Xn wld lk t thnk Mcrsft fr spprtng ths scl css nd thn shttng ll vr thm lk dntng t vllgs n frc wth th Bll nd Mlnd Gts fndtn nd thn tkng mny frm sd fndtn t nvst n crprtn tht s plltng tht vllgs wtr spply 5 mls wy. Grt jb Mcrsft nd kp p th fckng mnply. W wll cntn t vrthrw y n th pn src wrld nd spt n yr vntl grv.

At risk of being disemvowelled myself, I'm surprised at the plug for Microsoft products. It doesn't seem like a good fit for BoingBoing. Just my impression.

B crfl... pprntly crtcsm f Mcrsft wll gt y cnsrd. Sd t sy tht Bng Bng s nw lkng mr nd mr lk crprt sllts. nd ths sd t b my sf hvn.

Xeno,

You're being a dick. Until you decide to underwrite some of this stuff, somebody has to. And if BB was your safe haven, you have bigger issues than corporate sponsorship. BB exists to entertain and sometimes inform, not to conform to the tangled and contradictory socio-political expectations of each of its readers. If you don't like the flavor of the free ice cream, go elsewhere.

Shots.

Bollocks. BB are sponsored by all sorts, and they say what they like on their blog. We get entertainment, the bills get paid, get over it.

..oh, beat me to it :)

Xeno, go suck on a stale tortilla. Here's how much restriction Microsoft placed on the editorial content in this mini-documentary series:

zero.

I've worked in a number of different news organizations, and I can tell you it's rare to be able to produce exactly what you want, exactly how you want to, without sometimes clueless editors or sales people breathing down your neck.

I can say with a clean conscience that we are under zero pressure from this sponsor to alter or edit what we say or what we feature here. Do you realize how totally fcking awesome that is?

Online video is not cheap to produce, edit, host, or distribute. It's not the same as writing blog posts. And it's not like we can take the BART train for $3 when we go to these different remote places around the world we're gonna feature.

We rely on sponsors to make this project possible, and when a company steps up to do that with no strings attached, and helps me and my colleagues fulfill something like this, something that has been a personal dream for years -- I personally feel a lot of gratitude for that opportunity. These guys are being completely cool with us, and they are supporting something that matters to me and my partners. It's fine.

These stories and places and people are important to me, and I hope they will be important to others. We are exploring and experimenting with this medium, and I am grateful for the sponsors that step up to give the project the lifeblood it needs to survive.

every godamned time someone starts the advertising whinge the topic gets lost: I'm watching the video now.

Takuan, I hope you like it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. We really are experimenting with something new here.

BART doesn't go to Guatemala? That seems wrong somehow.

never mind the sponsorship - feel the content - this is a lovely film

k, ndrstnd ppl dnt lk crtcsm. Bt bng fr th FF nd gnst th R nd th MP nd thn cnsrng ppl jst bcs th dn't lk yr dvrtsrs? Hw cn y b fr fr spch n scnd nd thn cnsr whn t sts yr nds? sn't tht hypcrtcl? cn hndl ppl shttng n m fr bng crtcl f Mcrsft... bt y shld ls fc th fct y r bng hypcrtcl. dbt tht wll hppn t ths pnt thgh snc sm t gt cnsrd ch tm spk p. Cnsr n...

scary. Unguarded belts and flywheels, a grinder big enough for arms, loose long hair...

Who volunteers for the history lesson?

fuck... the thing i was going to snark about happening happened before i got my snark out!

please note that i have no criticism for boing boing over their use of sponsorship in this case...

but i do think that the comments by "xeno, superior princess" shouldn't be disemvoweled.

it would be easier to understand the disagreement if they we're left legible. just my opinion...

XENO you are being disemvowelled because you are being a douche.

ooh,cross comments there. Yeah, I liked it. This is the kind of real life, ordinary folks level media coverage that breeds workable, just international relations. Full points to the on the ground reporters. The "joke"about kidnapping though sent a twinge through me, I understand people get beat to death by mobs when someone cries witch.

required reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Fruit_Company

Tak, thanks for getting us back!

Xeni, that was a great film, what a beautiful, tough place to grow up. And you speak Spanish so well :)

A wonderful segment, but I'll be damned if I ever eat a tortilla made from corn ground in that thing!

Also: I want a little red pet pig.

what? that was Xeni?

what? it wasn't?

@Takuan, thanks. Mob justice is part of rural life there, but the context is more complicated than it seems at a distance.

The kidnapping thing wasn't so much a joke, as -- everywhere I walked, with and without this posse of girls, younger children ran screaming from me. Guatemala is one of the top "sender" countries forforeign adoptions, second only to China IIRC, and there is much corruption and injustice in that system. A lot is broken. There are well-meaning people on the adopter side, but direct exploitation is prevalent, and the Guatemalan justice system is deeply broken. And the communities where all of this impacts the social fabric the most are the poorest ones -- like this Mayan village.

So the story is complicated, but they are actually running with the total, committed belief that this gringa is going to shove them in a sack and sell them off to a buyer in Miami or Sausalito or whatever. It's really sad, the whole system, because as you can see the lives there are pretty tough.

I believe that helping these communities become economically self-sustaining is a better way to help than just adopting kids en masse, and helps preserve the cultural and social fabric.

Some of the adults in this village told me they refer to this phenomenon as "el robo de los ninos," the theft of the children. They see this as like -- the Guatemalan civil war killed one generation of the indigenous population, now poverty and racism and the adoption industry in this place where injustice is prevalent -- that's robbing *this* generation.

Little red pigs FWT!

"pet" pig? I know this tough old broad that spent her girlhood in Chile. There fluffy bunnies were handed to little girls to be whacked with sticks before they were skinned (the bunnies, not the girls). The cute doggies on the street occasionally packed up and ate the homeless who slept on the beaches. At the market they slapped the thick blanket of flies off the the side of beef before carving your order. This pig, I do not think it is a "pet".

@Rob, I wanted the entire episode to be that little damn pig, I loved him so much. If I'm gonna kidnap any living thing from that pueblo, it's gonna be that li'l red marrano.

Xeni @ 22

Wow, that's crazy!
I hope you get the chance to tell that depth-of-story along with all these segments. Really paints a vivid picture that adds greatly to the watching of the clip above.

@#26 arkizzle, cool, I'm glad you find that part of the story interesting. I think we'll be doing simple pieces to start off with that just give you a "sense of place," kind of a "one-note" piece? Then I want to expand to tell specific stories in a lot more depth, such as that one, really including the voices of the people themselves. Maybe some investigative works, too.

News is old news. Unfiltered experiences of the world, through the world's eyes, as it were -- that's what I believe is truly new.

go with it!

You know, complete disenvowelment seems overly strong and nearly impossible to read - might as well just remove the whole thing. There needs to be some sort of intermediate like transposing consonants within words or removing half of the vowels. Or worse, converting the whole thing to leetspeak.

Sometimes I really want to read what they said that was so wrong to invoke disenvowelment. After all, without knowing the crime, how am I supposed to avoid it?

That said, Microsoft has some good social programs.

excellent work xeni, hope to see more bbtvworld soon.

p.s. i have a pet pig but he's black and named pinky and not so little anymore!

#28: yeh! :)

Xeni, I hear ya.
Really I just hope you add the type of stories @ #22 in the comment threads of the rest of the vids. Coz it really helped set the context for this one, me having very little knowledge about that part of the world. It adds a nice dimension to the film, and breeds nice discussion to boot!

Could we get Africa removed from the list of countries please?

That pig is the greatest.

The corn-crushing machine is scary, especially its fan belt; but if they didn't have it, the women and girls would spend a lot of time crouched over a stone metate, and everyone would have dental problems from the fine grit in their food.

It's one of the constant problems of a corn-based culture. Dried corn is by far the hardest and toughest of the major grains, and it needs some heavy processing before it can be eaten.

Still, it would be nice if that machine had a metal casing.

Aloisius, JamesGyre, disemvowelled text is easier to read than you might imagine. Also, I know there's a site that has a rudimentary re-emvowelling device, though I'm not sure where it is.

Xeno, please go read the moderation guidelines before you say anything further. You still have perfect freedom of speech on a website on your own. You just don't have the liberty to behave like a complete jerk here.

Xeni, I agree that additional writing along with the post would be great. I LOVED the bit of video, but wanted it to be so much longer. Additional writing could fill out all the details that don't get told in the 3 minutes. Maybe more photos, too? What cute girls. :) Can't wait for more!

It isn't a list of countries, though.

A pig is a marrano? Wow.

In case my previous post was confusing, spot the odd one out: Tibet, Africa, Mexico, China, India, and Japan.

That was lovely and very compelling. As a long-haired clumsy adult who this very morning got my hair caught in an electric fan when I leaned too close, seeing the little girl with the long hair leaning over that rickety machine made my heart stop for a moment.

Teresa, wow indeed. An interesting history.

...having very little knowledge about that part of the world...

maybe people would like to know that the U.S taxpayer helped fund the overthrow of their democratic government in 1954 and
helped train and fund the death squads that were responsible for tens of thousands of murders. The U.S, your international friend and helper.

Now wonder kids run away screaming...

Yeh Hodge, it isn't a country, but maybe she hasn't picked a country (or countries) in Africa yet. I took it: she will be also visiting not-yet-specified African countries.. good enough for me.

She could have as easily said "Eastern Europe" and it would have been just as clear.

..or "the UK".. but which country in the UK?

ok, I'm done :)

I've been reading Boing Boing for seven or so years now, and rarely delurk (which was easy for all those years between quicktopic and now). But felt compelled to say...

This is really awesome. Please, do more of this.

#41: That's probably the bit I knew. The effects of all that on the ground, what Xeni's film and comments describe, is the bit I didn't. The human bit.

Xeni,

If there is anything I can do to help you on your Japan leg, let me know. Pretty much fluent, and know about many of the hidden gems here. And my services are free. Whee!

HU

Japan? Must go to the Island of Women.

Me gusto este video Xeni! Sorry, my Spanish is rusty. I love the ending. Whenever I go to Mexico, some of my relatives are so poor but they're also happy. It's like everyday they wake up is another victory.

if nothing else came of this thread, imagine if someone sent enough money or sheet metal to put a cage over that belt and flywheel?

Muchisimas gracias a la señorita Xenu por este video tan conmovedor. Me ha alegrado mucho ver que haya realizado un video tan simple mostrando una realidad que ha de mover hasta a el mas duro de corazón. Hace muchos años que no visito Guatemala y este video me hizo recordar de su gente bella y las tantas otras razones para ir a visitar de nuevo.
Muchas bendiciones y espero que continue con su trabajo,
Laura Alvarez

This was a thought provoking film, unfortunately my mind is malfunctioning. So, several thoughts occured to me

1: I need a red pig
2: I need a monkey who can ride the red pig, I bet they'd get along
3: I wonder if a monkey could shoot a crossbow
4: they could go on a cross country adventure, a bit like that old Disney flick 'The Incredible Journey' , but with a touch of Mad Max
5: This would make a cool film

To All:
Thanks for watching! I know this piece was very personal for Xeni, and really for all of us. It truly means a lot to read your discussion. We'll be sure to pass the good word on to Wendy and everyone else at the peublo.

Stay tuned for more!

Derek Bledsoe
Segment Producer, BBtv

Hey Xeni. I really liked the video.
.
Besides the tortilla, do they prepare beer with the corn?
.
About self sustained development, in one word: the most important thing is basic education (school), the rest comes along.

#51 L Alvarez bablefished:

Very many thanks to the Xenu young lady by this so stirring video. It has cheered much to me to see that it has realised a so simple video showing a reality that is to move until a but it last of heart. Many years ago that I do not visit Guatemala and this video made me remember of its beautiful people and the so many other reasons to go to visit again. Many blessings and I hope that continues with its work, Laura Alvarez

Thanks for weighing in, everyone!

@#33 hodgestar, ah, I can see what you're saying. So, specifically: Benin, Togo, Nigeria, and Ghana. Four West African nations. Those are the countries we have footage from, those are the countries we have episodes possibly planned for within the coming weeks. I was writing my comment in haste, and didn't mean to commit the common, ignorant sin of "Africa = one homogenous nation."

@#30 martha_macarthur, hah! :-) I bet he'd be tasty, too. JOKING.

@#31 arkizzle, @#35 ninnyfriedcheez -- that's really interesting feedback. OK, so maybe we will try to do somewhat longer blog posts to accompany these episodes, to provide more context. Longer than regular BBtv blog posts.

@TNH -- you are right about the stone metates. I've spent time with families who still use these, and it's worse. As you mentioned, also hard on the teeth because of stone grit in the meal. Daily life here is just a hell of a lot of hard hard work.

@TNH -- wow, I did not know the other meaning of the word "marrano." I will say that when my spanish was even crappier than it is now, I once called a pig a "coche" in Guatemala (that's a regional slang word for pig in some other countries, cochinita, cochina, coche for short) -- and someone asked why i wanted a car. Coche means car in Guate, pig elsewhere. It was funny at the time.

@#47 HeroicUnderstatement thank you very much!

We really appreciate all of the ideas, criticism, and feedback everyone. So grateful. :)

@Takuan:

if nothing else came of this thread, imagine if someone sent enough money or sheet metal to put a cage over that belt and flywheel?

Thanks for bringing that up. How DO we offer donations of the monetary or sheet-metal variety to these folks? That's the first thing I thought when I saw the video; people are going to want to help, offer gifts, to these hardworking people. What's the most efficient way to do so?

@#54 cbarreto, I am not aware of corn being used for this purpose in this community at this time.

Alcohol is a whole separate topic... bottles of rotgut white rum are readily available and affordable in the little market in the center of the pueblo, and alcoholism is a huge problem there which claims many many lives... but affordable antibiotics and safe drinking water are not readily obtained.

So, yeah, no need to homebrew the stuff.

@#51 L_Alvarez,

Le agradezco mucho por sus palabras; nos dan mucho honor y orgullo.

Ojala que los videos que vamos a producir en las semanas que viene -- de Guate pero tambien de otras partes del mundo -- les brindan un conocimiento de cada lugar, de la gente, y de la vida tradicional en cada lugar.

Si, vamos a seguir. Y vamos a explorar todo que es posible. Con mucho corazon, mal'tyox.

XJ

homebrew corn beer might be better

@#56 Tavie and others who wish to help:

I spoke at length with the directors of the nonprofit referenced in this video (I am part of that organization, too); the decision from the pueblo was to just give this a little time, then share more details on the place, the people, and the specific ways people can help.

When Boing Boing points traffic and attention at something fragile like this, something in a relatively young developmental stage, the flood of attention -- well-meaning though it may be -- can be too much all at once. It is important that the structure of the organization be solid, and ready to handle an influx of donations from foreigners, or offers of volunteer help, before we shine a nuclear-powered floodlight in that direction.

For now, the intent is just to tell their story honestly and with respect. There is much gratitude and respect for your response, and I will personally relay these comments (translated to Spanish) to the families, the elders, and the young people whose stories are told here. I'm emailing the pueblo tonight. :)

#58 babel mutilated
I thank for much to him by its words; they give to much honor and pride us. Hopefully that the videos that we are going to produce in the weeks that come -- of Guate but also of other parts of the world -- they offer a knowledge them of each place, people, and the traditional life in each place. If, we are going to follow. And we are going to explore everything that is possible. By far heart, mal' tyox.

Fine, Tavie,

You asked for it (sort of). A friend of a friend was doing research in an agricultural area. Her long hair got caught in some device out in the middle of a field and it scalped her. She had to walk a mile back to the road carrying her own scalp. Hair kills. Actually, it was reattached and she was fine, but still.

@#61 Antinous, that's gonna require a 6-unicorn chaser in my head now. THANKS. a head which has its scalp intact i might add.

@#57 xeni, question arouse because around here natives prepare the kãguy from corn, manioc or sweet potatoes.

I guess here http://www.socioambiental.org/pib/epi/guarani_kaiowa/ativ.shtm is some info.

Besides, it would be interesting to know if there are links between native languages in Central America and South America.

BTW, alcohol, cocaine and lack of schools are dooming the future of South American native populations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2gYCWZMVik

@ Xeni, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for all you've done and are doing.

@ Antinous, I've had some close calls in jacuzzi tubs, but your story is pretty much guaranteeing I will never: 1) visit a farm 2) go outside again without piling this massive mane on top of my head and locking it down with millions of hairpins.

So, thanks...

Fetal-position time.

@#64 cbarreto, ah wow, thank you for your comment! Really fascinating food for thought. I take it you are in brasil... we also have some episodes planned from there (shot by other people, not by me).

BTW, alcohol, cocaine and lack of schools are dooming the future of South American native populations.

Wow. [nods]. I believe it.

FYI and for what it's worth - I will be avoiding any BB/Microsoft content, and (with this one exception) the comment threads attached. No hatin', just statin'.

I often site the word “pig” as an example of the need to have cultural reference when translating al español. e.g. cochino, puerco, marano, cerdo…

@#10 Easy way to get “south of the border”, Get falsely deported!
Step 1. Be Brown.
Step 2. Live in a border town. (close enough and they’ll do “catch and release”)
Step 3. Work in construction/gardening/restaurant
Step 4. Forget wallet/ID the same day la Migra raids your work.
Step 5. Exorcise your 5th amendment right to not speak (English).
Step 6. Tequila weekend!!!!!

@#68 Eustace, suit yourself, you'll be missing good stuff, and Microsoft isn't placing restrictions on what we do here.

The BBtv World video series will continue as an ongoing feature beyond the term of their immediate sponsorship, with other sponsors to follow, and we intend for it to be something that makes everyone proud.

@everyone, I forgot to add this before, but just amdended the post to point out that...

...some of the footage used in this episode was shot on micro-mini digital camcorders donated for review purposes by Pure Digital Inc. (the Flip camcorder) and RCA (RCA Small Wonder).

This is no egregious product placement, we were really wondering how small, cheap video devices might make it easier to tell small, intimate stories -- and make it easier for us to put the storytelling in the hands of the people in each place. More on this in future episodes and posts...

Would this be a good time to call dibs on India and Tibet in case you need a gofer? Also, I can haz Bhutan?

Xeni @55, I've run afoul of regional Spanish. NYC is good for that. My favorite was the time a guy from the local livery car service tried to tell me something about my car battery while we were jump-starting my engine. I kept a straight face while I wondered why he was telling me my battery was an asshole.

About an hour later, my personal lightbulb went on: sucio. He meant my battery leads needed cleaning. When we were first in NYC, our neighborhood had been full of immigrants from the Dominican Republic. I'd heard the first-cited sense of the word rather oftener than the second.

''It's like everyday they wake up is another victory.''

LIVE. LIKE. THAT.

What a contact high! Your project is a beautiful thing. It swings.
Thank you very much/

I like the potential of this kind of program and its documentary of what's going on in remote places, and Xeni is a charming host.
The Microsoft sponsorship doesn't destroy the principle of what this show is able to do, and in that same sense, if Microsoft truly has anyone cool or with integrity working for them, it isn't a bad thing. And I thought Xeno's comment was that of a narrowminded tard with crossed wires, that if he ever was an evil terrorist his operating cell (not the brain cell) wouldn't tell him where to run and instead roll him out a van with street meat tied to his chest in the parking lot of back to the future. hahaha
I rant about that comment of his because maybe one day penetrating the most evil of all megalomaniacal zaibatsu power conglomerates will be honest people working hard and with integrity, and having an open mind, to the benefit of people filmed in conditions like this, and other interesting places.
Great short story Xeni! Cute pig, cute kids, scary machine.

Excellent video storytelling. Makes CBS/NBC/ABC look like imbeciles. If this were on network TV news, I'd watch it. It's absurd that with all their resources, their foreign video stories are so lame. I'm impressed with the little Flip camera too. We gave one to a coworker as a wedding present and she took it to Costa Rica on her honeymoon and she loves it.

Felicitaciones Xeni por este excelente trabajo!
Este video me inspira a hacer algo parecido en la ciudad en donde vivo que es Cordoba, Argentina.

Yo tengo una camara digital Sony pero estoy pensando seriamente en comprar una Flip despues de ver este video.

Me gusto mucho el lado humano que logras transmitir en el video. Exitos en tus proximos proyectos!

lazy-fish
Xeni congratulations by this excellent work! This video inspires to me to do something similar in the city where alive that is Cordoba, Argentina. I have a digital chamber Sony but I am thinking seriously about buying a Flip after seeing this video. I like much the human side that you manage to transmit in the video. Successes in your next projects!

Wow, this brought back some memories of Peace Corps Guatemala where I spent a couple of years in the mid-90s sweating and sucking wind in the hot yukky coastal part. Those handmade tortillas rocked my world.

Glad to see your comment about including more voices of the people in future installments. It made me sad to hear almost everything those sweet little girls said coming out as words put into their mouths (but I also know how shy they can be). I will look forward to more...

Kudos upon kudos for this.

Regarding the complaints about Microsoft sponsorship, I'll say the reasons to accept their money and use it for good are valid. But what about BoingBoing setting up a "tip jar" so people who complain can put their money where their trolling mouths are.

Great video, Xeni. I'd just suggest that there's relevant context missing from the video. You mention that these are indigenous Mayans internally displaced by the Guatemalan civil war. Might be more accurate to say that they, as indigenous highlanders, were targets of a genocidal "scorched earth" policy that wiped out nearly 200,000 villagers in the 1980s. Given that there's a large US audience for this site, it's especially relevant that the violent campaign was materially and politically supported by the United States. Reagan called Rios Montt, one of the chief perpetrators of the genocide, "a man of great personal integrity and commitment." To date, neither Montt nor his backers have been held accountable for their crimes while Mayan communities are still struggling to recover from the violence, as the video indicates. We in the US have a direct connection to the enduring poverty and lawlessness in Guatemala.

@#81 ANSEL, you are absolutely correct. +1 to all of that, and most of all -- the last line of your comment. I hope to explore more of this in future episodes.

Xeni, about the episode - it's good that you understand that brevity is the soul of more than wit. That was a story about so much more than corn.

(FYI, for those not in the know, pigs are at least as smart as dogs, and some are as friendly)

Here are some things I thought about while watching this video:

1. Sometimes I feel like Boing Boing's constant stream of interesting but trivial novelty is more sedative than anything, like it's distracting me from more important stuff. That's not a flaw, nor anything I'd want "fixed"; it's inherent in both the format and the medium, from which the editorial decisions flow, and mostly prompts me to just get offline more often. Unless I wanna be sedated.

This video is a taste of something much more human and local and direct, and less the detritus of the machine that we otherwise happily consume here.

I hope that makes sense, and is taken as it's intended. Do more of this; I want your faces doing more than buying comic books or attending LA gallery openings or contributing to some strange dramatic sub-genre of fake European accents. :)

2. As Theresa points out, the grinding-machine replaces what were quite literally Stone Age tools. The "danger" that this technological advance presents is easy to identify from here, but in that context it's utterly normal -- so normal, and sufficiently useful and labor-modulating, that it's not identified as a threat.

There's a lot to think about there, if we look around at ourselves, or pretend that we're in a position to objectively analyze our own set of potentially-dangerous advancements. What will the future think about the automobile, for example?

And I didn't intend this to resonate with (1), but it kinda does, huh?

3. Fresh tortillas, right off the griddle and made by experienced hands from freshly-ground corn, are amazing, amazing, amazing. If you've only had them out of a plastic packet from your grocer's refrigerator case, you're missing out -- like Maxwell House drinkers are missing out on freshly-roasted, freshly-ground coffee beans.

We didn't get to see what they put into those tortillas. Maybe some of that adorable little pig, slowly roasted in its own drippings. Or some homegrown beans, cooked in a communal pot. Nom nom nom.

4. "Wendy"? Ok, fine. Wendy. She's totally disarming, in any case. I can see why you go back, Xeni -- why you're clearly enchanted by some incredible human beings in striking circumstances. No romance: just folks.

5. The music behind the end-credits doesn't seem to be attributed. But it's good stuff! Central American folk music has sorrow and soul. Let's hear more.

Eustace,

I've been considering your comment. I would appreciate it if you would go over to the Moderation Thread and explain it fully. I value your opinion and it would probably be an interesting discussion, but it wouldn't be appropriate to get into it here.

farther south, but always did it for me;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prd5uMRJtUs

Eustace, I would second Antin's request. I'm a bit interested because the first of the couple times I've been (lightly, but deserved, I was a bit rude) scolded by Teresa was in a previous donnybrook about Microsoft sponsorship. (I've yet to be disemvowelled, knock wood). I don't really have a strong opinion about it, but I'm interested in hearing what people have to say about it.

Sorry, that above was poorly worded, but I hope my drift was caught.

Just wanted to add my kudos on the video and the whole idea of the BBtv World.

Great episode. I'm excited to see more. I loved how it was from a real perspective of the kid's lives and Xeni's honest dialog with them. Don't see much of that in the MSM, if ever. I hope this kind of coverage inspires more people to reach out and help.

Beautiful. Thank you! I'm waiting for more.

Could someone write a re-emvowelling plugin? Something like the old ROT13 translators? Some of the longer passages take more effort than they're worth to read, but the replies don't make much sense unless you know what they're replying to.

@#55 Xeni, Woot on Benin, Togo, Nigeria, and Ghana. As someone who lives far too the south, these are countries I know very little about. Looking forward to the later episodes. :)

Xeni @ 22

Thanks for taking a moment to shine a little more light on the adoption situation in Guate beyond the passing and awkward reference in this great episode of BBtv.

Our family has a great love for Guate and her people. My wife recently returned from a medical mission in K'iche villages surrounding Mazatenango, and we have both spent time serving in orphanages in and around Guatemala City.

It is difficult to learn that Guatemalan families could adopt these children for free but do not because of the impenetrable caste system there -- while there are families in the U.S. willingly paying tens of thousands of dollars to give these children a family, thus the opportunity for corruption and exploitation.

In some of the larger Catholic-run orphanages I served in, there is no attempt to find these children families because of the widespread belief you site in the episode -- that white people adopt the children to steal their organs, As absurd as that sounds, it's very real. And at 15 the kids can no longer legally be in the orphanges...

On the other side, private orphanages (there is no state run social services system in Guate -- no state orphanages or foster care, only private or church run) have been decimated because the entire adoption infrastructure was shut down last year due to the comparatively few cases of corruption and the efforts of UNICEF. Both the US and Guate also became parties to the Hague treaty on Inter-country adoption and the new process has not yet been formalized or implemented in Guatemala. Which means, with no adoption fees coming in, the private orphanages are drastically downsizing or closing. And where do the orphans go?

The poverty Xeni describes is very real, and the opportunities for a better life are slow in coming. In a perfect world, these children would all have loving families who would raise them in their native culture -- but as other commenters have pointed out, the Mayan people have suffered greatly at the hands of the government in Guate. Put them on a postcard to attract tourists, but then take their land and kill them. (Hmm... sounds vaguely familiar)

The difficulty with adoptions in Guatemala (and any other poor nation -- for example, the hundreds of thousands of children orphaned by AIDS in Ethiopia) is the balance between those who are being exploited and the children who really do need families.

Sorry for the long and rambling post but the plight of orphans in Guate is a complicated thing, much deeper than a passing reference to the arguably-valid cultural fear of gringos kidnapping babies. There are loving families desperate to give a child a home, and there is the corruption of money and government.

For more, you could check out http://www.adaguatemala.org/, http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala, and http://www.guatadopt.com/

I was moved by the video. I didn't see the danger in the corn mill, I saw the benefit. (I now see the danger)

I had some knowledge of the fear of gringos kidnapping children, but not to the extent that many children would go running away at the site of a gringo/a. I still did not get this until reading the post.

But, I also had some reservations on the sponsorship. MS? Isn't there some other company? I woul