Chuck Norris becomes "real" Texas Ranger

This time it's for real.

The associated press is reporting tonight that Chuck Norris of Walker, Texas Ranger fame has been made an honorary member by the historic Texas law agency.  The presentation was made to Norris by none other than Texas Governor Rick Perry. Norris played a Texas ranger for years on a weekly television series. Years later, when NBC bought the rights to the show, Conan Obrien (then at NBC) featured excerpts from "Walker" that somehow always turned out hilarious. Chuck Norris is now 70 years old. There is no word on whether he'll be eligible for a Texas Ranger pension.

Sobrenombres prevalent along border, especially in Laredo

Mitch "La Tortuga" McConnell

The crack sociological research team here at laredotejas has confirmed what many have long suspected. The Texas border area, led by Laredo, is among the richest in the country when it comes to the profuse use of nicknames, or sobrenombres in Spanish. Not only does almost everyone living along the border have a nickname, but most people actually have MORE than one. For many, nicknames have been with them as long as they can remember, having been given to them by family members. For others, the schools have been where they acquired their aliases.

Frequently, a nickname is based on a physical characteristic. These include "names" we have all heard such as Flaco, Gordo, Cabezon, Chaparro, Sambo, Prieto, Guero or Orejon. A substantial number of border residents are nicknamed, for varying reasons, after animals. These include:  pajara, zorrio, pulga, conejo, pinacate, chapulin, la tortuga, and even amphibians such as el zapo or la rana. There are even those who have been named after celebrities; columbo, woody, elvis, chupacabras, dracula, la momia. Regardless of the origin of all these nicknames, it is always amusing to find people that know others by their nicknames, but not at all by their given names. It's like "mmmm, no, i don't know him.....ohhh, you mean El tomate? Ah si".

A sure sign that the profusion of nicknames is tied to our Mexican American culture is that the further away from the border you go, the less nicknames you find, San Antonio still has quite a few but nothing on the magnitude of Laredo. Just one more unique thing about Laredo, one more reason to be Laredo Proud.

Nothing says Oppulence like a monocle



Guah guah guah guah guah  or how do you spell it


The prevailing consensus is that the current economic chaos was caused by none other than the filthy rich. Those infamous Wall Street fat cats who made an art of speculating with other people's money. Well, believe it or not, there are still people around who wish to emulate the rich. If not their greedy ways, then, at least their lifestyles, complete with accompanying status symbols.

While many consider Cadillacs, Rolls Royce cars, Rolex watches and Lear jets as some of the surest signs that someone has achieved elite status among the so-called upper class, there is another symbol that is even more closely associated with prestige and oppulence. Yes, it's none other than the magnificent monocle. Even during the Great Depression, the monocled old man in the game Monopoly stood for wealth and power. Presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson both served in the White House while keeping a monocled, aristocratic eye on world affairs. Even among villains, the monocled is preffered, not by common hoodlums and rift raft, but rather by meticulously tailored villains of high-standing such as the dignified but dangerous Penguin of Batman fame.  

So, for those who for whatever reason might want to present themselves as being  cultured, exclusive and obviously wealthy , forget the Jaguar or even the Maserati, go for the gold, go for the monocle. I think I might go out to the nearest pawn shop ( El Buffalo) and see if they have one, not so much to look rich, but to look presidential. Oops, come to think of it, I don't think the monopoloy guy had a monocle after all.

TEXAS Grant to give priority to students demonstrating academic merit

New premium on college readiness

The Texas Association of Business is supporting a proposal by Texas Higher Coordinating Board  to give priority to fund the college education of students who have demonstrated academic merit in high school. Since, Texas businesses see education as being intricately tied to the state's economic well being, the proposal is also being backed by the Governor's Business Council. Coordinating Board Commissioner Raymund Paredes spoke at a recent event before several education and business groups. According to Paredes, there is a renewed focus on increasing the percentage of college students who actually graduate. It is a well known fact that college graduates overall have greater earnings than non graduates. This impacts our states economy and thus the effort to bring about a positive change.

The new approach of giving funding preference to those students who are more likely to succeed is seen by some as controversial. Laredo Senator Judith Zaffirini urges those who support this initiative to work closely with those who oppose it. One perceived problem is that it may discourage students who might not have done well in highschool from continuing on to college. This is especially true in Laredo, where many highschool graduates are not "college ready" and need  to take developmental classes. According to the report by Paredes, many of these students do not stay enrolled in these developmental classes, much less graduate. William Lutz, reporting for the LoneStarReport.org puts it more bluntly: "There are significant questions about whether people who are put in these courses actually belong there and whether the courses do any good at all." Luntz goes on to report:

With respect to providing priority based on academic achievement for TEXAS Grant recipients, Paredes proposed giving priority to students who have achieved two of four measures that are highly correlated with completing a college degree: 1. Graduating with a B average or in the top third of one’s high school class. 2. Taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other college-level classes in high school (or completing the state’s Distinguished Achievement Diploma). 3. Scoring at college-ready levels on any of a number of standardized tests. 4. Taking a math class above Algebra II. 

Under Paredes’s proposal, the grants are still limited only to students with financial need, and the need criteria will not change. Nor will the allocation of grant money to individual institutions change. The proposal merely gives priority to those who achieve two of the four measures, only one of which involves testing.

This new direction by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will no doubt play a big role in influencing our school districts. They will now have to work even harder to ensure they our local highscholls graduate a high percentage of students who are deemed to be "college ready".

Suggestion to LCVB: How about hosting a Mascots' Convention

There have been gatherings before, but Laredo could host First True Mascot Convention

There are times when you get an idea that  just makes so much sense that you have to wonder : Why didn't I, or anybody else, think of THAT before. The Laredo Convention and Visitors' Bureau needs to jump on this one right away. Laredo needs to host a Mascot Convention. The only thing that has multiplied faster than the number of mascots are the numer of smart phones in the country. Just think of it. All Highschools, Colleges and Universties have their own official mascot, not to mention the alernates (mascots do get sick you know). Add to that the semi-pro, minor leagues and professional teams and we're talking about thousands of potential visitors to our city. If, someone else (besides ESPN) has already held a mascot convention, I haven't heard of it, so it's time to get the ball rolling.
Actually, we can kill two birds with one stone and hold a mascot zoo for the local kids, being that the closest thing Laredo has to a zoo is the LCC Rio Grande center. As creative as Laredo is, I'm sure we can think of lots of other ways to cash in on this. I, for one, would like to be at the Laredo city council meeting when this idea is presented. I'm wondering if it's going to be the UT Longhorn or the Dallas Cowboy mascot who will be standing at the podium next to the LCVB presenters.
Admitedly, this idea was inspired by he excellent coverage that our local mascots have received through the various blogs. What's so puzzling is why BorderTownBlues did not jump at this idea. If ever there is someone who admires and respects mascots, it's BTB. Naturally, LaSanbe is a mascot afficionado as well, as evidenced by his cutting-edge video of a dozens of mascots in a dance-off at our Civic Center.

Recommended Radio : Weekend help on AM 550 KTSA

If you're in a productive mood during the weekend but are in need of some helpful information to get you started, tune in to San Antonio's KTSA 550 on your AM dial. From 5:30 am to 1pm, you can find information on varying topics.
 Bob Webster starts it off with his home-gardening show that runs up until 9am. Incidentally, the best thing about the weekend package is that you can call in, ask questions and hopefully get some useful answers. So, It doesn't matter if its the aforementioned early garden show, the 9am-11am home repair show or the 11am -1pm auto repair show. The knowledgeable and accomodating hosts are more than eager to take your call on the air and do their best to answer your questions.

Whatever problem you got around the house, whether you don't know what's wrong with your Nogal or you don't know how come that "check engine' light keeps coming on, I'd suggest you tune in to 550 KTSA if you have a chance and see if there's anything you find helpful  there. By the way, KTSA's toll-free phone number is 1-800-299-KTSA.

The power of suffixes can sure make a difference

El Viejo  vs  El Viejito

One of the beautiful things about the Spanish language is the power of suffixes. Just a simple change to a word's ending can bring on an entirely different connotation. Take the word "viejo" for example. By all means it is a negative word. Even as children, many of us were told that if we didn't behave, "va a venir el viejo". As adults, we use the word to refer to an annoying, rude man whom we probably don't think very highly of. Now, let's see what a suffix can do. By dropping the "o" and adding "ito", we have magically transformed the ogre-like "viejo" into the almost-universally-liked "viejito". Not only did we manage to age the subject but in the process, humanized and even ennobled him. Wheres one illicits a warning "cuidado con el viejo", the other evokes our sympathy "cuidado con el viejito" (no lo vayas a machucar).

The same is true for the word using the female gender. A "vieja" is a mean-spirited, and maybe even vulgar trouble maker. On the other hand, a "viejita" is an older woman whom we respect and whose words we usually consider to have at least a hint of wisdom. Yes, the power of suffixes has the power to transform. Next time you want to cook out, do you say "voy a hacer una carne" or "voy a hacer una carnita"??