tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77959768176395464882024-03-19T00:26:49.894-07:00MayomemoriesA Foreign Service Journal With Plenty of Unnecessary CondimentsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-59542395564033028312008-10-29T13:53:00.000-07:002008-10-29T13:56:02.287-07:00Candidates on ImmigrationCheck out Julia Preston's latest article on the candidate's changing lines. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/us/politics/29immig.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin<br /><br />Here are two choice paragraphs:<br /><br />Because of persisting political rifts and a crush of priorities related to reviving the economy and unwinding the Iraq war, advisers to the campaigns say it is increasingly unlikely that either candidate would propose to Congress an overhaul of the immigration system during the first year in office, something both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama had pledged to do.<br /><br />The McCain campaign is hoping that his differences with the Republican Party will help to reinforce his image as a maverick, especially among Hispanic voters. One of his television advertisements in Spanish shows Mr. McCain speaking of illegal immigrants as “God’s children,” as Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, the Republicans’ most outspoken foe of illegal immigrants, looks on, scowling.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-82609332187242478902008-10-29T13:51:00.000-07:002008-10-29T13:52:04.788-07:00New StatsFrom the AP:<br /><br />"Immigrants are sending less money home. Remittances by Mexicans living in the United States registered their biggest drop in August since record-keeping began 12 years ago. Mexico's central bank said they fell 12 percent from August 2007."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-91685406523976202782008-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:002008-10-29T13:47:04.868-07:00ImpatienceIn a recent article "Flood of absentees may delay election night results" by Ed Fletcher and Robert Lewis, I read the following:<br /><br />The trend toward voting by mail suits Californians' busy lifestyles, allowing them to work through long, complicated ballots on their own time. But absentee voting could result in delayed results, particularly in tight races, elections experts say.<br /><br />....<br /><br />"People want resolution. They don't want to hear that there are a million votes still to be counted," said Mark Baldassare, president and chief executive officer of the Public Policy Institute of California.<br /><br />------------------------------------<br /> <br />I have two questions. <br /><br />One, is that true? People want resolution. People who have been following this political dynamics of an election can't wait a week for a thorough counting of votes? I certainly could.<br /><br />Two, if people are anxious to know...who cares? What damage is done to anyone other than a little stress if they know the results Nov. 4 or Nov. 11?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-66692411667776972852008-07-03T20:47:00.000-07:002008-07-03T20:50:22.362-07:00PauseSorry about the pause...having switched to the visa section things have been more hectic than expected, yeah unbelievable interview quotas!<br /><br />On the other hand, after tomorrow's July 4 celebration at the ambassador's residence, a marvelous vacation in Central America awaits.<br /><br />Oh...and did you happen to see the images of McCain's recent visit to Mexico? There was a rather unflattering photo making the rounds...the ambassador looked great but the McCains didn't look their best. Was this photo chosen for some political purpose? You decide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-78765946920546582002008-06-06T09:17:00.000-07:002008-06-06T09:18:57.926-07:00A Sour SmellRobyn Hudson, a researcher at Mexico’s National Autonomous University in Mexico City and her team found that residents of the capital were less able to detect common odors like coffee and orange juice than those in a nearby town with low air pollution. Their noses are so badly damaged from a life inhaling toxic particles that they also find it harder to detect the scent of rotten food, said researcher Robyn Hudson, who ran the study.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-52503687853531970782008-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:002008-06-03T09:33:43.567-07:00Tighter Visa PolicyStarting in 2009, DHS will require travelers to the U.S. from countries whose citizens aren't required to obtain visas to register three days before their arrival.<br /><br />The registration will be valid for two years. The program include a number of European countries, Singapore, Japan and Australia.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-13475410323673432932008-06-03T09:28:00.000-07:002008-06-03T09:31:57.884-07:00I Should Be Singing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTtgq9AdC5X8bFM_LyOv8xUB9sFkdVvD7xsGszwCyZPDLLdSiyP8xQXUzYhbdcOnB2WWD841guTPIRi235ELiTEZrQ0DPF9n4JU9jXjMlFIanv62iRm7aKvXeUVQH7C-h_oDu8iUq01oe/s1600-h/deagle.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTtgq9AdC5X8bFM_LyOv8xUB9sFkdVvD7xsGszwCyZPDLLdSiyP8xQXUzYhbdcOnB2WWD841guTPIRi235ELiTEZrQ0DPF9n4JU9jXjMlFIanv62iRm7aKvXeUVQH7C-h_oDu8iUq01oe/s320/deagle.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207693245122787218" /></a><br /><br />The State Department has decided to recognize me for tenure. Woohoo! If I had not been recommended for tenure earlier than Nov. 3, 2008, I would have lost my security clearance, and my job. Some officers have appealed their not being recommended for tenure and have found themselves sitting in a nonclassified Washington office waiting for a panel to review their case.<br /><br />Fantastic news!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-27410577721757985922008-05-20T15:10:00.001-07:002008-05-20T15:12:22.913-07:00Wow!This is an amazing article. I don't agree with everything, in either the assessments or the proposed solutions, but I do agree with some of the points. What I appreciate about this article is that someone with experience and credibility wrote the study.<br /><br />No Coyote Needed<br />U.S. Visas Still an Easy Ticket in Developing Countries<br /><br />http://www.cis.org/articles/2008/back208.htmlUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-61186260532413616362008-04-30T14:22:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:26:53.936-07:00Egyptians SueSixteen centuries ago, Egyptian representatives appeared before Alexander the Great's court. The wanted Jews to pay restitution for all the Egyptian gold and silver they took along with them during the Exodus. Whether they believed the story to be true was irrelevant.<br /><br />Pesisa's son Geviha requested permission to present a defense on behalf of the Jews.He asked for evidence Jews absconded with their wealth. <br /><br />The Egyptians response: "The crime is clearly recorded in your Torah." <br /><br />"In that case," Geviha said, "the Torah also says that 600,000 Jews were unjustly enslaved by the Egyptians for many, many years. So first let us calculate how much you owe us."<br /><br />Egyptian representatives had three days to prepare their response. The declined the opportunity and fled on the 25th of Nissan and never mad ethe argument again.<br /><br />In Talmudic times, Jews celebrated the day when the Egyptian delegation fled as a (minor) holiday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-55593883939405286982008-04-30T14:19:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:20:37.506-07:00Mexico City Becomes a CityOn April 25, 1528, King Charles V of Spain declared Gran Tenochtitlan to be a city. We now call the location Mexico City.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-51267657086494312742008-04-30T14:15:00.001-07:002008-04-30T14:17:44.909-07:00Lighter penalties for illegal immigrantsMexico's Senate voted unanimously to remove criminal penalties for undocumented migrants. Some argued they did this because U.S. citizens often argue that Mexico has much harsher penalties for illegal aliens than other country in the Americas, and thus seem hypocritical when they argue the United States should be easier on their illegal aliens.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-70133243083659268982008-04-30T14:14:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:15:43.496-07:00Ricky Martin. Defiende mojadosA recent article in Excelsior has a titled that roughly translates as Ricky Martin Defends Wetbacks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-13664719537377256002008-04-30T14:13:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:14:37.195-07:00End of an EraThe leftist protest against the oil bill finally ended. The government resumes in their official chambers once again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-36531961659841288972008-04-30T14:12:00.001-07:002008-04-30T14:13:24.838-07:00Great weatherThe rains have come, started their daily arrival sharply at 3, and they have been accompanied by reports of governmental attempts to improve the drainage system of the city -- no small feat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-72663926016629382842008-04-30T14:07:00.000-07:002008-04-30T14:10:35.295-07:00Sweet 15Mexico City hosted a large, free celebration in their main plaza for the quinceañera of hundreds of girls. The idea is to give a party for those that cannot afford the ritual that can now cost thousands of dollars, due to societal pressure. Similiar to Bar Mitzvahs, these birthday parties have become more and more extravagant and pricey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-10428672949174197512008-04-17T10:56:00.000-07:002008-04-17T10:58:12.343-07:00Her Own MistressThandie Newton is going to play Condoleeza Rice in an upcoming move. She once play Thomas Jefferson's lover. This means she will have played the Secretary of State and a Secretary of State's mistress.<br /><br />Condoleeza Rice said she would prefer to be played by Halle Berry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-91228409504520307052008-04-17T10:53:00.000-07:002008-04-17T10:54:05.616-07:00Another Sit-in20 Legislators from the Broad Progressive Front (FAP), consisting of members of the PRD, the Worker’s Party (PT), and Convergentes, took over the Chambers of Deputies and Senators to demand a national debate on energy reformUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-37591964563158787272008-04-17T10:45:00.001-07:002008-04-17T10:45:46.675-07:00Peso ExplodesFrom Reuters<br /><br />MEXICO CITY – Mexico's peso rose sharply to a two-year high Monday as investors anticipated that the country's central bank will hold interest rates steady at its monthly policy meeting on Friday. Stocks edged down.<br />The peso firmed 0.47 percent to 10.487 per dollar at the official central bank close, boosted by expectations that the spread between U.S. and Mexican yields will widen further, making peso assets more attractive.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-57614103111495296182008-04-17T10:40:00.001-07:002008-04-17T10:41:18.955-07:00Tío TacoSlang for a U.S. citizen of Mexcan descent who has internalized the United States perspective. Also called a Mexican Gringo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-1221080603957593932008-04-17T10:35:00.000-07:002008-04-17T10:38:30.374-07:00DangerU.S. State Department officials have issued a travel alert prompted by drug violence in the north of Mexico, <br /><br />warning that victims have included foreign visitors and residents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-56260847150193659212008-04-17T09:51:00.001-07:002008-04-17T09:53:00.684-07:00$2.58 BillionThat's the amount the Chicago Tribune is reporting Mexicans paid in bribes last year. When even my orthodox friends feel compelled to pay bribes to crooked cops, you know something has gone wrong.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-75644245482813435792008-04-07T09:16:00.001-07:002008-04-07T09:21:21.735-07:00Elvira continuesElvira Arellano, the illegal alien who was deported with much publicity, is helping to organize May 1 protests in the United States. I was reading a description of her efforts and was intrigued by an article's description of her agenda as "Movement Mesoamerican Reform." <br /><br />"Migrant reform," "immigration reform" and "comprehensive immigration reform" have all become synonymous in the many journalistic venues for "pro-pathway to citizenship reform" or "amnesty," and some journalists even use these terms in a way that would indicate the audience should assume that a menaingless, open-ended term like "immigration reform" merits such a definition.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-4859373988974612732008-04-07T09:14:00.001-07:002008-04-07T09:14:42.106-07:00Need a Job?From the Washington Post<br /><br />MEXICO CITY -- Drug cartels are using classified job ads to lure young Mexicans near the U.S. border into unknowingly working as drug couriers, law enforcement officials said Thursday.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-76722319056043051902008-04-07T08:39:00.000-07:002008-04-07T08:43:02.721-07:00Absolut adDid you see the Absolut advertisement with the Meixcan borders from the early 1800s?<br /><br />"In no way was it meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," Absolut now says in its consumer inquiry phone line. <br /><br />So what was Absolut thinking? According to other statements, the company designed the ad for a Mexican audience, recalling a time "the population of Mexico might feel was more ideal."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7795976817639546488.post-68705274694565894212008-04-02T16:25:00.001-07:002008-04-02T16:29:03.963-07:00The ReturnI recently returned from an extended rest in clean California (well, compared to Mexico City that is.) I came back to meet with several representatives from the eDiplomacy movement, who have been attempting to promote blogs and our e-presence. <br /><br />My favorite comment -- the State Department is considering changing the name of its blog Dipnote, because dip has other connotations outside of our world.<br /><br />I am a bit of a zombie today. I went to an orthodox Jewish wedding today and I'm ready for some deep sleep tonight.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0