Tuesday

The last few days we've been getting surprise light rains every evening. The warm days are mostly sunny--an occasional white puff--and then later a storm will roll in freakishly fast considering its eventual mild temperament. Is this because of Hurricane Ileana in the Pacific, currently expected to bypass Baja California, or the slow disintegration of tropical storm Chris over Hispaniola? Who knows. Today's storm hit--without our noticing--while we were at Don Pascuale's. I had what was probably the very best fettuccini alfredo I have ever had; Sunshine's chicken parmesan was almost as big as the plate. I like the place: they have taken to serving small pizzas as a free table snack like most Mexican restaurants serve tortillas. The news: something strange is happening in Chiapas* after their state elections Sunday. The hotly-contested governor's race is divided fifty-fifty (about a tenth of a percent separates the PRI and PRD candidates), in a predicament that mirrors--in so far as it resembles and also mostly reverses--the situation in México City. Both candidates are claiming victory, and protests are commencing accordingly. What's strange? Why is the state election in Chiapas almost two months after the general Mexican election? It seemed that most states voted in legislators and governors back in July. In Chiapas, where the governor's seat is disputed by thousands of teachers (and other union insurgents) occupying the city, things have begun to turn ugly:* a machete-wielding army of protestors swarmed the streets in reaction to a fatal shooting yesterday, possibly connected to the blasting of a radio station (by unidentified gunmen) commandeered August first to broadcast protest demands. In the aftermath, three thousand armed Oaxacans captured twelve radio stations, plus barricaded bus stations, newspapers, and blockaded highways around town. Oaxaca is beside Chiapas. [Cavin]