<p></p>
<p><strong>Dear Mexican: What is it about Mexicans and collecting old cars? I have three Mexican neighbors with middle-class incomes but in each case, when the old car or truck wouldn’t run anymore, they would buy a nearly new replacement and then just let the old clunker sit in the driveway up close to the house or garage…for MONTHS! Hood up, radiator out on the ground, flat tires…etc.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Flying with my ford</strong></p>

<p></p>
<p>Once again, the international press-and a good deal of the Mexican one-missed the real story coming out of the Mayan heartland. Zoomed in on the completion of the ancient Mayan calendar and the media-hyped, predicted end of the world December 21, the corporate show boys did not notice or grasp the significance of the silent mobilization that occurred on the afternoon of the 21st in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas.</p>

<p></p>
<p>As we looked back on 2012, we thought we would get a jump on those articles that totally or largely ignore Latinos in the end-of-the year lists of notable deaths. These lists not only imply that there are no or very few notable Latinos, but also that not many of us die at all (which could be a good thing if it were true). We were also motivated by the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars where I spend most of the time yelling out, “Holy shit, I didn’t know he (or she) died this year!”</p>