Como unos ratas

Watched this video of a protest in Reynosa, Mexico yesterday. I feel like the news of violence in Mexican border towns of Reynosa, Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo has gone practically unnoticed. And I’m sorry, but as many as 12 people died in Reynosa yesterday, but our top stories are about dead chimps and Bristol Palin enduring motherhood.OK, and stimulus money. But still, you know what? These are our next door neighbors.

[Alex Jones/The Monitor]
A statement from the Mexican government said seven security officers and five gunmen had been killed. However, witnesses said a pair of middle school students attempting to flee the violence also were killed.

Space debris/meteor/UFO streaks across Texas sky

OK, so it was the talk of the Sunday news: a fireball falling from the sky was seen all across Texas. I’m somewhat resistant to report that I was still sleeping at the time of the spotting, but there, now you know. Some descriptions we received on our tip e-mail described it as a “”very bright orange/purple object streak across the sky to the north” and “a bright glowing egg-shape with an orange center and bluish outer aura.”

Apparently the glowing fireball left a smoke trail behind it that lasted more than 15 minutes before it the smoke cleared up.

The immediate speculation was that the mysterious glowing object was in fact an UFO. Those theorists were quickly reminded of the Russian and U.S. Satellites that crashed nearly a week earlier. The new identity of the fireball: “space debris.”

Thank God for the Austin Marathon! A News 8 cameraman was in the perfect position while taping the marathon: he caught video of the space debris burning bright.

Between then and now the media has figured out that the debris was, in fact, a meteor. And that it’s the size of a pick-up truck and consistency of concrete. Thanks, North Texas astronomer.