The Magic of the Cities.

Zen promotes the rediscovery of the obvious, which is so often lost in its familiarity and simplicity. It sees the miraculous in the common and magic in our everyday surroundings. When we are not rushed, and our minds are unclouded by conceptualizations, a veil will sometimes drop, introducing the viewer to a world unseen since childhood. ~ John Greer

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Colorful Day


Democracy doesn't require a whole lot of work of its citizens, but it requires some: It requires taking a good look outside once in a while, and considering the bad news and what it might mean, and making the occasional tough choice, and soberly taking stock of what your real interests are.

This is a very different thing from shopping, which involves passively letting sitcoms melt your brain all day long and then jumping straight into the TV screen to buy a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich because the slob singing "I'm Lovin' It!" during the commercial break looks just like you. The joy of being a consumer is that it doesn't require thought, responsibility, self-awareness or shame: All you have to do is obey the first urge that gurgles up from your stomach. And then obey the next. And the next. And the next.

And when it comes time to vote, all you have to do is put your Country First — just like that lady on TV who reminds you of your cousin.

[From Rolling Stone - Issue 1062 — October 2, 2008]

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Monday, November 3, 2008

La Polar


LA POLAR , LA CASA DE LA BUENA BIRRIA inicia a principios de los años treinta como negocio familiar y gracias a su fundadora, originaria de Ocotlán Jalisco, y a un sin número de colaboradores, quienes a base de trabajo, lucha y sacrificios, han hecho de LA POLAR una empresa sólida y líder en el mercado de la comida mexicana.
LA POLAR , se localiza en la Colonia San Rafael en la Ciudad de México. Comenzó con una pequeña parte de lo que entonces era sólo una cervecería y para el año de 1986 adquiere el giro de RESTAURANTE BAR. En LA POLAR , se elabora LA MEJOR BIRRIA DE MÉXICO al estilo JALISCO, con una receta original, singular y sabrosa, la cual ha colocado a LA POLAR entre los restaurantes favoritos de los paladares más exigentes, y uno de los mejores de esta ciudad y del país.

Birria (accent on the first syllable) is a spicy Mexican meat stew usually made with goat, lamb, or mutton, often served during festive periods, such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, and weddings. Originally from Jalisco, it is a common dish in some Mexican food establishments. It is served with corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, and lime.

Birria is made using a base of dried roasted peppers. This gives birria both its characteristic savoriness as well as its remarkable variety, as different cooks will chose different peppers to use for the broth base. Birria is served by combining a bowl of broth with freshly chopped roasted meat of the customer's choice. One eats it by filling a corn tortilla with meat, onions and cilantro, seasoning with fresh squeezed lime juice, and then dipping it into the broth before eating it. The broth itself is also eaten with a spoon. [Wiki]

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Dia de Muertos



Las Calacas



Tequila for The Dead


The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Observance of the holiday in Mexican-American communities in the United States has become more important and widespread as the community grows numerically and economically. [Wiki.]

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

November 2008 Theme Day: Books


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

An altar on a bookstore shop window at Roma borough.

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Observance of the holiday in Mexican-American communities in the United States has become more important and widespread as the community grows numerically and economically.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it is a public holiday in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray to their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures. [Wiki.]

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Giro / Twist


Giro. 1973, Alexander Liberman. Col. Museo Rufino Tamayo.
[Turn by Alexander Liberman. 1973]
Alexander Liberman (Sept. 4, 1912-Nov. 19, 1999) was a Russian-American publisher, painter, and sculptor. Born in Kiev, he was educated in Paris, where he began his publishing career with the early pictorial magazine Vu. After emigrating to New York in 1941, he began working for Conde Nast Publications, rising to the position of Editorial Director, which he held from 1962-1994.
It was only in the 1950s that Liberman took up painting and, later, metal sculpture. His highly recognizable sculptures are assembled from industrial objects (segments of steel I-beams, pipes, drums, etc.,) often painted in uniform bright colors. Prominent examples are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Storm King Art Center, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Tate Gallery, and the Guggenheim Museum. (Wiki)

Happy Weekend and Halloween!

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.