The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo
The view from Corazon del Pueblo

The hereafter re me

My photo
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Musician, photographer, videographer, reporter, ex-officio teacher, now attempting to be a world traveler

Thursday, June 2, 2011

El planton - The sit-in... winding down again

Well it has broken..... the weather, not the planton.  The heat is gone and blue skies and cool breezes have returned.

The city remains a camp ground, a tent city.

This is right in front of the Camino Real Hotel... oh, the horror!

As for the planton.... the last two days have been curious with blockades of government buildings, roads, the airport and the shopping plazas.  The question is why?  Essentially, the teacher have had most or all of their demands met.  No, the former governor has not been hauled up on charges and no one knows what happened to one of the teachers who disappeared almost three months ago, but many of the issues have been addressed and apparently resolved.  So why the major disruptions both today and yesterday?  The city was in chaos yesterday and the economics of the whole event have been a disaster.  Many teachers have already left and the center of the city seems much quieter and less densely packed.  However, contrary to this story, it is not over.

from Nocticias
Irritación, enojo, inconformidad y frustración generaron ayer los bloqueos a diversas vialidades, llevados a cabo por integrantes de la sección 22 del Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE), en su décimo día de protestas en la capital del estado.

Need a translation?  Succinctly, people are pissed and frustrated by the blockades.

From El Imparcial
Integrantes de la Sección 22 del SNTE bloquearon ayer por varias horas, unos 19 puntos entre cruceros, dependencias federales y estatales, así como importantes vialidades para obligar al gobernador Gabino Cué a instalar una nueva mesa de negociación. Pasado el mediodía, los trabajadores de la educación cerraron el tránsito vehicular en los cruceros de San Antonio de la Cal, Cinco Señores, Riberas y Tecnológico, Viguera, Volkswagen y del Aeropuerto.

También los seguidores de Azael Santiago Chepi bloquearon la vialidad en Santa Rosa a la altura del Mercado Zonal, Parque del Amor, Símbolos Patrios, Avenida Universidad, acceso al Cerro del Fortín y la Avenida del Sol

Need a translation?  They set up 19 blockades at many of the city's key points.

These protests are only supported by 20 percent of the teachers, but it seems like a vocal minority is getting its way.  Sound familiar?

This planton has not generated any support for the teachers, quite the contrary.  No outside groups have joined in.  It may have gotten a few of their demands met, but the anger by the general populace is palpable.  Succinctly... they pissed.

It is supposed to end tomorrow, Friday.  We shall see.

FYI.. I was driving someone to the airport, when I hit one of the blockades this morning.  I told him he was better off walking the rest of the way, it was only a couple of kilometers, and even though I was on a four lane highway with a median in the middle, I immediately turned my car around and headed back into ongoing traffic.  This is totally normal driving here and everyone just got out of my way without giving it a single thought.  How cool is that?

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