Letter to our readers.

So cold February is now upon us, and as we trudge through this month of Saint Valentine, many of us may be asking, "Where has all the love gone?" At home in Mexico, irate farmers are doing their best Emiliano Zapata impersonation, storming the capital to protest U.S. agriculture subsidies and essentially all things Nafta. A debate on energy reform has already sent election-year lawmakers into chest-pounding nationalistic rants.

And abroad, it doesn't look much better U.S. warships are gathering in the Persian Gulf again, and at times it seems that the entire world--with the exception of a few trusty English buddies--is singing a chorus with a decidedly anti-American refrain. No one wants war; but when North Korea is jingoistically flaunting its nuclear capability and sticking its chin out somewhere over the Sea of Japan, it is easy to get discouraged.

So where is the love? Well, we do have a new U.S. ambassador to Mexico in Tony Garza, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts and shine a bit of optimism on these tests that face us as bilateral animals. American hero Rudolph Giuliani made his long-awaited visit to Mexico and addressed a crime problem that many call unsolvable.

Before you kind readers begin to think that our perspective is colored exclusively red white and blue, leaf a bit further into this edition and find our usual stable of international reporters, who stretch their legs in exploring high and low society. London native Rawdon Messenger donned his fatigues and entered a surrealist jungle haunt, and Belgian Tom Dieusaert strolled the streets of the Historic Center and discussed the nature of the informal economy with an ambulante shoe salesman. Illustrating it all are artists hailing from three continents, highlighted by coveted photographer Amanda Holmes treating us to the beauty of the world through her lens.

So there you have it, a view from different perspectives on this nascent ano in which the challenges did not take long to appear. If you find yourself overwhelmed by all the doomsday talk, help your Valentine onto an overnight bus to Acapulco. With the right combination of clear light and fruit drinks, you can still see the treasure ships coming and going in the bay, reminding us that a lot of gold lies out there for the taking.

God bless,

Matthew Brayman Editor