Noches de Jazz" concert performed by Sound Alliance and Vocal Union, the jazz instrumental and vocal groups, respectively, from the BYU-Idaho campus who apparently tour exclusively in Chile.

The concert was a mixed bag. The Sinatra cover of "Fly Me to the Moon" was dazzling, however, not to disrespect the performers, the concert made me think of having heard music from African Americans rerecorded by whites for radio play. You'll recall that was a part of U.S. history. Anyway, there were some excellent renditions, but at the same time, some were a bit lacking in feeling. Altogether, an entertaining and economical experience.

More Gaps to Mind

Women aren't earning as much as men. But in the great state of Arizona, things aren't as bad as other states. The Republic reports, not all good news, but some:

For starters, you're working in the right state. In Arizona, a working woman earned 83.8 percent of a man's annual salary in 2005, well above the national average, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

Out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., Arizona's male-female salary gap was the second-smallest.

Only the gap in the District of Columbia was smaller.

That fact that there's a wage differential is weak sauce. That ours is more than 16% is nothing to be proud of. But hey, best state in the Union, right? Got to report that.

Vive Latino

You've probably heard that a momentous occasion is coming this April. Rage Against the Machine will reunite. This one time only. I love Rage. Hot.

And the whole Coachella line-up is something to be annoyed about. Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Ghostface, Kaiser Chiefs, Chilli Peppers, the Roots, Damien Rice, Kanye. Seriously people. This has really got my goat. Why? Can't go. Why? Because. Because I said so. I've been to Coachella before. Weezer and Coldplay (among plenty of others) rocked the casbah. But please. That'll be nothing compared to this line-up.

All this, not to mention that I'll be missing the likes of Ozomatli, Bright Eyes, and Modest Mouse, all playing in Phoenix in the coming weeks. So I had to take action.

Last weekend, I did, attending the Vive Latino music festival in Santiago (which interestingly headlined a very un-Latino band, Keane). I had a blast and got to know some great bands, which I hope to introduce to here. First up, Los Tres, right out of my temporary home here in Concepcion, Chile.

Sidenote: Vive Latino was like a mini-Coachella minus food and drink sales and with a self-pump sink system. Not a terribly good situation. But the music, and the Argentinian company, was good.

Only 9 Days Left...

...to vote for your favorite design of Arizona's quarter. Voting closes at midnight on April 20. This is more than just 25 cents, this is Arizona's quarter, we're talking about people. 5,000 have already voted.

From my Governor:

It is difficult to condense the heritage and beauty of our great state onto something as small as a quarter. Arizona is a beautiful state, famous not only for its striking landscapes and remarkable sunsets, but also for our contributions to the United States. From the Navajo Code Talkers to John Wesley Powell’s famous expedition through the Grand Canyon, our rich heritage is something to be proud of. It’s our goal to have the Arizona Quarter reflect the myriad of influences that make our state so special. Each of the final five designs showcases Arizona’s unique beauty and rich heritage. Please tell me which design you would like to see in the pocketbooks of millions of Americans by ranking your favorite designs in order. The Arizona Quarter will be minted in May 2008. Let’s show the country and the world the natural beauty, charm, vision and historical contributions Arizona is known for.

Estadounidense

A clear image of "American" (I rarely deign to use that word nowadays to describe people in the U.S.) doesn't exist. I'll argue that it's a good thing that we aren't all descendants of one race. But sometimes (if not generally) people at home find it hard to accept "Arizonan" as a response to "Where are you from?"

Chile is an exacerbation of this annoyance. I am apparently not permitted, as my white friends here are, to respond to "What are you?" with simply, "Estadounidense" (the Spanish noun for U.S. citizen or resident, you might translate United Statesian); at least not without further explanation. I know exactly what my name means, what language it comes from, and my parents' racial identity, but should I have to? And does it tell as much about me as does the fact that I live in Phoenix? For others, maybe. But for those of you that know me, you'll agree that it certainly does not. And where I was born (London) or where my parents are from (they were born in Kenya), gives you completely irrelevant information about my history. But those are the first questions people ask.

Even at the Instituto Chileno Norteamericano de Cultura, where they use an American flag in their logo, people share some level of this ignorance. I stopped by to see if I could pick up some extra cash teaching some of their English classes. I was quickly turned away: "We're only looking for North Americans, here." When pressed for further explanation, the secretary responded, "Well, Canadians would do, but we prefer people from the United States. We specialize in English from the U.S."

So, do I. But I wasn't prepared to offer her a tutorial on the U.S. as an immigrant nation. Nor was I going to show her my passport. When she told me she was from Chile, I had thinking to do. I wonder what continent she puts Mexico in?

Granted, I'm not pegged as a foreigner until I open my mouth. But when I do, a justification for the color of my skin is all but mandatory. When I got lost and stopped to ask for directions, I started to walk as directed. Two steps later, my generous helpers became interrogators (albeit well-meaning, curious people)--asking me if I was an Arab. I'm wasn't offended, as I think some with a darker complexion might be, but telling them I was from the U.S. didn't satisfy them.

Often I play dumb. I think it settles the point better sometimes. Why wouldn't I be estadounidense?

Volcanista

Roostah's crowing like a clarion this weekend. I am pure city folk, but yesterday I added something very outdoorsy to my résumé: I climbed Volcan Villarrica (more pictures here) in Pucon, Chile. The transcript of the video clip:

So...ummm...I climbed the volcano. And I had to take a video to prove that I did it. Pretty hardcore.

Hardcore, to say the least. I've got a new callus on each palm from the ice pick, two bloody toes (one from a blister, one from the toe nail), and the story of a lifetime (the real roborant for the exhaustion). I climbed a volcano. To the summit. A volcano. It was hot.

To give you an idea of the taxing nature of the ascent, I'll tell you that I felt it was quite steep, not to mention the difficulty of hiking upwards on cinders--for every two steps forward, you slide back a step. To add to the challenge, I decided (along with two others of some 25 odd hikers who were much better prepared for it than I) against using the chairlift. Although I'm no Michigan State fan, I wanted to be a Spartan. I recently saw 300, the new Frank Miller flick, and have been inspired to awaken the Spartan in me. Sometimes this inspiration kicks in at the wrong time. This would have been one of those times.

I had hoped for sliding down, as many do, for the descent, but the ice was too hard. Instead, we trekked--which was nearly as difficult as the climb. But now, although they feel like putty, I expect my legs and backside are well-sculpted works of art. Not that they weren't before. But now, well, it's for sure.

Still, while some didn't make it, and one person told me it was the hardest thing she'd ever tried, the relentless pursuit in me didn't allow any backing down. You see, before a Spartan, I'm a Teach For American. And this definitely isn't the hardest thing I've ever done.

Rabid For A Win

Itinerant Dennis Erickson tells Tempe faithful (and the rest of Sun Devil Nation) that he plans to stay and make the finest state in the union, and the best city in history, his permanent home. ESPN gives us reason to hope:

"I can sit back now...this is a great opportunity to have success. People are dying for it around here...This is a good way to end my career."

Before you arch your eyebrow just so, consider that Erickson might be telling the truth. At Arizona State, Erickson has just about everything a coach could want: modern football offices, an indoor practice facility on the way and at least 43,000 season-ticket holders who remain [emphasis added] rabid despite a total of two Pac-10 championships in 29 seasons.

Did you know we went after this guy in 2002 after his Fiesta Bowl win with the Beavers (over a weak Irish team), along with the likes of one Trojan team, and neither of us were successful. He stayed (then later bolted for the 49ers). But that's proof right there that he won't be lured away from Kush Field unless he's got pro-football offers. And no pro team will offer him anything once they realize his proximity to the Cardinals. Right?

Español Para Extranjeros

In keeping myself busy in Chile, I've signed up for 4 classes here at the U(niversity), the most important of which is Spanish for foreigners. But it wasn't until today that class, thanks to the unusual methods of my professor, became blog-worthy. After a review and worksheet activities on using the preterit indefinite and past imperfect tenses, we watched some commercials and were asked to explain what happened. One of the commercials was somewhat provocative, especially since we were asked to explain the subtext. We became giggling 8th graders. You will, too.

Comedy Tuesday

You indubitably saw Google's April Fool's Joke, the Toilet ISP. This is funnier:

Google announced today that soon customers of their Gmail service will have their storage size increased to "infinity plus one." The announcement comes shortly after Yahoo's announcement that their Yahoo mail customers would be given unlimited storage.

How was this masterful move inspired, you ask? Simple playground logic:

Greg Tomkins, an engineer at Google, is credited with coming up with the "infinity plus one" idea. "I was out in the yard when my kids ran up to me yelling at each other. My son said to my daughter, 'I hate you to infinity.' She replied, 'I hate you to infinity plus one.' And right then I knew I had the solution to competing with unlimited storage," said Tomkins.

The response:

When contacted about the Google announcement, a Yahoo representative said, "We will be making an announcement shortly about our million-trillion-billion infinity storage," and added, "Neener, neener, neener."

Nash Equilibrium