"On Boojums"

The story goes that in 1922, Godfrey Sykes of Tucson's Desert Botanical Laboratory was standing on a hill in Sonora, Mexico, looking through a telescope at the distant hills. When he saw a hillside full of strange, erect, statuesque plants in the distance he was moved to exclaim, "Ho, ho, a boojum, definitely a boojum" - a reference to the elusive and malevolent force in Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, in whose presence "you will softly and suddenly vanish away, and never be met with again!" Frankly, it is hard to see the association, but the epithet stuck, and that is how we know Fouquieria columnaris to this day. But this wonderful and weird-looking plant has carried many other names before this one. It is reported that the Cochimi Indians, of the Baja region, a people and a language that now are nearly extinct, called it milapa, but I can find no record of what that meant to them. The Spanish sent their priest colonizers to the region beginning in 1534, and ultimately, it was recorded that they gave this odd plant the name of cirio, which means a candle or taper. The inverse proportions of a standing boojum make this name clear. In the late 19th century, botanists finally got around to giving it a scientific name when Arthur Remington Kellogg, one of the founders of the California Academy of Sciences, christened it first Idria columnaris and finally Fouquieria columnaris, which is how we know it today. The boojum tree is a member of a tiny family of plants of 11 or so species that range as far north as the Phoenix area, represented by the ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), to the southern end of the Baja peninsula and selected locations in Sonora. Some are succulent bulbous-looking plants, others, such as the palo adan (F. diguetii) and the tree ocotillo (F. macdougalii), are intricately branched trees or shrubs. Boojum trees are native to the deserts of central Baja California, as well as a few mainland locales in Sonora. Where it is native it is abundant, forests of these weird and amazing giants race up and down the sere hills. The areas have quite a bit of fog, which is a source of moisture for many species there, and in some areas, small bromeliads coat the boojum's trunks, soaking up that fog moisture. Boojum trees can grow 50 to 80 feet tall, but do so slowly and deliberately, making great strides during times of abundant winter rain and slowing to a barely discernible rate when rains are sparse. The succulent, whitish stem is delicate and corky and is easily damage or punctured, which makes moving a large boojum quite a challenge. I have known large trees to puncture themselves when placed on a flat surface as the weight of the tree pushed on the small stems. Although plants usually grow only one stem, it is not uncommon for them to branch high up on the plant. In years of severe drought, the delicate stem can lose rigidity and essentially wilt, then rise again as moisture returns. The twists and turns that result from this cycle of plenty and want make for some of the bizarre twists and unlikely shapes that are the delight of photographers everywhere. Like many Baja natives, the boojum tree is summer-dormant, losing all of its leaves around April as the weather warms up and the soil dries out. The long petiole of the leaf remains, and most of them stiffen into spines as the branch ages. Ironically, boojum trees bloom in the middle of the long summer with a spray of creamy flowers at the top of the plant. In times past, plants generally were brought to area gardens directly from collections in Mexico, but almost all boojum trees now sold are grown from seed. Seed germinates quickly when it is warm, and young plants grow steadily. But still you are looking at a generational commitment to get a really large specimen. Very small boojum trees enjoy being planted under the sheltering boughs of creosote, brittlebush or other sturdy desert plants, and will outlive and outgrow this helpful partner as the years go by. Provide a location with extremely good drainage; rocky or gravelly soil is best. Boojums will live for decades in pots. It just slows down their already deliberate growth, but again, sharp, fast drainage is a must.
Although ample winter water is welcome, summer water is to be avoided. Because of our summer monsoons, be sure that the plant is not receiving extra water from the roof or a small wash nearby, or is anywhere that water collects. I once lost a boojum to a late-summer deluge that could not be drained away from the plant fast enough. The poet W.H. Auden wrote that Carroll's boojum perfectly embodied the end of it all, the essence of nothingness. That seems a dire association for such a fascinating plant. I wonder if the padres captured the spirit of the boojum tree best when they likened it to a slender piece of wax holding up a ray of light, for boojum trees are a perfect reminder of the force and tenacity of life even in one of the most daunting places on earth.

"Sex, Drugs and...Offshore Oil Drilling?: Meet the MMS Chicks"

Article from the Associated Press confirming long-held suspicions about what goes on in the dark world of the Energy industry. Enjoy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A scandal involving sex, drugs and — uh, offshore oil drilling.
It's a strange mix, and it couldn't have come at a worse time for those in Congress pressing to expand oil and gas development off America's beaches while trying to stave off an election-year rush by Democrats to impose new taxes and royalties on the oil industry. An Interior Department investigation describing a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" by workers at the agency that issues offshore drilling leases and collects royalties hit lawmakers Wednesday just as they prepared for votes next week on expanding offshore drilling. "On the eve of Congress starting this big debate you've got a horror story of mismanagement and misconduct in programs that are going to be a key part of the discussion," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in an interview, adding that it can't help but influence the debate. The two-year, $5.3 million investigation by Interior's inspector general found workers at the Minerals Management Service's royalty collection office in Denver partying, having sex, using drugs and accepting gifts and ski trips and golf outings from energy company representatives with whom they did government business. The investigations exposed "a culture of ethical failure" and an agency rife with conflicts of interest, Inspector General Earl E. Devaney said. Between 2002 and 2006, 19 oil marketers — nearly a third of the Denver office staff — received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies, including Chevron Corp., Shell, Hess Corp. and Denver-based Gary-Williams Energy Corp., the investigators found. "Employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and natural gas company representatives" who referred to some of the government workers as the "MMS Chicks." The director of the royalty program had a consulting job on the side for a company that paid him $30,000 for marketing its services to various oil and gas companies, the report said. MMS Director Randall Luthi said in an interview the agency was taking the report "extremely seriously" and would weigh taking appropriate action in coming months. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne in a statement released Thursday vowed to take swift action, saying that he was "outraged by the immoral behavior, illegal activities and appalling misconduct of several former and long-serving career employees." "We must and we will eliminate any remaining negative elements in the Minerals Management Service," Kempthorne said. But the impact in Congress, where lawmakers are debating an expansion of the offshore oil and gas leasing program by allowing drilling in areas long off limits, was immediate. "This is why we must not allow Big Oil's agenda to be jammed through Congress," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who strongly opposes any expansion of offshore drilling, especially closer to Florida. He said the report "shows the oil industry holds shocking sway over the administration and even key federal employees." "This IG report has it all — sex, drugs and the Bush administration officials once again in cahoots with Big Oil," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., whose Joint Economic Committee released a report last year claiming the Minerals Management Service has failed to collect millions of dollars in oil royalties. Republicans and Democrats promised further scrutiny of the Interior Department agency which last year handled $4.3 billion in royalty-in-kind payments from energy companies drilling on federal lands. Under the program oil companies give the government oil in lieu of cash and the MMS office in turn sells the oil on the open market. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the IG report "raises very serious questions" about the royalty collection process, something especially troublesome "given the potential for expanded domestic drilling." He said some basic reforms in the royalty-in-kind program should be included in drilling legislation. Wyden said the program should be suspended to "clean house" at the federal agency and "bring back the process of rigorous audits and accountability." Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, announced a hearing next week on the investigaton. "This whole IG report reads like a script from a television miniseries and one that cannot air during family viewing time," he said. But Republicans rejected suggestions that the scandal makes the need for more offshore oil and gas any less urgent. House Democrats on Wednesday offered a broader drilling proposal than they had floated previously. It would lift all moratoria on drilling 100 miles from shore and allow energy development beyond 50 miles from the coast if a state agrees. Waters closer than 50 miles would continue to be protected. The drilling measure is part of a broader energy package that also would roll back tax breaks for the largest oil companies and require them to pay additional royalties, with the money to be used to spur renewable energy programs and conservation. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., called it "a strong bill that will increase responsible drilling and invest in renewable energy" and said those criticizing it would "rather have a political issue." But House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused the Democrats of "trying to pull a hoax on the American people." He said the plan would result "in little or no new American energy production" because states would share no royalties and have little financial incentives to allow drilling. The Senate, meanwhile, is expected next week to take up several drilling proposals, including one that would open waters off the Atlantic from Virginia to Georgia and the eastern Gulf off Florida to drilling but keep the bans in place elsewhere. That plan also would allow for a 50-mile coastal buffer.

El pais de los emigrantes

México es un país de emigrantes que no se reconoce como tal. Desde hace más de un siglo se ha caracterizado por ser un exportador neto de mano de obra a Estados Unidos: 98 por ciento de la población mexicana que vive en el extranjero se concentra en ese país. México tiene 11 millones de ciudadanos fuera de sus fronteras, lo que representa poco más de una décima parte de sus habitantes. Cuando un país expulsa esa cantidad de gente su situación se califica como de emigración masiva. México es el principal exportador de mano de obra en América Latina y ocupa el segundo lugar a escala mundial, después de India, un país con más de mil millones de habitantes. Al mismo tiempo, ocupa el segundo lugar mundial en cuanto a la recepción de remesas. Tres razones pueden explicar, que no justificar, esta falta de conciencia nacional sobre un tema de tanta trascendencia para el país, su gente, su presente, su futuro. En primer lugar, la emigración no pasa por el Distrito Federal, al menos de manera masiva. Tradicionalmente, la capital era lugar de inmigración, a la cual llegaron, a lo largo de medio siglo, millones de migrantes internos. Sólo en las últimas décadas el ritmo de crecimiento de la megalópolis empezó a decrecer. Sin duda en la capital se generan procesos emigratorios hacia Estados Unidos, pero éstos no son significativos a nivel estadístico. El índice de intensidad migratoria de Conapo califica al DF en el nivel “bajo”. Y lo que no pasa por la capital, al parecer, no sucede en el país. Mientras en el Distrito Federal se trataban de resolver los problemas que generaba la llegada masiva de personas, en otras regiones del país sucedía lo contrario, pero nadie se preocupaba del asunto. Es más, muchos analistas consideraban a la emigración como una “válvula de escape”, como la solución fácil, mecánica, a los problemas del desempleo, la pobreza y la falta de oportunidades. En efecto, el occidente de México fue el epicentro de la emigración por casi un siglo, en especial los estados de Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato y Zacatecas. Luego se sumó el norte, y finalmente, hace tan sólo un par de décadas, el centro y el sureste. Hoy en día la emigración internacional se ha convertido en un fenómeno de dimensión nacional. En el año 2000, fecha del último dato disponible, se constató que 96.2 por ciento de los municipios del país reportaron experiencia migratoria internacional. En segundo lugar, la emigración mexicana se dirige casi en su totalidad hacia Estados Unidos. Esto no es de extrañar, dado que México perdió inmensos territorios y población en la guerra con Estados Unidos, porque somos vecinos, porque tenemos más de 3 mil kilómetros de frontera y, finalmente, porque existe y persiste una profunda relación asimétrica entre ambos países. Asimetría que en términos migratorios se expresa en una brecha salarial profunda, difícil de salvar, y que paradójicamente se convierte en nuestra ventaja comparativa para atraer inversiones y generar empleo. Como quiera, los afectados, son los trabajadores en México que perciben magros salarios, y los que están del otro lado, que son considerados como mano de obra barata, desechable y deportable. Hubo un tiempo en que los migrantes eran considerados traidores porque iban a trabajar para enriquecer al país vecino. Luego, en tiempos de Vicente Fox, fueron considerados como héroes. Ni lo uno ni lo otro. Reconocer una dependencia laboral histórica y centenaria con Estados Unidos es algo difícil de asumir, de aceptar, de justificar. Los políticos prefieren ignorar la situación, dejar hacer y dejar pasar. No en vano hasta hace unos años se ufanaban de lo que llamaban “la política de la no política”. Es decir, no hacer nada, lavarse las manos. En tercer lugar, la inmensa mayoría de los migrantes a Estados Unidos son pobres, su promedio de escolaridad es de seis años, provienen de las áreas rurales y de los sectores populares urbanos. Más aún, en las últimas décadas se ha incrementado notablemente la emigración de indígenas, y en no pocos casos de indígenas que sólo hablan sus lenguas originarias, que no saben español y que se encuentran en situaciones de total indefensión. Además de su condición social y educativa, los migrantes enfrentan otra desventaja: más de la mitad son indocumentados. Por muchas décadas, el gobierno mexicano desatendió a la comunidad migrante, precisamente porque eran indocumentados, o ilegales, como los llaman en el otro lado. Eran, y todavía lo son, una presencia necesaria en el mercado laboral estadunidense, pero un personaje incómodo para México. Ser provinciano, pobre e inmigrante no parece ser una buena combinación. Pero como decía don Francisco Indalecio Madero, hace ya casi 100 años, en su opúsculo La sucesión presidencial: “La situación del obrero mexicano es tan precaria que a pesar de las humillaciones que sufren allende el río Bravo, anualmente emigran para la vecina república millares de nuestros compatriotas, y la verdad es que su suerte es por allá menos triste que en su tierra natal”. Cien años y 11 millones de mexicanos deberían ser razón más que suficiente para tomar conciencia de este drama nacional.