I've had no luck with the little animals I have found lately. Early this year, while on a stroll with Frida, we stumbled upon a little bird and decided to bring him home. It was very cold and windy, not really the time of the year for little birds to be born, the best thing seemed to be to bring him home. We thought he was doing alright during the first two days, he ate and even flew around the...

Last Friday I decided to go to the movies. I wanted to watch Alatriste but the show was sold out. This certainly caught me off guard,  though I should have considered Viggo Mortensen's effect on the female hearts and the box office. I ended up watching Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia .  This movie had called my attention since last year but it hadn't opened here in Mexico. I was rather enthus...

If you are looking for something which is both fun and thought-provoking, look no further. Barbara Kingsolver's book is that and more. It is set in the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, where an evangelical Baptist takes his four young daughters and his wife to "save needy souls". Needless to say, his actions will develop in tragic ways within the very different and very complex Cong...

I recently read this book and was totally blown away by it. I was surprised by this since my favorite genre is fiction. I have, of course, enjoyed some non-fiction writing, but never an 800-page historical account. Nevertheless, Martin Gilbert's work was captivating, enlightening and very VERY enjoyable. Reading it was like watching a very exciting movie. Many emotions are evoked as you move th...

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is, in many ways, an amazing book. Set in Afghanistan, the story is unveiled by a young boy who is part of the last generation of Afghan children who did not know the sound of falling bombs and guns. This was the early 1970's, before the Soviet Invasion and the myriad tragedies that were to befall that country. In spite of the powerful plot, complex and endear...

One of my favorite things in life is a good short story. The kind that resonates and you never forget. Today, on my way home from work, I reread an excellent example: the haunting "Half a Day" by Naguib Mahfouz. In my opinion, it is the allegorical quality of the charaters, actions and setting the principal element of its success. There is not much room for mistakes in a short story, in this on...

It was reported today that Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray during a diving expedition off the Australian coast. I was deeply saddened to learn this, I really liked his unconventional personality and most of all his views on conservation: he was implacably opposed to the hunting, not just of crocodiles, but of any animal. 

He lived surrounded ...

The strangest thing happened a week ago. Frida and I were coming back from a nice walk on a cool and humid evening when I noticed something on the floor. Did so just in time, I was about to step on a Red Ear Slider ! They are popular pets here in Mexico, but are not found in the wild. Where she came from and how are still a mystery. She seemed so lonely and scared we just had to bring her indo...