Trend continues: "gordito", "gordo", "medio panzon"....."panzon y medio!"

"So much for the the 99cent special"

Laredoans, don't be surprised if the price you pay for a Coke goes up soon. Let's say you go for the turbo-chug or even the very popular 32 ounce fountain drink, it will now simultaneously add to your weight while subtracting more from your wallet. This is because a soda tax is one of the options being considered to curtail the obesity epidemic in our country.  Of course, this includes Laredo.
But why stop at sodas? Perhaps bigger sizes of clothes should also be taxed, thereby encouraging the purchaser(s) to lose weight and save money. It would go something like this :

customer: Hi, I'm looking for a pair of Levi blue jeans. How much do they cost?

salesperson:  Well, it all depends....what size are you looking for?

customer: Well, a friend of mine said she got them here for about $30 bucks.

salesperson: Oh yea, I remember her about a week ago, she's the skinny one in town right?

customer: Wha...?  I was asking about the price.

salesperson: OH ok, well I won't know until you tell me what size but I'm guessing from looking at you that....hmmmm.....they'll probably run you close to a hundred bucks with the new fat tax?

customer: Nambre! Que tienes??  I'll just forget about the jeans and buy myself a few parrilladas!

Oh I almost forgot , here's the article from Reuter's

America's obesity epidemic is so deeply rooted that it will take dramatic and systemic measures -- from overhauling farm policies and zoning laws to, possibly, introducing a soda tax -- to fix it, the influential Institute of Medicine said on Tuesday.   

"People have heard the advice to eat less and move more for years, and during that time a large number of Americans have become obese," committee member Shiriki Kumanyika of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine told Reuters. "That advice will never be out of date. But when you see the increase in obesity you ask, what changed? And the answer is, the environment. The average person cannot maintain a healthy weight in this obesity-promoting environment."

The panel identifies taxing sugar-sweetened beverages as a "potential action," noting that "their link to obesity is stronger than that observed for any other food or beverage."

A 2011 study estimated that a penny-per-ounce tax could reduce per capita consumption by 24 percent. As a Reuters report described last month, vigorous lobbying by the soda industry crushed recent efforts to impose such a tax in several states, including New York.

"I do not think in any way, shape or form that such punitive measures will change behaviors," said Rhona Applebaum, Coca-Cola Co.'s chief scientific and regulatory officer. Anyone deterred by the tax from buying sweetened soda, she said, will replace those calories with something else.

Now Hiring! Laredo makes a good list for a change

From Forbes

Forbes is famous for its lists, and after crunching a bunch of employment data to list the best cities for jobs, it's obvious that it likes Texas — a lot. Not only did it rank Austin as the best U.S. city in which to be hired, but Houston, Fort Worth and Dallas also made the top 10.

Actually, there are three lists, for small, medium and large cities, with 12 Texas cities in the top 10 among the three, including Odessa, Midland, San Angelo, Lubbock, Laredo, Corpus Christi, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission and El Paso.

Laredo ignores RG bacteria, caters to fracking while other towns plan

Laredo's politicians have seldom been known for being forward-looking. How else could the city's taxpayers be on the hook for mega million$$ for an empty arena while building an $18M new baseball stadium. It's hilarious that the baseball operators are already promising the exact type of events that are not even enough to fill up the calendar of one venue (LEA), much less too.

Well, the same lack of foresight applies to the city's lack of concern for our water resources. They have elected to sell millions of gallons of water the the fracking industry and have remained completely mute in regards to recent news that the Rio Grande is seriously contaminated by exorbitant levels of bacteria.

So it comes as no surprise that other towns, i.e. La Villa, Tx., put Laredo to shame when it comes to thinking about our environment and our future.  I guess we shouldn't be that surprised that even much smaller towns such as La Villa are joining in to Eat Laredo's Lunch!

From The Brownsville, Herald

At a time when water is at a premium, there’s no sense in letting it go to waste.

That’s the mindset behind an innovative project taking root in the Delta, a community that bears the brunt of Hidalgo County’s flooding issues during heavy rains. But as the Rio Grande Valley heads toward a critical water shortage by 2050, plans are under way to recapture the water that fills the county’s drainage canals and treat it for municipal use.

The city of La Villa has developed plans for the Delta watershed and reclamation project, a 1,400-acre project that will limit countywide flooding, protect fragile ecosystems and act as an economic development tool. Built around a 350-acre reservoir that would capture drainage water, the project would also serve as an additional supply of water that otherwise disappears into the Laguna Madre.

“Fifty years from now, water will be precious. It will be worth more than gasoline,” said La Villa Mayor Hector Elizondo, whose city recently completed plans for the project he sees as an economic development boon for the Delta. “We need to capture the water because the city that controls the water is the city that is going to grow. We’re trying to prepare for the future.” 

Read more at : http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/water-139913-reuse-root.html

Aya por Laredo : Simple treasures



From Storycorps-Austin: pictured is  Domingo Vicente Villa

This story is from National Public Radio, NPR.

Ricardo Isaias Zavala comes from a long line of vaqueros — cowboys who worked the ranches of Southeast Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries. That tradition stopped with his grandfather — but in the Zavala family, parts of it live on.

Ricardo's grandfather's name was Vicente Domingo Villa. His family moved from ranch to ranch, looking for work. Most of the ranches were in the scrubland of South Texas, east of Laredo.
"And his father was a ranch hand, as his father before him was a ranch hand," Ricardo tells his son, Ricardo Javier Zavala, at StoryCorps. "And his father before him was a ranch hand."


That was back in the 1920s. And Ricardo says that when his grandfather was a little boy in the 1920s, he looked up to the vaqueros enough to want to dress like a cowboy.

"And when he was about 6 or 7, he did ask his mom if he could have cowboy chaps — just like the cowboys wore on the ranch," Ricardo says. "He didn't think he had much of a chance at getting it, but Christmas Day, his mom presented him with a pair of chivarras.

"Chivarras are chaps," Ricardo explains, "but instead of cowhide, they're made out of goat skin. It's a smaller animal, so they fit children a lot better. And he said he was so excited, he was so happy. That was the best gift he'd ever gotten.

"The only problem was that his father got very upset with his mom for having wasted the money on a pair of chivarras for a boy who doesn't even do cowboy work, and it caused a lot of fighting," Ricardo says.

"So, he decided he would ask his mom to return the chivarras," he says, "but he figured he could at least sleep with them that night. And that's what he did."

When he got older, Ricardo's grandfather did not become a cowboy, like the men in his family had always done. Instead, he worked as a carpenter. But his family remembered his early love for those cowboy chaps.

"Well, towards the end of his life he was at a nursing home," Ricardo says, "and we ended up getting him real cowhide chaps. But he kinda got upset with us. He said it was a waste of money.

"So, I told him that I actually had a favor to ask of him," Ricardo recalls. "I told him, 'I'd really like for you to consider — once you do pass — having the chaps buried with you. And that way when I get to heaven, I'll be able to recognize you.'

"And then he looked down, and he said, you know, 'I don't know if that's where I'm going.'
"A few months later he got real sick, and he was dying," Ricardo says. "We were at his deathbed, and I was standing next to him, and he said to me, 'Entiérrenme con mis chivarras' — 'Bury me with my chaps.'

"And that brought a lot of comfort," he says, "because later on that night, he did pass. It was May 5 of 2003. And I knew that he knew where he was going."

Get your "Yonka" rolling again - Today

The LMT is waking up Laredo's Yonka community with a Public Service message. If you're one of those people who has a bicycle laying around gathering dust, this is your day to rescue it.

From El Empty

The Big River Foundation, Ciclo Mania and local riders will offer another free mountain bicycle repair clinic from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today.

The clinic will be held at the Rio Grande Plaza Hotel, 1 S. Main Ave.

“Bring an old bike in need of tire, chain, spoke or other repair,” a news release states.

“We’ll pay for any parts you may need and show you how to install them free.”

Also, all are invited for an escorted ride along the Rio Grande to the Lost Lakes and Las Palmas Park.

Each ride will start as soon as the rider’s bike is fixed. The rides will continue until 8 p.m.

Those who volunteer are invited to a poolside party and barbecue following the event.

The bike repair clinic is paid for by a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Community Outdoor Outreach program.

"Los Olvidados" / The Forgotten Ones

Thanks to Dan for alerting LT to this story from John Quiniones and ABC News.




Like the saying goes: "Out of sight, out of mind" ?

Culture: Bola de Borrachines!

This morning, KTSA radio, 5500 on your AM radio dial, reported the DUI numbers from the Alamo City's NIOSA (Night In Old San Antonio) week long Fiesta. According to law enforcement records, there were a total of 373 DUI arrests made in San Antonio during Fiesta Week. This number included 59 second time offenders and 37 drunk drivers who were being arrested for at least the 3rd time.

Laredo certainly should keep this in mind as the recent tendency has been for local event organizers to rely increasingly on booze to draw in their crowds. Already, the "There's always something to drink do in Laredo" calendar includes : Noche de Agave-Tequila Tasting, JamBOOZie, assorted Wine-Tasting galas, as well as the ever rowdy Jalapeno Festival.

Also, this past year, Taste of Los Dos Laredos added Alcohol to their all-you can  eat-drink menu. Add to the mix, Laredo's first "Beer Fest" and you'll see why the Gateway City is consuming alcohol like the Fracking industry consumes our precious water. 

Incidentally, there's a second Beer Fest being scheduled for sometime in October. Se va y se correr con........El Borracho!