El Gringo Loco Visits Jalcomulco

So you know just how loco this gringo is, I went there on the back of a motor scooter. My ass, which doesn’t carry much padding, will never be the same.
I was in Roberto’’s shop earlier in the week, looking over his selection of “clone” DVDs; and Roberto, who is the gregarious sort, struck up [...]

Guest Posting By Donald Brown

I think my brother has it exactly right in his letter to Sen. John Warner of Virginia. I haven’t seen my brother’s original letter to the senator nor the senator’s response, but anyone who has ever written an elected official and received a response can well imagine the pablum that constituted the Senator’s response. You [...]

My Social Life

One thing very nice about having shops close by where I buy my produce, bread, meat and etc. is that I can shop for what I need for just a day or two. So I get to often see Tere from who I buy produce, ands who is very talkative and inquisitive as [...]

I May Have Found A Home

The prospect that I may soon be leaving the dog pound is looking favorable. Today Rosie left the gate open and I took the opportunity to escape to go buy a telephone card, which one slides into the ubiquitous public telephones, and called the number on the banner advertising a house around the corner for [...]

Expo Flor Xalapa 2006

Today in el Parque Juarez the Expo Flor Xalapa 2006 opened. As you can see in the picture at right, today there was an orchestra playing.

There are a number of vendor booths set up and selling flowers and plants of all types. You can see in the photo at left a display of Plantas Carnivores, [...]

Waterboarding

With all the talk in the media and on Capitol Hill about torture lately you’ve probably heard of “waterboarding”. I have but had no idea waht it really involved. David Corn, one of the few courageous journalists left, has photos from the museum at the “Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia”.

An American In Paris

The Wednesday offering in the musical comedy series was An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly and “introducing” Leslie Carson.
It, I think, was very well done, with lots of what you’d expect in a musical – singing, dancing and the obligatory romance, in this case involving Kelly and Caron. The music was composed by [...]

Another Reason To Not Shop At 7-Eleven

7-Eleven is not renewing its twenty year contract with Venezuelan owned Citgo because Chavez has been mean to Incurious George.

Lieberman – Clueless or Lying?

Is Sen. Joseph Lieberman clueless or just a big liar like Dick Cheney? This is a really astounding assertion that everyone except Dick Cheney long ago gave up on.
“Are there terrorists in Iraq? Of course there are. That’s a reason we went in,”
Just for the record the only terrorist groups in Iraq prior to the [...]

Rooster Crowing and Zoning

As one who spent a twenty five year career enforcing zoning regulations, and during whose career had occasion to order chickens and a pig removed from residentially zoned areas, I think there is something really nice about being awakened by a crowing rooster while living in the middle of a city. In fact I [...]

Summer Stock

Summer Stock, last night’s Cine Club de la UV offering in its musical comedy series, was actually quite enjoyable. Judy Garland could really belt out a tune, and could match Gene Kelly tap for tap. Phil Sivers (whom to me will always be Sgt. Bilko) was cast to type.
The show actually [...]

Casablanca

Is there a movie from which there has come more enduringly oft quoted lines than Casablanca? I bought a “clone” copy of the movie yesterday for $15 pesos and, though the video is herky-jerky, I’ve watched it twice since.
Amongst the famous line that one still hears I found:
“Round up the usual suspects.”
“Here’s looking at [...]

Multiple Sclerosis

I wish to note that within the panoply of human diseases I think that there are few as cruel as is multiple sclerosis, as it usually strikes the young and often leads to a progressive wasting away ending in a too early demise.

Ziegfeld Follies

Friday night’s offering in the Cine Club de la UV was Zeigfeld Flollies, a lush 1945 production directed by Vincente Minelli. The film, which I woudn’t go out of my way to watch again but stayed through the end, consists of vignettes by each of its stars, and there are many whose [...]

The Daily Howl

Just about everyday, when an ambulance passes with its siren wailing, the dogs here in the dog shelter begin howling, in a wave that begins with a solo and ends in a chorus. It’s actually quite entertaining.

The Iraq War Breeds Terrorism – Duh

Let’s hear a great big Duuuuuh. The 16 intelligence agencies of the USA government report, in an April “National Intelligence Estimate” that the invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped to increase the numbers of radical Islamic terrorists.Let’s once again give a great big atta boy/girl to Incurious George, Darth Cheney, Unknowable Rumsfeld, all [...]

Rotting Fruit and "Immigration Reform"

I have read a number of reports similar to this one. Fruit is rotting on the trees as there are not enough pickers and the USA is building walls and making it more difficult for law abiding, willing workers to enter the country. It makes no sense, other than it’s an election year [...]

Complaining About The Heat

Lots of folks I’ve spoken with the last few days have commented as to how hot it is. Right now it is 75 F, clear, and 53% humidity. The forecasted high was 81. On the other hand, it is 99 F in Merida right now and feels like 110. The low [...]

Gold Diggers of 1935

I forgot to post this yesterday.
The Wednesday evening offering in the U of V film school musical comedy series was a low budget production of an even sillier story than was told in Gold Diggers of 1933. Other than Dick Powel, I recognized none of the names of the stars.
Providentially I was spared the [...]

That Whacky Pope Benedict

I see the Pope is at it again, quoting the bigoted remarks of a fourteenth century emperor who is reported to have said “it’s only just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman. Such his commands are spread by the sword, the faith, he preached.” No [...]