Sunday, November 5, 2017
Saturday, November 4, 2017
More activity recorded at El Popo volcano
http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/more-activity-recorded-at-el-popo-volcano/?utm_source=Mexico+News+Daily&utm_campaign=f74e1cd92f-november+1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f1536a3787-f74e1cd92f-348153685
More activity recorded at El Popo volcano
Emissions, explosions at Popocatépetl for more than 24 hours
El Popo is angry, according to one report this morning.
The volcano Popocatépetl, located in the states of Puebla, México and Morelos (and 70 kilometers southeast of Mexico City), has been active for more than 24 hours, reported the National Disaster Prevention Center (Cenapred).
It reported late this morning that the volcano monitoring system registered 200 low-intensity emissions and three explosions.
After the third explosion, which occurred at 6:08 this morning, some ashfall was reported in the municipalities of Yecapixtla and Zacualpan de Amilpas in Morelos.
Three volcanotectonic earthquakes were also registered, two yesterday and one today with magnitudes of 2.0, 1.8 and 2.1, the agency said.
There has been a continuous emission of volcanic gases and small amounts of ash since the 6:08 explosion, but the column of gases and the amount of ash began increasing later in the morning.
The volcanic alert system remains unchanged at phase 2 yellow.
Mexico News Daily
Friday, November 3, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
Why Airlines Continue to Eschew Third-Party Travel Sites
https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/40271097/why-airlines-continue-to-eschew-third-party-travel-sites/?source=45568&nltv=&nl_cs=40471722%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A
Why Airlines Continue to Eschew Third-Party Travel Sites
And now jetBlue has removed permission for a dozen mostly small OTAs (most notably Vayama) to sell its fares.
Other tactics in this assault on OTAs include offering more frequent flier miles or points if booked directly with the airline, promo codes which can only be redeemed on the airlines’ websites, and ticket discounts (for example, British Airways offers lower fares to AARP members, but only if booked at BA.com).
An industry insider told me that Delta may one day add larger OTAs to its “banned list” and jetBlue in its announcement restricting access to those 12 sites hinted that it might not be finished limiting access to its inventory.
There are several reasons why airlines are divorcing from third-party sites, but there are still some good reasons why consumers should consider OTAs anyway.
I recently searched for a flight from New York to Detroit on Expedia.com and compared the same flights and dates on Jetblue.com, leaving January 23 returning January 30. The experiences could hardly be more different. jetBlue shows three airfare classes: “Blue,” “Blue Plus” which includes a free checked bag, and “Blue Flex” which includes two free checked bags and free changes or cancellations. The lowest “Blue” fare for those dates, on connecting flights, is $191.62 round-trip per person on JetBlue.com.
Then I looked at Expedia to book my imaginary New York to Detroit trip. It only showed the lowest “Blue” fare on jetBlue, which means the airline misses a chance to lure consumers into other fare options. JetBlue also forfeits any opportunity to market its credit cards, vacations, and other products if a consumer doesn’t book directly on Jetblue.com. Plus, the airline probably has to pay Expedia for a referral (although exactly what OTAs charge airlines and hotels for sending them business is a closely guarded secret).
Free airfare if I book a hotel?
In any case, Expedia had other plans for me. It didn’t suggest that I fly on jetBlue at all. Rather, it offered a nonstop basic economy airfare (meaning I’d have to pay for a carryon bag unless I have status in American’s frequent flier program or carry one of their co-branded credit cards) on the outbound flight with a return on Delta, and further suggested that if I book a one-week hotel stay at the Comfort Inn Metro Airport along with my airfare, then the airfare would actually be free. Really now?
Why Airlines Continue to Eschew Third-Party Travel Sites
Over the last 20 years or so, airlines have experimented with many ways to lure consumers away from online travel agencies (OTAs) and toward their own websites. The most effective strategy so far: prevent OTAs (and apps such as Hopper) from displaying their prices. Southwest has long prevented third-party sites and apps from selling its fares, which is why you’ll never see Southwest on Google Flights or Priceline. Delta Air Lines over the last few years has withdrawn permission to display its fares on about 30 sites and apps, such as Hipmunk, Fare Compare, and Hopper.
And now jetBlue has removed permission for a dozen mostly small OTAs (most notably Vayama) to sell its fares.
Other tactics in this assault on OTAs include offering more frequent flier miles or points if booked directly with the airline, promo codes which can only be redeemed on the airlines’ websites, and ticket discounts (for example, British Airways offers lower fares to AARP members, but only if booked at BA.com).
An industry insider told me that Delta may one day add larger OTAs to its “banned list” and jetBlue in its announcement restricting access to those 12 sites hinted that it might not be finished limiting access to its inventory.
There are several reasons why airlines are divorcing from third-party sites, but there are still some good reasons why consumers should consider OTAs anyway.
I recently searched for a flight from New York to Detroit on Expedia.com and compared the same flights and dates on Jetblue.com, leaving January 23 returning January 30. The experiences could hardly be more different. jetBlue shows three airfare classes: “Blue,” “Blue Plus” which includes a free checked bag, and “Blue Flex” which includes two free checked bags and free changes or cancellations. The lowest “Blue” fare for those dates, on connecting flights, is $191.62 round-trip per person on JetBlue.com.
Then I looked at Expedia to book my imaginary New York to Detroit trip. It only showed the lowest “Blue” fare on jetBlue, which means the airline misses a chance to lure consumers into other fare options. JetBlue also forfeits any opportunity to market its credit cards, vacations, and other products if a consumer doesn’t book directly on Jetblue.com. Plus, the airline probably has to pay Expedia for a referral (although exactly what OTAs charge airlines and hotels for sending them business is a closely guarded secret).
Free airfare if I book a hotel?
In any case, Expedia had other plans for me. It didn’t suggest that I fly on jetBlue at all. Rather, it offered a nonstop basic economy airfare (meaning I’d have to pay for a carryon bag unless I have status in American’s frequent flier program or carry one of their co-branded credit cards) on the outbound flight with a return on Delta, and further suggested that if I book a one-week hotel stay at the Comfort Inn Metro Airport along with my airfare, then the airfare would actually be free. Really now?
Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead in honor of the victims of earthquakes Will the earthquakes impact the presidential elections of July 2018 in the same way that the 1985 earthquake did?
http://aldianews.com/articles/politics/mexico-celebrates-day-dead-honor-victims-earthquakes/50487
Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead in honor of the victims of earthquakes
Will the earthquakes impact the presidential elections of July 2018 in the same way that the 1985 earthquake did?
November 01, 2017
In Mexico, the Day of the Dead - November 2 - is a day to honor all the deceased. And to say "all", including both those who died hundreds of years ago and those who died from the two strong earthquakes that shook the center of the country last September, claiming 471 lives and leaving more than 150,000 families without a house.
The earthquake of September 7, of magnitude 8, affected mainly the state of Oaxaca, where 80 people died. Throughout this week the population of this state - where about one million indigenous people of 18 different ethnic groups live - has been placing their offerings in front of the churches to remember the victims. The offerings are the typical ones: sugar skulls, "bread of the dead" (made of egg white, sugar, and flour) and bouquets of orange-colored cempasúchil flowers.
But as the population prepares for the Day of the Dead celebrations, no one forgets the protests due to the slowness in the tasks of reconstruction after the earthquake, or the controversial questions about whether property corruption had to do with the collapse of several schools and buildings.
The correspondent of La Vanguardia Andy Robinson, strolling through Oaxaca, poses the following question: will earthquakes impact the presidential elections of July 2018 in the same way as the 1985 earthquake did? (After the 1985 earthquake, popular outrage ended the PRI's hegemony in the capital).
Although the death toll is much lower, the political impact of the earthquakes of September 7 and 19 can be great. In Oaxaca and Chiapas, the population complains that the victims have received more help from individuals or civic organizations than from the government itself. La Vanguardia quotes several experts who denounce that the earthquake has uncovered the prevailing corruption and that the authorities monopolize the government’s aid and distribute it according to their interests.
The Spanish newspaper El Mundo also recently recalled that a month after the earthquakes, civil associations and residents of the Mexican capital have reported cases of urban corruption that caused the collapse of buildings. At least 89 people died due to illegal works, according to the Housing Commission of Mexico City.
Juana Martínez, from the town of Juchitan, in the state of Oaxaca (Mexico), is seen near a wreath today, Tuesday, October 31, 2017. The Day of the Dead, which is celebrated on November 2 in Mexico, is a very significant date that honors the memory of the deceased by means of ceremonies in which catrinas, altars, offerings and traditional dances are gathered. EFE / Luis Villalobos
Puerto Angel, Mexico Odyssey Sea Glass sea glass beach report aubmitted by: Kathleen, BC, Canada Puerto Angel, Mexico Sun Mar 26 2017 Puerto Angel is a small town between Puerto ...
| Puerto Angel, Mexico
sea glass beach report aubmitted by: Kathleen, BC, Canada Puerto Angel, Mexico Sun Mar 26 2017 Puerto Angel is a small town between Puerto ...
|
Puerto Angel, Mexico
by Kathleen
(BC, Canada)
(BC, Canada)
I found this in an hour
Creative Hands of Mexico OCTOBER 16, 2017 Sweet Death
Sweet Death
The term artesanía roughly translates to “handcrafts” or “folk art” although cultural differences mean that the terms are not completely equal. For example, the adjective artesanal can and often is applied to certain processed foods such as bottle salsas, chocolate, coffee and alcohols if said products are made at a home or by a small enterprises that do not use industrial methods.
Despite the tempation cover some of these artesanal goods (as they ARE wonderful), I have stuck to products that fit the definition of handcrafted in English. However, there is one tradition that truly blurs the line between edible and non-edible “handcrafts.”
Alfeñique is the creation of a sugar paste, which is then molded into various decorative shapes. The term is not known to foreigners, but anyone who has been to Mexico during Day of the Dead (esp. in central Mexico) has seen its most representative product… a highly decorative sugar skull, with a place to add the name of a person. If the skull is to be placed on an altar dedicated to loved ones passed on, it can take the name of the deceased. If it is a gift to be eaten, then the name of the recipient.
The craft has a long history in Mexico, from the early colonial period. A number of sources link it as a replacement for the pre-Hispanic making of figures of amaranth seed and agave syrup, which was banned by Catholic religious authorities. This old link is probably why the tradition is most firmly rooted in the old colonial cities of central and southern Mexico.
Unfortunately, the cookie-cutter sugar skulls seen in supermarkets and even traditional markets are unlikely to be “artesanía” but rather more mass-produced. That does not mean there are no longer true artisans who work in sugar paste. They can be found in most of Mexico’s central states, Puebla, Estado de Mexico, Veracruz, Michoacan, parts of Zacatecas… but the center of truly creative sugar work is the city of Toluca, just west of Mexico City.
Here the paste is used to make all kinds of figures, not just skulls and while figures such as animals and such can and are made for other occasions, by far most of the production is for and related to Day of the Dead. The city has had a fair dedicated to its production of alfenique and other Day of the Dead crafts for years now and recently opened a museum dedicated to the craft as well.
The finished pieces are perfectly edible, but in reality most are not eaten. It is not sugar candy in the modern sense. It is a mixture of powdered sugar and egg white, with colors added depending on what the paste will be used for. In the case of skulls, the base is thicker and formed with a mold. The decorative elements are made with a softer paste that is piped on, much the way that decorative icing is applied onto fine bakery cakes. Both harden to something that is not only very hard to break with the teeth, but really does not melt in the mouth (a la Jolly Ranchers) because of the protein in the egg whites. In the past, they were certainly eaten as sugar used to be an expensive commodity. But today, if one wants skulls or other decorations that can truly be enjoyed as candy, items made from other materials can be had. At the Feria de Alfeñique, artisans demonstrate skills in making items from chocolate, amaranth (a nod to the past), tamarid, peanut marzapan, wafers and pepita (a sweet paste made from pumpkin seeds). While skulls are still central, the Toluca event also features other items such as coffins, miniatures of food items often found on Day of the Dead altars, (mole, breads, fruits…), full skeletal figures and animals, in particular deer.
The Feria de Alfenique begins in mid October and runs through Day of the Dead on November 2. The stands are open every day during the entire time, with cultural activities such as music and craft workshops available on weekends.
All photos by Alejandro Linares Garcia. Featured photo of lighted sugar skull by Dulceria Tradicional Zarco of Toluca
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
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