In the middle of the week

Hello

I have been following really close the Mexican news for the last couple of weeks and this has nothing to do with the fact that the news sites I used charged me they fees automatically and without a previous advise. Mexico is in a certain period which shows that every 100 years we got into sever conditions. First we have the economic crisis, of course it is world wide but Mexico is also part of the world, it is not? Then we have flu (for some malevolently called Mexican flu), then we got this tide effect which produces huge waves in the so called Pacific Ocean so now tourists are not allowed to get into the the sea, finally Mexico win the Golden Cup in Soccer. All these facts are misleading. All of them show us something important and all of them are detrimental to our country.

I would like to write about all of them, but I just wonder about the pattern. How Allende, Aldama, the Dominguez seen and interpreted their situation. How about Madero, Orozco and Zapata? Did they see what we see now.

Hopefully it is not a pattern and just a new opportunity to change without blood this time.

This is the trailer of the Knowing, movie also about patterns.

Do not look back in anger

Hello

As many of you know this is a song by Oasis of their album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory of 1995. This song was a hit and a proud representant of the Brit Pop, that musical wave which included Blur. These bands took back some old influence (in Oasis you can definitely hear a renovated Beatles sound) and tried to incorporate some “alternative” influences. But this is not my point, I really wanted to talk about this specific song. Written under drug influence it still manages to reflect that we need to keep walking our path looking to our past with calm understanding. There is no case in “looking back in anger”. We may not forget but we do decide how to make use of our memories. Transform them in hate, frustration or experience and useful advise.

The opening notes are almost a copy of Imagine (John Lennon, Imagine, 1971) which are just perfect with the rest of the song. In the verge of the Revolution and Independence wars anniversaries of Mexico, it makes plenty of sense to Do not Back in Anger. On the other hand I like better the second verse proposal

“So I start a revolution from my bed
‘Cos you said the brains I have went to my head
Step outside the summertime’s in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out”

Lennon tried a revoltion like the one in the song with almost no results (actually the phrase is his), however there are wars that are worthy of being fight more than once, and this one is definitely in that group

Read each other soon!

One man vision

Hello

Yesterday I went to a Blockbuster which is very close to my home and bought a couple of movies. They were pre-watched movies and besides their correspondent price they had a 50% of extra discount. There is nothing like a cheap good movie!!. I bought Sunshine (2007) , a Since Fiction Horror movie directed by Danny Boyle (the same guy who won the Oscar on 2008 for Slum-dog millionaire). The premise of the movie consists in a bunch of people who want to turn on the sun. Their worst disaster is when their greenhouse is destroyed.  Their enemy is a person who has a strong religion beliefs (believes which make him kill).  Again to the topic, the movie works as horror movie only in the grade you accept its framework but I truly invite you to understand their characters in a crisis situation, as we are in a crisis situation in Mexico and in the world, and observe the attitudes which contribute to solve the problem and the ones leading to self destruction. It is still a Horror Futuristic Movie in debt with Alien (Scott, 1979), Event Horizon (Anderson, 1997) and the strange and lower rated Sphere (Levinson, 1998) with more focus on the people rather than in the science. You may want to give  it a try sometime.

Read each other soon!

The dead and the vote

The quick and the dead is a popular name for novels, my only real reference though, is the movie directed by Sam Raimi in 1995 (yes, the same director of Spider-man). Looking in wikipedia I found interesting that the phrase has its origins in a misinterpretation of 1Peter 4:5. Where the word translated as quick in today’s English means alive or living so the right phrase should be “the living and the dead”. After this cultural introuduction I will establish my point: today’s news in Mexico are only two: Michael Jackson’s death and the elections result. Believe it or not the PRI is back and now Michael Jackson is a brilliant example for all humanity. In Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death if that is so Mr. Jackson is now free of sin, but what would be the wage of those who resuscitated the  PRI? In a sense we all did, as we all, in a sense, killed Michael.

Read each other soon!

Neglect

This is not a fancy word. The truth is that I neglected my high-level English word list and I lost it. Therefore, today I feel absolutely lost without a single beacon to guide me through the tempestuous waters of written composition. Nevertheless, real adventurers are not bond to the weight of futile preoccupations. I must persist in my journey.
In my last entry I started my disheartening narration about how the Desert Queen said the devastating phrase: “It is time for you to ask for directions”. Probably for women this expression is just one more in their vast vocabulary; it does not contain any other sense or repercussion. However, for men, the story is completely different. I will explain my theory:
A lot of people watched Apocalypto (Gibson, 2006). In case you have not, the synopsis is very simple. Around 1492 a Mayan tribe lived happily in the jungle when the Mayan empire required people to be sacrificed for the next eclipse. Hunters were sent to capture some expendable lives. In their path they eventually arrived to our tranquil village. After devastating and slaughtering the majority of the inhabitants, they speared some prisoners to be offered to the god of the eclipse. But do not worry, one male of the tribe was still free and he followed the Mayan gang trying to release at least his wife and son. Now, imagine this strong, brave and intelligent Mayan running away from professional warriors, evading the dangerous beasts of a salvage jungle, and taking care of his wife and son at the same time. Imagine them running as fast as they can, jumping high cliffs, crossing turbulent rivers and climbing trees. Death is all around them. Let’s imagine that in this intense din (my teacher will kill me if she reads this three letters word), in the middle of this frenetic persecution the wife says: “I believe you need to ask for directions”…Contemplative silence…
From the anthropological perspective when men ask for directions they are implicitly surrendering they power. They are not able to guide their tribe any more, their family. They are completely lost, without dignity and without purpose.
This is the reason why we fight until the end to restrain ourselves from asking.
To consult another man about our own path is to grant him our family.
I knew all these while driving erratically through the darkest forest, that is why I pulled all my strength, and in the most convoluted moment, I cleared my mind and found my way. The Princess of the Desert remained silence until she saw illuminated roads, then she started chatting as if nothing had happened.
I preserved my power for one more day. I hope I can survive tomorrow’s challenge.

Read each other soon!!

Inchoate

This is still an inchoate week. The word means something that is partially in existence or operation. Today is Tuesday so we can say that this week is just the beginning of something. We ignore what is going to be the final balance. Inchoate is full of expectations; however the word implies more an unfinished characteristic than a work in progress status. This entrance was inchoate yesterday and only today, Wednesday, I have the strength to end.
Finally San Luis (my hometown by adoption) was on the news today, in the front page of one of the most important news papers: “Marcelo de los Santos (the Governor of the state) inaugurated it; he mentioned it proudly in his annual inform; and six months later, the shinning new high way is impassable”. There was a picture with the note that demonstrates the text. This is not unusual in Mexico, the unusual thing is to have it in the front page. Bad luck?
San Luis was also mentioned last week in the news it was the city from where the defunct Secretary of State started his fatal flight, his inchoate return to home.
Apparently, San Luis is becoming famous, maybe it should remain in anonymity.

The Barasala
Last weekend I went to a Barasala. This is a Hindu cradle party. My inseparable Queen of the Desert came with me. As she barely leaves her palace, when we went to buy a present for the little child, she was trying to take with her all the indispensable items that cannot be found among the perennial sands where she lives. When I finally took away from her the pair of motorcycles brakes we were almost late and without a present: -We do not even have a motorcycle- I said, -With motorcycles one never knows- she responded cryptically and put them back in the shelf.
We choose a nice toy and begun our march to the party. The evening was cold and dark. The lamps of the car drilled the shadows as wood drills gray iron. In this problematic environment it was within the logical expectations to have problems to reach the party precinct. I had troubles. A bad turn transformed our peaceful joyride into a Blair Project 3 (with a vengeance), at least from the perspective of the Desert Queen. She is used to see the golden sand illuminated by the pale moon every nigh for miles and miles therefore to feel herself trapped in the obscure embracement of enormous trees was certainly disturbing. –Are you crazy??!! Do you even know where are we going? Oh, now we are going to be killed here!! This is a disaster!! I want to get out of the car!- among all the calamities she prognosticated she said something that hastily inflamed the delicate combustible of manliness – You need to call someone and ask for directions- She said, and all the sudden the car was deadly quiet. Only the whisper of the pneumatics surfing the black asphalt could be heard. What happened next, I will write tomorrow.

Read each other soon!!

Villoro revisited

I hate Juan Villoro. He is a Mexican writer who collaborates in several magazines and from time to time publishes excellent books. The latest is “El libro salvaje” (the savage book), I just read the first chapter on the internet and it was pretty good.
Villoro is not one of those complicated writers who believe the use of flamboyant words provides the status of serious writer. He uses the most common analogies to provide things with a metaphysical sense. For example in this new book he writes from a 13 years old child’s perspective. His mother is cooking mashed potatoes and it smells very good, however this smell always means problems. Later on he writes “Every time she called me Juanito something terrible happened. It was not an affection name, it was a crisis name; the smash potatoes of the names”.
In his articles he not only uses the same style, he also demonstrates he is a voracious reader: cursed poets, Latin-American writers, English novelists. He reads about everything and everywhere. One of his novels, “Disparo de Argón” (Argon Shot) was inspired on an Eye Care Clinic in Barcelona. Just to read the story that inspired it is a marvelous experience.
So, why do I hate him? The answer is simple, he blocks me out. Once I read his articles or a page of one of his books, I’m not able to write any more. He is the only writer who does that. Novelists usually have a voice very different from normal people, but Villoro writes the same way people talk. The phrases he uses are exactly the ones we use in our daily life, however they way he constructs the sentences bestow them with fluidity and elegance. It is the kind of writing that you feel everybody could be able to perform. This is just a mirage, only someone with great knowledge of literature is capable of achieving that kind of prose.
It is enough to read the title of his new novel to realize that simple words can make an inspiring sentence. “The Savage Book” addresses us to the indomitable realm of imagination. A book which ensconces his secrets from his readers. He provides us with the challenge of reading against everything even against the will of the book itself.
From my point of view it is an intriguing title and the first chapter of the book auguries a promising text.
To be honest I do not hate Juan Villoro. It is possible to find better sins to be condemned for, like lust. I admire the way he writes and the stories he tells. I recommend you, kind reader, to try to find something by him. It will not disappoint you. I will try to translate at least one of his best articles so we can have nice appetizer.

Read each other soon!!

Lost letters

Yesterday’s evening in an unbelievable airplane accident the Mexican Secretary of State tragically died. At the very moment of the fatality the hypothesis of narcotraffic involvement arose. If the failure of the airplane was caused intentionally by the Zetas it will not be communicated to the general public. This year the armed group Los Zetas took possession of San Luis Potosi with the Governor permit, who judged that his personal circumstances were more important than the safety of all the state inhabitants.
The secretary of state Juan Camilo Mouriño was traveling with Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos; who was in charge of leading the Security and Justice reform in Mexico; from San Luis Potosi after having a meeting with San Luis Potosi’s governor.
Mouriño and Vasconcelos died precisely in Reform, which is the Mexico City downtown’s street where the airplane crashed.
The President was visible dejected, with a mournful sight behind his glasses. Juan Camilo was not only a close collaborator, he was also a friend.
What is going to follow is exactly what follows this kind of tragedies. The media will explicit demonstrate that it was an accident. After an elegiacal funeral a new secretary will be appointed and soon enough the hot news will be Silvia Navarro dating Fernando Colunga. A couple of intellectuals; who nobody besides intellectuals read; are going to write in a few months that the accident has not had still a satisfactory explanation. After those articles the whole event will become just an anecdote.
I would like to write that Mouriño is going to become a martyr, the kind of ideological image that can push a country to fight against opposition, against narcotraffic in this case. However, the defunct Secretary of State was not dazzling popular. His designation was questioned for a lot of people. Quoting reasons from his vague Mexican citizenship to the business his family has with Pemex. Later on politicians and political writers stated that he did not have experience and his work was not helping. Rumors used to put him in another public charge in a short term; this, also, we will never know.
What the remains is the emptiness of losing a fundamental public functionary for unknown reasons. The feeling that even powerful people within the government can be touch by the deadly fortune or the organized crime (which are more or less the same).
We will never know what was going to be of Mouriño and Vasconcelos, both young and brilliant. Their future is a letter that will never reach its addressee. What is written on it will never be read by anybody. They are two more lost letters in a country’s history where expectations are the only things we have.

Read each other tomorrow.

Deceiving eyes

With this title I’m not making any reference to women’s eyes, which are known, can be a celestial mirage. What I would like to talk about is the way eyes can deceive in a foreign country. Mexico, despite of all its problems, is always honest. If you look through the window and you see a radiant sun crowning a shining blue sky is an unmistakable sign of a warm day. On the contrary if you see a grey clouded morning with tenuous light it is cold.

There is no need of using thermometers or any other metrical instruments. That is honesty. Therefore when Mexicans travels around the world the find themselves perplexed with how deceiving the world is.

Germany on December. Mexican tourists look through their room’s window. The high tower show’s an illuminated Berlin with nude trees. It is going to be a wonderful day, they say. A t-shirt, jeans and a light jacket, just in case it gets cold (they prefer to be in the safe side). While leaving the hotel they see all people with heavy coats, scarves and gloves. For a second they think about this exaggerated behavior in such a wonderful morning. –We never though they were this spooky- the Mexican think. However, the clock moves, and that second flies away as paper ashes in an autumn day. Suddenly, they cannot move their hands and start trembling, breathing gets almost impossible. Like ice nails scraping their noses, throats and lungs. They ears become heavy. They try to run back to the hotel. They still have hope, and it is hope what makes them reach the warm behind those crystal shields. They look each other with the faint smile of the survivors. They are survivors, and they are Mexicans, there is only one thing left to do: they walk to the hotel’s bar and drink beer until next morning.

This true story event enlightens us in the immutable truth that solar effulgence is treacherous outside Mexican borders.

This is why these northern cultures have developed the use of artifacts to expose weather’s fallacious landscapes. To avoid these meteorological mermaids who lead us to the malignant riffs of low temperatures.

The opposite is also true, in certain cities the outside world may seem cloudy but despite of this it can be humid and really warm. In this case our Mexican group needs to drink a couple of re-hydrate beverages and then draft beers until the new day. If you are from a city next to the ocean: Veracruz, Tampico, Puerto Vallarta, you have the ability to turn this misfortune into an enormous opportunity, nevertheless, be careful.

When you are out of home, do not trust your eyes. They can deceive you.

Read each other tomorrow!!

Time of leaving

There is in Mexico an unwritten tradition, you should leave your job after your boss. This may sound silly to everybody else but there is something in our culture that makes this rule important. In México power positions cannot be contradicted. That is learning we got from the Aztecs, honestly I cannot imagine anyone leaving the royal hall with out the Cuatlicue consent. The only challenge that was done to that structure ended with the Colony period and the total destruction of the tenochcas.

Then during the Spanish control, we learnt that their king was also appointed by god (a different one but still a god). Therefore it was not a bright idea to be contentious with the governmental hierarchy.

One day someone decided to challenge that structure and guess what? It ended up with the Independent period. The Spanish era was terminated and almost all of them left the country.

Then we got Ignacio de Santana and Porfirio Díaz both impossible to contradict because one was again appointed by god and the second one was appointed (according to himself) by the Nation.

These characters were kicked out of the power by people who challenge them and guess what? Both were exiled after bloody wars.

I could continue with more examples but I guess the point is clear. Mexicans do not challenge power positions and when we do it we simply destroy them. This means we do no have the ability to make corrections we are everything or nothing. There is no middle point.

Well, what was I talking about? Ohh yes, we cannot leave before our bosses because this will expose them (according to themselves) of not being as hard working as their subordinates, and this will be a way to challenge their authority, because authority as we have seen it is not only to obey orders. For Mexicans it is the assumption that the one holding the power is perfect, appointed by god or by a whole country. Our bosses cannot work less than us, they cannot be wrong and they cannot be bad. Power makes them perfect, until…something happens.

We read each other tomorrow!!