The strength of the human spirit.

As I was driving around this weekend I saw a gentleman selling newspapers on the corner, in the hot sun and without one of his legs. There is no doubt that there is nothing than can defeat the human spirit. I commend this gentleman for his effort. His is a lesson to all of us.

I don't want to get into the whole immigration & welfare debate, however if this gentleman can work, so can everyone who has their hand out for a welfare check. If we eliminate the welfare system we won't need as many migrant workers to fill these "unwanted" jobs. Two birds right there!

A perfect moment in time / Saigon

I dediced early Saturday that I wanted to go to Academy. Being that I was in North McAllen I decided to roll down 2nd Street. Since I was killing time I kept to the speed limit the whole time. Well, by some galactic event in where time and space coincided at the same exact moment I was able to hit EVERY green light on 2nd from Nolana to Savannah (south of the Exp.83). Wow! It was perfect, not one red light. picture: Anne Toal

Later in the day after reading the Toal's "Onward..." blog more than once I decided to take their advice and went to eat at Saigon. On 10th & Laurel. This time I took 10th which was LESS than perfect. Actually the exact opposite. I hit EVERY red. OK, back to the restaurant review.

Here's is their entry:
http://www.gtoal.com/archives/2005/01/the_sickness.html

The food at SAIGON is AMAZING. So delicious, fresh and authentic. It is an order-up counter type of place so don't expect wait staff. The owner speaks limited english so be patient, but the food is well worth it and it is very affordable. I had the PHO with round steak. I sampled the grilled chicken sandwhich and the Vietnamese eggrolls. AWESOME! I highly recommend this place. It is in my top 5 at this point.

Saigon Cafe & Sandwich
1200 N 10th St, Mcallen, TX
(956) 664-9986

The Ochoa Difference...

Well, our worst fears have been realized! Joe Ochoa is back as Mayor of Edinburg. This time he has brought a cohort to his side in Gus Garcia. Don't get me wrong. I'm old enough to understand that perception is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe these men aren't as bad as their rivals paint them out to be. Or maybe not!

I make a plea to the upcoming administration. Please! No white elephant projects. Please, no inflated engineering fees to your buddies. Please, no dead-beat workers on the city's payroll. Yeah, yeah! This is falling on deaf ears. Anyway, I'm pleading.

Unlike the hack that is Edinburg News (blog) we will continue to be here. Ever vigilant, ever opinionated. Praising the good, slamming the bad and always looking for intelligent factual discourse. I'm challenging Joe Ochoa & Gus Garcia, to start blogs, to interact with their citizens. It won't happen... I don't think they care.

Lord No!!!

Now that Earn has gotten religious as towards politics, I must follow suit and plead: "Lord, NO!"
In today's edition of The Monitor there is a story covering how the current President Bush is encouraging his brother, Florida Governor, Jeb Bush to run for President. Please NO! I guess "W" believes the country is not done being thrown in the tank. A continuation of the war-mongering Bush family would be a global disaster. We must not allow this to continue lest we will never end this destructive cycle we are on. Not only NO, HELL NO!

Happy Mother's Day!

Having been raised in Mexico, for me today is Mother's Day and the women in my life will not let me forget that. So lets take a step back and give our mom's a hug. I'm VERY fortunate to still have my mom. She's still running around, busy little bee that I've always known.

Mother's Day is always a day of mixed feelings for me. It is a day to symbolically recognize the toil, sacrifice and sometimes suffering that our mothers, wifes and daughters go thru. As men, we will never be able to fully understand the selflessness that comes with being a mother.

Today was especially mellancolic for me. Although many moons have passed, I had my grandmother in my mind. She was a woman of character and a symbol of living life to it's fullest. Having given birth to seven children, raised six to adult hood, sixteen grandchildren she was the perenial matriarch. I wish I could hug her one last time. I miss her.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ethiopia Sidamo

I'm in love! For those coffee drinkers out there I highly recommend this particular blend. I know, I know...mega-giant corporation, but at least (on the surface) they are ethical about how they acquire the coffee...

Ethiopia Sidamo From the birthplace of coffee, Sidamo is highly prized by coffee buyers from around the world. It features a fleeting, floral aroma with a bright yet soft finish and, like the best Sidamo coffees, a wonderful hint of lemon. Typically, Ethiopian coffee is grown in small, backyard coffee gardens and sold at daily auctions.

Yeah! Yeah! I sold out on this one, but it's great coffee!

Less of me...

Despite my early resignations towards reducing my waist size, I've actually been behaving and doing what I have to do and have started to loose a bit of the excess weight. One of the delights of these past few weeks has been the over endulgence of sushi. I love sushi! I've eaten it on three continents and a variety of states within the US.

Locally, ff note is Yoko's Sushi in Trenton Plaza on 10th and Trenton. The sushi is of good quality with a good variety of rolls. The service is good, the crowd is varied and it is overall a very trendy scene. I've been there numerous times and the staff is the same, which tells me they are happy there. I always knock back a couple of Asahi's during my dinner which makes the overall experience so much more pleasant.

Fellow blog "Onward into the Fog" has a review of this place from exactly one year ago:
http://www.gtoal.com/archives/2005/05/yokos_sushi.html

Give it a try!

Backwater no more!

I just read an interesting piece on the award of the supplemental insurance coverage contract in the La Joya ISD. You can read the full text on the South Texas Paper's web site. I'm just amazed at the sheer gal of the whole thing; Ignoring the Administrator's original decision then awarding a bid that is NOT beneficial to your constituency. Really? A 9-month insurance contract? Did you not think people would notice?

If you are going to graft at least don't screw the people you are supposed to serve.

Then, trying to cover up the Bob Treviño sign in the La Joya office. Hello! They are already on to you, painting over it makes it look worse!!! HELLO!!!

Times are changing. Mass media, the internet, blogs, digital cameras are making all corners of the world accessible to everyone. No more can these political bosses get away with their shennanigans in their backwater towns. They are now being exposed. Long live technology!