Robert Walzer

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Robert Walzer

Collectors trek to all corners of the globe for rare finds, from diplomatic tags to the devilish 666; the Vatican City holy grailSome people dream of scaling a peak or writing a novel. Ethan Craft wants to collect at least one license plate from 500 global jurisdictions. The quest has taken the 27-year-old across the world in search of junkyards, antique stores and other collectors willing to trade plates. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

2 months ago | wsj.com | Robert Walzer

April 28, 2025 5:30 am ETUntil recently, Macario Martínez was one of the thousands of fluorescent-green uniformed street sweepers in Mexico City, toiling with their long-bristled brushes in 8-hour shifts for about $10 a day. Then came the video. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

2 months ago | elpasoinc.com | Robert Walzer

XOCHIMILCO, Mexico—A homely aquatic salamander with a cartoonish smile and the ability to regenerate lost body parts has become a global phenomenon, appearing as characters in Minecraft, Fortnite and Pokémon and inspiring a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. Where the axolotl can barely be found: in its natural habitat in Mexico.

Mar 29, 2025 | wsj.com | Robert Walzer

XOCHIMILCO, Mexico—A homely aquatic salamander with a cartoonish smile and the ability to regenerate lost body parts has become a global phenomenon, appearing as characters in Minecraft, Fortnite and Pokémon and inspiring a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. Where the axolotl can barely be found: in its natural habitat in Mexico.

Mar 29, 2025 | wsj.com | Robert Walzer

The axolotl (pronounced ah-SHO-lohtl) is hurtling toward extinction, just as it becomes globally familiar with a cottage industry using its image to sell beer, T-shirts and videogames. Scientists estimate that no more than 1,000—and perhaps as few as 50—are left in the wild in their last natural habitat, a Venice-like system of canals and islands built by the Aztecs that still exists in the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco.