Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Professor and Novelist Daniel Quirós Encourages Students to Grow Together as Intellectual Community
Professor and Novelist Daniel Quirós Encourages Students to Grow Together as Intellectual Community
Zipolite, the second novel by Daniel Quirós, which he expects to publish soon, tells the parallel stories of the main character, Julio Flores. In the even chapters, Julio returns to Costa Rica after 10 years abroad to contend with his sister’s suicide. In the odd chapters, which take place a year later, Julio travels to Mazunte, a small beach community on the Mexican Coast of Oaxaca to investigate a hidden aspect of his sister’s past.
Julio must not only confront the loss of his sister, but also rediscover the pieces of himself buried under years of indifference and apathetic solitude. Eventually the stories converge, and Julio’s journey becomes “a metaphor for the lost and nonexistent utopia of our youth, and for everything that is born, and destroyed, under time’s passage.”
Professor Daniel Quiros teaches a class in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.
For Quiros, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures (Spanish), teaching allows him to develop and articulate complex ideas such as these both as a writer and a scholar.
“A classroom to me is an intellectual community that shares and grows together,” says Quirós. “They say two minds are better than one. Well, imagine 20. Class discussion, student research, and multiple perspectives on films and readings can only strengthen and deepen one’s engagement with cultural texts. Undergraduates at Lafayette are very bright people, and they can help question, revise, and expand my own work. I do a lot of teaching, but I invariably do some learning as well.”
It is no surprise then that Quirós, an accomplished fiction writer, views the development of critical reading and writing skills as essential for students to investigate, question, and critique their world. Ideally, students stop striving to express what they believe their professor wants them to say about issues raised in class and communicate what they actually think.
“I believe that our reality and our identity are mediated through texts,” says Quirós, whose teaching interests include crime fiction and Latin American cinema. “I want to play a part in forming good students, but also good citizens of the world. In relation to Spanish learning, this is very important because it means a development of cultural competency and awareness, as well as a growth in the responsibility to participate in and change the world around us.”
Quirós’ first novel, Verano rojo (Red Summer) (2010), earned the National Literature Prize Aquileo J. Echeverría, Costa Rica’s highest award for literature. The murder of an Argentine café owner in Guanacaste, the northwestern province of Costa Rica, sets the stage for the novel’s exploration of Costa Rica’s declared neutrality during the U.S.-Nicaragua Contra War. The novel also explores the acceptance of neoliberal socioeconomic policies that have stabilized the country economically, but have increased inequality, violence, and crime. As one of the victim’s friends, don Chepe, investigates her murder, he unearths her connection to various guerrilla movements of the 1970s and ’80s. The novel also delves into the famous, but often forgotten, La Penca bombing on the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border in 1984. At its core, Verano rojo challenges Costa Rica’s self-identification as “the happiest country on Earth” or “the Switzerland of Central America.”
Quirós is working on his third novel, Lluvia del norte, a quasi-sequel to Verano rojo, in which the same character will explore the murder of an undocumented Nicaraguan immigrant. Quirós has researched immigration issues extensively, and his findings have inspired the themes for his course Transnational Perspectives: Contemporary Film in the Americas. The first part of the course examines migration through a cinematic perspective. For example, the class will discuss films about migration such as Which Way Home, Los que se quedan, El norte, and Sin nombre.
Quirós also is the author of the short story collection A los cuatro vientos (To the Four Winds) (2009), which he completed as a graduate student at the University of California-San Diego. The stories cover a range of geographic regions—Brazil, northern Mexico, Costa Rica, and southern California—as well as diverse topics. A washed-out thirty something who dreams of bringing the heavy metal band Iron Maiden to Costa Rica. A dog thief who expounds his life views to a fellow bar patron. A play on crime fiction in which a man becomes an accidental detective. A metaphysical reflection based on a voyeur who spends his days spying on his neighbors across the street. All of the stories are linked by their search for a “sense of place and belonging amidst a globalized world shaped by asymmetrical relations of power.”
In May, Quirós will give a presentation at the Latin American Studies Association Conference in Washington, D.C., and this July, he will present at the IV Congreso Centroamericano de Estudios Culturales (IV Central American Cultural Studies Conference) in San José, Costa Rica.
Lost in time in Zipolite, Mexico – The Register-Guard
Lost in time in Zipolite, Mexico – The Register-Guard
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Zipolite, Mexico – “You’ll love it here in Zipolite”Daniel Weiner, owner of Brisa Marina hotel grinning as he handed me the keys to his Registerapartment. “You do not want to leave in five days.”
A few days later, lazy, I began to understand why so many guests rent their rooms for a month. Whether it’s a laid-back atmosphere and peaceful environment, Zipolite is a way to get people to stay longer than expected.
Sleepy town with one main street and no ATMs, Zipolite (pronounced ZEE-PoE-Li-Tai) is one of many small coastal pueblos that dot the Pacific Ocean in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Stretching from Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, Oaxaca region sometimes called theRiviera.
Zipolite crowd of hippies discovered in 1960 and since then it has gradually evolved into an unusual tourist destination with a certain type of visitor. Its pristine beach stretches 1.2 km between two high cliffs on both sides, and the audience is fairly evenly distributed between the middle-class Mexicans and return liberals from around the world. Old hippies, young adventurers and locals mingle with flowers baby kind of harmony.
It feels light years away from the tourist areas of Mexico that are now avoided because of drug violence. Not only is the U.S. Department of State of Oaxaca relieved of their travel warnings about Mexico, but Zipolite particular, seems lost in time, a place where visitors do not hesitate to leave your belongings unattended on the beach and tourists sleeping in hammocks.
Zipolite also has several claims to fame. The highlight of the scene on the beach in the Mexican blockbuster “Y Tu mama tambien” was filmed here. He gained fame as one of the few nudist beaches in Mexico, although the majority of customers keeps clothes. (Further east, near Bay outcrop known as “Playa de Amor,” where nudity is more openly practiced.)
Mike Ball, a retiree from Vancouver, Canada, said he was visiting the area for the past 10 years without any “accidents, issue or injury.”
“I’ve only ever seen the nicest and friendliest eclectic mix of locals and visitors – a return to the 60s,” said Bolli. “So that’s all well and safe from my point of view.”
Zipolite no high-rise hotels. Many of the structures with thatched beach Palapas, umbrella huts without walls.
Visitors expect a party-all-night Cancun-like atmosphere with Margaritas aquarium size and waitresses in bikinis handing out tequila will be disappointed. There is nightlife here, but it’s nothing like that. Instead, people gather on the beach at the end of the day ritual of watching the brilliant sunsets. Many restaurants and bars that offer live music and entertainment. I just asphalt in the city was transformed into a carnival scene at night, with artists and jewelers sell their products, while musicians, dancers, jugglers and fire tips on the street.
“Zipolite after six awesome,” Bolli said, “with all the dreadlocks children hoping to sell their creations with a wide choice of restaurants.’s Not too much, but you can find many, if you will.”
Some of the most interesting tidbits can be found at Posada Mexico, oceanfront restaurant. One night I watched Cirque du Soleil as an acrobatic performance, the other evening I was rocked to Cainn Cruz, an incredibly gifted child who brought the house down guitar with his cover of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and AC / DC.
Adding to the atmosphere is Groovy Shambhala retreat perched high on a hill in a pastoral setting. Tourists are welcome to pull up the ladder path area, where is the point of meditation is sitting on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Name Zipolite, is said to have come from indigenous languages.
Some say it means “thorny place”, which refers to the local hills, and other sources translate it as “beach Dead”, a reference to the strong currents. The beach has lifeguards and volunteers in areas with dangerous currents are marked with red flags.
Weiner, who has a deep suntan, a working form of government, shorts and flip-flops, and a solid, light-hearted humor, divides his time between California and Zipolite. It belonged to his hotel since 1997, it is estimated that about 50 percent of its guests regulars.
“To us pass the time of swine flu, protests, scary war on drugs, etc.,” said Weiner. “People come back knowing that we are right and they tell their friends too.”
And sometimes you have a hard time leaving. Weiner as expected, after a few days in Zipolite, I called the airline to change my flight. I had to stay another week.
How to get there: The nearest airports are in Puerto Escondido, an hour’s drive west or Guadalajara, an hour’s drive south. You can take a bus or taxi from the airport either. The nearest bus stop is in Pochutla, 20 minutes by taxi or shuttle.
Where to stay: Brisa Ocean Marina offers rooms with balconies and hammocks, as well as cheaper options yard. Guests can also relax on the large beach Ramadi (shaded open space). Nightly rates range from $ 16-51 U.S. dollars, depending on the season (www.brisamarina.org) retreat, Shambhala, offers accommodation on a hill at the western end of the beach (shambhalavision.tripod.com)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Zipolita'z y Angelita'z AdventureZ In Mexico: R.I.P Jamaica Jerry- You Party Animal :D
Zipolita'z y Angelita'z AdventureZ In Mexico: R.I.P Jamaica Jerry- You Party Animal :D: Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013 zipolita@gmail.com http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita ...
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
R.I.P Jamaica Jerry- You Party Animal :D
Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2013
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+
Yesterday we got some really sad news. Our friend Jamaica Jerry had passed away on his way home from Zipolite to California.
We met Jerry in 2008 when I took Angel to Mexico for the first time. She was just 6. He told me how he was a retired school teacher and he would ask her little questions to see how she was doing...especially knowing she was being homeschooled.
We all stayed at Posada Esmeralda that year for a while and so we saw him on a regular basis. Later the next year we would run into him here and there and we always followed his posts on Facebook where the man had a gazillion photos. He was always doing this. Giving the thumbs up. :D
This photo was taken at 3 de Diciembre this year. It was Jerry's first night back in Zipolite and he had great timing because it was their 20th Anniversary and I was doing the photography. We had a table and Jerry sat and had a pozole.
After that we kept running into him here and there... Jerry commented that it was odd how everytime he would arrive back in Zipo from being in P.E. or from where ever Angel and I would somehow be there.
When we went to Orale Cafe, Jerry would show up. Funny little encounters ...like maybe God was connecting us because he knew he would be bringing Jerry home soon. :(
Tears are coming right now so it's hard to type.
....
Anyways, on New Year's Day, Angel and I went for nice meal at Orale, it was a special meat pie - and it's a tradition served in Montreal. This day Jerry was there and because it was very busy and we had got a table, Jerry came and sat with us. We had a nice visit and talked about a lot of things. We took photos of the food. Jerry loved to show off the lovely meals at Orale.
And I having made a website and videos for Orale was making a new one...but my camera was acting up. Jerry said his good one had bit the dust too. I am so glad I have this video, I wish I had more.
We all had a really nice time and I am so glad because I have that special memory. Angel is very sad, we both cried alot last night.
Jerry was always so cheerful. He was always busy going somewhere on his bike but would stop and chat.
He loved his dog, Oso. Poor Oso, he's going to wonder what happened to Jerry. :( but maybe he knows...dogs are smart about these things.
Somehow I feel it's all a mistake...a bad Facebook rumour...that's what I thought at first.
His last post was this. "Adios Mexico"
I had seen Jerry's post saying he was coming home.
So I wrote :
Hey Jerry, have a safe trip home. I always cry when I leave Mexico and I feel a little teary just watching you. Silly! Safe Travels amigo Besos y abrazos Tina y Angel
So you can imaging the shock when later I saw this
He loved Burning Man. I remember he shared this with us. And it has made us laugh and smile so much.
The man was a party animal that loved life and traveled and shared so much in Facebook. I can not believe how many photos there are of him. Truly amazing.
Well Jerry, it's time to say Good bye, but you are not forgotten and I am sure we will see your spirit in Zipolite. R.I.P.
Cheers!! Saludos!! Besos y Abrazos! Tina y Angel
zipolita@gmail.com
http://zipolitazstudioz.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/#!/zipolita @zipolita
http://gplus.to/zipolita Google+
Yesterday we got some really sad news. Our friend Jamaica Jerry had passed away on his way home from Zipolite to California.
We met Jerry in 2008 when I took Angel to Mexico for the first time. She was just 6. He told me how he was a retired school teacher and he would ask her little questions to see how she was doing...especially knowing she was being homeschooled.
We all stayed at Posada Esmeralda that year for a while and so we saw him on a regular basis. Later the next year we would run into him here and there and we always followed his posts on Facebook where the man had a gazillion photos. He was always doing this. Giving the thumbs up. :D
This photo was taken at 3 de Diciembre this year. It was Jerry's first night back in Zipolite and he had great timing because it was their 20th Anniversary and I was doing the photography. We had a table and Jerry sat and had a pozole.
After that we kept running into him here and there... Jerry commented that it was odd how everytime he would arrive back in Zipo from being in P.E. or from where ever Angel and I would somehow be there.
When we went to Orale Cafe, Jerry would show up. Funny little encounters ...like maybe God was connecting us because he knew he would be bringing Jerry home soon. :(
Tears are coming right now so it's hard to type.
....
Anyways, on New Year's Day, Angel and I went for nice meal at Orale, it was a special meat pie - and it's a tradition served in Montreal. This day Jerry was there and because it was very busy and we had got a table, Jerry came and sat with us. We had a nice visit and talked about a lot of things. We took photos of the food. Jerry loved to show off the lovely meals at Orale.
And I having made a website and videos for Orale was making a new one...but my camera was acting up. Jerry said his good one had bit the dust too. I am so glad I have this video, I wish I had more.
We all had a really nice time and I am so glad because I have that special memory. Angel is very sad, we both cried alot last night.
Jerry was always so cheerful. He was always busy going somewhere on his bike but would stop and chat.
He loved his dog, Oso. Poor Oso, he's going to wonder what happened to Jerry. :( but maybe he knows...dogs are smart about these things.
Somehow I feel it's all a mistake...a bad Facebook rumour...that's what I thought at first.
His last post was this. "Adios Mexico"
I had seen Jerry's post saying he was coming home.
So I wrote :
Hey Jerry, have a safe trip home. I always cry when I leave Mexico and I feel a little teary just watching you. Silly! Safe Travels amigo Besos y abrazos Tina y Angel
So you can imaging the shock when later I saw this
"I just got the shocking news that Jamaica Jerry died of a heart attack on his way back to CA from Zipolite... I've had the pleasure of being his friend for 7 years, hung out with him at his home in Santa Cruz, at Burning Man, and on bike ri...See More
— with Jamaica Jerry.
One of the last posts Jerry had shared and I had reshared was this. And it was so true of Jerry.
He loved Burning Man. I remember he shared this with us. And it has made us laugh and smile so much.
The man was a party animal that loved life and traveled and shared so much in Facebook. I can not believe how many photos there are of him. Truly amazing.
Well Jerry, it's time to say Good bye, but you are not forgotten and I am sure we will see your spirit in Zipolite. R.I.P.
Cheers!! Saludos!! Besos y Abrazos! Tina y Angel
 |
| New Year's Day 2013 at Orale Cafe |
 |
| Jerry and Angel on New Year's Day 2013 at Orale Cafe |
Bahía Mazunte!! | Flickr - Photo Sharing! Bahía Mazunte!! ... Bahía Mazunte!! Newer Older · Want to format your comment? + Add Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata chejc2000 Member since 2007. Taken on ... www.flickr.com/photos/julinivicious/8802752102/
Bahía Mazunte!! | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bahía Mazunte!! ... Bahía Mazunte!! Newer Older · Want to format your comment? + Add Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata chejc2000 Member since 2007. Taken on ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Bahía Mazunte!! | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bahía Mazunte!! ... Bahía Mazunte!! Newer Older · Want to format your comment? + Add Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata chejc2000 Member since 2007. Taken on ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Bahía Mazunte!! ... Bahía Mazunte!! Newer Older · Want to format your comment? + Add Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata chejc2000 Member since 2007. Taken on ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Bahía Mazunte!! | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Bahía Mazunte!! ... Bahía Mazunte!! Newer Older · Want to format your comment? + Add Julio Carlos Ramos Zapata chejc2000 Member since 2007. Taken on ...
www.flickr.com/photos/
Monday, June 3, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Lost in time in Zipolite, Mexico The Register-Guard Visitors wade into the surf along the beach in Zipolite, Mexico. A sleepy town with one main street and no ATMs, Zipolite is one many tiny coastal pueblos ...
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Lost in time in Zipolite, Mexico
Many guests rent their rooms by the month in this laid-back beach town
Visitors wade into the surf along the beach in Zipolite, Mexico. A sleepy town with one main street and no ATMs, Zipolite is one many tiny coastal pueblos that dot the Pacific in Mexico's Southern state of Oaxaca. (AP Photo/Jody Kurash)
Lost in time in Zipolite, Mexico
The Register-Guard
Visitors wade into the surf along the beach in Zipolite, Mexico. A sleepy town with one main street and no ATMs, Zipolite is one many tiny coastal pueblos ...
The Register-Guard
Visitors wade into the surf along the beach in Zipolite, Mexico. A sleepy town with one main street and no ATMs, Zipolite is one many tiny coastal pueblos ...
Resting And Studying In Mazunte, Oaxaca
Resting And Studying In Mazunte, Oaxaca
We are taking a two week break from bicycle touring whilst we study Spanish at El Instituto Iguana in the quiet beach town of Mazunte on the Oaxacan Coast. We have seen more rain in the last six days than we have seen in almost four months since we arrived in Mexico! In fact, until six days ago, we hadn’t seen rain since we left the UK in February! At first, it was nice to have the change. Now we are realising that the rainy season is now upon us and we may have to get used to this for a few months!
After only four days of lessons, we have already noticed an improvement in our Spanish. We are staying with a host family who prepare all our meals for us. Each and every meal forces us to practice what we’ve learnt as we eat at the table with the family.
We’ll be posting more photos and info about Mazunte and El Instituto very soon!
We used our bikes as pedal boats to reach Mazunte during a massive downpour!
The view of Mazunte bay coastline seen from the rocks on La Cometa.
A beautiful spot called the La Cometa (comet) provides a 210 degree east to west panorama where you can watch the sunrise and the sunset from the same location.
This particularly windy day made for some amazing blow holes in the rocks. Jenny was quite drenched after this shot!
With the strong winds blowing us around, we had to be careful to stand our ground atop the rocks!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Vicente Fox to visit U.S. for its support for the legalization of marijuana The former president told CNN that supports the project of a exejecutivo of Microsoft to create a production of the drug By Catherine E. Shoichet Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 22:20
Vicente Fox to visit U.S. for its support for the legalization of marijuana
The former president told CNN that supports the project of a exejecutivo of Microsoft to create a production of the drug
By Catherine E. Shoichet
Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 22:20
Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 22:20
Former President Vicente Fox and U.S. entrepreneur Jamen Shively in an interview with CNN on Thursday (CNN).
The most important
- The Mexican president is meeting this week with Seattle entrepreneurs in the U.S.
- Fox said in an interview with CNN that supports the production of the drug is in the hands of entrepreneurs and not criminals
- Fox said he's not involved in a business plan to produce marijuana but supports the project
Related Topics
(CNN) - Former President Vicente Fox, who once led a military operation against drug cartels now has a new goal: to create a legal system that produces, distributes and put tax on marijuana.
Vicente Fox is meeting this week with a group of businessmen in Seattle to discuss this possibility, six months after voters in Washington state approved a measure that allows recreational use of marijuana.
As president, Fox launched Operation Safe Mexico, with which soldiers and federal police sent eight cities around the country in 2005, while the drug cartels expanding their control in the country.
But since he left office in 2006, the president's speech has taken a turn, supporting the legalization of drugs. Using the military to deal with the cartels not work, said, but legalization might be the way.
"This could end violence," Fox said Thursday at Wolf Blitzer, CNN."Would control the criminals and would reduce their income while a business would become transparent in the hands of entrepreneurs," he said.
Fox spoke to reporters on Thursday, which praised the efforts of the state of Washington to legalize marijuana and "change the paradigm".
"In Mexico we welcome this initiative," he said, "because the cost of war is becoming unbearable, very high for Mexico, Latin America and the rest of the world."
"The problem is that Mexico is among the mammoth consumer market in the United States and the nations drug producers south as Colombia, Venezuela and others. So my position has been strongly in favor of legalization "he added.
Legalization measures, according to him, ultimately seek to overthrow the foundations of organized crime.
While Fox spoke, nodding Jamen Shively. The former Microsoft executive is leading a new business looking to create the first national brand sales of cannabis in the United States.
Fox told CNN he is not involved in Shively plan but sat next to him because it supports their initiative to stop drug production in the hands of businessmen and criminals.
"By making cannabis illegal we have become a tool for violence, exploited by criminals and organized crime spanning many countries," said Shively.
Opponents criticize the legalization
But the legalization of drugs still has hardened critics in the United States, officials of the Obama administration have said on several occasions his opposition to these proposals when they have arisen in other countries.
Last year, John Walters, who directed the National Control Policy Drug White House between 2001 and 2009, told CNN that legalization would cause an increase in crime.
Meanwhile, the current president of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, has also expressed doubts about legalization measures. In Mexico, the use of marijuana is not a crime, but they are the production and distribution of this drug.
Peña Nieto told CNN last year that despite its reservations , the way of the fight against drugs could be modified in view of the changing policies of the United States, following recent referendums in Colorado and Washington.
"I personally am not in favor of legalizing drugs, because it is not just about marijuana. I think it is a door for people to start using more harmful drugs, "said Peña Nieto.
"But it is clear that what happened in two states (the United States) in the near future could lead us to rethink the strategy."
A complicated political landscape
In November, voters in Colorado and Washington in the United States approved to allow recreational use of marijuana , 20 other states allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons.
The new laws put Washington and Colorado in trouble with the federal government, which classifies marijuana as an illegal substance.
Because marijuana is in the Controlled Substances Act, only in 2012, U.S. federal agencies reported more than 2,500 operations and destroyed crops over 300,000 plants. The situation makes the call marijuana industry risky business, a company could be in state law but not federal ones.
And the financial picture is also complicated by figuring out how to tax the sale of marijuana, a challenge we are facing Colorado and Washington.
This Thursday, Shively said he is ready for the challenge.
"We have waited long enough for Washington to give the green light. In fact, the silence of the nation's capital has been deafening, "he said," We are moving forward with our plans to build a national and international network of companies of cannabis. "
Mariano Castillo, Kevin Liptak, CNN's Carma Hassan and Joseph Pagliety of CNNMoney contributed to this report
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