Mankind to Search for Life in Other Planets from Mountaintop in Chile

By Nono Barahona. June 13, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Last May 26, a symbolic ceremony was held to kick off the construction of the world’s largest optical/near-infrared telescope, which will stand on the top of Armazones Hill, a mountain in northern Chile.

Dubbed the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT, for short) by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the organization that will build and run it, the telescope’s goal will be to search for life in other planets, according to the Chilean press.

With a price tag of 1.5 billion US dollar, it is by far the most expensive scientific endeavor ever undertaken in Chile.

The ceremony was attended by the Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet. However, strong winds prevented the ceremony from being held at the actual Armazones Hill, which, at 3,000 meters above sea level, will be home to the Extremely Large Telescope.

President Bachelet was quoted as saying that “here were are building more than a telescope, it is one of the greatest expressions of scientific and technological capacity, with an extraordinary potential for international cooperation”.

The Atacama desert, the driest place on earth, where the telescope will be located, is blessed with transparent skies that make it ideal for gazing at the heavens.

The ESO already operates other three telescopes in Chile.

This writer vividly remembers his visit to the Mamalluca observatory, in northern Chile, in the vicinity of the city of Vicuña. On an ordinary summer night, the sky was teeming with celestial objects ---a stark contrast to the murky sky over Santiago and other Chilean cities.

If a small tourist attraction such as Mamalluca can boast such a splendid view of the heavens, then one can only imagine how amazing the sky over Armazones Hill is.

According to the ESO website and the Chilean press, the ELT will have a 39-meter wide main mirror housed in a gigantic 85-meter dome, and is expected to be operational in 2024.

In the Chilean press, Tim De Zeeuw, the ESO’s Director General, was quoted as saying that “it is possible that the ELT may find evidence of life in some other world”. Let’s just hope that the ELT can deliver on that promise.

A Powerful Earthquake Has Just Hit Chile

By Nono Barahona. April 24, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Just a few minutes ago, a strong earthquake has shaken central Chile. Preliminary reports indicate that the epicenter was located west of Valparaiso.

In Santiago, the earthquake was stronger than the quake that shook the city last Saturday. And it lasted longer.

TV stations say that authorities, as a preventive measure, are calling people to evacuate coastal areas in the regions of Valparaiso and O'Higgins.

And according to TV stations, the earthquake went up to 6.7 on the Richter scale in Santiago, and up to 6.9 in Valparaiso. However, this information has yet to be confirmed.

No Tsunami Alert, say Chilean Authorities

By Nono Barahona. April 23, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. After an earthquake shook Chile at 23:36 hours local time, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, Chilean authorities say that there is no risk of a tsunami.

The earthquake reached 6.0 on the Richter scale.

The Chilean National Seismologic Center said the epicenter was located 48 kilometers west of the port of Valparaiso.

More importantly, the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy said that the earthquake's magnitude was not enough to cause a tsunami.

After the 23:36 hour earthquake, there have been five aftershocks in the city of Valparaiso, all of them above 4.6 on the Richter scale.

At 6.0 on the Richter scale, the 23:36 hour earthquake was strong enough to cause concern in the population, especially because it took place at night and also because there were aftershocks, which, some people fear, might be a buildup to another, stronger, earthquake.

Country-Wide Census Brings Chile to Standstill

By Nono Barahona. April 19, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. A country-wide census is taking place right at this moment, turning Santiago and other cities in the country into ghost towns.

Authorities decided to declare this day a national holiday, and banned everyone from working, to ensure the success of the census.

As a result, movie multiplexes, malls, supermarkets, bakeries are all closed. Only some pharmacies are open to the public.

State employees have taken to the streets, visiting houses to count their occupants.

Even President Michelle Bachelet was shown on television on her way to visit houses as a census field interviewer.

Authorities regard the census as critical to gather information that can be a tool to develop public policies.

A cloudy and mostly cold day has been the backdrop to the census, inviting everyone to stay indoors, contributing to the feeling of ghost town in Santiago.

In the case of this writer, his house was visited at about 9:30 a.m.. The census field interviewer, a woman, asked a series of question, while filling in a form.

What kind of material was used for roofing in the house? What kind of flooring does the house have? How many people live in the house? How many bedrooms does the house or department have? How old are they? Their level of education?

Foreigners are also included in the census.

According to the head of the National Statistics Institute, the preliminary results of the census will be released in August this year, and in December this year we will know how many people are living in Chile, by region and by district.

The idea is not to repeat the embarrassing census of 2012, during the administration of former president Sebastian Piñera, when a census turned into a big fiasco for the administration, forcing the then President Piñera to publicly apologize for the errors.

Almost 25,000 People Died in 2016 in Chile While Waiting for Medical Treatment in the Public Health Care System

By Nono Barahona. April 15, 2017

Waiting room in Salvador hospital in Santiago.
Photo taken by author last year while waiting with
his mom for a blood test on her.

SANTIAGO, Chile.  A report submitted to the Chilean Congress by the "Subsecretaría de Redes Asistenciales", a Chilean government agency that monitors the operation of the public health system, says that 24,817 people died in 2016 while on the waiting lists of the 29 health care services existing in the country.

"El Mercurio", an influential Chilean newspaper, says that out of the total number of patients who died, 22,459 died while waiting for a first visit to a specialist physician, and that 2,358 died while waiting for surgery.

The report states that 74.4% of those who died were more than 65 years of age and that, considering the total number of the dead patients, 52.6% were male.

The government agency claimed that there is no direct relationship between the cause of death of the 24,817 patients and the fact that they were on waiting lists.

However, almost any Chilean reading an article like this makes a direct immediate connection between the fact that the patients were on waiting lists and the fact that they are dead, with the implication that they died for not receiving medical care on time.

Waiting lists are a feature of the Chilean public health care system, which is dominated by hospitals.

The Chilean public health care system is plagued by a shortage of specialized doctors and of doctors in general, resulting in that patients are placed on “waiting lists” on which they wait for their turn to get treatment for their ailments from a hospital doctor.

Since there is no limit on how long a public health patient has to wait for treatment, due to the shortage of doctors and staff, and sometimes due to the shortage of beds to accommodate patients in hospitals, a waiting list patient may have to spend months waiting for their turn to get medical treatment, giving the Chilean public health care system a very bad reputation.

In this regard, an article published by "La Tercera", a major Santiago newspaper, updated as of June 7, 2015, said in its headline that people on waiting lists had to wait even up to 6 years in some cases, with country-wide averages of 273 days for an oncologist and 727 days for a specialist in abdominal surgery.

On the other hand, middle class and upper class Chileans typically have health care insurance and get medical treatment in private clinics, where there are no waiting lists.

Therefore, waiting lists are for those Chileans who can not afford the private health care system.

A Revamped Chilean "Marraqueta" Is Accepted By Consumers, A Study Says

Two crisp marraquetas at lunch time.
The marraqueta is considered to be the quintessential
Chilean bread (photo by author)

By CTN. April 15, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. A study found that Chilean consumers would accept and would buy a less salty marraqueta.

The study was conducted jointly by Universidad Católica and Univesidad de Chile, Chile's two most prestigious and traditional universities.

Singled out for its high content of salt, which exceeds the 400 milligrams (mg) of sodium per 100 grams of bread recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the marraqueta is considered to be the favorite type of bread among the Chilean population, achieving the status of a cultural item that is inseparable from Chilean daily life and tradition.

The Chilean Health Ministry had proposed a limit of 400 mg of salt per 100 grams of marraqueta, in accordance with the WHO recommendation.  However, last year, the President of the Santiago association of bakers said that taking the salt away from the marraqueta would spell the demise of Chile's most beloved bread, because a less salty marraqueta would lose its crunchiness, its crispiness, its taste, becoming an altogether different kind of bread.

In the study, samples with 400 mg, 200 mg and 0 mg of salt per 100 grams of marraqueta were offered to 30 selected consumers. 

The consumers in the study were asked to rate the samples on a 1-7 scale, with 1 meaning "I hate it" and 7 "I like it a lot". 

In Chile, the 1-7 scale is used for grades from elementary to university education and therefore is very easy to understand for a Chilean national.

The consumers in the study rated with 5.5 the marraquetas with 400 mg of salt and with 5.3 the marraquetas with 200 mg.

After trying these revamped marraquetas, the consumers were asked whether they would buy them. On a scale of 1-5, the answers were 4.0 for the 400 mg marraqueta and 3.6 for the 200 mg variety, suggesting that marraquetas, even if baked with a lot less salt, will still be present on the tables of Chilean households for many, many years to come. (Data for this article were taken from El Mercurio newspapers and the Chilean press).

60 Syrian Refugees To Re-settle To Chile

By Nono Barahona. April 12, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. The Chilean finance ministry has green-lit the money needed to re-settle 60 Syrian refugees in the country.

Eligible candidates must not have been involved in military organizations and must not be linked to human rights violations. Also, preference will be given to parents where at least one of them can support the family.

The money devoted to re-settling the Syrian refugees amounts to CLP 1,612 million, which at today's exchange rate is equal to US$ 2.47 million.

Of that amount, CLP 1,084 million are contributed by Chile and CLP 528 million are contributed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The money will be allocated to providing housing, education and health care to the refugees. Spanish lessons are also included.

The program is to last from 2017 to 2019.

Between June and July this year a delegation will be sent to Syria to look for eligible families. Approximately 15 Syrian families are expected to re-settle to Chile.

Chile deserves credit for taking these steps. This money could well have been used to help the poorest of the poor in Chile, as there is plenty of them (source: Chilean press).

Ricardo Lagos crashes out of Chilean presidential race

By Nono Barahona. April 10, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. He became the face of the opposition against the Pinochet regime, because he had the courage to stand up to Pinochet publicly, in a time when everyone feared Pinochet's secret police, and for that he was admired by all those who opposed the dictator.

His gesture of pointing to Pinochet with his finger became an icon of the 80's for Chileans. 

A respected man and politician, with a towering reputation, he seemed to come out of retirement, at 79, when he decided in September 2016 to run for president again in the void left by young like-minded politicians tainted in scandals surrounding how they financed their political campaigns. 

But his campaign never really took off. The latest poll showed him struggling at the bottom, beaten even by a relatively unknown candidate who entered the race just a few weeks ago.

The final blow to his campaign came yesterday. The leadership of the Socialist Party, a party with which Mr. Lagos was closely associated, in a secret balloting, chose instead Mr. Alejandro Guillier, a well known journalist, to be the Socialist Party's presidential candidate. 

For that reason, many had anticipated that Mr. Lagos would step down today, and he did, in particular in light of Mr. Guillier's landslide victory: 67 votes vs. 36 for Mr. Lagos.

All six major Chilean TV networks broadcast live Mr Lagos' speech today at around 10:30 am local time. At the end, he turned around and took no questions.

Before announcing that he would no longer be a candidate, he said that during his trips around Chile he felt the people's affection, but that he was aware that such affection did not translate into political support.

Mr. Lagos' exit seems to strengthen Mr. Alejandro Guillier's chances of becoming the candidate of the governing coalition, known as New Majority. However, many feel that the New Majority will break up in the coming months and that its members will each choose their own presidential candidates, bypassing a primary election.

Former President Ricardo Lagos seeks presidential nomination from Socialist Party

By Nono Barahona. April 9, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. The Chilean Socialist Party will decide today whether to nominate former President Ricardo Lagos Escobar as the Party's presidential candidate. 

Mr. Lagos, a former president with a strong reputation in the country, known for his defiant stance against the late dictator Augusto Pinochet, faces strong competition from senator Alejandro Guillier for the Socialist Party's presidential nomination.

A defeat would be a tremendous blow for Mr. Lagos and his chances of becoming the presidential candidate of the governing coalition, among other things, because he is recognized as a historical figure of the Socialist Party, which is not the case of Mr. Guillier.

Mr. Guillier is the official presidential candidate of the Radical Party, another member of the governing coalition.

Since announcing that he wants to be the presidential candidate of the governing coalition, known as New Majority, Mr. Lagos has been trailing badly in the polls. On the other hand, Mr. Guillier is currently second in the polls.

"I'm not interested in a brutal economic growth if it doesn't improve people's lives", says President Michelle Bachelet

By Nono Barahona. April 8, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. In an interview with a Chilean newspaper, President Michelle Bachelet, 65, said that she is not interested in a "brutal economic growth" by itself, adding that the economic growth that matters is the one that improves people's lives.

Although the President used the word "brutal", she meant "whopping", "exceedingly high", a typical meaning of the word in Chilean Spanish.

The interview was published yesterday, and it resonated all over the Chilean press, with most media outlets quoting from it.

She acknowledged, though, that she is not happy with the fact that her current administration has been dominated by low economic growth, but she pointed out that, despite that, unemployment has been relatively low.

In the same line, she added that for those who rate an administration on the basis of economic growth performance, "evidently this is not going to be the administration with the highest economic growth".

However, regarding the current economic growth figures, she said that she has the feeling that they have hit rock bottom and that from now on the economy is going to grow, according to the article.

And she said that it is a fact that in 2018 there will be greater economic growth. For that reason, she warned that the next administration, whichever it is, should not take credit for higher economic growth.

President Bachelet's administration is into is final months, with a presidential election scheduled for November 19 this year. Therefore in 2018 a new administration will be in office.

Asked about her legacy, she said that she hopes that all the reforms she has pushed for, that sought to give people more dignity, and equal opportunities and rights, are embedded in people's lives.

She added that she expects that at the end of her administration Chile is a better country than at the start in 2014. She elaborated that by better she meant "a little bit fairer, a little bit more egalitarian" and a country that gives "a lot more opportunities to its boys and girls. That's the legacy I'm looking for. I'm not looking for statues", she said according to the interview.

"When you feel that you have to do something about the inequality that exists in the country, you know that's going to have costs, because not everyone will agree with the change". Asked about whether the political costs were worth it, she said that they are worth it when they help people, according to the interview.

Bumpy road ahead for AFPs

By Nono Barahona. April 6, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Any Chilean working under an employment contract knows what an AFP is, because the moment they are hired by a company they are required by law to join an AFP. No choice there. Well, they can choose which one of the several AFPs they want to join.

The AFPs are the private companies that manage the workers' savings for pension payments. They "manage" in the sense that they try to increase those savings while at the same turning in a profit.

Any Chilean working under an employment contract knows that 10% of their monthly salary goes to an AFP, every month. The law says so and there is nothing they can do about it. And they know that in most cases a worker can not receive pension payments from an AFP before they reach the age of retirement, which for men is 65 years of age and 60 for women. 

And any Chilean has heard the rumor that after they retire they are going to get a pension that is going to be far below, way far below, their last paycheck as an employed worker.

And that's something that scares everyone.

Enter the "No more AFP" movement. The movement staged its fourth rally the Sunday before last, March 26 (See our article). They claim that 2 million people took to the streets on that day all over the country ---that is approximately 11% of the Chilean population, a lot of people.

In their website, they say that AFPs pay a third of your last paycheck, that in all developed countries and in almost all OECD countries (Chile is an OECD member) people get on average 70% of their last paycheck for pension, that in those countries pensions are handled by State-run entities, and that in those countries private companies are only supplementary to the State-run entities and do not replace them (in Chile there are no State-run entities). 

For all those reasons, the "No more AFP" movement wants to give AFPs a one way ticket to hell.

However, most experts say that is not likely to happen. What did happen, though, is that they got everybody talking about the AFPs, and often in a bad way.

In fact, the movement's impact has been so huge that now, for the first time since the inceptions of AFPs 37 years ago, a major proposal has been floated to change the system, and everyone seems to agree on it: increase by 5% the mandatory statutory 10%.

Big question: Who is going to pay for that additional 5%? The worker? The employer? The Chilean State? A combination of the 3?

Another big question: Who is going to manage the additional 5%? The AFPs? A State-run entity? Something in between?

Still another big question: Who is going to implement the additional 5%? The current administration of President Bachelet, now into its final months, or the next administration, yet to be elected?

No consensus has been reached so far on the answers to those big questions.

With widespread dissatisfaction with them fueled by the "No more AFPs" movement, AFPs are now sailing in rough waters.

Chilean youth killed for defending stray dog

By Nono Barahona. April 4, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Camilo Ignacio Navea del Canto, a young man aged 19, was stabbed to death last Saturday for allegedly defending a stray dog which was about to be beaten by a street peddler, Chilean media have reported.

According to press reports, the youth, who was fond of sporting a "punk" look, had a reputation for loving animals, volunteering time to care for stray dogs, and was starting a curriculum to become a veterinarian orderly.

Last Saturday night, April 1, he would have spotted a street peddler who was about to beat a stray dog. Camilo couldn't take it and confronted the man, according to articles in the Chilean media.

Sadly, the street peddler, aged 33, had a criminal record for theft and for carrying a cutting and stabbing weapon, and stabbed Camilo in the abdomen and then took off.

The killing took place in Anibal Pinto square in the city of Valparaiso, Chile's main port.

As many foreign tourists notice, Chile is home to a large population of stray dogs, some of them posing a threat to passers-by.

The killer would have confessed to the killing and was indicted with murder. A court decided to send him to jail for 80 days, which is the period of time allocated to investigate the killing.

Chilean Central Bank cuts Chilean GDP growth forecast to 1.0% to 2.0% in 2017

By Nono Barahona. April 3, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. In a report submitted today, the Chilean Central Bank said that the Chilean economy will grow between 1.0% and 2.0% in 2017, cutting by 0.5 percent its forecast of December 2016.

In December 2016, the Central Bank had estimated the Chilean GDP growth at between 1.5% and 2.5% in 2017.

Under the report's new GDP growth estimate range, the Chilean economy runs the risk of growing below 1.6% in 2017.

In 2016, the Chilean economy grew 1.6%, the lowest since 2009.

The report said that a major factor cutting the GDP growth forecast was the strike by workers of La Escondida in the first quarter of this year.

La Escondida is the world's largest copper mine. Its workers went on strike for 43 days, in the longest strike in the history of the Chilean mining industry. 

The strike ended last March 23.

The Central Bank report said that, as a result of La Escondida strike, GDP growth for the first quarter of 2017 is close to 0%, adding that the strike would trim by 0.2% points the annual GDP figure for 2017.

In a more positive note, the report said that the Chilean GDP is expected to grow between 2.25% and 3.25% in 2018.

Chilean economy loses 120,000 jobs over last 12 months, says El Mercurio

By Nono Barahona. April 1, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. "El Mercurio", an influential Chilean newspaper carried a front page story today saying that 120,000 jobs were lost in the Chilean economy in the last year.

The story indicated that the 120,000 jobs lost involved people working under employment contracts, as opposed to self-employed workers.

Employment contracts provide workers with pension fund savings and health care insurance.

The story says that the job loss figures were based on a report by the Chilean National Institute of Statistics, referred to as INE in Chile.

111,000 jobs were lost in the private sector and 9,000 in the public sector, the story says.


On the other hand, self-employed workers grew 131,730 over the same 12 month period.

A scholar was quoted as saying that 83% of self-employed workers do not contribute money to their pension funds, do not have health care insurance and have very low income.

That means that self-employment in Chile is no match to working under an employment contract in terms of income and social security.

The INE report was published yesterday, but it only provided percentage unemployment figures. It says that unemployment grew 0.5% over the last 12 months and that it jumped to 6.4% in the December 2016-February 2017 quarter, the highest for the same period in the last 6 years, says the paper.

The fact that an influential newspaper says that 120,000 jobs were lost in one year lends a lot of credibility to the story, in what seems to be a scoop for the paper.

This story, and similar ones (See our stories "Chile's 2016 GDP growth of 1.6% lowest since 2009" and "Chilean construction industry takes a dive") over the last few days paint a grim picture of the Chilean economy in 2017, a year in which a presidential election is scheduled for November 19.

Lawmakers exposed as out touch with daily concerns of their constituencies

By Nono Barahona. April 1, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. It originally aired as a feature story in the news of a TV channel last Wednesday, but the findings stunned viewers so much that they rippled out through the media in the following days.

The story sought to determine whether lawmakers, because of the fact that they make 40 times as much as the minimum wage, live in a world of privilege, separate from the daily concerns of millions of their fellow countrymen, the story said.

Interviewed at random, Congressmen (and women) were asked two questions:

How much is the metro ticket at rush hour? And how much is a kilo of bread?

None of the respondents came up with the right answer. One of them was even too way off the mark not to raise eyebrows.

The questions were asked to both left-wing and right-wing lawmakers.

One expert said at the beginning of the story that all lawmakers, because of the money they make in Congress, belong in the top 5% of the richest people in Chile.

Metro ticket and bread prices have a direct impact on the budget of the approximately one million Chileans who earn the minimum wage.

Metro (the Santiago subway train network) is the fastest and most efficient way to get from A to B around the city for the working man.

Most Chilean families typically buy fresh bread every day for breakfast and in particular for our beloved "once" (a sandwich and a cup of tea, but it may include other bakery items as well, eaten between 5 pm and 7 pm).

A kilo of bread typically includes around 10 pieces. 

After paying the rent, the one million Chileans who earn the minimum wage can only afford two Metro tickets and one kilo of bread every day, the story said.

Discovering that at least some lawmakers do not know these prices, which are critical for millions of Chileans, inevitably raises the question of how well they do their jobs, for which they are paid more in Chile, a developing country, than lawmakers make in some developed countries, the story said.

Day of the Fighting Young Man: the aftermath

By Nono Barahona. March 30, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Two police officers were injured, a guard was shot in the hand, and two cars were set on fire last night, in the aftermath of the Day of the Fighting Young Man which was commemorated yesterday in Chile, according to several media outlets.

Separate outbursts of violence occurred around the city during the night and in the early hours of the morning, the media said.

The police said that Sargent Dagoberto Santana Pardo sustained wounds to his nose and jaw from a stone thrown at his face while deployed in San Bernardo, a southern district of Santiago.

Another officer, Second Sargent Álex Zepeda Santos, sustained wounds caused by 16 pellets, said the police, while on patrol in Quilicura, a north-western district of Santiago.

And the guard of a car dealer shop was shot in one of his hands, news shows reported.

TV and newspapers stories said that barricades were set on fire in 6 districts of Santiago, and that in one of them, the district of La Granja, at least two cars were set ablaze.

In the district of Estación Central, a gas station was looted and clashes between police officers and demonstrators were reported in the media. 

From the perspective of the Chilean audience, all of this is expected on the Day of the Fighting Young Man. For Chileans, it's not a matter of if, but of how much, how many, where...

In fact, people tune in to TV news and read the papers to know how much damage was caused to private or public property, how many were injured or arrested, where the worst violence occur, or if someone was killed, because unrest is always expected on March 29, with many companies and government agencies closing at 4 p.m. so that workers can leave at 5 p.m.

The Day of the Fighting Young Man commemorates the murder, 32 years ago, of two young brothers, aged 18 and 19, at the hands of agents of the dictatorship led by the late General Augusto Pinochet, which then ruled the country.

But the day is synonym of unrest and demonstrations, which leads workers to leave their jobs early to seek shelter at home.

Chileans seek shelter at home, on the Day of the Fighting Young Man

By Nono Barahona. March 29, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Every year, on March 29, Chile commemorates the "Day of the Fighting Young Man".

In practical terms, that means that you have to hurry back home early.

The Day of the Fighting Young Man commemorates the horrific killing of two young brothers, aged 18 and 19, 32 years ago, in the times of the Pinochet administration, at the hands of dictatorship henchmen.

Their names were Rafael and Eduardo Vergara Toledo. They were members of a leftist group. The day was March 29, and the year 1985.

How many people know this story? This writer can not tell. But the story doesn't matter. 

What matter is that, every year, come the Day of the Fighting Young Man, if you don't want to risk a stone thrown at your windshield, or being stranded in an overcrowded subway wagon, or, worse still, not being able to find a public bus to get back home (some companies pull their buses early from the streets, buses being an easy arson target), you'd better leave that errand you have to run, that dentist appointment, that birthday celebration, for the next day when, magically, everything will be back to normal.

At the time of writing this story, breaking news reported clashes between the police and young men demonstrating in several slums of Santiago.

In a way, it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. Morning news shows tell you that you have to be extra-careful this day, because typically young men take to the streets late in the day to set barricades on fire.

And typically, companies tell their workers, at about noon, that today, exceptionally, they can leave at 5 p.m. or earlier (workers typically leave at 6 or 6:30 p.m. in Chile), because usually the flare-ups of violence occur in the poor neighborhoods, which is where most workers live.

And for this reason also, shopping malls, supermarkets, cinemas and shops in general close their doors earlier.

The morning news shows, tomorrow, will tell us how bad this Day of the Fighting Young Man was, how many people were arrested, how many were injured, if someone was killed... And people will resume their lives, and soon will forget this Day of the Fighting Young Man, until March 29 next year.

But for now, the safest place to be is home.

Whopping 77%-80% jump in profits of Chilean retailers in 2016

By CTN. March 28, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. 2016 was a rosy year for Chilean retailers, because they saw profits jump between 77% and 80% relative to 2015, according to two Chilean newspapers.

The stories covered the 6 major retailers in the country, with 3 of them reverting losses posted in 2015, the newspapers said.

In Chile, the 6 largest retailers play a major role in society.

There is a chance that you will come into contact with one of them every day, because the two largest ones, for example, operate not only big department stores in malls or in the shopping areas of the cities, but also country-wide supermarket chains, malls, and they have even branched out into banks offering you loans, bank accounts and credit cards.

The stories indicated that the profit figures were taken from the reports submitted by the retailers to the Chilean regulator of the industry, known has Superintendency of Securities and Insurance.

But, it was noted, the success came at a price ---the retailers slashed 22,000 over the last 5 years.

Chilean Mayor donates monthly salary to low income students

By Nono Barahona. March 27, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Familiar with the plight of students from low income families, Boris Chamorro, 33, the Mayor of Coronel, a city located 466 kilometers south west of the capital Santiago, decided to donate his monthly salary to 16 students who graduated from public high schools in the city, according to a TV news report.

The 16 are starting this year their university lives after getting the city's  highest scores on the test to be eligible for a university curriculum.

In Chile classes typically begin in March.

There is a consensus in Chile about how low quality public education is. Therefore for a student to make it to university after graduating from public education is a feat in and of itself.

In a television interview on March 24, Mayor Chamorro cited his student days as motivation for giving his salary away.

Waking up very early in the morning to commute long hours to arrive at the classroom, skipping lunches and meals, verbal abuse by public transportation drivers, and saving your last penny for photocopies were staples on his daily agenda, he said in the interview, mirroring the daily life of many university students from low income families.

In a country where the police is currently in the whirlwind of an embezzlement scandal, and many high-profile politicians have been involved in corruption scandals over the last two years, a mayor giving his monthly salary away to low income students is a breath of fresh air and an example for others to follow.

Massive anti-AFP demonstration took place in Chile

By CTN. March 26, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Approximately 600,000 to 700,000 people took to downtown streets of Santiago, according to Luis Mesina, the leader of the "No + AFP" movement, as quoted by media outlets, to call for an end of the current Chilean pension system, known as AFPs.

However, the Chilean police, the "Carabineros", estimated the number of demonstrators at only 50,000, approximately, according to one newspaper in its website.

Many eyewitnesses stressed that the demonstration was not marred by vandalism against public or private property. In fact, news reports have emphasized that in Santiago the demonstration had an air of a family outing.

In Valparaiso, police estimated at 8,000 the crowd that marched in the streets to demand the end of AFPs.

And despite the rain, at least 2,000 people took to the streets in Concepción, Chile's third largest city, according to TV reports.

The current Chilean pension fund systems dates back to the government of the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The mastermind behind the system is one of the brothers of the former Chilean President Sebastian Piñera. Front-runner in the polls, Sebastian Piñera last Tuesday, March 21, launched his presidential campaign to be elected President of Chile for a second time.

The "No + AFP" is a grass roots movement that claims that the AFPs, which are the private companies that handle the pensions of Chilean workers, pay pensions that are only a third of the workers' last salaries. For that reason, the "No+ AFP" movement wants an overhaul of the current Chilean pension system.

This is the year's first "No + AFP" demonstration, and the fourth since the inception of the movement.

2017 is a presidential election year in Chile. It will be interesting to know how the presidential candidates approach the issue of the AFPs in their campaigns.

Tensions between Chile and Bolivia heat up after arrest of 9 Bolivian nationals

By Nono Barahona. March 24, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Seven Bolivian customs officials and two military officers were arrested last Sunday, March 19, 2017 in northern Chile, sparking the most recent border incident between the two neighboring countries.

According to Chilean law-enforcement agencies, the suspects, all male, were involved in an attempted armed robbery of a cargo truck, for which they would have entered Chilean territory.

However, Bolivian authorities put out a completely different account of the incident. According to them, the men were carrying out an anti-smuggling operation, and never left Bolivian territory.

The incident has escalated into a war of accusations between the two countries, with Bolivian President Evo Morales playing a leading role in the controversy.

The backdrop to the incident is the recent history of border disputes between Chile and Bolivia. A landlocked country, Bolivia resorted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague seeking help to force Chile to negotiate in good faith with Bolivia so that Bolivia may have direct access to the Pacific Ocean.

The Bolivian authorities and in particular the Bolivian President have consistently played the underdog in their relations with Chile in an attempt to attract international favor to the Bolivian effort of gaining access to the Pacific Ocean, depicting Chile as a richer, larger and aggressor country.

Last Wednesday, March 22, 2017, a judge in the northern city of Pozo Almonte decided to send the Bolivians to jail for 120 days while an investigation is conducted into the incident, infuriating Bolivian authorities, who expected the release of the men.

A colorful figure who usually takes a defiant stance against Chilean government officials, President Evo Morales was quick to say that the judge acted on orders of the Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Heraldo Muñoz, suggesting that no separation of powers operated in the treatment of the Bolivian nationals.

Heraldo Muñoz is the Chilean diplomat that heads the Chilean effort to deny Bolivia's request in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

In the wake of the arrest, Bolivian authorities said that they are taking the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

If the men were actually carrying out an anti-smuggling operation in Bolivian territory, as claimed by the Bolivian President, then Chile runs the risk of having shot itself in the foot.

Chilean construction industry takes a dive

By Nono Barahona. March 23, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. If you take a walk around Santiago, especially in the districts located in the eastern part of the city, you'll see a lot of shining new buildings. This writer lives in an eastern district of Santiago and he is used to seeing new buildings spring up everywhere, changing the face of the city and well known streets. And if you drive around in your car, you have to be careful not to fall into one of those "craters" opened up in the streets by those heavy duty construction trucks.

But now it seems that the construction industry itself has fallen into one of those craters, because the latest figure indicates a massive slump in the industry.

The Chilean Construction Chamber said that construction had taken an annual dive of 5.9% as at January 2017, the worst since October 2009. 

And the Chairman of the Chamber said that such drop was consistent with the country's low GDP growth and low private investment, which translates into pessimism among construction businessmen and high uncertainty about the Chilean economy, according the Chilean Construction Chamber website.

The Chamber said that a clear sign of what is going on in the industry is that applications for construction permits (a statutory requirement if you want to build something in Chile, regardless of the nature and no matter the purpose) registered an annual drop of 24.4% as at January 2017.

Leading the polls, former President Sebastian Piñera launches presidential bid

By Nono Barahona. March 22, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. In a rally seemingly timed to draw the attention of prime time TV news, former President Sebastian Piñera, 67, a right wing politician, officially launched yesterday, past 21:00 hours, his campaign to become President of Chile for a second time.

"I announce my decision to run again for President", said Mr. Piñera to the people attending the rally.

The rally took place in Quinta Normal, a district to the north-west of Santiago not associated with right wing sentiment. The districts located in the eastern part of Santiago are traditionally regarded by Chileans to be right-wing or right-wing leaning.

News reports showed that the rally was attended by like-minded politicians and supporters of Mr. Piñera, totaling over 1,000 people, according to the media.

Although the rally started at about 19:30, the former President came on stage at about 21:20, according to news reports.

In his typical no-nonsense style, Mr. Piñera delivered a speech in which, on the one hand, he harshly criticized the current administration led by President Michelle Bachelet and the governing coalition, known as "New Majority", considering that they are doing a very poor job that is hurting Chile on many levels, and, on the other, he pointed out a long list of things that he considers to be achievements and successes of his own 2010-2014 administration. 

His assertion that his office term was dominated by strong economic growth, investments, and the creation of "one million new good jobs", as he said, came one day after the Chilean Central Bank released a report stating that 2016 was the sixth year in a row with declining GDP growth and the third year in a row with negative investment (See our story "Chile's GDP growth of 1.6% lowest since 2009").

A well known billionaire, Mr. Piñera also said that, if elected President again, he would not be involved at all in the management of his many companies, thus addressing recent criticism that, while in office, he made decisions that benefited his own business interests.

Today the Chilean media were abuzz discussing the former's President speech, with focus shifting from the various topics covered by the former President to the views of both supporters and critics.

The former President's announcement that he would run for President again came as no surprise to Chileans, most of whom regarded the announcement as just a matter of time.

Former president Piñera is leading the polls with 24%, 8 percentage points over the second presidential contender. 

The presidential election in Chile is scheduled for November 19, 2017.

Chile's 2016 GDP growth of 1.6% lowest since 2009

By Nono Barahona. March 21, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. Citing figures released yesterday in a report by Chile's Central Bank, newspapers and TV news shows focused today on the fact that Chile's 2016 GDP growth of 1.6% was the lowest in the last 6 years since 2009 and they also pointed out that 2016 marked the third year in a row with falling investment.

The story took center stage today on the cover of one of Chile's leading newspapers.

The Chilean Central Bank report stated that the Chilean GDP grew 1.6% in 2016 and that investment fell 0.8% in the same year.

The media was quick to point out that the Chilean economy hadn't seen 3 years in a row of negative investment since 1971-1973.

For many Chileans, the 1971-1973 period conjures up images of economic chaos.

Experts quoted in the media said that the declining GDP growth was caused mainly by the negative investment figures and suggested that the negative investment figures combined with the low GDP growth figures point to a downturn in the Chilean economy over the last 3 years.

Economists were quoted as saying that the reasons for the negative investment figures lie with some policies of the current Chilean administration and with the low copper prices in the international markets.

Asked about the GDP and investment figures, Rodrigo Valdés, the current administration's economy minister, stressed that Chile has a "healthy" economy that is able to grow more. For him, what is important is that the Chilean economy has no macroeconomic tensions that could prevent economic growth and that the government has been able to keep low unemployment figures.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet lashes out at critics of her daughter

By Nono Barahona. March 20, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. "Leave my daughter alone" the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, 65, said today to Chilean reporters. She was referring to accusations leveled against her youngest daughter, Sofía Henríquez, 24, for buying a plot of land in the vicinity of "Dominga", a proposed huge mining project.

The President said today that she was the one who decided to buy the land but had her youngest daughter register it in her own name. And she added that the purpose behind the purchase was "recreational", not turning a profit as some critics have suggested.

She explained that she first caught wind of the place in 2013 through a nurse who runs a meditation center there. The President said that she was told that the place had "good vibrations" and was "mystical" and for that reason she had decided to buy it to leave it to her daughters in the future. And she denied that the purchase was linked to the proximity of the Dominga mining project, adding that at that point she ignored the existence of such project.

The news disclosed yesterday by a Santiago newspaper that the President's youngest daughter was the owner of land only 12 kilometers away from the proposed mining project caused a political storm.

Critics claimed that the Dominga mining project located in the vicinity was initially turned down last March 9, 2017 due to pressure from the Bachelet administration, who didn't want the public opinion to know that members of the Bachelet family (her youngest daughter and her daughter-in-law) own land in the vicinity. 

Critics pointed out that the project's initial shutdown denied the region in which it is located of a critical source of income and employment. 

The newspaper story referred to by President Bachelet indicated that the Dominga project would have brought 1,450 permanent jobs to the region, plus 9,800 jobs involved in building a port.

The project was rejected on environmental grounds.

Critics have claimed that the Bachelet administration put pressure on the commission assessing the project to shut it down, because the Bachelet administration anticipated that, if the project was approved, the public would know that the daughter owned land that would increase its value as a result of the project's approval, causing a public backlash against the President, because of the conflict of interest involved.

President Bachelet's reaction to the newspaper story comes in stark contrast to her reaction in 2015 to the so called "Caval" scandal involving her son. On that occasion she waited months before discussing in public the issue. By then, the scandal had taken a huge toll on her credibility, according to polls and the President's own acknowledgement.

OPINION: Chile prey to nature's unpredictable forces

By Nono Barahona. March 19, 2017


SANTIAGO, Chile.  Highlights of this 2017 summer that still lingers on: seemingly unstoppable wildfires in January and February engulfing mountain trees and brushes against a backdrop of unprecedentedly high temperatures. Cars, parked outside houses, covered in a thin layer of ashes and the air heavy with smoke in some districts of Santiago, Chile's capital. Two foreign planes, one brought from the US and the other from Russia, high in the sky dumping cascades of water and playing a critical role in putting out the blazes ---symbols of hope and reminders that Chile has no defense against nature's unpredictability.

And then, on February 26, when the wildfires had subsided, sudden rains high in the mountains near Santiago left most of the population in the capital without drinking water for nearly two days ---and 3 people dead, and other 19 missing, said Chilean authorities on February 27.

The heavy rains caused landslides that threw mud and stones into Maipo river, the main source of water for the capital, rendering its water undrinkable. Fortunately the rain stopped and the weather switched back to summer sunshine in the following days over the mountain tops ---and drinking water came out of faucets once again in Santiago.

A pattern seemed to be at work here. A pattern that started with the tsunami that hit Chile on February 27, 2010: nature strikes, the government, taken by surprise, reacts slowly (and that's how the government's reaction is perceived by the population) and in the process innocent people die, and the disasters destroy millions worth of property.

This summer will soon be over, and fall and winter loom on the horizon. Will they bring massive snowfalls, floods as never seen before, now that climate change is here to stay? (Just two days ago, on Friday 17, 2017, there were alarming reports in the Chilean press of an electric storm and heavy rains and floods which were wreaking havoc in the northern city of Copiapo).

There is a need to overhaul the agencies that deal with the forces of nature. Maybe they don´t have enough resources, maybe their leaders lack the skills for the job, maybe they lack training. But something needs to be done, because something is not working, as we were reminded just last Sunday, March 12: under a scorching sun and strong winds a wildfire broke out in the hills near Valparaiso, Chile's main port, smoke blocking out the sun over the city, according to eyewitness accounts. When the dust (or the ashes) had settled, 400 hectares of brushes had burned down and 16 houses had been destroyed, a government agency reported. But the real problem was that, again, we felt taken off guard, with no game plan, defenseless in front of nature.

Rafael Garay, back in Chile, in handcuffs, amid huge media coverage

By Nono Barahona. March 17, 2017

SANTIAGO, Chile. According to a story in a Chilean newspaper, on the eve of his journey to France to seek treatment for terminal cancer, Rafael Garay, 41, would have paid a visit to one of his favorite places: a stripper club in Santiago, Chile's capital. According to the manager and the girls there, he was a regular since approximately 4 years who would spend large amounts of money in a single night drinking in the company of several of the dancers at a time. In the story, the girls said that he behaved like a gentleman but after a few drinks he would turn aggressive. But the girls said that he never asked for sex.

This is just one of the many stories making the rounds in the Chilean media about this man who claimed to be an economist. Other stories have focused on his penchant --strippers aside-- for expensive clothing and luxury cars. Still others have discussed his personality, his senatorial race, the mysterious woman that allegedly would be pregnant with his child.

Until his downfall, he was a respected and trusted financial commentator for several publications, and radio and TV shows, attaining even the status of TV personality.

His announcement in June 2016 that he had brain cancer made instant headlines. He explained that he would be returning the money he managed in his privately-run company. When the money didn't materialize, his investors decided to sue him. But he left the country for France, to seek treatment for his alleged terminal illness.

In Europe, he ended up in Romania, home country of his girlfriend. Reporters took turns to interview the woman's parents, villagers who spoke through an interpreters, offering no clues to the whereabouts of Chile's then most wanted fugitive. But the media never gave up.

Until they found him.

He spoke to the press on the doorway to his Romanian house. Following that, Chilean authorities asked for his arrest. And Romania decided to extradite him.

All these stories have fascinated the Chilean media and Chilean audiences, and yesterday, when he arrived back in Chile in handcuffs to stand trial accused of 36 counts of embezzlement, he was given as much air time by the four major Chilean TV stations as they devoted to the latest wave of wildfires that hit Chile in January and February of this year. Some of them even broadcast live a boring courthouse hearing in which the judge, in the end, decided that, if left loose, Garay would attempt to flee the country and, besides, that he was a danger for society, and for that reason the judge decided to send Garay to jail for the length of the investigation about the alleged embezzlement of which he is accused.