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Marlene / Moderator

May 5, 2005, 10:03 AM

Post #1 of 9 (2465 views)

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Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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For a weekly snapshot in English of what's happening in Mazatlán check out the latest e-publication called PacificWaveWeekly.

http://www.pacificwaveweekly.com/

kirkswig

May 5, 2005, 4:52 PM

Post #2 of 9 (2438 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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You know, I was all ready to pronounce this to be a good thing.

Then I see the headline "Rabid Vampire Bat Vaccine".

Now I understand the meaning of the phrase, ignorance is bliss. Maybe learning Spanish isn't such a hot idea after all.

(of course, they've talking about rabid bats in the country-side, not the very wonderful bats we have here in town which mostly eat mosquitoes and put on amazing displays of aerobatics. but still.)

To boldly go where no wig has gone before.

Marlene / Moderator

May 5, 2005, 5:15 PM

Post #3 of 9 (2436 views)

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Re: [kirkswig] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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I was so focussed on the electricity subsidy article that I conveniently overlooked the bat story! I must admit that when a bat did a couple of low passes across my patio the other evening it certainly got my attention. I didn't stick around to watch his performance.

ncferret

May 6, 2005, 8:00 AM

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Re: [kirkswig] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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Kirk, you don't know how right you are - ignorance is bliss! I subscribed to one of the local Spanish papers 2 months back when they were running a special. Talk about depressing!

The reports of violence (especially in Culican). The political protests from the reporters over recent assassinations of co-workers. Dengue fever counts every week. New outbreaks of SIDA (AIDS). Pictures of dead bodies in the street (murders or car wrecks).

I used to read the paper at home in the US and it was nothing like the paper here. Its gotten to where I only read finance, sports, and living sections here. I think if the average person moving here read the paper for a few weeks before they bought a home, we would have a lot less gringos moving to Sinaloa. Unfortunately, the paper gives a very jaded view (IMO), so its a good thing most people skip the local paper.

Pacific Pearl maybe old news, but at least its mostly sanitized for our American sensitivities.

Esteban

May 6, 2005, 2:07 PM

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Re: [ncferret] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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We have 4 local papers here in Maz. You must have subscribed to "Ahora". Try El Debate for, what I think, has the best take on what's happenin in Maz. and Sinaloa.

Marlene / Moderator

May 6, 2005, 8:27 PM

Post #6 of 9 (2388 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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Speaking of reading things in the newspaper (sort of a necessary evil to find out what's going on around us) it sounds as if they really ARE building a bridge to Stone Island. It was in yesterdays newspapers so it must be so, right? Uncle Donnie will hate that news.

ncferret

May 20, 2005, 10:52 AM

Post #7 of 9 (2312 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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You must not be reading the papers lately Esteban. NoroEste's headlines for the past few days have been filled with the ongoing violence in Sinaloa including the assassination of an important politico (Rubio) earlier in the week. The pictures on page 2 showed the dead bodies slumped in the SUV and there were calls for the resignation of the Governor or bringing in the military.

This morning's headline was about the execution of the police Subdirector in Culiacan and 5 others. I think that brings the total of assignations up to 260 or so this year - a new record. Apparently, I'm not the only person noticing this problem. A friend in LA called on Monday and said Sinaloa made page 3 of the weekend LA Times - escalation of drug and gang related violence. Not great for tourism...

Of course, the Entertainment section today only showed the long lines for the new Star Wars movie and a few women in bikinis from the Miss Universe contest. Much more pleasant reading.

Esteban

May 20, 2005, 11:25 AM

Post #8 of 9 (2310 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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What I was referring to was how the "Ahora" and "El Sol" seem to focus on photos of dead and mutilated bodies on their front page. El Debate and the Noroeste keep the front page a lot cleaner.

The world of narcotraficantes has brought, to the state of Sinaloa, the reputation for having the highest murder rate in the whole country. However, I don't believe this affects tourists in any way. Take the money from the US Drug War agency and you'd probably see the murder rate decline. The US government could afford to buy all the drugs produced, cheaper than the cost of running the agency.

Marlene / Moderator

May 21, 2005, 10:38 AM

Post #9 of 9 (2277 views)

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Re: [Esteban] Weekly News in English from Mazatlán

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Quote

The world of narcotraficantes has brought, to the state of Sinaloa, the reputation for having the highest murder rate in the whole country. However, I don't believe this affects tourists in any way.

Right, tourists are unaffected by the doings of this particular industry. ALL of the players in this game are "agricultores" (grasping for forum friendly job description here!). In fact, mentioned deceased "politico" was not so long ago pictured front and center paying respects at the funeral of one of the more notorious players.

For the tourists wondering about this subject, this is not NEW news, and this increased activity is taking place in cities north of Mazatlan and it is NOT random. I continue to feel safe here, much safer than I felt up north where random drive-by shootings were all the rage.