In the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, “citizens discovered each other, their own strength, and the superfluidity of what seemed like an omnipotent and pervasive government, and they did not let go of what they discovered,” writes Rebecca Solnit in her recently released book A Paradise Built in Hell. Solnit’s book looks at [...]
Posts from ‘August, 2009’
What Are Your Travel Commandments?
One place I look for inspiration sometimes is the Happiness Project blog. Written by author Rachel Rubin, the blog offers insights about how to achieve happiness. With each post, Rachel shares with her readers what works and what doesn’t. She’s also developed “12 Commandments” that she lives by. Rather than expecting her readers to apply [...]
Argentina Court Prohibits Imprisonment for Use of Pot
Argentina became the second Latin American country this week to remove criminal penalties for personal use of marijuana. The country’s high court found it was unconstitutional to imprison someone for using marijuana as long as it harms no one else, CNN reported. The decision comes just four days after Mexico removed criminal penalties for possessing [...]
Despite New Drug Law, Mexico Is No Amsterdam
On Friday, Mexico removed most of the criminal penalties for possessing small quantities of illicit drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin Portugal is the only other country that has “legalized” several types of drugs, according to the Houston Chronicle. But this policy change is not as dramatic as some make it out to be. [...]
New U.S. Travel Alert Issued for Mexico
The U.S. State Department re-issued a travel alert for Mexico that expired on Aug. 20th. The new travel alert remains in effect until Feb. 20, 2010. The most recent alert is more specific than the one it replaces. The now expired Feb. 20 alert stated: The greatest increase in violence has occurred near the U.S. [...]
U.S. Travel Alert for Mexico Expires Today
The U.S. State Department’s Security Travel Alert for Mexico expired today. The alert, which was issued on Feb. 20, warned of increasingly violent conflicts related to drug cartels along the Mexico-U.S. border. Travel alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of [...]
The Strange Odyssey of Eva Peron’s Corpse
Shortly before 33-year old Eva Peron succumbed to cancer, she begged her husband to see to it that she not be forgotten. Her widower, Argentine dictator Juan Peron, did such a fine job of granting her plea that “Evita” remains as a virtual celebrity all over the world. Not convinced? Try searching the name “Evita” [...]
‘Ardido’: The Dark, Violent Side of Mexican Futbol
The score was tied one-one in the soccer match between the national teams for Mexico and Panama last month. A Panama player streaks up the sideline in front of the Mexican bench. A foot extends from off the field into a sensitive area of the Panama player’s body. A replay of the incident shows that [...]
Quest to Master Spanish Evolves Into Web 2.0 Startup
The idea was to cram everything we owned into a storage unit and head out on the road, writes August Flanagan–co-founder of Spanish learning website Lenguajero. The goal, learn Spanish. The destination, Latin America. From the beaches of Mexico to the mountains of Patagonia and everywhere in between, we were going to study Spanish, immerse [...]
What Icons Tell Us About Their Homelands
Studio 360, Kurt Andersen’s radio show on NPR about art, runs a sporadic “American Icons Series.” As I was listening to an installment about Andy Warhol on Saturday, it occurred to me that Warhol’s fame says just as much about the United States as it does about him. Despite having only marginal artistic skills, Warhol [...]
