Miel de Maple

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming to bring you important news regarding the new flu virus that terrorizes Mexico City.

A deadly and brand-new menace has arrived to Mexico City. Its 10 ^ 11 times smaller than Godzilla but still, creates fear, confusion, paranoia, and a death toll that could rise to 68 fatalities. Ladies and gentleman, our city is probably the ground zero of a worrisome new swine flu strain which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans.

Schools, museums and public libraries were closed on Friday. Public events were canceled by city mayor Marcelo Ebrard from now to 10 days and people in the streets, bars, public transportation, restaurants and almost everywhere are wearing surgical masks.

The victims, surprisingly, are not the weary elderly nor the powerless childhood but the always spry and handsome young-adulthood.

Until now, no vaccine specifically protects against this new threat, so even if you had your influenza shot the last winter, it’s OK to start feeling an uncontrollable fear and anxiety.

In the meanwhile, wash your hands as often as possible, avoid hospitals unless of a medical emergency (but pay a visit immediately at the first flu symptoms), hold back from kissing girls or even shaking hands with strangers and avoid any kind of crowded places.

Good luck!

“I love BJ”.

Or sort of. But don’t get me wrong, I’m just quoting a slogan from the political party Nueva Alianza.

In the vicinity of the legislative elections that will take place on July 5, 2009, in Mexico, the self-proclaimed liberal party is helding a “I love NY“-inspired campaign in the municipality of Benito Juarez (BJ), one of the 16 boroughs that constitute Mexico City. 

Other than this posters I haven’t seen any other kind of advertisement, needless to say any kind of information, but the phrase and its relationship with other sort of BJs, just keep me smiling every time I see it. ;)

I was born and bred  in the district of Benito Juarez. I remember my childhood and adolescence in its streets: riding my first bicycle, playing football or just walking at dawn after a long party.

But besides good memories there are factual reasons to love the place if you are one of the approximately 356-thousand lucky BJed inhabitants of the place.

According to a Human Development Report from the United Nations (1), the borough of Benito Juarez, is supposed to have a similar life expectancy and level of economic and educational development as in Italy or New Zealand, which held the fancy nineteenth and twentieth place respectively.

Half of the economically active population of the district is employed  in  the tertiary sector  of the economy. From each 100 residences, 93 have a refrigerator, 86 enjoy telephone service and 60% of them own a car. 

In addition to  Human Development Index numbers, you should also know that BJ is the motherland of the poet Valentín Gómez Farías and Fernández de Lizardi, the writer of The Mangy Parrot, the first novel written and published in Latin America.

So, yes indeed, I love BJs.

It was a calm Sunday evening. With no big plans or big expectations, merely a waiting room for an inexorable Monday. A day in which a simple visit to the cinema sounded like a plan, or at least, like a way to comfortably surf the remaining hours.
The movie? The Unborn (2009). The experience? Let me explain you:

Besides porn and horror, I can’t recall another film genre with such bad stories, unconvincing acting and bad music. It doesn’t matter how much they spend on special effects, how much computer-generated imagery has evolved or how pretty or blond the porn-star is, both genres are an ode to “bad taste”.

Now think about all the horror films you watched since the mid-nineties. Can you remember something relevant about them? Surely nothing with the exception of a blurry memory of hot chicks and mildly erotic scenes. Yeah! of course there are some interesting and thrilling horror films. And, sure thing! Odette Yustman looks hot in sleepwear. 

So, are horror movies an excuse to  soft-core pornography? Did Victor Salva think: Jeepers Creepers is such a good movie that it’s going to make of this world a better place? I’m not sure but, why not? Possibly,  he was aware that this kind of movies work better as mood setters than as cinematographic pieces, and what he wants you to do with his films is to invite your current affair to your house, put on the DVD, relax and let your witty movements and fearless strategy make you become the movie hero. 

However a call from you saying: “My parent’s aren’t home. Want to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tonight?” can only have one signified.

PS: The illustration is supposed to be a disappointed phantom.