tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1222936 2010-10-19T02:19:00-05:00 New York to Michoacán and somewhere in between TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f52cd117970b 2010-10-19T02:19:00-05:00 2010-10-27T14:43:48-05:00

A Turkish lawyer wrote me on Facebook: I want to ask your opinion regarding my friend's daughter (a high school kid) from Turkey who has been chosen to participate in a Rotary Youth Exchange Program whereas she will stay with a family in a different country for 6 weeks this summer as part of the program. Evidently, they have a few countries to choose from. One of these countries is Mexico. The daughter is interested in Mexico because she had Spanish courses in High School along with English. However, Mom has certain reservations as to whether she should send her to Mexico or not due to the safety concerns. As someone who knows Mexico better than anyone I know, your input would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I should ask the question as follows: Would you send your daughter to Mexico for a program as this one for 6 weeks to...

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/10/are-turks-safe-in-mexico.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f4f2b807970b 2010-10-09T08:50:32-05:00 2010-10-09T08:50:32-05:00

I watch much less TV in Mexico than I did in the UK. There’s much less in the way of channel flicking here for me. Not least because P rarely lets go of the remote control. When I watch something, it’s usually something specific that I want to watch, and often something from the UK that I’ve downloaded. via garydenness.co.uk

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/10/the-mexile-life-in-mexico-city-and-beyond.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f4cb54de970b 2010-10-02T09:52:36-05:00 2010-10-02T09:52:36-05:00

American English and British English are similar enough for there to be no complications for a non native speaker to travel between the two countries. But they are different enough to spark the occasional debate, to cause a little confusion and even to bring about the odd heated argument. The differences are, however, more complex than might at first seem. via garydenness.co.uk

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/10/the-great-english-fraud-the-mexile.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013487ae596b970c 2010-09-24T10:11:06-05:00 2010-09-24T10:11:06-05:00

When I had my trip back to the US in June the time I spent with other immigrants was the most interesting for me. We would compare notes. Many of them were interested, "What was it like for an American to live in a foreign country?" It seems no matter where you live, whatever your nationality, an immigrant is an immigrant. via tangospam.typepad.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/cara-de-yanqui.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f4451be0970b 2010-09-15T19:40:23-05:00 2010-09-15T19:55:22-05:00

Technorati Tags: Himno Nacional

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/mexicanos-al-grito-de-guerra.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef01348764111d970c 2010-09-15T18:20:39-05:00 2010-09-15T18:20:39-05:00

Happy Birthday, México! via jurismex.wordpress.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/happy-bicentennial-birthday-mexico-the-jurismex-blog.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134874fd50a970c 2010-09-13T23:04:17-05:00 2010-09-13T23:04:17-05:00

Rick Steeves calls him the “The Rick Steeves of South America.” I think he’s better than Rick Steeves, any day of the week. Few travel writers know the Southern Cone better than Wayne Bernhardson, wrote the Moon Handbooks to Buenos Aires, Chile, Argentina and Patagonia. Before I entered this evening’s contest at Southern Cone Travel, I’d been debating about where to go on my next South American trip. I told myself that if I won, the decision would be easy. And because I know my mountains when I see them, I won the current edition of Moon Handbooks Chile. Technorati Tags: Wayne Bernhardson,Chile,Moon Handbooks,Southern Cone

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/mexican-wins-chile.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134874e4f4c970c 2010-09-13T18:22:20-05:00 2010-09-13T18:22:20-05:00

This year marks both the centennial of Mexico's Revolution and the bicentennial of its Independence from Spain, the latter traditionally celebrated with "El Grito" (the shout) on the evening of September 15th, with a militrary parade and more celebrations to follow on the 16th. (Many Americans confuse Cinco de Mayo with Independence. In fact, Cinco de Mayo celebrates a temporary victory over the invading French Imperial Army at the city of the Puebla on May 5, 1862.) via madammayo.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/madam-mayo-september-15th-in-mexico-of-1865.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f4036b85970b 2010-09-08T23:18:07-05:00 2010-09-08T23:18:07-05:00

Sherman Oaks, California via knifetricks.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/knife-tricks-i-am-detained-by-the-feds-for-not-answering-questions.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013486a64347970c 2010-09-01T22:25:16-05:00 2010-09-01T22:25:16-05:00

As anticipated in my previous post, President Calderon introduced a bill to Congress aimed at reducing the financial power of organized crime in Mexico, but that also outlaws all cash purchases of real estate,and similar operations over a certain amount of money for a variety of items as cars, jewelry and other luxury items. via jurismex.wordpress.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/09/strap-on-cash-and-duty-of-confidentiality-bis-lawyers-hand-over-your-clientss-secrets-the-jurismex-blog.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013486918bd6970c 2010-08-30T19:36:11-05:00 2010-08-30T19:36:11-05:00

You have to admit that, when it comes to money, sometimes Mexico’s got a sense of humor. While we in Mexico do have the best-designed money in the world, I’m not so sure that I’m ready for Diego and Frida on my $500 bills. Technorati Tags: Banixco, peso, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/the-new-money.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134868eb8f6970c 2010-08-30T09:54:10-05:00 2010-08-30T09:54:10-05:00

During the early twentieth century, the Chinese were one of the largest immigrant groups in Mexico, particularly in the North, where they had great success as merchants. Unfortunately, their accomplishment was followed by an anti-Chinese movement, which included racist legislation and even some incidents of riots, desecration of property, and jailing of Chinese for no reason. This monolithic timepiece, on Calle Bucareli in the Colonia Juarez in Mexico City, is known as “the Chinese clock.” It is a replica of one that was given as a gift to the Mexican people by the Emperor of China in 1910, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. Anti-Chinese hooligans destroyed it in 1913. The replacement was set in its place in 1921. via davidlida.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/david-lida-blog-archive-the-chinese-are-coming.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134866ba6b5970c 2010-08-23T21:12:15-05:00 2010-08-23T21:12:15-05:00

When I was five years old my parents separated and announced they were getting a divorce. I was displeased, to say the least. None of my schoolmates had divorced parents. None of them had manic-depressive mothers either, as far as I could tell. via www.ernietheattorney.net

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/everything-is-impossible-unless-you-look-at-it-the-right-way.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f33000a1970b 2010-08-20T01:23:10-05:00 2010-08-20T13:18:27-05:00

Writing in Fast Company, Austin Carr made more than a few scratch their heads in wonder this evening: Biometrics R&D firm Global Rainmakers Inc. (GRI) announced today that it is rolling out its iris scanning technology to create what it calls "the most secure city in the world." In a partnership with Leon -- one of the largest cities in Mexico, with a population of more than a million -- GRI will fill the city with eye-scanners. Houston-based lawyer Ignacio Pinto-Leon, who is admitted to practice in Mexico as well as New York, smells an urban legend in the making: Leon is a municipality in the state of Guanajuato. I would think the city does not have a budget for the price tag of the technology. The state executive maybe; the federal government for sure. But not a city. City jails house only drunks and prostitutes for up to 36...

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/will-el-hermano-mayor-de-leon-be-watching-you.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef01348644e7d8970c 2010-08-17T13:43:55-05:00 2010-08-17T13:43:55-05:00

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/aguachile-free-trade-goes-both-ways-mexico-slaps-tariffs-on-united-states-for-denying-its-trucks-access.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013486340251970c 2010-08-14T09:25:36-05:00 2010-08-14T09:25:36-05:00

via knifetricks.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/knife-tricks-i-cant-get-this-tune-out-of-my-head-and-if-you-watch-the-video-neither-will-you.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef01348633dc49970c 2010-08-14T08:41:15-05:00 2010-08-14T08:41:15-05:00

Flags are the standards of national myth.Take a look at the flag pictured at the top of the post. What can we tell about the nation it represents?Obviously, a monarchy. The crown is a dead give-away.And the national creed is not subtle. Right in your face. Religion. Union. Independence. All in a romance language.It would be understandable if a reader thought he was looking at an early version of a flag from the Kingdom of Italy. But it's not. It is the personal banner of the first ruler of post-independence Mexico: Emporer Agustín de Iturbide. via www.steveinmexico.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/same-life----new-location.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef01348615f629970c 2010-08-09T10:15:29-05:00 2010-08-09T10:15:29-05:00

Cheese, cakes and comedy. via lawmrh.wordpress.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/08/cheese-to-gas-as-lawyers-transition-from-law-the-irreverent-lawyer.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013485d1f6d9970c 2010-07-28T23:58:25-05:00 2010-07-28T23:58:25-05:00

When I e-mailed author Johnny Rico last year for a review copy of his book Border Crosser, he declined my request. via travelojos.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/us-immigration-policy-via-devils-highway-travelojos.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f29c2b48970b 2010-07-27T16:25:02-05:00 2010-07-27T16:25:02-05:00

Warmest thanks to my Austrian correspondent in Los Angeles, who sends this news about a most interesting auction. See the Christies announcement in full here, and see my comments at the end of this post in italics. via maximilian-carlota.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/maximilian-and-carlota-a-blog-for-researchers-the-maximilian-diamond.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f2421e7c970b 2010-07-13T12:46:59-05:00 2010-07-13T12:46:59-05:00

When I first moved to Mexico, I was annoyed, frankly, by the amount of time it took people to eat here. via lesleytellez.wordpress.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/indulging-in-the-sobremesa-the-mija-chronicles.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f23e43e5970b 2010-07-12T21:01:34-05:00 2010-07-12T21:36:15-05:00

Ever since C.M. Mayo’s The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire came into my hands a year ago last May, via Baltimore of all places, my reading life hasn’t been the same. Entire evenings would be spent hanging out at the Maximilian von Mexiko page, reading through the bibliography, following the links, and even plunging into more research. And now, Mayo’s dedicated a new blog, Maximilian-Carlota, for researchers of the tumultuous period of Mexico known as the Second Empire. The Empress of the Farewells proved to be an exhaustive history of her life, but it still left me with questions to ponder. What was the real extent of Carlota’s madness – bad chemicals, circumstance, poisoning, or a matter of everyone being mean to her? Really now, wouldn’t you be just a little bit crazy if you went through all that she did? Did Maximilian and Carlota each produce out-of-wedlock progeny?...

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/gone-with-the-wind-in-mexico.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f23c95a6970b 2010-07-12T15:07:51-05:00 2010-07-12T15:07:51-05:00

How would you like to be named “Distinguished Tourist of the Year,” win an all-expense paid trip to Mexico for your family and pocket $25,000MN? You could have all that and more if you’re the lucky winner of the Vive Mexico en una Foto contest. Get out your camera or cell phone and go here. Technorati Tags: Vive Mexico en una Foto

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/better-than-a-thousand-words.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134855be53e970c 2010-07-11T11:08:41-05:00 2010-07-11T11:08:41-05:00

I spent my undergrad years painting dorm rooms to pay my tuition and graduated from college in 1976. After four years of pulling all-nighters to write papers and study for exams, my schooling was complete; I figured it was time to get an education. I set about reading all of the books that I never had time to read when I was a student and quickly amassed a formidable library of mostly paperback books. I went in for concrete-block-and-board shelves and lined the walls of a one-bedroom apartment in mid-town Omaha. via www.richarddooling.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/why-books-arent-dead-yet.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f21e1efa970b 2010-07-07T08:58:36-05:00 2010-07-07T08:58:36-05:00

At the risk of sending nativists to the fainting couch with an attack of the vapors, here's a scene from the Fourth of July in New York City, on the downtown 1 train - the one that goes to the Statue of Liberty Ferry. Our favorite moment is at :54, where the guy with the Guadalupe tattoo gives them a buck. via burrohall.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/07/burro-hall-subway-series.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0134851e6dea970c 2010-06-30T15:09:23-05:00 2010-06-30T15:09:23-05:00

I’ve known Elio Martinez, a partner in the South Florida law firm Concepcion, Sexton & Martinez, for at least two decades through bar association activities. Beyond his life as a lawyer, I considered him one of the most reliable sources around when it came to books and restaurants – and particularly the latter. He bears responsibility for introducing me to my all-time favorites, Versailles on Calle Ocho in Miami and to El Palacio de la Papa Frita, serious-food restaurants where the tables are lined up with precision, the waitstaff stooped, elderly men who would’ve been old long before either of us were born, and the air filled with political intrigue over at the corner tables. Not until he unveiled his new blog, Books, Sports and Life, did I know about Elio’s past as a sports statistician and historian. It’s amazing what a blog can reveal. Technorati Tags: Elio Martinez, blogs

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/06/books-sports-and-life-a-blog-worth-reading.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f1f8fbba970b 2010-06-30T15:00:25-05:00 2010-06-30T15:00:25-05:00

I could feel the tension. When Johnny Temple, former bassist for the indie rock band Girls Against Boys, and founder and publisher of Brooklyn-based Akashic Books, introduced author Dennis Lehane at the 2010 Miami Book Fair International, it was clear that something was awry. via bookssportslife.blogspot.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/06/books-sports-and-life-from-the-streets-of-boston.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef01348512ac54970c 2010-06-28T21:53:29-05:00 2010-06-28T21:53:29-05:00

Back in the late 19th century, Coca-Cola hooked customers with a narcotic hit drawn from its namesake coca leaf. These days, Coke is cocaine-free, and may or may not still have coca-leaf flavoring, depending on who you speak to. But a new drink from Bolivia, Coca Colla, isn't shy about its ingredients, even sporting a bright green coca leaf on its label. via consumerist.com

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/06/bolivian-coca-colla-is-the-real-thing----coca-leaf-included---the-consumerist.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef013484e354db970c 2010-06-24T13:28:50-05:00 2010-06-24T13:28:50-05:00

LEY SOBRE EL ESCUDO, LA BANDERA Y EL HIMNO NACIONALES CAPITULO CUARTO DEL USO, DIFUSION Y HONORES DE LA BANDERA NACIONAL ARTICULO 34.-LA BANDA PRESIDENCIAL CONSTITUYE UNA FORMA DE PRESENTACION DE LA BANDERA NACIONAL Y ES EMBLEMA DEL PODER EJECUTIVO FEDERAL, POR LO QUE SOLO PODRA SER PORTADA POR EL PRESIDENTE DE LA REPUBLICA, Y TENDRA LOS COLORES DE LA BANDERA NACIONAL EN FRANJAS IGUAL ANCHURA COLOCADAS LONGITUDINALMENTE, CORRESPONDIENDO EL COLOR DE VERDE A LA FRANJA SUPERIOR. LLEVARA EL ESCUDO NACIONAL SOBRE LOS TRES COLORES, BORDADO EN HILO DORADO, A LA ALTURA DEL PECHO DEL PORTADOR, Y LOS EXTREMOS DE LA BANDA REMATARAN CON UN FLECO DORADO. Yesterday, President Felipe Calderon switched that around, flipping the presidential sash so that red instead of green would appear topmost. So, what’s behind that move? Is it simply to show the world that he’s still Boss of Mexico? Or is it another step...

Staring at Strangers http://staringatstrangers.typepad.com/staring_at_strangers/2010/06/the-presidential-semaphore.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d050a53ef0133f1a997e8970b 2010-06-23T14:54:19-05:00 2010-06-23T14:54:19-05:00

2010 marks the bicentennial of the Mexican wars for independence and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. We in Mexico believe in doing things efficiently. Drop in over at the Mexico 2010 website. You could easily spend a week there. And it’s presented in Spanish as well as English. Technorati Tags: Mexico 2010, Mexican Independence, Mexican Revolution, Conaculta

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