My kids are hinting about Christmas!

Heh! Good knowledge about mexican politics. Indeed, the PRI were rotten corrupt bastards all the way, and ruled Mexico through fraud for seventy years.
Yet that's what we hear as excuses from our current PAN government. My state went conservative (PAN) in 94, and they still blame the PRI every time they screw up. And they do it A LOT. President Fox did the same these six years. I expect Calderon to screw mexicans over and blame the PRI every five minutes.

For those in the states: Think of the PAN as the Catholic version of the far-right wing of the Republican party, the PRI as somewhere between the less insane Republicans and more conservative Democrats, and the PRD as a bit to the left of the left-wing part of the Democrats.

The controversy is that the PAN, aided by the rich people who own the media, pulled off a PRI style fraud on the 2006 election, and then started blaming the PRD (the party that actually won - slightly left wing, but not that much) for a lot of violence that wasn't even happening. Right now, Mexico has two presidents: The legitimate one, and the official one, just like in the Reform war of the 1850s and 60s. The media does not cover this. They just call the oposition violent and intolerant, and lick Calderon's boots. He did not win. He knows this, and he's VERY afraid.

And what did the PRI do? They sided with the PAN in exchange for them not jailing two or three PRI governors that remain and are pretty much dead meat otherwise. So now the PRI is just licking the PAN's boots and forming a conservative block with them (some written media call it the PRIAN), and staying mum about the fraud, just like the media.
For the average man on the street, this will mean another six years of higher prices, jobs that pay shit and treat the employee likewise, silenced media, and probably, torture and "disappearance" of young people that dare not side with the government.

Back on the christmas topic, though, we'll know whether public universities in Mexico give all employees a Christmas bonus about this thursday. Wish me luck.
In other good news, another school called me. If I'm lucky, come this January I'll get three groups with them, so I'll be making about twice what I make at the first one (where I'll have two or three), and about three times extra at this new one (with another three). It's a fancy private high school, though, so I'll have to learn how to deal with teenagers appropiately.

Any suggestions?

 

I had a cold last Christmas . All I want this year are those King's Quest/Space Quest collection rereleases (and a 40" widescreen HDTV, and a Playstation 3, and all of the launch games, and a pony...).

 

Let me mortage the house 6 times, sell off a kidney and a leg, sell the car, and get a third job, and then perhaps i'll get all that for xmas for you


Ryan

 

What laptop? if is a "normal" one you could get one for like 600 bucks, but if she wants a macbook, or worst, a gaming rig, prepare to shell out between 1100 and 2500 depending of the specs.

I dont have any kids (and hope not to make that kind of mistake) but if they start asking me to buy their shit with mah money I'll smack their asses, gangsta style!

Just j/k, theres a big chance that they will kick MY ass...

 

One present this year I helped my kid decide she wanted was re-release of the hotwheels snake and mongoose set. ya sneaky dad but she realy does enjoy her hotwheels and dad is dodge and plymouth nut So it seemed only natural so we both could have fun with it.

 

I'll also need to add some model railroading supplies to my list. Each night I leave the Walthers train catolgue open to a particular page of something i want, then leave it besides the crapper for my father to see when nature calls

Ryan