Borderland Beat
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From Otis:
From Otis:
Otis: On another note, this will be my last article for Borderland Beat. I have at times enjoyed translating and writing articles for this site, and have enjoyed having some of the other reporters and forum members as colleagues. I wish everyone, readers and staff well for the future and hope that Borderland Beat goes from the strength to strength. My reasons for leaving are my own and are not up for discussion. To Chivis, you will always remain my friend, I hold you in the highest esteem, you are a true warrior for the truth and I think you certainly deserve an award for services to journalism. To those who have helped me with information and have collaborated with me such as narcomics, thank you immensely for your support.
From Chivis:
Readers,
Losing a reporter like Otis is a huge loss, and one that will have a great impact/deficit, especially at this time.
Otis, was our reporter in England, who has devoted incalculable hours, researching, and translating articles for Borderland Beat, for the English speaking viewership.
I will say, that the smarmy, unnecessary, and unwarranted, pokes and slams sent in against Otis would affect his enthusiasm.It affects all of us. We never mind a correction or a comment challenging a fact presented, as long as it is corroborated by supporting information. Sending an opinion without a personal attack is welcome. But to personally attack someone, for the sake of being spiteful is wrong and should not find a home here at BB.
Otis leaned Spanish in Spain. Spain and Mexican Spanish present differently, Otis deserves big kudos for the outstanding job he has done in translations, even the long ass articles from Zeta.
We are all volunteers at BB. No one has ever received a payment of any type, since Buggs created this blog in 2009.
It is difficult attaining people to devote time, without pay. Reporters do it out of a love for Mexico, usually with a deep connection to the country, either living within its borders, or closely connected to it. We get tired of the canned, woeful presentation of narco news published outside its borders, and volunteering at BB in an effective way, to suppresse our frustration and disappointment at the lack of honest news without full disclosure. Here at BB, we can help present the truth, without compromise and without censorship.
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My foundation work is what took me to Mexico, setting up my offices in Coahuila 13 plus years ago. I was pretty much clueless about the Mexican Drug War. If I had narco knowledge, clearly I would not have set up shop smack in the middle of a hot zone. After enduring a shootout between Zetas and the Mexican Marina, outside my offices, I was a quick study.
Yes, sometime our syntax, or translations, maybe less than perfect, but; a) we are not pros, and b) we would rather spend our time researching, than making corrections. Although we have had a few professional writers volunteer over the years, we are, for the most part, of other professions. We come from various backgrounds, Engineer/architect, Attorneys, professors, students, law enforcement, and me, owner of an International Business for three decades, and operating our family 501C3 foundation for the last 13 years.
DD and I are neighbors in Mexico, relatively speaking, in the vast land of Mexico we are less than 2 hrs away from each other.
Some of you may have noticed my diminished activity at BB. It was not by choice, it is due to real life intervening. I have been very ill for a couple of months. I prefer not to share my condition, but I will say I am now dependent on the kindness of others to get through life, and can no longer travel. It sucks BIG TIME. BUT, I now am able to type good enough again, so I am hopeful I can and will get better. Time will tell. It has been my good friend DD that has carried the ball.
I will say we desperately need contributors. The blog cannot meet its demands without committed participation, and that cannot come from one or two people.
If you can help out, PLEASE contact DD or myself. We ask for a minimum of 3 articles a week. We need 7 reporters at that rate.
Otis, my dear friend, keep in touch, may you be blessed with success and happiness always, and thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your contributions.
Remember, the BB welcome mat is not going to be retrieved, and your name will remain on the BB reporter roll, so anytime you want to post something, we welcome you.
Chivis