Mark and I enjoy watching a few shows on television in the evening after the girls go to bed. Basically, we have one or two shows at a time that we try to watch every week. One of those is 24. Another is Prison Break. It's like our appointed time each week to do something together, so we try not to miss.

Being in Chile makes this different than it would be in the States for several reasons. First, we get a new episode every week. No getting ready for the next installment then finding out you have to wait another week like we frequently do in the US. Every week, new episode. And if you miss one, just turn on the tv an hour early and watch last week's episode. I guess you could only watch every other week for two hours, if you wanted. I like that.

Of course, the seasons are a couple of months behind what is on in the States. I think season six of 24 started while we were in the States in January. But it didn't hit Chile until the first of April. In the end, though, with all their breaks for re-runs, we might end at the same time.

One of the irritating things, however, is that since they run all the new episodes back to back each week, they finish at different times. For example, there are 24 episodes in a season of 24. But only 22 in the second season of Prison Break. So in Chile, there are always "seasons" of shows starting and finishing at random times all year long.

Apparently, some series have a better place on the totem pole, because when it was time for 24 to begin in April, Prison Break, which had the same time slot, just stopped. In mid-season! I found out online that there are 22 episodes in season two of Prison Break, but they just randomly stopped it after 13 episodes in Chile. I assume because 24 is more popular, and it was time to show that one, but who knows why. And who knows if they will ever finish Prison Break, either! And if they do, will the call it season 3? Or the second half of season 2, like it really is?

I confess that I am highly tempted to go on the US Fox Brodcasting website and read through all the show synopses until I get to the end of season two. It just doesn't seem right to leave us all hanging for the next 24 weeks. If I do it, I will let you know.

Protests are so common here in Chile, I had to read back through my entire blog to see if I had written about them before. I couldn't find an entry about them, so this being Labor Day in Chile (and in many other parts of the world), I think it is high time that something be said about this phenomenon.

First, Labor Day in the States is something like a picnic day, coming right at the end of summer as it does. But when you think of Labor Day in Chile, you have to think "labor union". Today seems to be set aside as the official protest-against-your-employer day in the whole country. It is always on May first, and so this year it lands on a Tuesday.

Protesting in Chile is just what you do. If you want more pay, you strike. If you want better benefits, you have a picket line. If you want to work less hours for the same pay, you have a march. The key is to disrupt the normal course of events (the traffic, the tranquility, and definitely the workday) in order to embarrass your employer (or the government, depending on your reason for the protest) into complying with your wishes.

There are lots of ways that this plays out. A calm, peaceful protest usually involves a march of the interested party somewhere downtown. They will carry signs on posterboard, blow whistles, chant their sayings, and be accompanied by police who ensure their safety as they block vehicle traffic and disrupt normal sidewalk traffic. In the end, they usually take the rest of the day off and sometimes receive what they requested.

Other protests, usually when students get a little too excited about their cause of the week, can involve rock-throwing (usually at the police), barracading the gates of their schools with chairs and desks, tearing down outdoor signs (both street signs and advertizing), looting stores, vandalism of bus stops, burning tires in the street, and occasionally a Molitov coctail or two. In such cases, the police presence protects the people and businesses around the protesters by wearing riot gear, arresting those involved (just overnight without pressing charges, unless they are a leader of the movement), breaking up the crowd with tear gas, and sometimes using the water cannon.

So far today is a quiet, cloudy day. Maybe the protests will all be peaceful today. But I will definitely keep an eye out for a police water cannon driving through town, and drive the opposite way. Happy May Day!