The World is Flat

OK, I stole the title for this post from Thomas Friedman's seminal book of the same name. It's been out for a couple of years or so, but I've just started to read the copy given to me by my brother-in-law for Christmas. Friedman is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter on the New York Times. He's one of the best writing today on international relations. His book will be a classic in college classes for generations, I'm guessing.

His premise is simple: that our world is becoming increasingly interconnected. Toys at Walmart made in China. Calling your credit card company's customer service department, and being helped by an agent in India. The architectural drawings for the most recent classroom building at my old college campus, done by an architect in Argentina...who never left home.

This instantaneous connectedness really hit me yesterday as I watched President Obama's Inauguration ceremonies LIVE on CNN (in English). We were at a gringo-owned restaurant called "Canuck's" (means "canadian") here in Mazatlan. Projected onto a big 5-foot projection screen. And LIVE. We saw the blink of every eye on the podium in real time, just like folks who were there in Washington, D.C. Amazing to me.
And the headline today in the little local Mazatlan paper yelled out in big type:
"OBAMA OFFERS NEW ERA." Likely most places in our tiny little world covered the inauguration. It's hard to remain provincial any more.

Mexican Still Life with Blue Pot

Here's a photo I took today of a plant sitting out on the balcony of my hotel.

"Pulmonia"

No, Pulmonia isn't some kind of rare Mexican flower. A pulomonia is a unique Mazatlan version of a taxi cab. They are like open-air golf carts and are powered by a Volkswagen Beetle engine (in the rear). Having a pleasant cross breeze as you scuttle down the road makes perfect sense when it's 90 degrees and 90% humidity.

Herman Melville

Herman Melville lived here, too. Much earlier...in the 1800's.
These were guys who loved the exotic life

"On the Road" with Jack Kerouac

The iconic American writer of the 50's "Beat Generation," Jack Kerouac, visited here. This is the plaque from the Mazatlan Historical Society on the house where he stayed. Here's a translation (it's from his book, On the Road):
"The only people that interest me are crazy, people that are crazy for living, crazy for talking, crazy for saving themselves, with the desire for everything at the same time, people that never yawn nor talk of common places, but who burn with passion."

Nice. I like crazy people, too. After all, I worked at the colleges for years.

Photos from Mazatlan