Is paying higher wages bad for Mexican workers?

San Miguel is increasingly pricey but expat generosity is hardly the chief culprit Last Sunday Stew and I stopped at Querétaro's "Mercado de Flores," a hangar-size paradise of all things gardening located next to the city cemetery, that sells plants, pots and other supplies at noticeable lower prices than nurseries in San Miguel. If you …

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I read no news today, oh boy!

Consuming lots of news can make you a more informed citizen—or a neurotic zombie If there were a Twelve Step program to alleviate an addiction to news, I might qualify for membership. I already have had to deal with two types of addictions—booze and nicotine—so it's not much of a stretch that my well-nigh obsessive, …

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Looking a lot like Christmas

In this tiny Mexican town with an unpronounceable name, Christmas is a serious year-round business If you get to visit this lovely town, and you should, you need to remember two things. Its name is Tlalpujahua and that's pronounced something like "Tlal-poo-háh-wa." Practice, so if instead going through Atlacomulco on the way to Tlalpujahua, you …

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Costa Rica: A bird of a very different feather

It continues to thrive while its neighbors remain mired in violence, poverty and corrupt politics This tiny Central American country can charm as well as puzzle you. Its dazzling biodiversity, which attracts 1.7 million tourists and $1.7 billion dollars in revenues yearly, is irresistible. The other, more surprising side of Costa Rica is how it …

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