Episode 17: To The Edge Of The World

Rapa Nui is the name the inhabitants gave their language, their land, and themselves. A Dutch explorer stepped ashore on a Christian holiday in 1722 and named it Paasch Eiland. The Spanish translated that to Isla de Pascua, and we call it Easter Island.
It is one of the most isolated places on earth. Thousands of miles from the west coast of South America, the nearest body of land is Pitcairn Island, where the mutineers from The Bounty went to hide.
While there are contending theories, the island was probably first discovered and settled by skilled seafarers from The Marquesas. They are thought to have used double-hulled sailing vessels large enough to carry families, water, food, and domestic animals.
They landed around 400 AD.
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl proposed an alternative view after his celebrated voyage on the Kon-Tiki from the South American coast. But apart from some precisely carved stonework that strongly suggest later visits from the Incas, the existing native population of Rapa Nui is clearly Polynesian, not Latin American in origin.
Their Rapa Nui ancesters formed clans. They built communal housing, villages, and ceremonial centers from the abundant volcanic rock. Most famously and mysteriously, they carved giant statues of heads and full figures called moai, setting them upon altars known as ahu. Hundreds of them remain, scattered over the slopes of the many extinct volcanoes and arrayed upright on ahu at seaside. Their purpose and cultural significance are unknown.

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"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true."
- James Branch Campbell (1926)

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EVOLUTION (Or, What a Difference a Term Makes)

There is no doubt Saddam has weapons of mass destruction.
We'll be greeted as liberators.
This is a crusade against terrorism.
Bring 'em on.
Shock and awe.
Mission accomplished.
The Iraq war is just a comma in history.
Stay the course.
That was a quarter of what I meant.
I'm disappointed, too.

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DID YOU CATCH THIS?
* A Dilbert Cartoon
First panel: I want to debate with people on the Internet, but I worry that I'm not smart enough.
Second panel: Maybe I'll just read what the smart people are saying.
Third panel: Okay, I'm in.

*David H. Safavian, a former White House budget official, was sentenced on October 26th to 18 months in prison for lying about his relationship to lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He is only the first person to go on trial in the wide-ranging Abramoff investigation.

*An Amish couple in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the federal government to resist providing photographs of themselves to government agencies. They say it violates a Biblical edict against graven images. Thing is, the husband is a Canadian who hopes to become an American citizen, and immigration officials not unreasonably require photographs.

*With the spotlight on the re-election campaign of Pennsylvania's archconservative Senator Rick Santorum, there's been little national attention given that of his colleague, Republican Representative Curt Weldon. Portofino, the glamourous port at the heart of the Italian Riviera, was the site of Weldon's recent speech in behalf of an Italian arms manufacturer. He is a prominent member of the House Armed Services Committee. That company, Finmeccanica, is seeking larger Pentagon contracts.
>Taxpayers paid his $1,153 daily allowance and provided a military jet for his trip.
>Weldon's daughter Kim was hired by Finmeccanica as a public relations consultant.
>A Finmeccanica subsidiary landed the contract to build the next $1.7 billion Marine One presidential helicopter.
>Yet another Finmeccanica subsidiary hired Weldon's friend Cecelia Grimes as a lobbyist. She has no previous lobbying experience.
>Another Weldon daughter, Karen, heads a lobbying firm that has received lucrative contracts from Russian and Eastern European companies.
And so on.
Culture of conservative corruption, anyone?
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LAST MONTH IN CHILE
It is useful to think of Chile as comparable to the West Coast of the U.S., a narrow, 2,000-mile strip running from Alaska to Baja - only in reverse. There is the same wondrous diversity, from the snow-capped Andean spine that forms its eastern background to the crashing surf of its endless coastline, the two boundaries that enclose lush fruit-growing valleys, sub-arctic wastelands, high-plateau lakelands, searing deserts, and a temperate middle zone where it is Spring all year.
Entry is made through Santiago, a capital more visibly prosperous than its sisters Lima, La Paz, and Quito, with super highways slicing through, an admirable new metro system, many glass-sided downtown office buildings, big-deal hotels, and plush, inside-the-city-limits residential neighborhoods. On the flip side, the city is also bland, lacking that messy vibrancy that lends tang and character. Think of it as a pleasant stopover on the way to Chile's abundant other attractions.

Reasons To Visit Chile
*Easter Island
*Diverse environments
*Stable government
*Horses and horsepeople
*Chilean wine
*Friendly, gentle, helpful people
*Lapis lazuli jewelry
*Easter Island
*Abundant Seafood
*Urban order and cleanliness
*Subtitled English-language TV and film
*Easter Island

Reasons Not To Visit Chile
*12 hours on a plane
*Chilean cuisine
*Rural poverty
*Poor selection of handicrafts
*Absence of English-language publications

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Pastel de Choclo
Always on the lookout for authentic native dishes, we are assured that this is a characteristic Chilean recipe. Leave off the sugar and it has a passing resemblance to Shepard's Pie.

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
One and a half pounds ground beef and/or pork
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
One-half cup chopped olives
One-half cup raisins
3 eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
One and a half pounds cooked chicken, shredded
2 large baking potatoes, cooked and diced
2 cups corn kernels
Sugar (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Fry the onions until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, stirring, for another minute. Add the meat, stirring and breaking it up with the side of the spoon, until it is no longer pink, 10-12 minutes.
Spread this mixture on the bottom of a casserole large enough to accept a layer about one inch thick. Scatter the olives, raisins, and egg quarters evenly over the meat, followed by the shredded chicken.
Place the potatoes, corn, and salt to taste in a food processor. Mix until smooth (add a little milk if it is too thick). Spread the mixture over the other ingredients. Sprinkle sugar (if desired) over all to cover. Bake for 30 t0 40 minutes until the potato-corn layer starts to brown, or until the sugar (if used) caramelizes.

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Here's my plan: Shorter, more frequent episodes. If you came across this blog while surfing and would like to receive notice of future updates, e-mail me at www.TUCKg3@optonline.net.