And In Other News...

A group of "uncontacted" tribal natives in the Brazilian Amazon along the Peruvian border ("And you wanted to take the bus!?" Annemarie e-mailed me) was photographed shooting arrows at a passing airplane. They seem to be completely isolated from other human beings and what we would call "civilization" since they aren't familiar with airplanes... (Civilization. Are we really civilized? Yes or no, who are we to judge? When thousands of innocent men can be brutally enslaved or killed by a racist grudge... Wise words by Arrested Development, circa 1992.) It seems the verdict is to leave them be, continuing to isolate them from modern development so as to keep their heritage preserved and prevent them from exposure to common diseases that might kill them off à la New World colonization. Problems arise when illegal foresters begin to chop down trees in their land. Anthropologists imagine there are up to 68 other "uncontacted" groups, mainly in Brazil.

And then there's the controversial Rachael Ray scarf. Squeaky clean foodie Rachael, known for her 30 minute meals and sickening habit of making up words like "spoonula" and "yumm-o," has been accused of being a terrorist after her stylist-selected paisley scarf was mistaken for a kaffiyeh. So now Dunkin Donuts has yanked the ads, and Americans look, well, dumb and racist. Good job, guys. When you look closely, her scarf clearly has a paisley design. But I suppose every one needs to find something to complain about. It's like Leandro said when he picked up the newspaper, "Problemas, problemas, siempre hay problemas." Which is true, no matter whether it's the descending dollar or the smoke blowing in from los campos, farmer strikes and city protests, or even Kanye West wearing a kaffiyeh in his music video for "Homecoming." Guess what guys? I have one too. And I think I'll wear it for my homecoming on June 26/27. Hope they don't kick me off the plane for being a terrorist...



And to those of you who wonder why I sit alone in the cafe with my journal sprawled open, some advice from one of my favorite living authors (from a Newsweek interview):

You said you have more than 30 years recorded in your diary, is that why you never run out of material?
All you have to do is live.

Thank you, David Sedaris.