KODIAK, Alaska (Wall Street Journal) -- On his latest trip to Alaska, Salvadoran consular official Luis Roberto Castellanos saw bear cubs, a killer whale and 200 natives of El Salvador who might lose their jobs in canneries here unless they solve their immigration problems.

A growing number of Mexicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Dominicans are working in the remote reaches of Alaska, frequently illegally, and cut off from the bulk of Latino immigrants in the U.S. They turn for help to "mobile consulates" -- collections of diplomats from their home countries who fly from barrio to barrio around the country.

Joel Millman

Mauricio Mejia, 23, has been in Kodiak, Alaska, for five years and works at one of the island's seafood companies, a major employer of Salvadorans.

These Latino circuit riders are experts in immigration law and lobbying. They press schools to offer bilingual instruction and persuade banks to accept foreign ID cards, called matrículas, in lieu of Social Security cards, so immigrants can open checking accounts. They also counsel migrant workers on the intricacies of U.S. immigration laws, including an array of regulatory loopholes that Central Americans might be able to use to stay in the U.S. even if they entered illegally. (Two legal grounds for staying: earthquake damage in home countries and fear of torture back home.)

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A leftist economist who called for Ecuador to cut ties with international lenders appeared to have easily won the presidency of this poor, politically unstable Andean nation, strengthening South America's tilt to the left.

Partial returns from Sunday's voting showed that Rafael Correa _ who has worried Washington with calls to limit foreign debt payments _ would join left-leaning leaders in Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela, where he is friends with anti-U.S. President Hugo Chavez.

"We receive this triumph with deep serenity and humility," the 43-year-old, who has an economics doctorate from the University of Illinois [Go Illini!], told a news conference. "When we take office it will finally be the Ecuadorean people who are assuming power."

In El Salvador, clean water is far from a guarantee.

Six members of the Myerstown-Elco Rotary Club plan to do their part to provide fresh water for one Salvadoran village when they travel there in February to assist in drilling a well.

“I have this burning desire in my heart to do something special for the people in El Salvador,” said Jim Hess, manager of Midway Trucking and a member of the club.

(From blogTO, a Toronto blog) ...Anyway, back to Etobicoke, where I crossed the street to check out Pupuseria Salvadorena.

The place itself was a bit of a scene - we got there around 11:30 am and there were five or so guys downing beers and shots and basically partying their Sunday morning away. That was kind of hilarious. Being a big fan of Emporio Latino in Kensington and Tacos El Asador at Bloor and Christie, I knew to expect cheap and tasty treats. My companion, a great fan of the rice milk drink horchata (kind of like liquid rice pudding), proclaimed the tipple here the best he's had in the city. The tamarindo was also really good. Beef tacos, at $7 for three, were tasty (if a bit chewy), each topped with a slice of fresh avocado and pico de gallo salsa. The pupusas, topped with lots of crunchy coleslaw and thin red hot sauce, were also satisfying, although I think Emporio Latino is still my favourite. The chicharron (pork cracklings) and yuca was dry and a waste of $5. But the reason I go to El Salavadorean places is the tamal, and this one was really good. Moist, with a touch of Mexican coriander. Soooo good, and so $2. All in all, if you ever find yourself hungry in the west end, I'd say very worth it.

2459 Finch Ave. West
(416) 743-4001