Border Blogs: Expressing our Border Culture

It’s been a while since I’ve written any commentary on my Orlando experience but between Thanksgiving, Christmas and my straddling two states, Florida and Texas I just didn’t have the time to update my blog. But I’m still here and experiencing all that Orlando has to offer and more. But now, I’m making it official, I’m permanently leaving Texas and wholeheartedly embracing Florida.

With all of that comes all sorts of legal and personal challenges. From selling a house in Texas, to transporting my personal belongings halfway across the country and finally to legally converting all of my documentation to Florida it will be interesting at best and frustrating at worst.

In the next few weeks I’ll be documenting my experiences with PODS, the bureaucracy of acquiring a Florida driver’s license and vehicle plates and finally converting my Texas conceal carry permit to a Florida one.

As each step is completed and as time allows I’ll be sharing my personal experiences of moving from one state to another. Wish me luck!

On January 24, 2012, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate and a similar bill is pending before the House of Representatives. Both, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and PROTECT-IP (PIPA) in the Senate are misguided attempts to deal with online intellectual property theft. Unfortunately their approach is draconian and goes against the fundamental principles of free speech and fair and equal protection under the law. Furthermore the Acts, as proposed, unilaterally impose sanctions against citizens of other countries without giving them the benefit of the due-process so enshrined in the US Constitution.

Under the Acts, a properly worded letter is all it would take to force a company, like Google to stop delivering search results for a targeted website, or a payment processor to stop accepting payments for a website or an Internet provider to stop delivering service. That’s it, a letter is sufficient to infringe on the rights of a website provider without recourse to due-process. Most egregious is that the legislation targets foreign website operators while leaving US-controlled domain names; .com, .net & .org under the umbrella of the protections of due-process. Unfortunately in their haste, the supporters of the legislation didn’t realize, or maybe they did, that US citizens also own and operate the website addresses they are targeting.

If this is allowed to happen, American citizens could be subjected to retaliatory legislative measures from other countries simply by having a website. Here is an example of one country’s wayward laws targeted at American citizens and the personal cost to the individual.

American Citizen, Joe Gordon was sentenced to two and a half years of prison in December 2011 for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Gordon had translated “The King Never Smiles”, a book banned in Thailand, and uploaded it unto the Internet while in the United States. Gordon is now serving a prison sentence, while awaiting a Royal pardon, for exercising his right to free speech.

His crime? Insulting the Thai monarch.

The Internet has given us the power to express ourselves and we all benefit from it. As passive readers or active participants the Internet empowers everyone, including those in repressive nations. To espouse freedom and Democracy for other countries while attempting to implement draconian measures is duplicity at its best. Either the Congress is for open freedom of speech and the free flow of information or it is about protecting the self-interests of a small minority.

One need not go further than Rupert Murdoch’s recent Tweeter tirade in support of SOPA in order to understand the fundamental drive for it. Murdoch went on a Twitter rampage shortly after the Obama administration conceded that it had reservations over the controls proposed by the legislation.

Murdoch wrote; “Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy, plain thievery”. Murdoch called Google the “piracy leader” through his Tweets. Murdoch used the very system he wishes he could shut off to express his fervent need to control the Internet to his own liking, or that of his pocket book which is probably the same.

That is the fundamental flaw in the legislation in that it punitively punishes innocent infringers by the actions of their membership without giving them the opportunity to respond via the time honored tradition of your day in court. Murdoch’s stance is understandable; his revenues are under heavy stress because his revenue model simply cannot compete in a connected world. Rather than adapt to a digital world, he would rather have Congress pass legislation that he can wield to hold the tide back for him.

Intellectual property theft is a serious problem not only for single-man bloggers but for multi-national conglomerates as well. Intellectual property is the single most important asset the United States is able to actively complete in the world market with, but to create legislation contrary to the fundamental guarantees to the US Constitution is not only foolhardy but dangerous to American citizens.

Wikipedia and Reddit, among other notable websites will go dark tomorrow, January 18, 2011 for twenty-four hours to protest this misguided attempt by Murdoch and his cohorts. You can do your part to thwart a would be attempt to censor the vehicle we have all come to rely on by calling or writing to your Congressmen to let them know you do not support these bills:

Click here for a Directory of Representatives.

The following is a list of cosponsors of the SOPA bill:

H.R.3261
Latest Title: Stop Online Piracy Act
Sponsor: Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] (introduced 10/26/2011)      Cosponsors (31)
Related Bills:S.968, S.1228
COSPONSORS(31), ALPHABETICAL
Rep Amodei, Mark E. [NV-2] – 11/3/2011
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 12/7/2011
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] – 11/14/2011
Rep Bass, Karen [CA-33] – 11/3/2011
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] – 10/26/2011
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 10/26/2011
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] – 10/26/2011
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 11/3/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 10/26/2011
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] – 11/30/2011
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 10/26/2011
Rep Cooper, Jim [TN-5] – 12/12/2011
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] – 10/26/2011
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] – 10/26/2011
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] – 10/26/2011
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] – 11/30/2011
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] – 11/3/2011
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] – 11/30/2011
Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] – 11/14/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 11/3/2011
Rep Nunnelee, Alan [MS-1] – 11/3/2011
Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] – 11/14/2011
Rep Quayle, Benjamin [AZ-3] – 12/13/2011
Rep Ross, Dennis [FL-12] – 10/26/2011
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] – 11/14/2011
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] – 10/26/2011
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] – 12/7/2011
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 11/3/2011
Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] – 11/3/2011

Freedom of Speech needs to be protected and nurtured or we will lose it. Take action and let them know you care.

The missing ingredient for my new life in Orlando has finally been satisfied in the form a Mexican food restaurant that actually deserves the slogan “Authentic Mexican Food”. Just as I was getting ready to resign myself to quick trips into Mexico for my nutritional requirements, Taco Palenque on West Colonial saves my culinary needs and keeps my wallet intact.

I have been having major withdrawals for true spicy food and in my search for delicacy fulfillment I kept running into one culinary disaster after another. There needs to be a disclaimer on all so-called “authentic Mexican food” labeled restaurants that tells the would-be Mexican food disaster victim that “authentic” is just a word put on to trap the desperate searcher of a Mexican meal.

I cannot tell you how many restaurants tag themselves with “authentic Mexican food” labels only because it sounds cool but when one wanders in, they are greeted with a disaster masquerading as Mexican food. The pendulum swings from outright fraud, where food is named “Mexican something” but has nothing remotely Mexican about it to Tex-Mex that is often confused with Mexican food.

There should be an international tribunal tasked with identifying falsely labeled “Mexican food” establishments who, when discovered are then forced to publically account for their culinary misbehavior. But just when my stomach was about to rebel against my decision to drag it out to Orlando, I happily find Taco Palenque to pacify my rebellious stomach.

I just couldn’t get enough of the place and my stomach kept demanding I try everything on the menu. Alas, my logical angel controlled my out of control taste-buds and forced me to limit my experience to the Tacos al Pastor and a Carnitas Torta. As my eyes darted to the vertical roaster holding a rotating mound of pork with a pineapple dripping succulent juices down its perfectly seasoned meat, I knew I had found culinary nirvana outside of Mexico. The salsa bar complete with thousands, oops maybe just ten salsa choices, but who’s counting when the taste-buds are practically jumping in glee, completed the experience for me.

The torta was as authentic as the ones found in Mexico, complete with a perfectly buttered telera (bread). The Tacos al Pastor were not perfect but at this point anything beyond roasted pork labeled as Tacos al Pastor is a significant leap forward for me. In the case of Taco Palenque, they are as good as most in Mexico but not quite the tacos in Jalisco. The salsa, well suffice it to write that I don’t think the owners have had to refill the bar as often as when I’m there. Delicacy and satisfying is an appropriate label for the salsas.

Even the finicky munchkin decided that Tacos al Pastor are much better than chicken nuggets, relegating the nuggets to something amusing for occasional fulfillment when the Tacos al Pasto are nowhere to be found. The girlfriend, well let’s just say it was her who said let’s go get some tacos for breakfast, the very next day after we had dinner there. Two meals in a row!

The search for Mexican food is now over with Tacos Palenque fulfilling my gastronomical needs for sustaining my sanity. Will I continue to search for other culinary delights? Most definitely but it has now expanded to other foods. For now, my life-sustaining needs are fulfilled and there is no longer a rush to try anything labeled “Mexican food”, unless I’m in a mood to explore the unknown. Who knows I might find a hidden gem somewhere else, but for now I can avoid disasters masquerading as Mexican food.

One of the coolest things about Orlando is its proximity to cities of interest. For Thanksgiving Day, my family and I elected to explore Miami. Because of Miami’s proximity to Orlando and because it is such a large city we decided to focus our initial exploration to two specific points of interest leaving the rest for another quick trip in the future. We stayed at South Beach and ventured to Little Havana for a day of exploration.

As some of you already know and for the benefit of those that don’t, one of my many hobbies is exploring cultures, as well as photographing scenery and architecture. Miami, and especially South Beach, with its Art Deco motifs, gave me the opportunity to do both. Fortunately for my two companions, the exploration included beaches and food so they weren’t too bored.

For a single person, South Beach is the mecca for all-night drinking and dancing with intermittent recovery under the sun during the day. And, it is obvious that excessive shopping is in the mix. Unfortunately, as beaches go, South Beach leaves a lot to be desired. It is obviously tourist-ville, from hawkers, hawking lounges and umbrellas on the beach to cheesy trinkets all over the place. Far worse is that the beaches are filthy.

My girlfriend commented that in comparison, Cocoa Beach was much, much better. As we continued to discuss the disparity of the beaches we finally came to the conclusion that the difference is that those that visit Cocoa Beach are locals who make the trek on a regular basis. Therefore they have an inherent interest in keeping the beaches clean for their next visit. South Beach, on the other hand, seems to be visited by those, intent on partying and probably never coming back, therefore they have no interest in keeping the beach clean and ready for their next visit.

The beach at South Beach could be majestic but it will probably never happen as there seems to be no vested interest by the visitors to care for it for future visits. More interesting and a first for me is that service establishments in South Beach do not ask for tips, but instead, just add it to your ticket at 18%. According to Melissa, a pool-side bartender, the reason is that South Beach is frequented by “Europeans that do not tip” and therefore the practice has become one of automatically adding the tip to the check.

As one who doesn’t believe a tip is to subsidize someone’s wages (spare me the argument about minimum wage and take it up with the legislature that allows sub-wages to be paid to service staff) but rather it should be about rewarding for extraordinary service, this practice took me aback and I feel it was reflected in the lackluster service in some places.

Was I completely disappointed in South Beach? For the most part, yes. The Art Deco architecture is awesome but it is nothing more than a façade hiding the failure of yet another failed manifestation of “new urbanism” permeating the nation. (More on this on a future article on elpasonews.org)  I did enjoy the company of the people who took the time to talk to me about their personal experiences.

Little Havana

Little Havana, on the other hand, was a joy to visit and experience. The graciousness of the people we encountered brought back memories of my childhood in Mexico. It’s that down-to-earth, genuine good-natured, life-loving Latin people feeling oozing from everywhere. Calle Ocho, as the locals refer to it, or 8th Street, is where all of the fun begins. Keeping in mind that this was Thanksgiving Day we really did not expect anything but just a quick bite to eat and some pictures. We had a wonderful time.

It started simply enough, walking down the street with everyone good-naturedly beckoning us into their store to sell you “the best” product on the whole-street. My girlfriend was on a mission, she had eyed a little quaint-looking restaurant when I was looking for a place to park and she was determined to eat there. Unbeknownst to her, it was not a Cuban food place, but rather a Spanish eatery.

As we made our way in, it became evident that they were not expecting any company until dinner time, so the waitress and the chef were enjoying a cup of coffee on one of the tables. As we looked for a seat, our five-year old companion stated that he was “starving”. As finicky five-year olds go, chicken tenders, mac and cheese and definitely no-spicy food is the only thing that satisfies the “hunger”, oh, let’s not forget the pastries and the candy. My girlfriend asked if they had a child’s menu and before the waitress could answer, the chef asked Landon if he would like some chicken fingers for lunch.

Of course that’s exactly what he wanted. I can tell you from personal experience from many countries and many more establishments I really don’t think a five year-old has ever had a chef especially prepare, hand-made chicken fingers that were just absolutely delicious. I don’t think I’ll ever see that again. As for the rest of the meal, let me just say that it was one of the best Thanksgiving lunches ever.

Needless to say we needed to work lunch off before we could contemplate the drive back to South Beach. We went exploring for hand-rolled cigars and pictures to be taken. Outside of Cuba, I challenge anyone to find a better cigar than Little Havana. We savored the aromas and the life of Little Havana on each block we walked and even enjoyed a fresh-made Mango juice prepared by an individual whose family has owned the little fruit market for many generations. Again, the graciousness of the people, sharing their stories with us is what makes exploring fun for me.

Don’t forget to visit the many remembrances to the Bay of Pigs incident and the 100+ year-old tree.

Lion Country Safari

It was such a disappointment that I almost forget to mention it. On the way back we decided to make a trip to the Lion Country Safari outside of Miami. Don’t bother is the best advice I can give you. Yes, the animals roam free but for the truly exciting ones, the ones that any child would love to see surround your car, the lions and the monkeys; well they are all behind moats or chained-linked fences. You are much better off visiting a zoo. I’m sure some of you are muttering, well what did you expect, free roaming lions trekking up to your car? Well yes, that is exactly what I expected for a place with “Safari” in the name. Skip it.

All in all, the trip to Miami was very enjoyable. South Beach is now marked down with; “being there, done that” and finally crossed off my list of things to accomplish. I left disappointed with South Beach but enamored with Little Havana and its people.

Depending on where you live in Orlando, the trip to Miami is easy on the turnpike and costs less than $20 USD for tolls. It is less than 500 miles round-trip. Therefore it should cost less than $150 for tolls and gasoline but you’ll have to add at least one hotel night. Hotels run about $200 a night on South Beach depending on the time of season. Parking will set you back between $25 and $75 a night. My recommendation, avoid staying on South Beach and instead stay in Miami and, if you must, make a quick trip to South Beach to get it out of your system. But whatever you do, don’t miss Little Havana and its friendly people.

Earlier this month and because my favorite five-year old is fascinated with city busses, I decided to sample Orlando from a different perspective. Having spent time traversing Europe in the eighties and spending time in different cities in Mexico and the US, large and small, I am no stranger to public transportation. Sometimes public transportation is the best way to get to know a city from a perspective of those who make it their home.

It was a Saturday morning in the middle of October. I decided that I needed to take some pictures of the cityscape for future projects so we started right smack in the middle of downtown. This gave us an opportunity to take pictures and enjoy the architecture of downtown Orlando.

It is obvious that some time and effort has been put into building up Orlando’s downtown and my daily experience seems to indicate a vibrant community in the day and at night. Early each morning, the sidewalks are being cleaned from the parties the night before. Who pays for this? I’m not sure at this point but I assume it is some sort of tax-driven operation. My observations are that it is an efficient operation that keeps the sidewalks clean without impeding the morning’s commute.

From an observational point of view, it seems that it is part of the community’s long-term effort to invigorate downtown Orlando, and it seems to be working. At some point I’d like to look into what, if any controversies surrounded or continues to surround downtown revitalization as it seems many cities are attempting this or have attempted it and most seem to have failed at it. Seemingly it seems to be successful in Orlando.

Since it was a Saturday, foot traffic was minimal so we enjoyed the walk through Church Street and on to Lynx Central Station.

My observation is that the mass-transit system in Orlando is active and adequate for the city. But it is just an observation from someone who doesn’t depend on mass transportation to get around. The central station is neat and organized. And, people are cordial to each other, both at the station and on the bus.

Unfortunately that did not extend to the two officials for the mass-transit that I encountered. First was the ticket lady. I asked her for information on how to get to The Mall at Millenia. Although, courteous, she nonetheless gave us the wrong bus information. Dutifully waiting for the bus we expected to take me, from experience, asked the bus driver if he would be stopping close to the mall. He said his route did not come anywhere near the mall and gave us the right bus number to take.

I took no chances this time and got a route map to verify the information given to me. The bus driver was right on. Since we had been waiting for the wrong bus, we missed the right one and ended up waiting for 45 minutes until the next one would arrive. This gave us an opportunity to interact with other commuters and it was interesting. Everyone was courteous. That is, until we encountered the next transit official, an overzealous security guard who seemed to relish the opportunity to do something rather than watch people come and go.

Part of what I enjoy when in a new city is taking pictures of buildings, people and architecture. When taking pictures of people, I make it a habit to not take a picture of their faces in order to keep their privacy. As for buildings and architecture I feel the field is wide open for my camera but I respect people’s space and try not to be intrusive. I took some pictures of the facility while waiting for our bus. We were in the public, open space but well within the bus terminal area where buses drop and pick up passengers.

And there he was, as if on a mission to make a name for himself by stopping a would be terrorist. The security guard was demanding to see my pictures telling me I had no right to take pictures of the facility. Intrusive and demanding was his demeanor, as if this was the excitement of day for him.

I understand that since 9/11 things have changed and people and governments are more security conscious. I get that. I also understand that the bus terminal is a private place, albeit one paid with and for the use by the taxpayers of the community. This distinction both gives the transit operator the right to restrict access and that includes pictures. But common sense must prevail.

I’m tagging along a five year-old with camera equipment that is not only noticeable but is clearly a camera not intended for covert operations. Why would a terrorist make a spectacle of himself by taking obvious pictures and bring attention to himself when today’s technology allows us to take very detailed pictures with our smart phones and immediately send them off on their way?

My problem with the whole episode was not that I was told not to take pictures of the facility or even of the attention; rather it was the attitude and stupidity of the whole thing. And, I’m not alone in my feeling by the reactions of the other’s waiting for their busses as one individual actually asked incredulously; “you’re not allowed to take pictures?”

Security is important and it is something I am personally more cognizant off in light of the turmoil in my country of birth and the worldwide changes taking place. But common sense means that my personal security should not and does not impede my sharing of my experiences online or with friends. Likewise, it should not dictate closing off areas to cameras when those intent on hurting someone will likely not advertise themselves with bulky cameras and a five year-old hanging on to them.

If we allow amateurish security protocols to manage our lives then we let the terrorists win the battle.

If that’s the case, then why bother spending the enormous amounts of money building nice facades, if we are not to admire them? Make boring brick boxes and save the money for things we can enjoy whether we ride the busses or not. And, regardless courtesy should always be the way to engage people until given a reason not to.

Were it not for the incompetence of the two officials I had the misfortune of engaging the whole day would have been awesome.

Nonetheless, the Orlando citizens I had the pleasure to ride the bus with were not only courteous and fun to engage but one gentlemen and another couple were particularly helpful in offering this “tourist” advice on where to get off the bus and where to go in the mall, without prompting. So far my experience in Orlando has been very positive and I continue to enjoy the people and the visitors that make the city unique and different from all others I have had the pleasure of being in. By the way, for two dollars it has been one of the best expenditures in my quest to get to know Orlando. Give the LYNX a try next time you are in the mood to explore.

It is always interesting trying out new and unique places to eat. Food trucks have always been my favorite as they remind me of the Taquerias I grew up with in Mexico. Recently, Food Trucks have started to come unto their own as unique, often interesting food experiences fit for food connoisseurs everywhere. Today’s experience was good and a lesson in the evolution of business.

Right on the corner of Pine and Orange in downtown Orlando I stumbled upon my latest food adventure, and interestingly it also served as an addition to my best Mexican food in Orlando project, although unintentionally. Kalbi Hau5 is a self-styled Korean/Mexican fusion and as evidenced by my lunch burrito today, very well executed. One of the criteria’s I use before sampling a new food outlet is the smells that emanate from them. Are they appetizing? This movable kitchen beckoned me to try them out.

I tried the spicy pork burrito. For six dollars, it ranks as one of the most filling and good burritos I have had in recent months. The Korean spicy pork with white steamed rice, cilantro and onions wrapped in a flour tortilla was good. I can’t classify it as Mexican, after all it is fusion food so it does not qualify for my best Mexican food in Orlando project but I sure enjoyed it.

As with everything in Orlando, it seems, the definition of spice is “light tangy”. Therefore my spice meter didn’t even pucker up. Nonetheless I enjoyed the burrito and look forward to running into them again in the near future. Unfortunately, that may not be as easy as it may seem.

First, as a movable feast they are constantly relocating around town, positioning themselves to serve new customers as the need arises. This is a good thing as the analog to digital flux we are currently in changes the way we eat and play in our cities. Unfortunately the new versus the establishment is at constant war as the “old” guard; the established restaurants in this case, wage war against the upstarts challenging their status-quos. Change is hard and our world is in constant flux now as technology forces us to change our ways.

As a business owner, I see and understand the needs, pressures and fears of established businesses and as an active participant in the constantly evolving new economy where technology is changing the business landscapes we operate under, I embrace changes in the business environment. Bottom line, we are in state of flux whereby technology is forcing us to reevaluate how we operate our businesses. Part of the change is our workforces who are evolving from fixed workforces concentrated in fixed-location to an ever-moving workforce without geographical limitations working virtually from virtual locations that are constantly changing, thus our companies’ are in constant flux as we look for ways to embrace the new business models while keeping the traditions alive.

Although it is easy to criticize the established businesses as the demagogues holding business evolution back we must remember that, it is they, the restaurants in this case, that spearheaded the safety and security of eating out. The Wall Street Occupiers and ancillary forces will most likely have us believe that the established restaurants are what keep us back. Restaurants pay taxes and fees to keep the public safe. The overhead of taxes, fees, rents and other necessary costs provide us with a place to congregate and eat our meals. These expenses make the price of a meal more expensive than the food trucks.

In the case of Kalbi Hau5, one of the partners of the endeavor was kind enough to share his experience with me. It costs him about $100 a day to park his truck at this location to serve his food, the majority going to the property’s landlord. Included in that is a $35.00 fine (fee) imposed by the city of Orlando for driving his truck on city property.

You see, the property he is parking his truck on is an empty lot, where a building once stood that does not have a drive way for a vehicle to drive up unto the lot. In other words, he must drive his truck over the sidewalk unto the lot that he is renting each day he parks at that location. He confided that the local restaurants are the ones forcing the daily fee upon him.

I understand the pressure the restaurants are feeling as they have to compete against a competitor whose overhead is much less than there’s. The economy is tight and the limited discretionary funds for meals make it even more important to keep prices as low as possible. I also see and embrace that business models need to evolve in order to be relevant in today’s evolving business climate. Without fully understanding the full political dynamics at play, in this instance, as I am very new to Orlando, from the little information that I have, I embrace Orlando’s handling of the situation.

If the restaurants are allowed to force an upstart to move on because of the disparity of overhead costs, we as consumers would be severely short-changed and limited in our ability to try something new. The upstarts, Kalbi Hau5 would probably be hindered in their ability to bring their culinary vision to us if they had to invest the monies necessary to establish themselves in a permanent location. On the other hand, should the upstarts be given carte-blanche to open up and move on, on a whim then the established businesses would eventually abandon their fixed locations and our only choices would be floating restaurants with little or no oversight.

It is not a perfect solution and I’m sure there is more to this then the limited information I have on hand, but the situation seems to serve everyone at the moment. I got to try and I enjoyed a delicious Spicy Pork burrito delivered by a movable kitchen that is giving me a Korean/Mexican fusion I probably would not have had the opportunity to try if not for them. It was wonderful to hear my native tongue, if only for a short moment, as my burrito was delivered to me. It was even more enjoyable to try my first Korean/Mexican fusion lunch and I will be on the hunt for Kalbi Hau5’s next location, hopefully they will be allowed to co-exist in downtown Orlando.