At least you knew where you stood with the Iron Sheik.

Mexico has a new breed of professional wrestler:

Maximo, Mexican professional wrestling's latest sensation, then delivers a crowning blow — a kiss on the lips of his macho opponent — to the delight of a roaring crowd. Maximo is one of the "Exotics," a group of effeminate fighters in the testosterone-fueled world of Mexico's Lucha Libre, . . . Known casually as "gay" wrestlers, Exotics have been around since the 1970s but are experiencing a wrestling revival. Their characters are strong, yet sensitive good guys overcoming evil, they say. But showing your soft side in the ring isn't as easy as it might look, Maximo says. "It's kind of hard playing this part, no? Especially because the sport is about being tough, rude and violent," he said. "But as long as the public loves us, we'll be there."

Maximo may be a bit creepy, but his quote illustrates an important lesson I learned once from a Quebecois cell-mate foreign exchange student. You can get almost anything you want by speaking in a foreign accent and adding an inquisitive "no?" at the end of all your sentences. Example: "You want I should stick this here, no?" -KD