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Archive for December, 2006

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Disconnect In Oaxaca

Thursday, December 28th, 2006

Xochitl’s accounts show the disconnect between the low level of frustration, anxiety and aggression in Oaxaca, that is just below the surface, but invisible to the passerby tourists. I have heard that everything is fine and back to normal in Oaxaca, the Club Elefante is back open and people are partying again. This was written by a woman physician from Philadelphia describing her experience with two companions this month while the government was busy painting over the graffiti all over the city.

Dear friends and family,

After about a week of traveling around Mexico, on the run after our arrest, we returned to Oaxaca for a few days before leaving the country. It was a beguiling, heart-wrenching and stressful time.
[read on]

What’s Up With Oaxaca Now?

Thursday, December 28th, 2006

Blog
Marc Lacey, The New York Times, 28.12.06
December 28

Oaxaca: Painting Over Signs of Strife to Tidy Up for the Tourists
There is a new smell in the air here, competing with the aroma of mole sauce that routinely wafts through Oaxaca. It is the smell of paint fumes.

Work crews are everywhere, retouching the colonial facades that give Oaxaca its charm and draw tens of thousands of visitors a year. But in this politically charged city in southern Mexico, where protesting is as much a part of the culture as the distinctive cuisine, even the cleanup is causing arguments.

Just weeks ago, Oaxaca was a wreck. Graffiti marred its buildings. Burned-out vehicles blocked its roads. Angry protesters confronted riot-equipped police officers around the charming central square.

The protests, which began with teachers seeking a pay raise but grew to include an array of leftist groups and indigenous organizations, are continuing sporadically, but officials have begun trying to scrub away the evidence of what occurred.

Not everybody agrees on the best approach.
[read on]

Christmas Season

Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
The Christmas season begins with the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 and continues until January 6...the Day of the Three Kings when presents are opened. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra SeƱora ... [Continue reading this entry]

Village of Benito Juarez

Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
Last week Ana, Steve and their 3 year old Oscar and I drove to Tlacalula and then west on a winding road high in the Sierra del Norte to the tiny village of Benito Juarez. I parked the car near ... [Continue reading this entry]

First Christmas In Oaxaca 2006

Monday, December 18th, 2006
The Zocalo is lovely now with Christmas events every night. Both the teachers and the police are out of the Zocalo now. Last night the Canadian couple, Ana and Steve and their 3 year old son Oscar, and ... [Continue reading this entry]

Freedom Of Speech

Thursday, December 14th, 2006
December 14, 2006 More Dispatches from the War against Journalists Before he left office on December 1, Mexican president Vicente Fox lauded big strides against authoritarianism and intolerance during his 6-year administration. Besieged by murder, violence and intimidation, many Mexican journalists are ... [Continue reading this entry]

About Me

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006
Backpacked The Hippie Trail In The 60's? If Not It's Not Too Late! DSC00083.JPG Taking the kids to Mexico, the grandparents to Hawaii and ourselves to Central Asia in the mid 1990's on an 18 day ... [Continue reading this entry]

Max’s Day

Sunday, December 10th, 2006
Since I spoke to you last, I have spend one king-hell of a strange day. The morning was spent exchanging e-mails with one of the Mexican nationals who works for the sinisterly named 'Citizen's Benefits Office' at our embassy ... [Continue reading this entry]

Sights & Sounds Of Oaxaca

Sunday, December 10th, 2006
It is very quiet in Oaxaca now For some people. Others are in hiding. There are only fireworks at night. It is the Christmas season. There is a big tree with lights in the Zocalo. The pain of the people is buried under Tree bark and red ... [Continue reading this entry]

Liberty Or Safety

Thursday, December 7th, 2006
A true patriot, Benjamin Franklin, said: "they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

San Andreas Huayapam Fiesta

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006
Last week, with friends, I attended the annual San Andreas Huayapam Fiesta about 25 minutes northeast of Oaxaca City. Very well organized with a lot of people for such a small pueblo. There was a local band that ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Best Of Amy’s Blog

Monday, December 4th, 2006
My youngest son, Josh and his wife Amy are living in Beijing. Her entries are best read from the bottom up. Nov 25, 01:45 AM The first week I was here Josh had a huge dinner to put on for the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Calderon Takes Oath Of Office

Friday, December 1st, 2006
It was reported on a discussion site that "Felipe Calderon took the oath of office as president of Mexico this morning in a ceremony that lasted four minutes. The house of legislators came to blows several times before he ... [Continue reading this entry]