Chistoso Gatos Pantolonos!

"But a group of dissident teachers unaffiliated to the National Education Workers Union filled the vacuum. Using maddening tactics, such as blocking the highway to Acapulco during the sweltering Easter holidays, they made up in headlines what they lacked in political clout. When federal police, led by a stoutly nicknamed Commander “Spartacus”, dislodged them on April 5th, many Mexicans applauded the government for showing that it would not stand for any nonsense.

But the protests did not end. Since then the teachers have acquired more intimidating muscle: local “community police” and self-defence groups who patrol their mountain villages with guns, claiming the state has lost control amid a surge in drug-related violence. They have joined the teachers’ movement (naming one of their heavies “Commander Wolf”, to take on Commander Spartacus). At least twice they have used the threat of force to free dissident teachers from police detention."

Dramatic stuff, yeah? It's like something from a telenova! Only it's real people in Mexico, brandishing pitchforks against a heavily armed military..

Soooo, the new Mexican president locked up the leader of one of the most powerful unions in Mexico and now that union is right pissed off.

I really enjoy Mexican culture very much so, the music, the food, the cervezas, and the people are awful nice, it really is a shame to see el guerilla contra las drogas tearing the country apart.

But many exiting Mexicans are skipping the US and coming up to Canada, and it's great. Late nite Toronto transit rides are a lot more lively, sometimes!


In other Latin world news, Victor Carranza, a Columbian mining king, died recently. From what I can see, he lead quite the interesting life.

When he was younger, he staked a claim in a very lucrative mine in mountains of Columbia, and soon became a very wealthy man, eventually discovering the famous Fura emerald, the world's largest, at 11,000 carats! He was a billionaire, a survivor and a killer, making it through multiple wars in his homeland. Parts of his history are definitely not clear, including his possible involvement with Escobar in the 1970's, so I'm guessing his conscience was definitely not clean, by any measure.

He had his own private army, and apparently lost upwards of 4,000 men by 1992. Yet he viewed himself as a "simple peasent" right up until cancer took 'em out.