Lost in translation...

This west-facing cathedral, the oldest one on the continent, saves me from the outside-- it's my point of reference in this entirely flat city that teases one's sense of direction despite the ultra-logical grid system (even numbered streets are north-south, odd numbered streets are east-west). After three weeks of walking in circles, I have my bearings.

Anyway, I walk by this cathedral daily, as it's on the Plaza Mayor, where everything happens-- music, vendors, flag raising (and lowering) ceremonies, park benches, hippie hacky-sack players, evangelists, news stands.

I read the Diario de Yucatán every day, as part of my independent study Spanish program (which, being rigourous, also involves lots of coffee). The Catholic Church gets its own page in the Editorial section-- ah, Mexico! A couple of weeks ago, there was a piece by Pope Benedict XVI on the press-- I quote this partly because I admire the clear prose and partly because the message is one I actually agree with:

"Iluminar las conciencias de los individuos y ayudar a formar su pensamiento nunca es tarea neutral. La comunicación auténtica demanda valor y decisión radicales y... la determinación de quienes trabajan en los medios."

If you want a rough but decent translation, copy and paste this text into Google Translator; then note that the last word means "media" (not "means" as mistranslated by Google; even so, it's a neat tool).