Atención in the past tense
By Vicki Gundrum, Oct 20, 2006
Sometimes the past haunts, and always it informs. Here are a few highlights from past issues of Atención San Miguel.
Five years ago this week
(October 15, 2001)
The cover story on the construction of the glorieta at the Salida a Celaya intersection is proof that transit projects do begin, are completed and then evolve into different problems (thinking back on a 2005 Atención headline, “The glorieta of death”):
“Work at the intersection on the road to Celaya to build a traffic circle, or glorieta, starts Monday, October 15. According to the head of Public Works, Humberto Mota, the construction will take about five months. A meeting was held at City Hall to coordinate efforts of all departments involved in construction, from SAPASMA, to Telmex, Protección Civil and Transito Police.
“What will be in the center of the glorieta—a statue of San Miguel Arcángel, of Pipila, the hero of Mexican Independence, or of the dog who first found water in San Miguel—will be decided by the City Council, taking into account an opinion poll, says Mota.
Joe Ershun wrote of one woman’s reaction to the US bombing of Afghanistan:
“On one of San Miguel’s many beautiful Sunday afternoons, October 7, at the end of weeks of holiday celebrations, the day the US began bombing Afghanistan, the usually happy family crowds gathered in the Jardín witnessed a sobering event.…
“Unexpectedly, the world crisis invaded their insular world. A dignified, middle-aged woman, with a friendly, open but serious face, carrying a home-made placard, began a slow, dignified circle of the Jardín. The three-by-four-feet handwritten sign said “NO WAR PRES. BUSH.” The woman did not hide behind a veil of anonymity. At the bottom of the placard was her signature in bold script, Garland Harris.
“Hers was not the first peace demonstration in San Miguel since the crisis began with the horrendous terrorist bombing in New York September 11. That same week there was a peace demonstration by Mexicans in Juarez Park, and earlier there was a joint Mexican–American peace vigil involving hundreds who wore peace doves and sang songs, led by an American and a Mexican priest.
“But this was different—singular—one person, one woman and her need to express her cry for peace. Singular, yes, and spontaneous! No committee, no planning. Just her.”
This issue of Atención San Miguel included four pages of classified ads and 39 total pages and cost 5 pesos.
Ten years ago this week
(October 21, 1996)
An article—headlined “Cure, Don’t Kill”—about the recently held Sanmiguelada reports: “The Sanmiguelada took its toll of disorder and injury during the recent festivities, but the cure is not to eliminate it altogether but to impose some order and control over events, heretofore rather chaotic, not to mention some way of making it monetarily remunerative. So opines Jaime Morno Arriaga, fiesta brava aficionado for the past 25 years…. There should also be some control over the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The best and not the worst of Pamplona should be the model to be emulated.”
A box notes the schedule for 16 weekly 12-step meetings in San Miguel, including one intriguing session: Artists in Recovery. Today there are 27 scheduled meetings in a week.
A real estate ad reports that “some of the land in Los Balcones has been opened for a few fine Mexican homes. Four select homes are under construction. One is for sale.”
Another real estate ad, “Residensias San Miguel,” promotes a 3-bedroom, 2 ½-bath home, with garage, terrace, bóveda ceilings. “Must see, view, good construction. $124K.”
Another article recounts the slide of the Mexican peso: “The peso last Friday fell to its lowest level of the year—$7.80 to the dollar. The week-long drop was fueled by investor anxiety about Mexico’s economy after the government cancelled a long-planned privatization of Mexico’s petrochemical industry. The peso had been more or less stable at around 7.52 to the dollar during the summer. In San Miguel it had strengthened a little to about 7.3. There were predictions from some that the currency would continue to drop, perhaps reaching 12.5 American cents by the end of December. If that occurred, the peso would have, in a nostalgic sense, come full circle. With the ‘old’ pesos, that was the exchange rate 40 years ago. On the other hand a Mexican Treasury spokesman said, ‘The float system we’re using for the peso is working well. It’s not in free fall. The peso is adjusting to the level the market dictates.’”
This issue of Atención included four pages of classifieds and 40 total pages and cost 5 pesos.
Twenty years ago this week
(October 24, 1986)
In a column called “Small Talk,” a contributor named Hindi was “happy to report that most prices have dropped since two years ago. Where in the world could you cruise a city in a cab for only 50 cents??? And where could you dine on gourmet food, from soup to flan, and everything delicioso in between, for only $2.00 US?” Prices dropping?!? That was a long time ago.
Also in the paper that week was a USA-TODAY-style graphic that shows that, for the first time, soft drinks had overtaken good old water as our most popular beverage.
In the USA today, former President Bill Clinton is leading a campaign to remove soft drinks from the vending machines in public schools.
Here is some old time Garden Club News that could still help your plants (assuming it ever stops raining):
“Tips for November”: Plant small annuals in garden; vegetable seeds in flats; move seedlings to larger flats. Plant trees and bushes when dormant.
“Fertilize trees with bonemeal, also iris. As in October, remove faded rose petals only, leaving ‘hips’ through December.
“In general, withhold water from Crown of Thorn plants, cactus and succulents, bougainvillea, jacaranda trees and vines in general. Reduce water for roses and geraniums. Lift dahlia bulbs unless they are to be left through winter, and protect delicate plants from frost. Prepare earth and let it rest.”
This issue of Atención included three pages of classifieds and 26 total pages and cost 200 pesos—this was before the 1993 revaluation of the peso.
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