Herdez Salsa Halucination

This is the most frightening piece of advertising I have ever seen from any county, or any known universe whether parallel or otherwise. I think the Herdez people have been eating too many jalapeños.

One crazy bag lady at a time.

Contrary to popular belief, there are hippies in Mexico.

They just get stared at and mocked by small children.
On Saturday Mexico's Environmental Ministry orchestrated the planting of 9 million trees across the country.Organizations like Greenpeace are saying it wasn't good enough. I'm saying, it's one giant freaking leap.
I wanted to celebrate the tree planting by going out and buying a canvas shopping bag because I go to the super at least three times a week and every time I end up with like 17 different plastic bags.I picked out a super lame gray bag with a picture of an earth with a Band-Aid on it. I'm trying to be as literal as possible, ok, and I'll tell you why. After I bought the bag the woman at the cash register told me that I couldn't leave the store without putting my new canvas bag in a plastic bag. I told her, I was buying the bag because I don't like plastic bags.
She had to staple the receipt to my new earth Band-Aid tote and personally escort me to the security guard who gave me permission to leave the store. It's an uphill battle here folks, and I haven't even taken it to the grocery store yet. I have a feeling that the little old ladies who get paid loose change to bag groceries are going to chase me down with a pitchfork.

Salmonella Sandwich

You know me, always willing to put my life on the line in the name of journalism. After reading report after report about people freaking out about the salmonella tomatoes coming from Mexico I decided to be like "12 on Your Side" and take action. Alegría Tapatía went to the streets to see what it's actually like to eat a sandwich filled with killer Mexican tomatoes.


The sandwich in question, served with a side of tasty lime and pepper potato chips.


Contemplating Mortality


Not bad, although I could have done with less of the jalapeño flavored carrots.BTW this shirt is the mandatory fashion for Mexico. ALL HAND-EMBROIDERED ALL THE TIME!


Here I am two hours later, still alive and back at work serving the public good.


It's not that I don't believe that the evil tomatoes are coming from down here - lord knows I've been to many a tianguis where the vendor stacked produce and car batteries like one giant lasagna. However, it seems to be getting to the point where we had an "Africanized killer bees"situation. It's like, "oh no, don't let in the Mexican tomatoes they'll steal your lawn mower and date your daughter." The FDA still can't even figure out where the outbreak is coming from.
“It’s important to control expectations, and it’s possible that this investigation will not ultimately provide a smoking gun,” David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods, said at a recent news conference, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. “That’s not that unusual with tomato outbreaks.”
At least now they can count out my loncheria, GDL Frutylact.

Would you say it is a multimedia?

So, today I went of Oficina Depot to get a new keyboard because I've been writing so much on my tiny iBook that my wrists were starting to feel like peanut brittle. There were several keyboards I was considering and I wanted to take the ergonomic one out of the box and try it out before I spent 367 pesos. So, I approached two salesmen, but I guess I interrupted their heated discussion because this is how the conversation went:
Me:Hi, can I open this keyboard box?
Guy 1:No, see it's taped shut. Why do you need to open it. Its the same as all the other ones.
Me: No its not.
Guy 1: Oh I guess it has multimedia.
Guy 2: Yes, yes, multimedia.
Finally, I decided on the cheap one rather than sit around and prolong the conversation that
It reminded me of this:

Tart Tangy Travel Deals

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, or like at my uncle Jesus' birthday party, squeeze them up and put them on the pollo rostizado. This week, Mexico's travel industry was handed a giant basket of lemons when the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for the U.S.-Mexico border region. So, where does the limonada come in?
Well, now is the perfect opportunity for those folks who consider driving down to TJ to pick up their Xanax to be a Mexican getaway, to finally explore more diverse regions of Mexico. (BTW prescription drugs can be found in just about any major city)
Just in time for the travel warning, here are some of this week's best Mexico travel deals:
-Frontier Airlines has some crazy low rates posted including $103 round trip from Oklahoma City to Cabo San Lucas.
-Orbitz is offering 20 percent off on all hotels booked on the website this week.
-Travelocity has a special for $150 off last minute Mexico deals

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Tortilla Virgen

For a devout Catholic, finding the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the opportunity of a lifetime. Doña Natalia Robles has been fortunate enough to see the image of the “Empress of the Americas” twice; first on the metal panel of a public telephone and second on a postage-stamp -sized piece of tortilla.
Robles, a mother of 15, first gained notoriety five years ago when she discovered an image of the Virgin on a panel of a Telmex pay phone on a rundown corner in eastern Guadalajara. People came from miles around to pay their respects, leave offerings and, in the case of one mariachi musician, to cry.
The Virgin reigned peacefully over the corner, next to an electronics repair shop and across the street from a flower stand, until last November when an out of control car crashed into the telephone.
“The whole thing was bent,” says Robles. “But somehow the panel with the Virgen survived.”
Robles helped to salvage the metal panel and created a bright red altar that now sits on the same corner of the phone. She became a de facto caretaker of the new altar and she says that since the Virgen appeared, the area has become a safer place.
“Before she came people smoked marijuana on that corner, and there was a lot of fighting between families,” she says. “Now everything is tranquil.”
Nearly a month after the crash, Robles’ son, Jorge Gonzalez, decided to heat the last tortilla in a one-kilo package. But he didn’t even have time to turn the stove on before he saw it: the oval shaped outline of Guadalupe in her mantilla. He called for his mother and it didn’t take long for her to put it in a safe place and have it blessed by a priest.
“My son wanted to take it to school and show it to his friends, but I said, ‘No, we need to make sure to keep it safe,’” she says.
Now, five months later, the image is still clear. Robles keeps it under lock and key in her humble home that is decorated, of course, with paintings and statues of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Robles has raised a Catholic family. Each of her 15 children attends church on a regular basis and has gone through the age-appropriate Catholic rites. But she is modest about her discoveries.
“People think they’re lies, but here they are,” she says. “Nothing has really changed, I’m still living my life every day.”

Death Wears a Dress

Followers of Mexico’s cult of death are upset at an extreme makeover that has seen the saint’s image change from a creepy-cloaked skeleton to an angelic Elvira look-alike in a golden gown.
Santa Muerte (Saint Death) has adherents across Mexico and Latin America but is not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. They visit her shrines leaving offerings of tequila and roses, and pray for miracles such as the return of a stolen car or kidnapped relative. And for decades they have been coming to see an image of death personified. 
“People will continue to believe in the skeleton image of Santa Muerte,” said Juan Ambrosio, an expert and author of a book on Santa Muerte. 
The closest thing the cult has to an official leader is David Romo, the archbishop of Traditional Mex-USA Church. Last Sunday, Romo revealed and “canonized” the new saint in front of a packed crowd in the Santa Muerte sanctuary in the Tepito neighborhood of Mexico City.
“In following our tradition of not imposing any kind of doctrine, we will be granting a three-year grace period in order for our faithful to incorporate the new image into their consciousness,” Romo told Milenio newspaper.
“It’s not as simple as changing the image from one to another,” Ambrosio said. “We’re talking about religion and that’s why people who believe in the (original) Santa Muerte will continue to do so.”
Some worshipers at the unveiling expressed positive reactions to the change.
“It’s a lot better,” Mabel Lopez told the Associated Press. “She’s not as scary now.”
The makeover may be part of an effort to soften the cult’s image and regain favor with the government. In 2005 the Mexican Interior Ministry refused the group status as a religious institution, thus blocking it from owning property or accepting donations.
Romo denied the change was part of a publicity stunt, but told reporters that the new image appeared to one of his parishioners in a dream.
While many followers welcome the change, many more have reservations. 
Maribel Lopez, who helps maintain Santa Muerte Web (www.santamuerte.galeon.com), said: “To many of us she looks more like a mannequin than an angel. I see this image as unacceptable, especially for the people who have lived their lives within the cult.”