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Can I just tell you that we have no Chocolate Syrup in Honduras?
It seems our "neighbors" and I use the term loosely . . . have seen it necessary to enforce an economic embargo of the country of Honduras.
Francisco Morazan the father of the patria of Central America must be rolling in his grave. The Organization of American States and the UN must be so timid about their own presidencies that one small forced sucession can result in the economic embargo of a pueblo.
Que viva la patria!
The only reason I know of the economic embargo is because some woman was looking for chocolate syrup today. I perked up my ears when I heard, because I also have been looking for chocolate syrup lately.
I had just come from the Paiz supermarket in La Ceiba. The Paiz is a Wal-Mart subsidiary. They had holes in their produce section . . . because they stock fancy imported produce from Guatemala. So I already suspected.
Fortunately I found all of my purchases in the Paiz (I bought bread, rum, local beans, local mantequilla, some plastic bags, American ketchup, american tuna in a can, and eeeeeeerily enough . . . .the last 2-liter of Coke Zero. I knew I was lucky there, the diet coke has been scarce for two days.).
But at the plastimer import store, where I went for the plastic baggies, there was a small family in the import food section. They were looking for "liquid chocolate," and I perked up my ears. If you remember, I've been wanting some chocolate syrup and I haven't been able to find it.
So, when I was checking out, the family asked at the register for the liquid chocolate, and when would they be getting some, because they had looked all over town. The girl behind the counter had the balls to say, "You know the borders are closed."
Just like that! We can't have chocolate syrup because some maniac tried to freak out and Honduras did the passive aggressive thing and flew him to Costa Rica.
That family had two small boys and a baby, and they looked economically capable of buying the liquid chocolate, and indeed looked all over town for it. I was lookiing myself, because it has been unbearably hot lately, and some cheap plain white ice cream with chocolate is super good. And those kids were black. And they can't have their liquid chocolate, and I can't have my sundae.
I have gone to work every day this week, because I believe that I am a Soldier of Morazan, the great founder and uniter of the Central American Patria. I have crammed English into the head of every student that bothered to show up this week (not many).
Today at 4 pm, I skipped class for the first time, because . . . there was supposed to be a demonstration at 3 pm, and I wanted it to happen and not impede it by having my students in class (not that they were showing up anyway). The honest truth, I live close to the university so I go there for socialization and to be a Soldado de Morazan and not let bad politics get in the way of good book learning.
I got home and the neighbor kids were loading the pickup up and they had an actual sign that said, "CNN - Si queremos democracia"
I don't think they ever went to the protest (putting your kids in a pickup is dangerous on a good day, and trust me, my neighbors are timid). I personally, am following the advice of my Embassy, that arrives almost daily these days. They say avoid public gatherings, so I stay home for demonstrations.
They only say that because some power hungry expat in Roatan tried to drive through a road block a few years ago, and Honduras is now tagged as a "violent demonstration" country. But, god knows some people hate Gringas, and my blonde head might make an irresistible target at a protest.
Anyway, I personally think it's all going to come out in the wash. I don't think Zelaya wants to come back (even though it appears that someone lent him a suit to appear before the UN). We have elections in November, and if the pueblo would like to run the country then by all means I incite them to run for local office, or support their favorite candidate or even vote consciously. Democracy continues, and it has many many manifestations other than one man, a President.
Even today at the inauguration of the president of Panama (with Zelaya in attendance in his borrowed suit), they swore to UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC AND ALL OTHER LAWS.
Just like the newly inaugurated cabinet of Honduras did today. Just like Zelaya did.
I refuse to write more until I am supplied with a sufficient source of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I´ve been asked, so I will give my recap of what has been happening in Honduras. Before I start, I have to make some important disclaimers. First, I am not Honduran, and have no rights to campaign or vote for elected officials in Honduras. Second, my political views are entirely my own opinion, and I will make every effort to respect the opinions of others, and acknowledge that their opinions on political leaders are as valid as my own.
Honduran President Zelaya (left), before being forcibly overthrown
Mel Zelaya was inaugurated President in January of 2006. It was an uneventful election, and as usual I wasn't paying much attention. I am generally a Liberal, and Mel was Liberal party so I expected normalcy. Things went along pretty well, although he wasn't much of a firecracker.
Last year, Zelaya joined the ALBA, the Bolivian Aliance, which was constituted in Cuba in 2004. The Bolivian Aliance has as its mission to combat the US Free Trade Agreement in an economic block. Well, I say that Zelaya joined it, but of course, he (and the congress) and the whole country joined it. At that time, the US embassy grumbled a little, but no one really protested, and it was decided that Honduras can make aliances with anyone they want to. So here we are in the ALBA family, with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia.
Then, we have to start hearing about Chavez and the ALBA all the time. Chavez sent 100 tractors!!! To save the Honduran farmers, Venezuela donated 100 tractors. Zelaya got on the tractors and drove them out to the farmers. Everyone did about four days of song and dance over the tractors. I'm going to do some math here, because I'm a farm girl, and those were some small little tractors. Let's say maximum of $15 K each, times 100. So for $1.5 mil we have to dance for Chavez, and we have to hear about the tractors for the rest of the year, and how much the people of Venezuela love us, they sent us tractors.
Plus, also, Zelaya starts handling his finances with loans from Venezuela. Again, not Zelaya's personal finances, but the country's finances. So, once again, we get lots of happy speeches about how we are moving forward with the help of our brothers in Venezuela.
Honduras is usually strictly allied with the United States. Honduras has always had lots of foreign investment, especially the investment of the US fruit companies, who have in the past had significant influence in Honduran Politics. Honduras also has the only US military base in Central America. US is the biggest trading partner of Honduras as well. We are like a little brother to the US.
This might be the imperialist pig in me coming out, but I like it when the US and Honduras are all cozy, since they are the only two nations in the world where my immediate family lives.
And I don't think that I´m the only person in the world who thinks that Chavez is a maniac. We get Venezuela television broadcasts here in Honduras (along with Venezuelan tractors and oil money). I have watched about 20 minutes of speeches from Chavez, and that was all I could stomach. The man is a maniac and a demagogue.
So this is the uncertainty that we have been living with for months now. And all of Honduras was holding their breath just thinking that soon, his term will be over. There are elections in November, and new president in Jan 2010.
Zelaya continues to act goofier and goofier. He always wears his cowboy hat and casual clothes. At my job, we are not allowed to wear jeans, because it is too informal and disrespectful to others. Why do these clowns get to walk around ruling countries with their shirts unbuttoned to their chest hair? Look at the pictures. Zelaya came out on CNN with greasy hair and a cowboy hat. And all the pictures of him from exile look like he's wearing a dirty t-shirt and the same cowboy hat, but don't let that fool you!!!!! It's not just exile, he dressed like that all the time. He and the international troupe of jesters and fools he runs around with (ok, I'm on a black list now if Zelaya comes back).
Ok, back to the story. Zelaya started campaiging and promoting for the fourth box. The Cuarta Urna. He is going to introduce a great national election to change the constitution. This is power to the people. My first question was, "What part of the constitution do you want to change?" He would never answer that question. If anyone asked exactly what the vote was for, he said it was to consult the pueblo.
About what?
If they want a new constitution.
What's wrong with the old one?
No one says anything´s wrong, we just want to poll the people.
Then what are they voting for? You can't hold a vote about nothing . . .
You are trying to hold the pueblo down!!
I will admit that I am scared of the pueblo. Yes, I am a capitalist yankee pig, and want a "paternalist" relationship between the first world and the third world. But I also know the pueblo of Honduras, and you can't just throw out a bunch of voting booths, and expect them to come up with the best policy for governing the country. Democracy is a slow process, it works best with small movements.
So, Sunday was suddenly announced as the day of the great vote. Lots of supporters were organized to hold the great vote, and frankly the Hondurans were probably excited. It's like telling Monty you want what's behind door number 4! We will take the random prize!
I went out and bought emergency food supplies on Saturday, right after I saw Zelaya on CNN in a dirty shirt unbuttoned to the navel, and a $3000 cowboy hat. I have class on Sundays, and I just wanted to know if I needed to show up. I was also extremely pissed off at the thought of encountering voting booths and some sort of freak show combination of the pueblo riled up by the maniac leaders. I was relatively pessimistic.
But then, Sunday morning at the University, I learned that Zelaya had been forcibly removed by a military coup.
Dare I say, it was good news! Zelaya was also being combative with almost everyone else in Honduras, especially the government. He had been fighting with the Public Attorney's office for months (I love the attorneys, of course, colleagues of mine). He was constantly fighting with Congress. Everyone was coming out saying that the fourth box was illegal. The Public Attorney said it was illegal, along with the Election Tribunal. Then the Supreme Court declared it illegal.
On Friday of last week, Zelaya demanded that the military deliver the voting materials (this is what they always do in elections). The military refused . . . Zelaya fired the Commander.
The Supreme Court reinstated the commander.
So basically, on Sunday, Zelaya finally did not have a single friend left. Which is why, the military deposed him on orders from the court. I believe that they probably gave him a choice -- go to jail or leave the country, and I'm sure he chose to leave. (that is all my speculation). Because he has his best buddies in the exterior.
The military then put themselves at the order of the National Congress. The National Congress swore in the President of Congress (third in line for president, after the vice), as the new president of Honduras.
Personally, I think we had the whole thing totally straightened out and fixed, until THE WORLD has to get involved and say that it was illegal. I don't think it was illegal, they have him committing a crime, they offered him jail or exile, and once he chose exile with his vice president, the next in line for the post took over.
Ta da!
Ok is that enough for now? I can talk more later on what the international community needs to do, but for the moment, this is how things stand.
Long live the Constitution! Que viva la Constitucion!
Album cover -- Santo Pecado
You can learn a lot from music, and I always encourage students to use it to learn English or Spanish. It's like free learning. Just like my old days in the discotecas of Honduras, dancing to Latin pop songs. I was learning Spanish.
If you pick really good songs, you can also learn a lot about culture from music, including cultural trends and historical references.
Some of the best cultural references, as well as fine songwriting, come from the great Latin trovadores. Similar to their American counterparts (like Bob Dylan and other socially conscious songwriters), the great Latin troubadors sing a lot about love and revolution. Those are two big points they tend to coincide in.
Ricardo Arjona is about half troubador, half pop-star (in the kindest sense of the word, but yeah). His loves songs sell like wildfire, and he is the biggest star ever to come from this exact region of Central America (Guatemala).
He can also turn out a sharp political tune as well, including some of his greatest hits, El y Ella and Si el Norte Fuera el Sur. Nothing like a good political statement to feel like your time listening to the radio is well spent.
One of my all-time favorite songs, with lines that recurr regularly in my head, is Senor Juez. This is off the Santo Pecado CD, hidden among the love songs.
The song starts with some of my favorite lines ever, the great legal irony:
"Me parece una injusticia estar preso Senor Juez"
Which can be pretty effectively translated to: "I think it's an injustice to be imprisoned, Your Honor (Senor Juez)." Ha ha ha. right there off the bat, all the legal professionals in the room are laughing, as well as anyone who's ever been to court.
The first verse continues
"por tirarle una pedrada al presidente
sé muy bien que en puntería nunca me he sacado un diez
y el objetivo no era darle a ese teniente"
So, he's upset that he's in jail, for throwing a rock at the president. and even though he knows his aim sucks, he didn't mean to hit the lieutenant. Ha ha ha, is this the funniest song ever?
mi pedrada fue un rayón en el blindaje
en la pena debe usted considerar
que mi piedra pretendía con su viaje
mi recurso ciudadano de poderme expresar
My rock barely made a scratch on the bullet-proof glass, and my rock only intended to carry with it my right to express myself as a citizen. Blindaje is a troublesome word to translate, and so is scratch for rayon. But basically if we are talking about "blindaje" or "shielding" on the President, and something getting scratched with a rock, I say bullet-proof glass (like a carro blindado, or armoured car). All the rest of that verse is typical citizen's right to express myself.
Contra el nuevo inquilino de casa presidencial
con sus sueños peregrinos de inscribirse al carnaval
ese sueño que comienza cuando empieza a terminar
Ahhh, the intended target. The "New renter at the Presidential house, who dreams of signing up for the carnival that starts when it starts to end."
Some people may not understand that, but others will relate to certain facts in Latin America: presidents come in with a bang, and go out with rampant corruption. Well, it's not widespread or anything, but it's just a simple social criticism. It's just one more scratch on the bullet proof glass.
sabe cuantos sueños rotos caben en urnas de cartón
para que cuentan los votos si se repite la ecuación
"How many broken dreams fit in a cardboard box?"
Why count the votes if the equation is just going to repeat?"
y si le escribo alguna carta a la utopía
y de remitente mi nombre y dirección
seria como escribirle a la melancolía
y entregarme a la resignación
Hmmm, la la la. Sometimes it's just a song. Here is your homework, grasshopper, figure out what he means by escribirle a la melancolia y entregarme a la resignacion.
A cuantos peces flacos ha mandado usted a guardar
como este que hoy le habla señoría
a cuantos peces gordos ha dejado de juzgar
para darle de comer a la ironía
mi pedrada es otra raya para el tigre
inocente como el llanto de un patojo
si le toco el corazón déjeme libre
si le tocan la razón me pinta en rojo
A common complaint in countries with weak judicial systems. The "skinny fish" gets sent to jail (like the person addressing the judge, Your Honor), but how many "fat fish" are left unjudged, according to Arjona, "to feed the irony." Ironic, no?
Then he talks again about his rock, this time calling it "another stripe on the tiger." When a military junta is in charge of a country, they are often personified in the press as an animal, like a Tiger. Again, this is just what I learned from the political cartoons, could be a complete left wing fantasy. "Innocent as crying from a streetchild."
and the prisoner continues: "If I touch your heart, let me go. if I touch your mind, paint me red." So true, in the end, begging before the judge, you don't really want to appeal to reason.
A few of the verses repeat again, before the song ends almost as it began,
Me parece una injusticia estar preso señor juez
y ni siquiera haberle dado a mi objetivo
And I didn't even hit the target! Arjona is a genius, and a complete and total Trovador, and he's also a Soldado de Morazan from the gran patria of Centroamerica. Check out his music, it makes a great learning tool because he uses interesting vocabulary and great verbs (yes, we are looking at verbs here). He's also totally hot, and about 7 feet tall, he used to play basketball in Guatemala.
Here's a link to the album on Amazon, and the full lyrics are found below.
Santo Pecado (with Bonus CD)
Me parece una injusticia
estar preso señor juez
por tirarle una pedrada al presidente
sé muy bien que en puntería nunca me he sacado un diez
y el objetivo no era darle a ese teniente
mi pedrada fue un rayón en el blindaje
en la pena debe usted considerar
que mi piedra pretendía con su viaje
mi recurso ciudadano de poderme expresar
Contra el nuevo inquilino de casa presidencial
con sus sueños peregrinos de inscribirse al carnaval
ese sueño que comienza cuando empieza a terminar
sabe cuantos sueños rotos caben en urnas de cartón
para que cuentan los votos si se repite la ecuación
y si le escribo alguna carta a la utopía
y de remitente mi nombre y dirección
seria como escribirle a la melancolía
y entregarme a la resignación
A cuantos peces flacos ha mandado usted a guardar
como este que hoy le habla señoría
a cuantos peces gordos ha dejado de juzgar
para darle de comer a la ironía
mi pedrada es otra raya para el tigre
inocente como el llanto de un patojo
si le toco el corazón déjeme libre
si le tocan la razón me pinta en rojo
Mientras el nuevo inquilino de casa presidencial
con sus sueños peregrinos de inscribirse al carnaval
de ese sueño que comienza cuando empieza a terminar
sabe cuantos sueños rotos caben en urnas de cartón
para que cuentan los votos si se repite la ecuación
y si le escribo alguna carta a la utopía
y de remitente mi nombre y dirección
seria como escribirle a la melancolía
y entregarme a la resignación
Me parece una injusticia estar preso señor juez
y ni siquiera haberle dado a mi objetivo
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June 06, 2009
Honduras will meet the US National Soccer team tonight in Chicago for a crucial game in the World Cup eliminatories. The crowd is expected to be strongly in favor of Honduras, because even in the third largest city in the US you can't find 100,000 people who want to cheer for US Soccer
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Can it really be true? Free memberships for premium online games? Well, this is probably no secret to the Orble community, but, yes Virginia, you too can have "free membership" in online gaming. Free Club Penguin, free Runescape, free World of Warcraft, free Neopets.
I will just point out, as an adult, that something isn't free if you work for it, and you have to work for it. The beauty of the internet is that there are many jobs available out there, and they love to pay you in virtual cash, such as Paypal, or free memberships, or AdSense credit
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The coconut palm is a plant that has so many uses and peculiarities that it has influenced societies throughout the world. What would Hawaiian Tropic smell like if there were no coconut?
Hondurans, especially on the North Coast and the Bay Islands, use coconut in a variety of national foods and local specialties. Coconut is a seed or nut, so it's uses are a little different than your typical fruit or vegetable
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I try to keep up on the latest technology, because life is deserving of enhancements. Having cash and the ability to buy gadgets and experience communications media is all good. You listening to that iPod is not good. I'm so sorry, but if I see another person listening to their iPod in public, I'm going to get violent.
I will pull the plug
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The whole fried fish is a famous dish throughout Honduras. It is most popular on the North Coast, the South Coast and near Lake Yojoa. Anywhere that you can find a plentiful supply of fresh fish, you will see a smattering of small Honduran casetas, or restaurants serving Fried Fish.
Whole Fried Fish from Honduras, yum! Pescado Frito!
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Semana Santa is Easter Week in Honduras, a country where the majority of the population are identified as Catholics. In Comayagua, Honduras, you can see one of the most detailed and impressive Processions on Good Friday of Semana Santa or Holy Week.
Sawdust carpets in Comayagua, Honduras
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Comment by Waysouth
on You CAN Make Money on Orble
Romantic Writer
Given To Gaming
Waysouth
Spanish Honduras
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Good luck, hope your deeppencil makes for deep pockets!