Sunday, December 16, 2007

NIMBY, BANANA

I´ve come across a couple of acronyms I didn´t know before. Just in time. Because I didn´t know how to express my feelings in English for the imminent installation of the huge contaminant pulp mill just in front of my city.

My beloved Buenos Aires

The acronyms simply flew to me yesterday. In a lovely afternoon with some American friends and while talking under the sweet and thick breeze that gives the name to the city, I discovered "NIMBY".
Very much of a syntheses... although not enough...
I understand that NIMBY has been used in some radical non rational oppositions in the past
but picture this:

The Río de La Plata bathes my town (some people call it the Paris of South America) and the worldwide known beautiful Uruguayan beaches. We are all simple people living in both sides of a Sweet Sea (very accurate and original name for the river). In addition the Río de La Plata sits on one of the biggest water reservoirs of the world, the Guaraní Aquifer. No piranhas.
So, are there any ingredients for a recipe for a disaster? Yes:
  1. Careless politicians.
  2. Imported sharks.
The results? Pulp mills and their poisoning byproducts. Companies that don´t even dare installing these kind of kraft processes in their home countries anymore, that had even been condemned and evicted for doing so (ENCE) are here to shark out the region. (Pontevedra, Spain-video1-sp Pontevedra, Spain-video2-sp)

Then this morning I found the acronym "BANANA". Well, that says it all for me.

Build Absolutely Nothing like a pulp mill Anywhere Near Anyone

please take a few minutes to see the following video
(Spanish language with English subtitles)
Both Argentina and Uruguay are big leaders in the soccer (football/fútbol) leagues.
Maybe it´s time we play other game with the same passion.
Less banana-republics and more BANANA leaders


13 comments:

Lic. Leandra Marisa Cabouli said...

you are 100% right, LESS BANANA REPUBLICS AND MORE BANANA LEADERS!!!

99 said...

Yeah. It´s time we stand up on our feet.
Did you see the video? At WRM they have excellent others.

Nikon said...

I love the photography in the video - great shots of nature.
I hope that there is a chance to keep the companies out.
I don't know much about Argentina's new president - if she is "green" or not.

99 said...

It´s a beautiful place, Nikon.
So far, all the information in national newspapers has vanished and nobody had said a word...

Pres. Cristina Fernandez is as "green" as her husband, former Pres. Nestor Kirchner. To my view not much. And not as aggressive as Uruguayan Pres. Tabaré Vazquez who enabled these companies to settle, as you saw in the video, even against the common Uruguayan citizens in the neighborhood.

Given that combination and the policy of "consummated facts" by the Uruguayan government, the pulp mills companies rule SO FAR the destiny of more than 12.000.000 inhabitants.

Big efforts and lots of money thrown into propaganda had convinced some Uruguayans that these atrocity means "progress". The ongoing process is in the stage of making the whole issue look as a bi-national confrontation.
"FALSE", as the first in the line of damaged people say in the video.
It´s the same unscrupulous propaganda and manipulation made by these companies from Thailand, to South Africa, Tasmania, Brazil, Paraguay and Indonesia.

Sharks in Heaven, stirring shit.

We have a saying here: A río revuelto ganancia de pescadores. "When the river is stirred the gain of the fishermen", except that in this case, real fishermen are some of the first in loosing the game.

Isabella Azul said...

Muy sucio!

99 said...

Sí Isabella, como caca.

GMG said...

Interesting post!
Sorry for having taken so much time to come back here, but I will not tell you about my last weeks… I wish you a nice holiday and I’ll try to come back here to divert from less interesting tasks!
Thanks for your comments on Blogtrotter

99 said...

GMG, Great holidays for you too!

GMG said...

Came here to wish you a very happy, healthy, successful and green 2008!
Blogtrotter

99 said...

Gracias! Obrigado! Thanks!
Feliz ano novo para você e sua família também! Sempre verde!

david santos said...

Happy new year!!

Nikon said...

happy New Year, Dear & I hope that you have a very enjoyable celebration & no headache tomorrow!!!
Have a great 2008!! & best wishes in your efforts to keep things as nuture intended :)

99 said...

Obrigado David!

Thanks Nikon!