Taking a short break…
I wish it were this kind of a break (photo from from a summer outing in Baja California’s Guadalupe Valley). But no – I need to finish up my final project for my final master’s class at USC and that looming deadline has kept me from updating this blog lately. I wi

Migrants using online communities to stay in touch with their Mexican villages
Mexicans who have migrated to the United States from rural villages have been forming online communities to stay in touch with their families and friends back home. They log onto specific websites (such as that of Tlaltenango.com, above) to share photos, memories and send Yearbook-style greetings. In the process, they are re

Mexico’s police show their dance moves
A video of this lap-dancing police officer was forwarded to me in recent months by several people in Mexico. I’m posting an abridged (and Rated G version) above, but there is another video mash-up of this called “Policia de TJ” that is is all the rage. The “Policia de TJ” version frames the video in terms of how these days the Tijuana police officers may not be able to afford to go to the strip clubs

The Day of the Dead’s literary tradition
This is the time of year when people in Mexico  - and in other Latin American countries – honor the dead by visiting graveyards and creating homemade altars to departed family members and friends. But the “Day of the Dead”  festivities also have a literary tradition. Pick up the local newspapers a

Could the pitaya be the next pomegranate?
Image via Wikipedia The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is the author a