Thu, 12 March 2009
Today’s episode has it all. Steep descents. A battle to save South America’s pristine rivers. Backyard adventure. Eye candy. Photographers and activists Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson present stories and photos from wild ski terrain and their struggle to become a piece of the conservation puzzle rather than a cog in the problem. If adventure is the reflection of the human spirit, do we need to travel half a world away to find it in distant ranges, wild rivers and unpaved roads? And if the very act of traveling harms the places you hold dear, is going justifiable? The answers to those head jarring questions don’t always come easy. For audio only, click here. Comments[9]
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- I agree with John B, I brought my iPod with me on a recent trip to Chile (!) and had some trouble listening to the Diaries on unpaved roads/airplanes...but no worries, iPods aren't designed to be there anyway.
Anyway, I am in total love with the Dirtbag Diaries...superb thing for Patagonia to sponsor. Great stories, greater people, greatest adventure. Episodes such as "The Reckoning" or "Prayer For A Friend" get me through those times without such mind-blowing epic adventure. I'd love to see Steve House on the show again! Thanks for everything Fitz, and keep it up. - Hey Scott,
thanks for the input. I'm sorry that you all have been struggling with it. I'm not sure what more I can do on my current budget and current computer. One thing that you can try is...if you go into your itunes on your computer and right click on the desired episode there, you see "Get Info" Click on that. Then click on options. THere should be an extra volume automation adjustment. Turn this up to the max. That may help a touch.
- I appreciated this topic greatly. I feel as though we all can do something great like this- if we put in the effort. It\'s that effort that is hard to start and stay with. I\'m a student studying fish biology/ecology and the effect of dams and river/stream alteration in North America is putting our native species at risk- such as trout and salmon. This is only ONE of many effects of altering the land. I agree, we should help Patagonia but do not forget to look in your own backyard. You can do a lot by just showing up to a meeting or writing a letter.
wander on! - PS to all you commenters. I had to implement a review process because we were getting creamed by spammers who have somehow gotten through my captcha barrier. I was getting close to 50 or 60 spam comments a week. It was too much to deal. When it dies down, I'll make the comments go live instant. In the meantime, I'll certainly post anything anyone writes.
Fitz - Love the shows with interviews, but I have an awful time understanding the interviewee often. It seems to be when you use a phone, but this episode and \"Bedtime Stories for Wanderers\" were especially rough. I have the Ipod on 80% volume, and can\'t listen when I\'m on a bus due to other noise.
Otherwise its all great stuff, love it. - John B,
I'm with you. With the help of friends, I've been pleased with how the sound quality of the show has improved, particularly the narration and the field recordings, but there is no simple solution to the phone situation (trust me it's taking some serious zen breathing to stop me freaking out). Well, the simple solution would be two throw a couple of thousands of dollars at the problem, but that's not quite keeping with the dirtbag ethos. It seems that that Diaries will always have nicks, scratches, and a few after market blemishes. If you think the audio is rough...you should see our vehicle situation. Duct tape and spit. - word...
i think you hit it on the head. There is a real fine balance between imposing on people's ability to advance and protecting a way of life. Another conundrum. None of us are fans of being told what to do by an outside group that has no real clue about our community. Take for instance helmet laws for motorcyclist. Makes total sense to me, but I remember interviewing bikers when I covered state politics and they were super committed (can you imagine if we passed a law that all skiers had to wear helmets?). It's also why climbers and wilderness users freak out when a politician suggests forcing all climbers to carry gps beacons (I'm thinking about the crummy situation with the three men who lost there lives on hood).
Good conversation. I'm glad someone started to weigh in on this topic.
- Great point Steve. I'm glad you brought it up. There are few subtleties to the Rio Baker issue. Chile does need energy -- it's a fact. I think the particularly troubling aspect of this project lays in Chile's difficult past. In 1973 Augusto Pinochet took over the democratically elected government and ruled until 1998. During his decidedly non-democratic rule, thousands of political opponents "disappeared." Civil liberties diminished...etc. One Pinochet's government last orders of self serving business was to sell the countries water rights to international corporations. The money, well lets put it this way, the money didn't go to the people. So essentially Chile lost some of its ability to control its own water. The Rio Baker's rights went to Endesa, now Enel. While there are supporters there is an incredible local opposition to the program. There is incredible national outcry it as well, because essentially an outside company is working on a project that 1) undermines the park service and eco tourist economy, locals have worked to set up 2) the people will essentially be paying an outside power company for energy that is actually theirs. It's not popular project in the country. Enel had to file paper work and outlines for the project. They recently rejected on a grounds of insufficient research and documentation of the project's impacts. Enel went ahead and started work any way.
It's a difficult thought you brought up, but in this case it seems like Enel doesn't really have the people of Chile's best interest in mind, but is just muscling its project through. The democratically elected government is going to have to deal with Pinochet's policies for sometime to come. Sadly Pinochet's policies were directly influenced by powerful elements in the developed world. While countries spoke out against his tactics (political murder), organizations fearful of the spread of communism during the cold war (mainly the CIA) also helped him come to and stay in powerOlder Episodes
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