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Last Days

I'm starting to feel the pressure of time. This wireless projectd I'm working on, and getting the documentation done, and waiting for some last minute equipment. I should have enough time for it all, so I just need to stay calm and be patient. I guess the thing I think about most at a time like this is wondering if I've forgotten anything, especially something important that I can't take care of once I've left. I really excited about the Tranzeo radios I have for the wireless connection across town. The are 200MW radios, and quite powerful. As a comparison, the consumer grade access points you can buy at Best Buy or somewhere like that, are only 30MW. So the range I can get out of the Tranzeo radios is great.

I've also noticed that I'm feeling a little bit like I'm runnning out on things here. It's a feeling that I should be staying because they need me, and what will they do without me. When I stop and think about it, they will be OK, although some of the guys will have to mess with some troubleshooting issues that I normally take care of. I'm not indispensible, and the need doesn't make the call. By that I mean that just because there's a need here doesn't mean I'm the one who is to do the job. It's become clear to us that it's time for our family to move on, and there are other ways for us to do with MAF at this time. That said, I'm very thankful for the four years of experience I've had here doing the IT work. The one year of teaching was OK, but that wasn't my favorite part. But, it was a stepping stone into doing something I've enjoyed very much.

Coup d'état

There's been a coup in Ecuador. The Congress has fired the president, and the vice president has been name in his place. The military withdrew their support for Gutierrez, paving the way for the coup. The city of Quito is still awash in protests and demonstrations from what I gather, and roads into the city have been closed to prevent more people driving in to join the protests. We are all safe in Shell, with life going on as normal.

Repeater Trip

The trip was every bit as long and difficult as I remembered it. However, we had a beautiful day, with no rain, and great flying weather. We were off the ground by soon after 7 AM, and were on the trail at 8 AM. We got the important work done at the repeater site, and then headed down the mountain to the plane. Bruce, Dale, and I went, with Dale flying us out in HC-BQV. The dry weather was important, as we needed to weatherproof all the connections related to the grounding system. On the way home I saw something I've never seen before--a 360 degree rainbow. A complete circle in the sky as we flew through a rain shower. I was thankful for good weather, as we landed minutes before sunset.

Racing Sun

Dustin and I had a fast trip to Quito, which went quite well, We left at 6:04 AM, and were back at 6:16 PM. That's ten hours on the bus, an hour at McDonalds and the Apple store, and an hour at the dentist. Whew! I think that was the first time we were home before dark.

Tomorrow I'm up early again for a trip to the south repeater site. That will involve a half-hour plane trip, then a 3+ hour hike up the mountain. Bruce, Dale, and I will be going, as there is plenty of work to go around.

Political Manuevering

I'm off to Quito with Dustin for an orthodontist appointment. I see that the Congress fired the Supreme Court late last night. Interesting times here. I wonder if the President can remain in power much longer. One thing he does have, if not the support of the people and the Congress, is the backing of the military. That goes a long way in this country, where the military is the traditional arbiters of power. So far life is very much normal here in Shell, and we are seeing no effects of what is going on in Quito.

Some Progress

Well, it's the end of the afternoon, and I'm just about ready to head out of here. I spent some time trying to troubleshoot parts of my new VPN connection settings, and didn't get too far. I sent an e-mail to a mailing list for some help, and have received back a couple suggestions, so will be working on that some more tomorrow. This is all part of the project I'm working on to set up a WiFi hotspot (outdoor wireless access point) up on the MAF base.

Yesterday I was able to give Ron his computer back in a working condition. He brought me his laptop on Monday, and I wasn't holding out too much hope that I could get it going. Startup problems with Windows XP are not something I know much about. But, with a the right set of circumstances, and some stubborness, we got it going again. Once again thanks goes to Dale for his drive chassis for laptop drives which allows me to connect a problem drive to another Windows laptop as a slave drive. It's a good way to get Windows XP to do some drive checking. Anyway, it's nice to give someone their computer back and be able to tell them they didn't lose their most recent e-mail or digital photos.

Still Here

I'm still here. Just haven't been interested in posting anything. I keep thinking I should, not just for your sake, but for mine, since I plan to read over this in a few years' time. I'll try to get motivated again. Don't give up on me just yet.

Political Play

Interesting political times here in Ecuador. I'm not even sure I can explain it all, but I'll try. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the country as the month of April plays out.

The president has been less than popular of late. In November 2004, President Gutiérrez narrowly escaped impeachment for the alleged misuse of government funds. In December Congress fired 27 of 31 of the country's Supreme Court judges. That was done because President Gutieerrez accused those judges of being biased against him. That move was the cause of huge protests in the streets of Quito. A high-level United Nations legal expert recently visited Ecuador to assess the situation. Since then, U.N. officials say the situation could irreversibly affect the judiciary's independence.

Now, opposition groups have announced they are preparing for an indefinite period of protests against the government and the Supreme Court. Those protests are to begin April 12th, and the groups are planning paros, or strikes, that will block highways and city streets, stop traffic at airports, and suspend basic services. This is supposed to take place in the Pichincha province, which includes the city of Quito. It's possible that these pressure measures will spread to other parts of the country.

Yesterday, the mayor of Quito, a former head of the army, asked the Ecuador military not to recognize the Gutierrez government, saying it is "corrupt and unconstitutional". The Defense Minister said today at a press conference that the military would respect Ecuadorian law, and not allow anarchy to take over the nation.

Last Saturday saw the return of former President Abdala Bucaram who had been living in exile in Panama. Bucaram was in office for only six months when Congress removed him in February 1997 for "mental incapacity". Panama granted him political asylum when he was kicked out of office. He allegedly left with seven million dollars embezzeled from the government.

Bucaram was allowed to return to Ecuador this past weekend because the Supreme Court cleared him of corruption charges. Gutierrez's opponents are saying he cut a deal with Bucaram to stack the Supreme Court in his favor, and that it was done as payback for key votes Bucaram's political party provided last year, which blocked an impeachment drive in Congress against Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was elected in November 2002, and has remained in office far longer than most people thought possible. (He became Ecuador's sixth president in seven years if that tells you anything about how long Ecuadorian presidents stay in office. Between 1931 and 1940 there were twelve different presidents.) He campaigned as a populist and anti-corruption reformer. He soon lost support of the indigenous groups when he instituted austerity measures. He ended up having to cut subsidies on food and cooking fuel in order to satisfy the International Money Fund and other lenders.

Interestingly, Gutierrez was an army colonel, and served as Bucaram's military attache. He was jailed in 2000 for leading a rebellion that overthrew former President Mahuad.

MAF And SP on Nias

This news from the Banda Aceh Base Manager for Samaritan's Purse flight operations:

Since the earthquake near Nias late Monday, March 28, Samaritan's Purse was one of the first NGOs on site, arriving during the day of Tuesday, March 29. Because we had previously been working in Nias, we already knew the area and many members of the local government. We were able to make immediate logistical and medical assessments including aircraft access, road conditions, vehicle access between the airport and the major city of Gunungsitoli, available goods, earthquake damage on infrastructure and housing, and the overall health and medical situation for Nias. We gave the initial reports such as the 300 meter runway and the blocked roads.

As more and more NGOs arrive in Nias, we have assisted in coordinating where groups should set up their bases. Because Samaritan's Purse was one of the only groups with access to helicopters, we decided to leave the relief work in the main-hub city of Gunungsitoli to the other NGO groups and SP began to fly our helicopters to the remote and untouched areas of the island assessing needs and damages and flying out the critically injured. We have been dropping doctors and nurses in villages with supplies and returning later to get them again. SP has been the only group to access a lot of these areas up to now. We have been continually networking with many groups and UNHCR to coordinate this effort and ensure that areas are covered as they are discovered.