Tourism

Curious reasoning. The government of the Federal District of Mexico City states that gay weddings will stimulate tourism.

Bodas gay promoverán más turismo: GDF

Syria Cracks Open Its Frail Economy

Syria is accelerating its economic opening – boosting U.S. hopes that its tight relationship with Iran might be weakened.

For decades, Syria has been defined by its rigid socialist economy and its military ties to Iran against Israel and the West. Trade sanctions have taken a heavy toll: More than half the 16 jets in Syria's state airline can't fly for lack of spare parts.

The Baath Socialists were connected with the Baath Party of Iraq.

But President Bashar Assad – heir to his family's political dynasty – has started unshackling the economy by permitting private banks and insurers to open shop and by letting Syrians hold foreign currency without risk of being tossed in jail. In March, he opened Syria's first stock exchange. Nearby are a Ford showroom and a KFC restaurant.

A socialist dynasty; interesting term.

President Assad's changes face pushback at home. Top members of Syria's ruling Baath Party say he is betraying the socialist agenda of his father, Hafez Assad, who served as president for three decades before his death in 2000. Liberal economists, meanwhile, say he isn't going far enough.

Sounds familiar.

Colombia Is for the Birds

Fundacion ProAves, www.proaves.org - The yellow-eared parrot, at left, is an endangered parrot that nests on Colombia's national tree, the Quindio wax palm


Slideshow






The finch is one of the more unusual birds in Colombia, which has 1,871 bird species, more than any other country.

Mexico safe?

Las playas de Boca del Río, Veracruz, lucen abarrotadas por turistas nacionales y extranjeros. Los bañistas pudieron disfrutar de las tranquilas aguas del Golfo de México. Tis picture is from El Universal; it shows a beach in Veracruz. "Beaches of Boca del Rio, Veracruz, look crowded by tourists and foreigners. Bathers could enjoy the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico" Look how close the highway is to the beach.







A tourist police officer patrols a beach in Playas de Rosarito on March 30. (Baja)

Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of Baja California. (Reminds me of La Punta, Oaxaca)

The bay of Acapulco, the city that ex-CIA director George J. Tenet urged his son to avoid.

Paper flags in front of Parochia Church, San Miguel de Allende

Playa del Carmen on Mexico's Mayan Riviera. (Beautiful, but crowded)