La Paz News

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Fines are increased if you get caught violating traffic laws and regulations in La Paz. We did NOT independently verify the accuracy of a report by B. Crawford we seen at the cat-litter-box liner. We usual use that pamphlet laying out at some supermarkets aimed at gringos and consists of advertisements and other BS. Take one from 2002 and a 2012 issue. Same doo-doo!! Anyway, talk is about traffic laws and increased fines IF you… before we get into that I like to address a connected issue. very often you hear, mainly at online publications / foras this “La Paz police all corrupt etc.” talk. In a very simple way own experience: Foreigner, living almost 11 years Baja Sur (2 y. Loscabos, 9 y. La Paz). In this almost 9 years La Paz I got pulled over 3 times by La Paz traffic cops (in uniform) and 1 time by PGR at a street-block/control. All of the pull-over been 100% justified. 3 times I did cleary violate traffic rules. At the PGR control it was around midnight in a part of La Paz you rarely expect a foreigner, they stoped EVERY car and i could not produce the vehicle documents. continue

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Officials in Mexico have seized more than two tons of marijuana found floating off the coast of tourist hotspot Los Cabos. The following is the best line we seen so far and, as we informed by sources in a news outlet, was so supplied by authorities. “Law enforcement authorities are trying to link the abandoned marijuana to the drug cartels”… really??? Hmmm…, we thought this was the friendly neighborhood mom & pop pot dealer that went out squid fishing and took 2 tons of marijuana with them to wash of the dust… geeze! Is that all they can come up with?? Is that part of the 6-digit US $ paid north of the border media campaign to create a better image looking at the southern Baja and La Paz?? continue

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Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon gives the traditional “El grito,” or shout, to kick off Independence Day celebrations at the Zocalo in Mexico City, late Thursday Sept. 15, 2011. Mexico is marking the 201st anniversary of the “Grito de Dolores,” honoring the call to arms made by the priest Miguel Hidalgo in 1810 that began the struggle for independence from Spain, achieved in 1821. In the early hours of September 16th, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato, rang the church bell to gather the townspeople. He called for the people of Mexico to rise up against the Spanish Crown, thus initiating Mexico’s War of Independence. continue

Some of you probably see him more more often than me , his name is Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin (March 24, 1829 – September 8, 1862) and he looks at you every time you pull a $500 peso note out of your pocket! He was a general in the Mexican Army. On the 5th of May 1862 he defeated the invading French forces in the “Battle of Puebla” and became one of Mexico’s most celebrated heroes. Zaragoza was born in the town of Presidio de la Bahia de Espiritu Santo, now the city of Goliad, in southeast Texas. He moved to Monterrey, Mexico in 1844 when he was 15 years old and entered the seminary. Unsure of the rigors of a religious life he enlisted in the militia of nuevo Leon. At the age of 24 he decided to pursue a career in the army. he was rapidly promoted to the rank of Captain. Zaragoza was a strong supporter of Benito Juarez, continue

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The city’s biggest street party and entertainment festival starts Thursday, March 3, and continues through Tuesday, March 8. There’s also a one-day Carnaval for Children March 13. This year’s theme is “Naturaleza Viva” (Nature Alive), putting the focus on environmental conservation and ecology. Parades are March 6, 7 and 8 (note that this year the parade starts at El Molinito March 6 and 8; it starts at Márquez de León March 7). Most of the action is along the Malecón, where the street is blocked off for live entertainment, midway booths and parades. The main stage is at the kiosko on the Malecón at the foot of 16 de Septiembre. Live performances start at 6 p.m. with the evening’s main attraction at 9 p.m. The entertainment is free and the crowds later in the evening can be daunting. You’ll find Carnaval highlights continue

Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself…
~Norman Wesley Brooks, “Let Every Day Be Christmas,” 1976
Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad to all Paceno’s!

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