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Viernes, 26 de Enero, 01:11:37 PM
"Huge Protest In Berlin Against Calderon's Presidential Visit..." Yep, all 6 protesters (Germans of Mexican descent) had their banners flying in protest of the war in Oaxaca and Atenco. Does anybody know if Calderon reads German?

Martes, 23 de Enero, 06:47:08 PM
"Tijuana Police Break Out The Slingshots..." Well it has been about a month now since the Tijuana Policia had their guns taken away by the Feds... really haven't heard any reports of the police being killed by narcos as they have been worried about, though there have been a few protests about when they will get back their pistolas. But, in an ingenious move the TJ upper brass have decided to start handing out slingshots to some of their officers for protection. They didn't supply them with any ammo though, so if you see officers buying bags of marbles or scavenging in the fields for rocks, you will know why.....

Mexico police forces aren't the first to go 'low-tech' lately, I remember seeing some video of Saddam Hussein testing slingshots, leg catapults, floor tacks and other basic forms of primitive weaponry to surprise the enemy (or make them laugh themselves to death).

Martes, 16 de Enero, 05:58:37 PM
"20.5 Million Web Addicts Now Online In Mexico..." Of course, except for businesses and upper class - most of the people online in Mexico flock to neighborhood cyber cafes where the price for an hour of internet surfing can cost anywhere from 10 pesos (approx. $1) an hour in small towns to 40 pesos in Mexico City. Your cyber experience in the pueblos is pretty much bare bone cyber cafes, but your online experience in larger towns and cities usually can include cappuccinos and pastries (available for separate purchase). The downside of all of this (of course I have to give you the negatives...) if that broadband is expensive and for the past year they tease us with "wi-fi is coming...". The monopoly mega-monster Telmex charges the outrageous price of around $55.00 usd per month (about 600 pesos) for high speed, which isn't always a full 100 Mbps - and for some reason access always get sluggish on weekends or holidays. But until the competition arrives... which Telmex has been fighting in the courts the past few years, we are stuck!

At least Telmex hasn't been able to block Skype and other VIOP internet phones calling, but you know that if Latin America's richest man (Carlos Slim) could do it, his telephone monopoly would block us so we would have to use his high priced international calling system - which is about twice as high as US international packages.

Hey PANcitos! When you gonna help the people and split up the monopolies? You are supposed to be in charge... so why does it seem like telephone, gas, beverage, and now corn brokers are controlling the government?!?

Miercoles, 10 de Enero, 12:47:08 PM
"Calderon Getting His Revenge..." For most of the people of Mexico the elections seemed like nobody was listening or cared about them. Their hopes of the Mexican government finally helping them were dashed by the alleged fraudulent campaign of Calderon and the PAN party. Now the reality is hitting Mexico's poor and middle class very hard. As we watch the main staple of food consumed by all Mexican's - CORN TORTILLAS - rising at an out of control rate, soon to be followed by milk, soda and other products that are mass consumed by the Mexican people... and me as well!

So as Calderon prances around in a military costume, playing war games in Michoacan, Tijuana and now in Acapulco... big business is happy, there profits guaranteed to rise and the monopolies see not threats from the outside world because they bought the "new" Mexican government. Another backlash to the Mexican people, who are seeing worse services and rates going up! The biggest offender has to be TelMex, Mexico's main telephone communications system. Since they changed the way we make calls to, from and within Mexico alot of calls are never completed. We have neighbors we can no longer call - the connection doesn't go through and vise versa, plus instant text messages can take anywhere for a half hour to 4 hours to get through now too.

Time for change.... time for the parallel government to come to the rescue!

Lunes, 02 de Enero, 03:17:40 PM
"2 0 0 7 . . ." Well, 2006 ended with the Bush's getting their revenge on Saddam Hussein (and most of the world), and thanks to technology we got to see the entire drama unfold showing a man seconds away from death going down defiant as ever. What I want to know is why Saddam went out this way, when the US still has Manual Norienga (another US prodigy and product of the C.I.A.) in high tech life imprisonment in Florida, did he not kill enough people? (Panama thinks he did... and have tried to get him back for years to stand trial)

So far, Mexico has been quiet this year (I know... only day number two) we are still kinda on vacation until after January 6th "Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos" (the 3 Magic King's Day), Calderon is probably hoping to find some "huevos" (balls) in his zapato when he wakes up that morning - he really needs them!

Final note: Today the Georgia Aquarium had to put to sleep one of the 2 beluga whales that were rescued from the dirty, noisy torture pen they were held captive at for moneymaking schemes in Mexico City. In October 2005 the late Gasper and his buddy Niko were airlifted by UPS to Georgia to be treated in the state-of-the-art medical facility to join 3 female belugas in hope of mating the mammals. So as Keiko and the La Paz (baja) dophins before him, Gasper did not survive the torture by his greedy owners of the tourism trade here in Mexico. We are now waiting and praying that the "new" dolphin death camp facility in Cabo San Lucas (with it's temporary construction walls - normal for Cabo $$$ visionaries) will not maim and torture their 10 member pod. Dolphins are not needed in captivity, especially in Mexico - the Sea of Cortez has plenty of natural marine life experiences available daily, there is no need to capture, take them away from their families or purchase these creatures to bring them in closer contact to humans who will shorten their carefree lives - eventually killing them.

Miercoles, 20 de Diciembre, 4:53:04 PM
"Cactus Factoid..." Mexico is home to 83 of the world’s 120 different cacti species, 53 of which are found only here in Mexico.

Today is also 'rent day' and time for the 'van to breakdown (again) day'... so we are having fun giving the gift of pesos all around town this year! It is also the time of year that you give out propenas (tips) to the gardener, your postman and since we sell alot of items with our e-commerce sites online... we give gifts to the bank and postal employees as well. It is kind of a Mexican tradition. If you want good service and help when you need it, you give little gratuities to everybody that helps you. Since nobody gets paid much at their five and a half day a week job in Mexico, every little peso or offerings of food are highly appreciated.

Miercoles, 13 de Diciembre, 06:54:30 PM
"Guests For The Holidays..." Unfortunately alot of Mexican families will be separated this year because of the tightening of security along the US borders. Usually around this time the men return from their jobs in the US, bringing expensive gifts with them and then returning to America in January... to provide for their families in Mexico. But this year alot of them are staying put up in the US for fears they could get caught returning to their jobs after the holidays. So if you notice an influx of illegals hanging out by the Home Depot this Christmas, give them a smile and a greeting of Feliz Navidad!

..........of course, all of the 'legal' guest workers have returned here in our pueblito already, they are driving around town in their brand new cars and trucks with California license plates. They kinda of stand out, especially the guy with the metallic lime green Mustang convertible.

Martes, 12 de Diciembre,09:20:37 AM
"Mexico City's Population Doubles Today...!" It is time again for the holiday season to start here in Mexico. With the holy celebration of the Virgin starting today, which leads into the beginning of the Posadas this weekend, straight up through Noche Bueno (Christmas Eve), Navidad - Christmas Day... Año Nuevo (New Years) and finally ending with Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos... the Three Magic Kings! Whew!!! So as you can see, Mexico plans to be on holidays soon and it lasts weeks!

As of last night an estimated 12 million people had arrived at the Basilica to worship Our Lady of Guadalupe. I am sure that a few million more have shown up today. By mid-afternoon yesterday our town's streets were closed here as thousands of people have gathered to celebrate and feast. We are leaving town this morning and heading north to Tequisquiapan where hopefully things will be a bit quieter and not so crowded with the faithful.

The Story goes... An Aztec Indian, known by his Christian name of Juan Diego is on his way to mass. He approaches the sacred hill of Tepeyacac, where his ancestors had worshipped at the temple to the corn Goddess Tonanzin, whose name means "Our Mother". Her temple had been devastated by order of the Catholic Bishop Zumarraga. He walks bare foot and wearing a coarse woven cloth called a tilma, made of maguey cactus fibers. Suddenly he hears the melodious sounds of singing birds and sees a lovely brown woman with a halo shining in the morning sunrays, dressed in glorious robes in shades of gold, blue and rose. Speaking to him in his native language, Nahuatl, she identifies herself as the blessed Mother Mary and in a tender voice calls him "little son" (Juanito). She urges him to go to the city and request that the bishop build a shrine to her, on the very place of the destroyed goddess temple, to express the special love she has for the Indian people. Getting up his courage Juan Diego visits Bishop Zumarraga but is dismissed as a dreamer. He returns to the hillside and begs of her: "I am a nobody, a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf". She offers him these consoling words: "Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."

Three times she appears and three times he begs for her temple, and three times he is turned away. When the Bishop asks for proof that she is the Mother of God, she tells Juan Diego to pick the Castillian roses, non-existant in that climate, but by miracle growing in abundance nearby. Gathering them in his tilma, he opens his cloak in the presence of the Bishop, who then droped to his knees after seeing emblazoned on the Indian's clothing is the image of the Virgin exactly as Juan Diego had described her. In thirteen days, a small chapel was completed in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, then two years later a major church is built on the site in 1709.

A vast modern day church and complex was completed in 1976 next to the original Basilica, because the original church was in need of restoration and sinking into the ground. At this Basilica on her feast day, celebrated on December 11th and 12th, millions of people will come to celebrate her day. On display is the Tilma of Juan Diego which shows no sign of decay almost 500 years later. An estimated 10 million worshippers visit her Basilica annually, making it the most popular shrine to the Virgin Mary in the world, and second to the Vatican as the most visited Catholic church in the world. Then in July 2002 Juan Diego was declared a saint by Pope John Paul, the first indigenous saint of the Americas!

The origin of the name Guadalupe comes from the Nahuatl word 'coatlaxopeuh' which is pronounced 'quatlasupe' and sounds like the Spanish word Guadalupe. Catholic historians translate Coa as serpent; tla is interpreted as 'the', while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. The original Nahuatl translates as "the one who crushes the serpent". Guadalupe is one of Europe's Dark Madonnas, the Virgin of Guadalupe is the modern predecessor to the pre-conquest of the Aztec's Goddess Tonantzin, the Aztec Dark Madonna. When visiting the Basilica in Mexico City, one can hear the faithful whispering "Tonantzin-Guadalupe, hear our prayers." Many of the ancient practices survive from the days of the Aztec, such as using talismans (milagros), divination by her image, herbal curing invoking her name, her supernatural powers are claimed as part of the family history of Mexicans who have prayed to her in times of tragedy, illness and death with sometimes miraculous results.

Domingo, 10 de Diciembre, 04:29:18 PM
"Are All Spammers Atheists...?" ...............I used to think so, that was until today. Don't know if it is just people getting into the holiday spirit, or we really do have some evil Christians out there clogging the internet 'tubes' and trying to make an illegal buck off of innocent or god fearing people. REMEMBER: just because you get an email with bible quotes in the text does not mean you should open up their attached image... unless you asked for a little virus from Spamta Claus!

On a more festive note... the posadas start here in Mexico on Tuesday "Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe" - day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Catholic followers have already started the trek to Mexico City from their small towns and villages - they arrive by crawling on their knees all of the way to the Basílica de Guadalupe, others arrive by the bus load then crawl their way to pay their respects and devotion to the shrine. (we will have more on Martes...)

Sabado, 02 de Diciembre, 02:09:32 PM
"Mexico Starts A New Episode..." Yesterday amid semi-secrecy Mexico's "new" President was sworn in, there was so much fighting going on in Congress that it took awhile for the Congressmen to notice outgoing Presidente Fox and the new guy (Calderon) were already in chambers as the 'sash' was passed on to the new President, then a quick rendition of Mexico's National Anthem was sung and that was it! For me at least...... now Mexico has her weakest President EVER in her history (weaker than Bush!!!). Now we wait and see what happens in Oaxaca.....

Here are Presidente Calderon's Top Ten List of things he plans to accomplish during his 6 year reign (if he lasts that long...):

   • Open dialogue with all political parties

   • Improve quality of life of armed forces, police officers

   • Submit judicial reform legislation to Congress.

   • Improve standard of living of poorest Mexicans, comprising 50 percent of population

   • Strengthen social sector, especially education, by making better use of resources

   • Guarantee universal health coverage to all children born beginning Dec. 1, 2006

   • Create jobs to end migration

   • Strengthen labor and business competitiveness to attract more investment

   • Promote tourism and infrastructure to take advantage of natural resources

   • Reduce his salary and Cabinet members’ by decree

Most of these items now on his addenda would never have been there (which means they are just bs to appease the half of the country that believes he became president by fraud) if not for Lopez Obrador, the PRD and the people of Mexico.

Let's hope civil war can be avoided and Mexico starts to catch up with the rest of the world... India has passed us by, soon might even be Iraq unless we get out shit together in this "new" government.

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