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Josephine Baker wondered so and got this fabulous reply: You and I.
Read more: A Muckraker Other
Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts
4/18/14
The cyclical sickness of trusting coyotes
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Seems to me if you can scratch together thousands of dollars you can improve your lot where you are -- unless you're running from the mob or gov't or some organization bent on killing you. Otherwise, with that much money, one can develop a business (with oodles of marketing/public relations frills), go to college or take correspondence courses, hire private tutors, or, at the very least, move his ass to a better part of town -- anything but give it away to human traffickers to sneak him into AMERICA so that one can live the good life of being a human pack mule and indentured servant.
But America/Americans are the bad guys? Bitch, please.
Sad, pitiful, insane, and pathetic come to mind. This running to America via human smugglers amounts to a cyclical sickness.
Seems to me if you can scratch together thousands of dollars you can improve your lot where you are -- unless you're running from the mob or gov't or some organization bent on killing you. Otherwise, with that much money, one can develop a business (with oodles of marketing/public relations frills), go to college or take correspondence courses, hire private tutors, or, at the very least, move his ass to a better part of town -- anything but give it away to human traffickers to sneak him into AMERICA so that one can live the good life of being a human pack mule and indentured servant.
Latin Americans risk life to get to USA to live the "American dream." Can anyone say stupid?Latin America makes a helluva lot of noise against capitalism yet Latin Americans risk life, family estrangement and sanity to get to USA to live the "American dream" which is, apparently, rooted in capitalism. Can anyone say stupid or full of shit? Because that is just what it is when, time and again, these people put their faith and cough up THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS into the hands of scumbags who they know to be dishonest, ruthless, cold-hearted.
But America/Americans are the bad guys? Bitch, please.
Sad, pitiful, insane, and pathetic come to mind. This running to America via human smugglers amounts to a cyclical sickness.
I get the for-a-better-life argument; what I don't get is why that argument is only plausible to U.S. soil. And why, upon settling in America, do these desperate peoples refuse to acclimate, to become Americanized, to leave their pasts, which they so earnestly run from, behind rather than cluster and morph into a hyphenated and pseudo America? Where are the shouts of Viva America! Instead, local gov'ts and schools, in the name of multiculturalism, patronize Independence Days for this and that sovereign nation. And, years later, Juan Carlos still pays arbitrary interest to the coyotes (human smugglers) who made his American slavery a reality. And he still can't speak English. Viva...!
8/2/13
Torre David at Aedes Gallery (BERLIN)
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In Prenzlauer Berg at the Aedes Gallery is an exhibit on the phenomenon of Venezuela's Torre David.
Built during the booming early nineties when Venezuela found itself rich in natural oil and appeared to be formidable on the world stage, Torre David, nicknamed after investor David Brillembourg (some sources also list him as the architect) was intended to be the flagship of Caracas' financial district. But instead of a Latino Wall Street it became the only skyscraper in the world with no elevators!
That's because, four years in and 90% complete, Sr Brillembourg up and died -- followed soon by the nation's banks. The gov't took it over -- but let it sit abandoned for over a decade. Then poor people thought, Wtf? I don't have a house, and, in short order, hordes of them wandered into it and began squatting. Thus Torre David went from being one visionary's gem, to an unavoidable eye-sore, to the largest vertical slum or, according to Urban-Think Tank, a living model of a social cooperative. There's some merit to that latter claim: residents have installed running water and sewage systems, bodegas (mom & pop stores,) building security, basketball courts and, of course, televisions. No matter how poor a ghetto is there are always working televisions! It's telling that Hugo Chavez, for all of his populist rhetoric, never troubled himself to complete the Centro Financiero Confianzas, as it was to officially be called, but, instead, let it become a skyscraper cum slum. But, unlike most slums, Torre David is one in which its residents take a great deal of pride in calling home.
Here are snapshots from the exhibit at the Aedes Gallery:
In Prenzlauer Berg at the Aedes Gallery is an exhibit on the phenomenon of Venezuela's Torre David.
Built during the booming early nineties when Venezuela found itself rich in natural oil and appeared to be formidable on the world stage, Torre David, nicknamed after investor David Brillembourg (some sources also list him as the architect) was intended to be the flagship of Caracas' financial district. But instead of a Latino Wall Street it became the only skyscraper in the world with no elevators!
That's because, four years in and 90% complete, Sr Brillembourg up and died -- followed soon by the nation's banks. The gov't took it over -- but let it sit abandoned for over a decade. Then poor people thought, Wtf? I don't have a house, and, in short order, hordes of them wandered into it and began squatting. Thus Torre David went from being one visionary's gem, to an unavoidable eye-sore, to the largest vertical slum or, according to Urban-Think Tank, a living model of a social cooperative. There's some merit to that latter claim: residents have installed running water and sewage systems, bodegas (mom & pop stores,) building security, basketball courts and, of course, televisions. No matter how poor a ghetto is there are always working televisions! It's telling that Hugo Chavez, for all of his populist rhetoric, never troubled himself to complete the Centro Financiero Confianzas, as it was to officially be called, but, instead, let it become a skyscraper cum slum. But, unlike most slums, Torre David is one in which its residents take a great deal of pride in calling home.
Here are snapshots from the exhibit at the Aedes Gallery:
home sweet home
"Bogota = 11,163 per sq mile"
precisely why NYC and Paris rank low on my ideal cities
and I have scant interest in visiting any of the other ones
2/17/13
Pto Vallarta, Mexico
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Life's a beach
Life's a beach
The Malecon with fat gringos (dia)
The Malecon with harder to see fat gringos (noche)
2/3/13
3/1/12
Obnoxiously loud Spanish speakers
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Why are Italian and Spanish-speaking peoples so obnoxiously loud?! In the hostels they are always the ridiculously loud guests; with them there's no such thing as talking -- every communication amounts to shouting.
Why are Italian and Spanish-speaking peoples so obnoxiously loud?! In the hostels they are always the ridiculously loud guests; with them there's no such thing as talking -- every communication amounts to shouting.
5/1/11
Yelapa daytrip (Mexico)
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I've been coming to Puerto Vallarta for about four years and not until now have I bothered to visit nearby Yelapa. Always meant to but just never got around to actually doing it. It's only accessible by boat. So...I got up and took the 10am speedy water taxi over to the real “sleepy town” village: Yelapa. Tourism industry likes to evoke romantic notions of Vallarta as a peaceful "fishing village" but - ha! - it hasn't been that for twenty years! Yelapa, though, is still a sleepy town and a good respite from the partying bustle here scene.
Curious vacationers find Yelapa is full of tranquility and quiet. It consists of a small road (no buses or cab drivers!), lush reachable jungle, and waterfalls. The nearest waterfall is a mere 20min walk from the beach along a winding (mostly) cobble stone path --- and it’s worth the small effort it takes to reach it. A beautiful baby waterfall (cascada in Spanish) adorned by picturesque jungle with a quiet refreshment bar and bathrooms nearby. Take a cold dip in its pool. It’s the perfect ‘adventure’ from your vacation pampering.
4/20/10
Oasis Hostel (Pto Vallarta)
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I've stayed in the Oasis Hostel many times before. In fact, it's the only hostel I've patronized when in Vallarta because, until a few months ago, it was the only hostel in town. I ought to have reviewed it last year because now I risk appearing vengeful. Oh well.
Owing to the new management, the Oasis is not the pleasant stay it used to be. Now the eldest son, Guillermo, has returned from his world travels to take over from his parents. Admirable. Unfortunately he runs it like "his" hostel as opposed to a hostel, foregoing the patience and flexibility of the father in lieu of a take-it-or-take-a-hike policy. There are so many "reglas" rules, rules, rules.
One morning a trio of German girls came down for breakfast (in time) and finding none asked for a coffee. Reasonable enough. Well! He not only refused them coffee but wondered if they thought they were in a hotel? Ouch. And of course came his customer service policy: Leave if you don't like it. They did. No less than three times he reminded me I could also leave; but with a virtually non-existent refund policy I stayed my black ass in place and argued the case. After all, I was there for the affordable, clean lodgings not his likability. Still, you don't stay in business for long with that range of hospitality. Especially not one dependent on foreign tourism.
Thanks to the free market system there are now finally other options for hostelers: Vallarta Sun (H.I. affiliate) and Viva La Vida. From what guests have told me, the other places are still finding their footing but, y'know, no one likes to be dissed and what those hostels presently lack in facilities or space is compensated for by kindness and good vibes. That makes a difference.
But, like a few of the other guests, I've been a repeat customer because, apart from Guillermo, the hostel has a lot going for it. There are mixed and female dorms, and single rooms. I've slept in two different dorm rooms and both times the beds were comfortable and the bed frames, not so squeaky. Each bed comes with linen, blanket, and padlock for the private locker. The rooms have effective ceiling fans. The cleaning lady does a great job keeping the place and rooms clean and clean-smelling, and also serves the breakfast which includes scrambled eggs and cafe de Olla (it's worth trying but I prefer Nescafe). There is hot water and three principal commons areas: TV lounge, the kitchen, rooftop terrace plus a front porch. Surprisingly, the Internet is still FREE (two computers) and Guillermo has yet to replace FREE water bottle refills (filtrated water) with water for sale. Super cool. Oasis is a muy sociable hostel where people actually do engage with their fellow travellers! Discussions over, say, breakfast are inclusive and a gas! I've made a few friends with whom I still email.
Dorm rates run from $150 to180 pesos with a hundred peso key deposit.
It's not a bad hostel. But, hey, if you don't like it you can always leave.
Libramiento (Hwy) 222
Oasishostel.com
I've stayed in the Oasis Hostel many times before. In fact, it's the only hostel I've patronized when in Vallarta because, until a few months ago, it was the only hostel in town. I ought to have reviewed it last year because now I risk appearing vengeful. Oh well.
Owing to the new management, the Oasis is not the pleasant stay it used to be. Now the eldest son, Guillermo, has returned from his world travels to take over from his parents. Admirable. Unfortunately he runs it like "his" hostel as opposed to a hostel, foregoing the patience and flexibility of the father in lieu of a take-it-or-take-a-hike policy. There are so many "reglas" rules, rules, rules.
One morning a trio of German girls came down for breakfast (in time) and finding none asked for a coffee. Reasonable enough. Well! He not only refused them coffee but wondered if they thought they were in a hotel? Ouch. And of course came his customer service policy: Leave if you don't like it. They did. No less than three times he reminded me I could also leave; but with a virtually non-existent refund policy I stayed my black ass in place and argued the case. After all, I was there for the affordable, clean lodgings not his likability. Still, you don't stay in business for long with that range of hospitality. Especially not one dependent on foreign tourism.
Thanks to the free market system there are now finally other options for hostelers: Vallarta Sun (H.I. affiliate) and Viva La Vida. From what guests have told me, the other places are still finding their footing but, y'know, no one likes to be dissed and what those hostels presently lack in facilities or space is compensated for by kindness and good vibes. That makes a difference.
he runs it like "his" hostel as opposed to a hostel. There are so many "reglas" rules, rules, rules
But, like a few of the other guests, I've been a repeat customer because, apart from Guillermo, the hostel has a lot going for it. There are mixed and female dorms, and single rooms. I've slept in two different dorm rooms and both times the beds were comfortable and the bed frames, not so squeaky. Each bed comes with linen, blanket, and padlock for the private locker. The rooms have effective ceiling fans. The cleaning lady does a great job keeping the place and rooms clean and clean-smelling, and also serves the breakfast which includes scrambled eggs and cafe de Olla (it's worth trying but I prefer Nescafe). There is hot water and three principal commons areas: TV lounge, the kitchen, rooftop terrace plus a front porch. Surprisingly, the Internet is still FREE (two computers) and Guillermo has yet to replace FREE water bottle refills (filtrated water) with water for sale. Super cool. Oasis is a muy sociable hostel where people actually do engage with their fellow travellers! Discussions over, say, breakfast are inclusive and a gas! I've made a few friends with whom I still email.
Dorm rates run from $150 to180 pesos with a hundred peso key deposit.
It's not a bad hostel. But, hey, if you don't like it you can always leave.
Libramiento (Hwy) 222
Oasishostel.com
4/19/10
Seahorse cowboy (Vallarta)
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I took this snapshot on my last night in town last week. Just as I snapped the shot, strolling home along the Malecon after a night of goodbye sex, a bartender friend and I spotted each other near simultaneously. I was supposed to stop by the bar and say Adios but wet sex over a wet martini isn't exactly a conflicting decision to make. Anywho, he hometown friends had just arrived for a visit, I was finally leaving, and so we headed back to his apt for a round of beers and cigars and laughs and pictures. I had a super great last night!
Back to the statue: It's an iconic landmark of Vallarta...probably the second most associated image with the city after the steeple of La Iglesia de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe Church). The story of the statue is that of a child cowboy who travels from port to port on his seahorse. Sublime.
4/10/10
4/5/10
I felt no earthquake (Vallarta)
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No, no earthquake rumbled my little slice of paradise here in Pto Vallarta. Only Mexican tourists from Guadalajara and loud Banda music with bands in awful, clownish uniforms!
On Saturday night, though, I was called "Nigger!" by a truckload of (drunk) Mexicans. I gather they were drunk because getting smashed is the only apparent goal for every national who flocks here for Semana Santa (Holy Week); that and getting laid, I suppose. At any rate, no translation was necessary. They shouted it in English.
Pto Vallarta: still free of earthquakes but not racism.
No, no earthquake rumbled my little slice of paradise here in Pto Vallarta. Only Mexican tourists from Guadalajara and loud Banda music with bands in awful, clownish uniforms!
On Saturday night, though, I was called "Nigger!" by a truckload of (drunk) Mexicans. I gather they were drunk because getting smashed is the only apparent goal for every national who flocks here for Semana Santa (Holy Week); that and getting laid, I suppose. At any rate, no translation was necessary. They shouted it in English.
Pto Vallarta: still free of earthquakes but not racism.
3/29/10
Racism in Mega grocery (Pto Vallarta)
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Yesterday, after training, I went shopping in Mega supermarket. It's a big chain down here. Clad in gym clothes with an empty Gatorade bottle I strolled from one end of the gigantic store to the other with several ambles through various aisles...but I just couldn't shake them. When I was near the produce section there appeared a security guard; when I was picking out a steak there appeared a security guard; when I went to the dairy section to get butter there, coincidentally, appeared another guard. In fact, it made for a big ass coincidence in this vast, brightly lit mega store. The name is appropriate.
But knowing my money spends just as well as Mexicans' and white people's I complained to one of the managers. In Spanish I said more or less the following:
My reason for mentioning I went there straight from training was to show that I wasn't even wearing pockets! The motherfuckers were just racist. I probably, no, I do have more money in my sock drawer than these morons pull in a month yet "I" am "prone" to steal. Because that's what black men do: we steal. Yes, they're ignorant but, after all, isn't that what is racism.
Yesterday, after training, I went shopping in Mega supermarket. It's a big chain down here. Clad in gym clothes with an empty Gatorade bottle I strolled from one end of the gigantic store to the other with several ambles through various aisles...but I just couldn't shake them. When I was near the produce section there appeared a security guard; when I was picking out a steak there appeared a security guard; when I went to the dairy section to get butter there, coincidentally, appeared another guard. In fact, it made for a big ass coincidence in this vast, brightly lit mega store. The name is appropriate.
But knowing my money spends just as well as Mexicans' and white people's I complained to one of the managers. In Spanish I said more or less the following:
Even though I am a black man I am not a criminal. Your security guards do not need to follow me all around the store. I see the same two or three guards here and there and here! I'm not blind; and I'm not here to steal. I don't need bodyguards...or shadows...or spies. I don't need them to follow me...it's more than offensive--"Si por supuesto, senor!"--tell them to stop.
My reason for mentioning I went there straight from training was to show that I wasn't even wearing pockets! The motherfuckers were just racist. I probably, no, I do have more money in my sock drawer than these morons pull in a month yet "I" am "prone" to steal. Because that's what black men do: we steal. Yes, they're ignorant but, after all, isn't that what is racism.
3/25/10
Another head found in Mexico
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GOOD NEWS: Today, a day after Sec. Clinton and other top U.S. officials visited Mexico City to address the problems of drugs and drug-related violence, Mexican authorities arrested Jose Medina (aka Don Pepe). He's also called the King of Heroin...and at just thirty-six years old the king is now in the dungeon!
BAD NEWS: Someone else lost his head in the drug violence--literally. A decapitated man was lying in a public parking lot in Ciudad Juarez, same city where the three folks associated with the U.S. Consulate were killed several days ago, with his head in a bag nearby.
GOOD NEWS: Today, a day after Sec. Clinton and other top U.S. officials visited Mexico City to address the problems of drugs and drug-related violence, Mexican authorities arrested Jose Medina (aka Don Pepe). He's also called the King of Heroin...and at just thirty-six years old the king is now in the dungeon!
BAD NEWS: Someone else lost his head in the drug violence
3/23/10
Have my updated passport!
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At long last I have my fully updated U.S. passport! Went first thing yesterday morning to the Consulate in Nuevo Vallarta (40 min bus ride from Old Vallarta) and picked it up lickety-split. There was no one else waiting in the office...the most painless visit to the State Department I've ever had. Ever.
3/21/10
Weekend jaunt to Mexico City
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On something of a whim Friday night I caught the midnight bus to D.F. (Distrito Federal aka Mexico City). It was actually the 1am departure but midnight sounds so much better and, anyway, it hardly distorts my story; there's a reason why no songs or poems have been penned with a one o'clock setting: the hour lacks the je ne sais quoi of intrigue, adventure, romanticism.
It was cheaper and none the longer in duration to stopover and re-connect in Guadalajara versus taking a direct bus so that's what I did. In hindsight it was a good move psychologically, too. Having to switch buses breaks up the monotony of those long journeys which never make rest stops and, irregardless of the available leg room, makes one feel bound up.
I was only in Mexico City for a matter of hours before I figured it was best to go back home instead of spending the night. Although I like the city there was really no good reason to stay there. So I didn't. I was back in Vallarta Sunday morning. All in all, I spent Saturday on the road!
One of the things I appreciate about D.F. is that I am not a walking zoo. It's bad in Guadalajara but tolerable in Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. Two Saturdays ago, a friend, also a foreigner, visited me in Vallarta. It was her first visit to the place. Some Mexican vendor shouted to us, The Obama Family! Welcome!
Sometimes the motherfuckers shout that at me and laugh. No offense to the United States President but it's not a compliment and is not meant to be. Their very laughter attests to their cruel intentions. So my friend, a blond girl from Europe, laughs and says to me, What?! I don't look like Michelle. I'm white!
That's a bit of the small racism I encounter here. As soon as Denzel Washington or Will Smith or Michael Jordan or any black male makes another appearance then that's what some of these ignorant peasants----yes, we still have peasants in 2010----will have the gall to shout at me in the streets. Maybe they don't desire to string me up but the presence of malice warrants the charge of racism. Being poor and stupid does not excuse racism.
On something of a whim Friday night I caught the midnight bus to D.F. (Distrito Federal aka Mexico City). It was actually the 1am departure but midnight sounds so much better and, anyway, it hardly distorts my story; there's a reason why no songs or poems have been penned with a one o'clock setting: the hour lacks the je ne sais quoi of intrigue, adventure, romanticism.
It was cheaper and none the longer in duration to stopover and re-connect in Guadalajara versus taking a direct bus so that's what I did. In hindsight it was a good move psychologically, too. Having to switch buses breaks up the monotony of those long journeys which never make rest stops and, irregardless of the available leg room, makes one feel bound up.
I was only in Mexico City for a matter of hours before I figured it was best to go back home instead of spending the night. Although I like the city there was really no good reason to stay there. So I didn't. I was back in Vallarta Sunday morning. All in all, I spent Saturday on the road!
One of the things I appreciate about D.F. is that I am not a walking zoo. It's bad in Guadalajara but tolerable in Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. Two Saturdays ago, a friend, also a foreigner, visited me in Vallarta. It was her first visit to the place. Some Mexican vendor shouted to us, The Obama Family! Welcome!
So my friend, a blond girl from Europe, laughs and says to me, What?! I don't look like Michelle. I'm white!
Sometimes the motherfuckers shout that at me and laugh. No offense to the United States President but it's not a compliment and is not meant to be. Their very laughter attests to their cruel intentions. So my friend, a blond girl from Europe, laughs and says to me, What?! I don't look like Michelle. I'm white!
That's a bit of the small racism I encounter here. As soon as Denzel Washington or Will Smith or Michael Jordan or any black male makes another appearance then that's what some of these ignorant peasants
3/20/10
Working-out outdoors
My gym membership expired this week. Since am considering to hit the old dusty road again in April I haven't bothered to pay for another month. It's an un-fancy, manly hardcore gym. Very bare bones. The owner is diligent about switching off the lights and ceiling fans when no one is training to cut down on the electricity bill. Ditto with water.
As un-pricey as it is I still think it better to not pay if am not going to use it for at least three weeks. Today was my second day of training in the park. Near the stadium is an outdoor exercise yard not too dissimilar from the ones depicted in jail movies...but without the menacing, sex crazed, musclebound extras. It's a rather nice set-up and totally free to the public. There's also a running track, skateboard park, soccer fields, basketball and volleyball courts, etc.
It IS good exercising sans weights because one is forced to reacquaint his body with polymetrics, isometrics, and concentrated endurance drills. Plus it's FREE; and also free of that damnable gangsta shit and cheesy '80s music Mexicans love to play in the gym. (Unfortunately, I don't have an iPod or walkman so the crap music really distracts me).
3/19/10
Care to Spring Break in Mexico ?
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If you're thinking of tearing it up south of the border this Spring Break, be careful you don't lose your head. Macho drug cartels killed over two dozen people last week in Acapulco plus another three associated with the American Consulate in a city that borders with Texas---in one day! Two weeks before that, thirteen unluckies in Oaxaca were forced out of this world.
Things are fine here in Puerto Vallarta; but if I weren't here already I'd be too sensible to trip down to Mexico with such massive killings making recent headlines.
But if you do come down, Senor Frog's is waiting for you!!
If you're thinking of tearing it up south of the border this Spring Break, be careful you don't lose your head. Macho drug cartels killed over two dozen people last week in Acapulco plus another three associated with the American Consulate in a city that borders with Texas---in one day! Two weeks before that, thirteen unluckies in Oaxaca were forced out of this world.
Things are fine here in Puerto Vallarta; but if I weren't here already I'd be too sensible to trip down to Mexico with such massive killings making recent headlines.
But if you do come down, Senor Frog's is waiting for you!!
3/11/10
Paid $14 light bill in full
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Yesterday I finally got my electric bill and promptly paid it first thing this morning...all $172pesos of it (roughly fourteen dollars)! I felt relieved at the cost. And going down to the electric company to pay the bill was not the headache I imagined either. True to form, there was a long line stretching out the door but I used the automated teller and was back out the door in three minutes. Whew! It felt grown-up and almost...fun.
I've lived sans electricity before and last year had my lights cut off because the worker was too lazy to slide the bill under the door so I never received the notice and didn't notice anything wrong until nothing turned on. The landlord was being quite difficult, too, about the matter so all of that coloured my impression of paying utilities in Mexico.
Have been in this apartment since December and this was the first light bill. On top of that I sometimes leave the light on for returns at night and still only warranted $172pesos. Oh the living here is sooooo easy.
Yesterday I finally got my electric bill and promptly paid it first thing this morning...all $172pesos of it (roughly fourteen dollars)! I felt relieved at the cost. And going down to the electric company to pay the bill was not the headache I imagined either. True to form, there was a long line stretching out the door but I used the automated teller and was back out the door in three minutes. Whew! It felt grown-up and almost...fun.
I've lived sans electricity before and last year had my lights cut off because the worker was too lazy to slide the bill under the door so I never received the notice and didn't notice anything wrong until nothing turned on. The landlord was being quite difficult, too, about the matter so all of that coloured my impression of paying utilities in Mexico.
Have been in this apartment since December and this was the first light bill. On top of that I sometimes leave the light on for returns at night and still only warranted $172pesos. Oh the living here is sooooo easy.
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