Francisco Davalos

The first issue is in connection with the Federal and local elections to be held here in Mexico and this time I won’t give my non-expert opinion. On April 24, Macario Schettino wrote in his column “Economía Informal” in El Universal, an interesting relationship between risk and profits, in order to simplify : bet for your candidate. I won’t because I only like betting horse races, … not mules (come on, just a joke).

Read the whole story at: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/columnas/57216.html or enter to http://www.intrade.com and click on the right side of the site where it says Mexican Elections in order to know the rules.

Special thanks for Mr. Schettino for his prompt response.

The second issue is a post in the Huffington, in which Rep. John Conyers, a democrat, plans to suit today the President of the US and some other authorities in connection with the approval of the US Budget Bill. It seems like Mr. Bush will have to deal with some problems that can be escalated if , as it seems to happen, Republicans loose the November elections, read the whole story at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-conyers/taking-the-president-to-c_b_19943.html

The third for the comment is regarding a couple of sites that have in common that their authors are from rich oil countries: Nigeria and Venezuela. Chippla’s weblog is an interesting point of view of what’s happening in Nigeria, evethough he is in Europe. Caracas Chronicles provides interesting opinions related with politics in Venezuela as well as some humor like those fat-free … sorry, fart-free beans http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4943486.stm .

1994 was when the self-claimed Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatist Army for the National Liberation) appeared, the visible head: sub-comandante Marcos, a non-indigenous guy dressed up like the 60’s and 70’s militias but with a covered face. Former president Zedillo restrained the military action against this defendless “army”. After all, no one really wants to die (¿?), so this guys stop their “military” actions and start  negotiating with the federal government. The federal promises stayed that way, just promises.

Twelve years later, EZLN continues working on their programs against what they call the right, neo-liberal opression. Right now, they are in their own tour called the “Other Campaign” in connection with the campaigns for the elections that will be held on July 2, 2006. It’s supposed that they’ll be arriving to Mexico City this weekend, so you may hear about them.

In 2001 while I was helping a professor in Law class, another zapatist tour showed in the city so I went with the group to the place Zapatist were camping in the National University fields. This time I won’t go, not because I believe them earlier, it’s just that I don’t think their propoasals are valuable and my curiosity has vanished. Can you imagine this fake guy after all this years still covering his face and changing his alias from sub-comnadante Marcos to  Delegate “Zero”?

Their latest document  is like a cold dinner… a reinterpretation of Marx and Engels and the theory of Capitalism and the clash of classes.

Hey Mr. Zero, you are not so stupid, shouting that you won’t take any military action against the state, as well as signaling that you don’t have or pretend to stablish relationship with other armies (insurgency) is not beacause of your great heart, it’s because you don’t want to be treated as a belligerent group or even worst, a terrorist.

Unveil your face, participate of the stablished institutions (create your own political party) and show who finance your movement. If we are wrong, show us.

For us , mexicans, 1986 was a year that might be remebered for the World Soccer Championship, it is remebered as well, because Mexico City was emerging from the ashes left by the september (9/23/85) earthquake. Economy was a mess and the country was trying to find out it’s own way.

My memories as a child for that year are centered in two: My parents taking me and my brother and sister to the stadium in which Mexico participated and my fear about the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, in the former Soviet Union.

You may think I’m lying, but I do remember this beacause I could not understand what have happened but I recognized in the older’s faces a bit of discomfort when I asked about it. My second recall in connection with Chernobyl was when we knew that milk (powder) was brought into Mexico from the affected region.

Now, after twenty years, I am starting to understand what happened, and why my parents and most of the people on those days knew about the disaster: almost nothing.

I do not have a child now, but I do not want to explain him a disaster of this magnitude.

We, humans, need to be more respectfull for our planet, we have to develop cleaner energy sources, This shouldn’t happen again.

Must see:

1. https://www.wsu.edu/~brians/chernobyl_poems/harash.html

2. http://26-04-1986.com/

3. http://pipyat.com/en/

This sites were found in Megan Case blog

http://megancase.blogspot.com/2006/04/chernobyl.html

One more:

http://accidentalrussophile.blogspot.com/

If you live in Mexico City, or you are planning to visit some day, take part of the list. What means this? It’s a list of tourists taking part of a beautiful experience: a guided tour thru the most well known “Cantinas” in downtown Mexico.

Bars, Cantinas, Saloons, Pulquerias, all of this places are full of history, a history that may be heard while enjoying an excellent glass of cold beer, wine or liquor, as well as great meals. So, who’s on the list?

http://www.prodigy.msn.com/viajes/mexico/boletur/default.asp?id=184

The protests in the US against HR4437 and supporting illegal inmigrants will have their day on May 1st. Here in Mexico, some people are inviting for a boycott against US firms for the same day. What are they trying to demonstrate? It seems to be, according to my non-expert opinion, a stupid call.

Brands like Coca-Cola, Burger King, Wall Mart or which ever you want to name, work here mostly, under a franchise contract (not Wall Mart case as others), which means that mexican investors, mexican employees, mexican suppliers, mexican taxes, … will be affected by mexicans. Are they so blind to see this? 

I will not support a boycott that reflects a misunderstanding of our reality, but I do support illegal inmigrants for their right to ask, peacefully, for a solution on their status. Mexicans asking for a boycott are so blind as those americans not able to recognize inmigrant benefits for their own economy. We, mexicans and americans, like it or not, are every day more and more in connection. Mexico’s social problems are based mostly in our economic problems, and we have to solve them in order to stop sending people over the border, this must be a priority, after that, americans should be fearless of opening their borders (with Canada and Mexico), in order to create a stable region. Like it or not, we are walking that way. At least ten years will take for the next step, but almost for sure our children will be living with a different reality. Do you remember NAFTA’s first day?

As we wrote before, Escuela de Escritores (Writer’s School) was asking for the most beautiful word in our language: spanish. More than 40,000  thousand people voted. Love is the most beautiful word with more than 3,000 votes.  An excellent day for celebrating Book’s Day, and an invitation to celebrate giving as a gift a rose and a book.

http://www.escueladeescritores.com/modules.php?name=Actividades&file=regalo

As announced, today is Earth’s Day, and I am not sure if she’s happy enough. Let’s make the difference and remember we are “celebrating”, so please think it twice when you turn on the engine of your car.

The heat wave we have been feeling here in Mexico for this couple of weeks is not circumstancial and I can not believe that there’s still people without even thinking about it as a problem.

Every single effort is well received, have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, a physicall phenomenom is contributing? Have you heard about the changes in the Earth’s magnetic camp and the possibility of a pole switch?

Do something, make a difference.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051209113513.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1758298,00.html

Indalecio Aldana, Librado Oceguera, Jesús Carranco, Alberto Stone, Enrique Vizcarra, Petronilo Esparza, Pedro Amaya, Manuel Montijo, José Verduzco, Dolores Valdepeñas, Filomeno Morales, Margarito Morales, Pedro Fimbres, Francisco Lara, Crescencio Monroy, Eugenio Mendíval.

For sure, these names aren’t well known for most of us, but they died almost a 100 years ago fighting for their labor rights in a minning company. Yesterday -the history-, instead of teaching a horrifying lesson, was our reality again. Two workers dead in a minning company, fighting for their labor rights.

Four years later of Cananea, Mexico was involved in a cruent civil war called Revolution. No doubt, our actual government is full of shortsighted politicians with hughe egoes, showing that every single action is wide loaded of ingnorancy and incompetence.

A shame for us. Words of support for the families with new martyrs.

http://cananea.com/m1906/martires1906.htm

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/columnas/57186.html

Almost nine years ago, while we were returning from an excellent dinner in Maxim’s, we met a couple of guys from Iraq. Our conversation turned into a party. We both parties discovered that eventhough we were in the other side of the world we had lots of things in common.  

Today´s morning I was reading the spanish printed version of Newsweek and I found out a “Blogs Watcher” and they mentioned a blog called baghdadtreasure.blogspot.com  I searched for it and find out a tough situation over there. After reading a while  and clicking in his links, a “chain” of terribel events as well as uncomfotable issues appear in my mind.

Once again, I remembered Nashwab and Sipan, those guys studying in Rotterdam in 1997; but also I’m thinking of my american friends Don Jackson or Arturo Teal, as well as some other friends that seem to be trying to live a “normal” life.

Aren’t we a majority? Can’t we live in peace and start solving what is really important?

Thank you Iraqi bloggers, for remembering me that after all we humans are most of the same wherever we are.

Día Internacional de la Tierra. No cabe duda que el no participar de alguna manera a mejorar el medio en el que nos desenvolvemos los seres humanos, nos va a limitar seriamente en un futuro no muy lejano. Los focos de alerta están encendidos desde hace un buen rato en este país y parece que nadie se involucra en el tema.

Casos para asustarse hay muchos y muy cercanos:

El hundimiento del buque Orion con su cargamento de combustibles cerca de la costa yucateca…

El enfriamiento de la corriente del Golfo de México y sus consecuencias…

La muerte de cetáceos en el Mar de Cortéz…

El exceso de azufre en las gasolinas mexicanas…

Monsanto, el H. Congreso de la Unión y la desinformación en materia de transgénicos…

Apenas ayer tuve oportunidad de hablar con algunas personas que estuvieron recientemente en la colindancia entre el Estado de México y Guerrero y me comentaban sobre los arroyos hoy secos que en su serpentear se convertían en afluentes de ríos más caudalosos que alimentan los sistemas del Balsas y Lerma-Santiago.

No creo que necesiten aportar dinero a ninguna campaña u organismo, simplemente podemos ahorrar, procurando el ambiente: revisar las llantas de auto para que esten infladas correctamente, cambiar focos por focos ahorradores…

Hay que cambiar. Es tiempo.