# Much Ado About Nothing



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

One of the pleasures of living in San Cristobal De Las Casas is to stroll down the city's andador to its historic plaza which is a nice enough park active at most times of the day with local citizens and (primarily Mexican or European) tourists. This is where one can purchase a Chiapas daily newspaper most of which are published in nearby Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital. Most of these papers are designed in a tabloid format as is not untypical of street media in economically marginal regions as is Chiapas.

These "tabloid" periodicals normally follow a set and predictable formula meant to attract folks prone to purchasing daily newspapers. Front pages tend toward local boosterism, back pages toward violence, gore and semi-nude females and in between front and back pages we are treated to local news, sports, political events and rich socialites partying in their mansions with other rich socialites.

Now, strolling to a central plaza and purchasing a daily newspaper to read on a park bench most mornings may seem lile a dull pastime to many but for a retired geezer, this activity is compelling among some of us. So, there Dawg was with my Diario De Chiapas for Tuesday, March 29th and I came upon this in the interior of that newspaper in the "Nacional" Section. The heading read, "Corrupcion Cuesta Al País $340mmdp por año (that's $340 Billion Pesos per annum according to studies conducted by the Barómetro Global de La Corrupcion 2013. publicado por Transparencia Internacional. Further, 70percent of Mexicans believe that this is a serious problem with life in the republic.


This news, If based upon actual, responsible studies does not alarm me in the least as Dawg was raísed in the corrupt and racist Alabama of the 1940s and 50s and retired to México in 2001 so I have witnessed what corruption does to the human spirit long before moving down here and, besides, I'd much rather pay off Deputy Billy Bob at roadside than get a ticket in California and watch my insurance rates skyrocket far more than that deputy's roadside mordida.


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## Cristobal (Nov 25, 2014)

The problem with your nearsighted view of the subject is that police corruption is only a part of the problem. Especially the minor annoyance of traffic violations.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Hound Dog said:


> One of the pleasures of living in San Cristobal De Las Casas is to stroll down the city's andador to its historic plaza which is a nice enough park active at most times of the day with local citizens and (primarily Mexican or European) tourists. This is where one can purchase a Chiapas daily newspaper most of which are published in nearby Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital. Most of these papers are designed in a tabloid format as is not untypical of street media in economically marginal regions as is Chiapas.
> 
> These "tabloid" periodicals normally follow a set and predictable formula meant to attract folks prone to purchasing daily newspapers. Front pages tend toward local boosterism, back pages toward violence, gore and semi-nude females and in between front and back pages we are treated to local news, sports, political events and rich socialites partying in their mansions with other rich socialites.
> 
> ...


O come on now Dawg, I don't think that you are aware of just how progressive this place is. What's a little mordida to a well heeled globe trotter such as yourself?

I remember years ago witnessing a thread on the Chapala forum about a man keeping all of his papers in a large brown envelope on the front seat with the local police chief's phone number written in large print, sitting for an hour and a half or more debating a $20.00 "ticket" rather than just paying it and going about their day. But if you are retired what else do you have to do with your day but argue with a local traffic cop?

Of course, the same poster was crying about people paying the local maids 100 pesos to clean the entire house including washing and folding the clothes. By God if you pay them 100 pesos for a days work they won't want to clean my entire house for 40 pesos any more! You are destroying the local economy and the very reason why I moved here! To exploit the local cheap labor!


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Andreas,

What I can't figure out is why one would live in Córdoba ,when splendid Fortin De Las Flores is just up the road. What I find to be attractive about that town is that it has many beautiful gardens which,unlike most of Mexico, are not hidden behind tall walls but are viewable by motorists passing by as wide open gates beckon. There is also a fine pizza joint adjacent to Fortin's central plaza. Another fine thing about the Orizaba/Córdoba urban complex is the fact that freight trains pass through there at about 4:00AM onthe way from Veracruz to Mexico City just before climbing the steep grade to the Puebla High Plain. Those mournful freight train whistles remind me of the old L&N freights on their way from Cincinatti to Mobile back in the 1950s.

By the way, Dawg was paying off crooked deputies in South Alabama long before I moved to Mexico.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

Hound Dog said:


> Andreas,
> 
> What I can't figure out is why one would live in Córdoba ,when splendid Fortin De Las Flores is just up the road. What I find to be attractive about that town is that it has many beautiful gardens which,unlike most of Mexico, are not hidden behind tall walls but are viewable by motorists passing by as wide open gates beckon. There is also a fine pizza joint adjacent to Fortin's central plaza. Another fine thing about the Orizaba/Córdoba urban complex is the fact that freight trains pass through there at about 4:00AM onthe way from Veracruz to Mexico City just before climbing the steep grade to the Puebla High Plain. Those mournful freight train whistles remind me of the old L&N freights on their way from Cincinatti to Mobile back in the 1950s.
> 
> By the way, Dawg was paying off crooked deputies in South Alabama long before I moved to Mexico.


My wife loves the lonesome sound of a train horn in the night and I love my wife. 

What drew us to Cordoba? This is the view from our back yard.










Downtown.


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## coondawg (May 1, 2014)

Hound Dog said:


> Andreas,
> 
> What I can't figure out is why one would live in Córdoba ,when splendid Fortin De Las Flores is just up the road. What I find to be attractive about that town is that it has many beautiful gardens which,unlike most of Mexico, are not hidden behind tall walls but are viewable by motorists passing by as wide open gates beckon. There is also a fine pizza joint adjacent to Fortin's central plaza. Another fine thing about the Orizaba/Córdoba urban complex is the fact that freight trains pass through there at about 4:00AM onthe way from Veracruz to Mexico City just before climbing the steep grade to the Puebla High Plain. Those mournful freight train whistles remind me of the old L&N freights on their way from Cincinatti to Mobile back in the 1950s.
> 
> By the way, Dawg was paying off crooked deputies in South Alabama long before I moved to Mexico.


Sorry about butting-in, Dawg, but just wanted to say that your responses are getting really predictable. Surely, with all your worldly travels and experiences, you can offer us a better variety of responses, no? Are Alabama and California your only reference points? (and Texas?)


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