A bit of review for the fledgling botanists in the audience:

Fleshy Fruits:

Berries: including typical berries, pepos, and hesperidium (citrus)
Drupes.
Pomes.

Dry Fruits:

Dehiscent:
Legumes
Follicles
Capsules

Indehiscent:
Achene
Caryopsis (grasses)
Samara
Nut
Schizocarp

(Our mnemonic devices are related to our beloved felines: DeHISSants are Lazy Fucking Cats and IndeHISSants are Actual Cat Shit Nutty Schizocarps.) (Please note: The second mnemonic can also double as a derivation upon the work of Jackson Mac Low.)

Political Point of the Day: Yes, we are opposed to the execution of Saddam Hussein. Also we support the creation of a war crimes tribunal re: the case of American President George W. Bush versus the people of Iraq.

And finally, a few more notes about Revolutionary Mexico. Review: you know that the EZLN is the Zapitista Army of National Liberation and the APPO is The Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca. Oaxaca is pronounced Wa-ha-ka. Also you should know that the Olmecs were the first great civilization of Mexico and they flourished between 1200 BC and 400 BC. (compare with Plato, 427- 347 B.C.).

New things to remember:

Let's talk about the Zapotecs. They were from the area that is now the state of Oaxaca. The Zapotecs were at their peak from the 3rd Century to the 8th Century AD, but they had been around since about 200 B.C. The Zapotecs split into many groups, and dig this, there are at least 64 different Zapotec languages. Almost a half a million people still speak Zapotec. Zapotec languages are tonal (the pitch changes, like Chinese), and Zapotecs started off as farmers and many are farmers today.

Meanwhile, the bad news is that the people of Oaxaca are in a jam. There was an excellent excellent article in today's San Jose Mercury News. This was written by Mary Sanchez who also writes for the Kansas City Star. Please read this and distribute it. I am Lisa of Lisablog and I support this message:

Mexico's blood-stained struggle mostly ignored by U.S. media

By Mary Sanchez

Asked to name the country where a journalist was recently murdered, most people would say Iraq. Few would guess Mexico. But Mexico is where the most recent death, at least at this writing, has occurred.

Brad Will, a 36-year-old from New York, died with his video camera in his hands. He essentially recorded his own death. He was shot as he covered the protests that began in the spring in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Yes, that is right: protests now half a year in duration.

What began as an annual strike by teachers has escalated into a movement pitting citizens against the federal police. Protesters have taken over the university radio station, encamped by the thousands in the town square and stopped traffic coming in and out of the city.

The conflict belies the image of all able-bodied Mexicans running for the border -- desperate to take jobs in the United States picking vegetables, chopping chickens and changing sheets in hotels.

A tremendous number of Mexicans are very much fighting for change in their own country. This has always been the case. And until the country begins to resemble more of a democracy, it will continue to be true.

The efforts are massive compared to anything that has occurred in the United States in recent decades. For perspective, the much-cited 1963 March on Washington had an estimated crowd of 250,000 people. In Oaxaca, crowds have been put at nearly a million at their peak. In Mexico City this summer, the plaza adjacent to Los Pinos (Mexico's White House) was filled with up to a million protesters at times, and hundreds of thousands camped out for months in peaceful protest of the outcome of the presidential election.

In Oaxaca, the demands are similar. People are demanding the resignation of the governor of the state, believing he is corrupt and not representative of the people. But this level of social activism is not sustained over one issue, one candidate. Ultimately, what the people want is a deepening of democracy -- fairer elections, freer press, responsive government, public safety and jobs.

Photos in Oaxaca show people linked arm-in-arm marching through the streets. They have used syringes to draw their own blood, making crude signs for their protests.

Some have engaged in rock-throwing at police, but for the most part protesters are unarmed and peaceful.

Other images spark memories of Tiananmen Square. Among the images posted online is a photo of a protester standing in a calm faceoff with a line of police in full riot gear. Her face barely a breath away from their plastic riot shields.

This summer, state police were sent into Oaxaca. Protesters wouldn't disband. Last weekend, federal troops came armed with riot gear, tear gas, helicopters and water cannons.

Journalist/activist Brad Will was known for his work with independent media. Many suspect his killers were hired by, or at the very least supported by, the government. A teacher and a demonstrator were also killed that day. And reports are still unconfirmed, but most say at least six people have been killed in Oaxaca since May. Others have simply disappeared.

Surely, there is more room in the mainstream U.S. media for coverage.

Yet this morning, the television showed unending replays of Sen. John Kerry making thoughtless remarks about the education levels of our military. Last week, coverage was dominated by the blond with the come-hither pose in an ad against a black Senate candidate.

People do incredibly brave things every day in Mexico, far from the border where so much of the U.S. media attention is focused. And sadly, even those attempting to retell the stories sometimes die trying.

Posted by lisa jarnot at 6:59 PM EST | Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Updated: Monday, 6 November 2006 9:30 PM EST