On the Beatnik trail in Mexico City

Mexico City was a magnet in the 1950s for some of America's greatest Beat Generation writers —Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and others.

Many of their old haunts in Mexico's capital have now faded. But fans of the Beats can still find traces of their sojourns here — in cafes and cantinas, along boulevards and even at the site of an infamous killing.

The Beats came to Mexico City seeking a refuge from mainstream America in what they saw as a magical and alien land south of the border. They were searching for enlightenment, and sometimes fleeing criminal cases. Their stomping ground was the Roma district, a once-wealthy neighborhood of mansions that was in decline by the time Kerouac and Burroughs lived there….go to original article

A pregnant 10-year-old, allegedly raped by her stepfather, has become the latest lightning rod in the country's heated abortion debate.

The girl's stepfather has been arrested. But advocates on both sides of the issue say their battle is just beginning.

"This girl is much more than an isolated case," said Adriana Ortiz-Ortega, a researcher at Mexico's National Autonomous University who has written two books on abortion in Mexico, "and there is much more influence now from conservative groups that are trying to prevent the legalization of abortion."….go to original article

Mexico is offering a package of tax and mortgage extensions and loans for the border city of Mexicali, after a 7.2-magnitude quake April 4 killed two people, damaged buildings and flooded some land with saline water.

President Felipe Calderon says businesses and taxpayers in Mexicali and the nearby city of San Luis Rio Colorado will get extensions on tax deadlines….go to original article

When Margarita Zavala, the wife of Mexico’s president, is reminded that newspapers here all ran front-page photographs of her attending a recent memorial service for two university students killed in drug violence, she frowns just slightly.

In the past few months, this discreet first lady has taken on a public role consoling the families of victims as Mexico’s drug war claims a growing number of innocent lives. But she had not planned for her expressions of solidarity, as she called them — the phone calls, the unpublicized visits — to become so visible.

“I don’t like to do it in a very public way because it is something very personal,” she said Wednesday in an interview in her study. “I think it’s really important, for somebody, for a mother to feel that she is not alone.” ….go to original article

 Mexico’s top education official defended public school sex education Friday from criticism by a Roman Catholic bishop who said such teachings make celibacy vows more difficult for priests to keep.

Education Secretary Alonso Lujambio told reporters that public-school sexual education texts ‘‘seek to make our boys and girls responsible, to take responsibility for their actions, and for that they need information.’’ ….go to original article 

In Mexico, artists pay taxes with painting

The government of Mexico has accepted work from artists in lieu of income tax since 1957, and it's resulted in a collection of over 4,000 works.

It's tax day, and many Americans may be scrambling to file their taxes and fork over a chunk of money to the federal government. But imagine if, instead of paying taxes in the form of money, you could give the government a piece of art. That's the arrangement in Mexico, where the government has been allowing artists to offer pieces of art instead of paying income tax since 1957. It's resulted in a masterful art collection housed and displayed in Mexico City. ….go to original article

 US ambassador: violence may hit Mexico investment

The U.S. ambassador to Mexico says drug violence is affecting the willingness of foreign companies to invest in the country.

Carlos Pascual says the violence is "perhaps the biggest threat to our shared economic success."

He says that "unchecked, violence and instability could cause corporations to rethink their business strategy of locating in Mexico."

The ambassador spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in the northern city of Monterrey.….go to original article

The number of kidnappings in Mexico in the first three years of President Felipe Calderon's regime have risen by 90 percent, official statistics reveal.

A total of 2,593 kidnapping complaints were filed during former president Vicente Fox's 2000-2006 term, while 2,455 kidnappings were reported in 2007-2009, the first three years of the Calderon administration, which started on Dec 1, 2006, the statistical report said. ….go to original articl

Michelle Obama Arrives In Mexico

Michelle Obama has arrived in Mexico on her first solo visit to the country as first lady.

Mrs. Obama is spending Wednesday and Thursday in the capital of Mexico City on a visit that is part goodwill tour and in part to roll out an international agenda centered on engaging young people around the world……go to original article

U.S., Canada, Mexico OK nuke security pact

WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- The United States, Canada and Mexico agreed to work together to convert fuel at Mexico's research nuclear reactor, the White House announced Tuesday.

The announcement came as the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington concluded. The project will be completed under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency…..go to original article

Mexico To Convert Reactor To Low Enriched Uranium

Mexico To Convert Reactor To Low Enriched Uranium, Will Work With US And Canada

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mexico is saying it will work with the United States and Canada to convert its highly enriched uranium reactor, removing the potential bomb-making materials….go to original article

.

 

 

  

---

1^St Jaltemba Foundation Home Tour      

         Benefits Local Projects

                          © Tara A. Spears

It was a perfect tropical day for strolling through beautiful homes admiring the stunning designs and innovative décor. Lots of ‘oohs and ahhs’ accompanied by camera clicks as the participants were guided by the homeowner to note special features. “It’s so interesting how each home is so different,” said Maureen who was on vacation from Canada. “I’ll certainly go on another tour next year.”  The event net proceed of $19,365 pesos supports the ongoing charity work of Cancer de Mama, Jaltemba Cup, Robert Howell Memorial Fund, Fashion Show scholarships, Margarita Challenge Education & Family Fund, Ana’s Kids, LaPenita RV Park Fund, and the Fran Milski Education Fund throughout the year.

To read more click here 

---

Los Amigos de La Peñita and the Jaltemba Economic Development Initiative Join Forces

 

Two volunteer groups working to improve the lives of the citizens of Jaltemba Bay have agreed to join together.  At it’s meeting of April 12^th, Los Amigos approved a motion to expand its services to the community to include economic development initiatives and to form an Economic Development Committee that will initially be led by Agneta Dyck, Marilyn Miller, Piedad Ayón Velasco and Laura Aguilar – the Executive of the Jaltemba Economic Development Initiative, which was formerly known as Martes Women.

 

Jaltemba Economic Development Initiative was formed in response to an awareness of apparent and increasing poverty in the Jaltemba Bay area.  The group’s research clearly showed that there was no structured approach to economic development for this region.  They decided to focus on socio-economic projects that would address both poverty and the reasons for poverty, providing a long-term, sustainable solution.  They also decided that their primary focus would be jobs for women, especially as they learned of the large number of single mothers and the high rate of unemployment among women.  By impacting this, we felt that a project could significantly raise the social and economic profile of the community. Their research also suggested that a focus on agri-business would benefit the entire region.

 

The goal of the Economic Development Committee is to create employment by attracting for-profit corporations, non-profit ventures that would create year-round job opportunities for women and their families.

 

“Our goal is to create employment by attracting for-profit corporations, non-profit ventures, government grants or a combination of the three, that would create year-round job opportunities for women and their families,” said Agneta Dyck, the Chair of the new Committee.  “Los Amigos has already established a good reputation in the community and has credibility with local political leaders.  I am confident that working together will help us achieve our goals.”

 

Planning is already underway for the group’s initial project – the production of mango salsa.  The project is being made possible through the generous donation of the Xaltemba restaurant’s kitchen facilities through the summer and it is hoped that the project will create four jobs.

 

“The focus of Los Amigos has always been on social projects – our education committee and our scholarship fund – or on projects with an ecological bent – our plastics recycling program, the EcoPark, and our beach cleanups,” said International President Ken Snyder. “We are excited about this first venture into the economic development field.”

 

“The committee has already received a letter of support from the Comisariado Ejidal of La Penita de Jaltemba,” added Zobeida Barrera Lozano, National President.  “We’re pleased to be involved in projects that will create jobs for the people of our community.”

 

For more information on Los Amigos and the Jaltemba Economic Development Initiative, please go to: http://www.losamigosdelapenita.com/en/index.html

---

Letter to Editor

Jaltemba Foundation doing a good job

Dear Mr(s) Editor,

I have been involved with local JB charities in a minimal way for several years. I gotta say, the Jaltemba Foundation has accomplished a couple things I have dreamed of for years. One thing is they have done the leg work to get registered as a non-profit organization. I don’t have to worry that if I give them money they can get in trouble with the government questioning them about it being personal income. Also, I can write it off on my income tax so I have a little more I can give. The other great thing they have done is set up a Paypal account which helps me get the money where it is needed. If I have a few extra dollars I log into Paypal and they get the money instantly. I print a receipt for my tax records and everything is done neat and clean. What a change from years past! Hopefully other local groups will follow their lead and do the same.

Bawbby

 

Xaltemba's Summer Hours

Dot & Bill,

Thank you for all the support you've given us this season.

We have been fortunate to have had a great season and your support was a substantial help.As of tomorrow the new days and hours  are: 
Closed: Monday - Wednesday evenings
Open: Tianguis Thursday for Breakfast & Lunch until 1 pm 
Dinner: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 

Next Sunday, April 18 we have a special Cabaret Show to say good-bye to all our season residents heading back North. 

Eddie Dominguez
Xaltemba Restaurant & Galería
Salina Cruz #4
La Peñita de Jaltemba

Mexico Paving New Future for Devil's Backbone
Chris Hawley - USA Today
go to original
April 26, 2010

 

The world's second-highest bridge being built at the Baluarte Gorge.

Palmito, Mexico — Mexican legend says when the Archangel Michael threw Satan out of Heaven, his broken spine formed a jagged ridge that winds across Mexico's Sierra Madre: the Devil's Backbone.

The mountainous terrain that surrounds this serpentine road has another story: one of bloodshed and poverty.

Farms in the thickly forested area here are a major source of marijuana and opium cultivation and the cartels that control the drug trade use gruesome violence to settle scores. The people who live here have few choices for work given that no highways and the commerce they bring have penetrated the Sierra Madre.

But the Devil's Backbone is undergoing surgery. The Mexican government has launched a massive road construction project to straighten and modernize the road, an engineering feat that will require 63 tunnels and 32 bridges, including the world's second-highest road bridge.

The new highway will provide easy access to and from the Pacific Coast, its ports and tourist destinations, cutting the drive time from 8 hours to 2½ hours. Mexican authorities say the faster ride will open up industrial cities to the region, maybe even persuade carmakers and other companies that pay good wages to supplant the drug trade.

"The more jobs we can bring to these areas, the more we'll reduce crime — I'm a true believer in that," said Nicolás Velíz, a tunneling supervisor.

Velíz and others hope the new road will also make it easier for police to access the lawless mountains and establish order, rebutting claims that the road will become a drug superhighway.

"I think it's going to bring more security," says Ernesto Gómez Chacón, the town administrator in nearby Pueblo Nuevo.

Completion set for 2012

The old Devil's Backbone road is the only crossing through the Western Sierra Madre mountains for 500 miles and it runs through some of the most remote parts of Sinaloa and Durango states.

When the three-year project is done in 2012 it will create a 45-mile stretch of modern road between the Pacific Coast city of Mazatlan and the interior city of Durango. About 11 miles will be underground and its total 95 bridges and tunnels dwarfs the seven tunnels stretching 4½ miles of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, known as America's "Tunnel Highway."

"This is going to be a marvel, something really world class," said construction manager Miguel Angel Ramírez, as he stood at the edge of the 1,280-foot-high Baluarte Gorge, which lies along the route.

Later this year crews will start on a span across the gorge, creating a bridge so high that the Empire State Building could fit under it.

The first road along the Devil's Backbone opened in the 1940s. The terrain was so rugged that construction crews had to bring in supplies by mule train.

"Now we're trying to do in three years what it took them 15 years to do," said Ernesto González, a construction supervisor on the new road.

Construction of the Mazatlan-Durango highway began in 2005, but work on the toughest stretch through the Sierra Madre began only last year. Most of the tunnels are already being dug, including the 1.6-mile Sinaloense Tunnel, the longest on the route. Workers are also excavating a tunnel parallel to the Sinaloense to be used as an escape route in case of emergencies.

The most challenging part of the highway is the Baluarte Bridge on the border of Sinaloa and Durango states, González said. With its roadway 1,280 feet above the Baluarte River, it will be the world's second-highest highway bridge after the 1,550-foot-high Sidhue River Bridge in China, according to HighestBridges.com, which ranks such structures.

Drug gangs occasionally set up roadblocks in the area to protect shipments or drug crops, check for rivals or shake down residents. And in other parts of Mexico cartels have begun blocking main highways to keep police from sending reinforcements during gunfights.

So far there have been no run-ins between construction crews and drug traffickers, Ramírez said.

"I'm sure they're out there, but we don't bother with them and they don't bother with us," Ramírez said.

That has not been the case with the people in the region, where the thickly forested mountains are full of clandestine farms growing marijuana and opium, the raw ingredient in heroin, as well as airstrips used to move cocaine shipments northward.

In Pueblo Nuevo, a province encompassing many villages on the east side of the Baluarte Gorge, suspected traffickers killed three teenagers in February and sprayed a town hall building with assault rifles. In March they gunned down 10 people, ages 8 to 21, for failing to stop at a checkpoint they had set up on a road near Los Naranjos, population 600.

In a village on the other side of the gorge, traffickers kidnapped and killed a man in September and another in January.

Drug-related murders doubled in Sinaloa from 2006 to 2009, and in Durango state they shot up by 900%, according to a tally by the Reforma newspaper. (Sinaloa had 350 in 2006, 767 in 2009. Durango had 64 in 2006, 637 in 2009). The U.S. State Department has urged Americans not to travel to Durango state because of the danger.

Currently the closest federal police stations and military bases are hours away so drug traffickers operate with impunity, using murder and torture to silence villagers and keep weak local police forces at bay. They also dabble in highway robbery, ambushing vehicles as they crawl along the Devil's Backbone road, said Gómez.

The new road will be high-speed, well-lit and patrolled by federal police cruisers, the Mexican Transportation Department says. Military reinforcements will be able to move more easily through the mountains to deter drug smugglers, it says.

"We won't be so isolated from the authorities any more," Gómez said.

And that may help turn people away from the drug trade, officials hope.

"With development of this type, people will have less reason to turn to illicit activities," said Alma Larrañaga, a spokeswoman for Mexico's Transportation Department.

Eager for development

A real highway to the Pacific means the hundreds of thousands of people living in the central part of the country north of Mexico City will be able to drive to Pacific Coast vacation spots like Mazatlán. Along the way they will need to stop for a variety of goods, people hope.

In Palmito, population 788, residents are eagerly anticipating motorists who might stop in their town to buy gas, eat or visit nearby attractions like the Pope's Peak, a rock formation that looks like a man with his hands folded in prayer.

"It's already brought a lot of work. You see people going down to Mazatlán to shop and coming back with all these new things they've bought," said Sandra Quinteros, a nurse at the town's clinic.

And many townsfolk are getting good construction jobs on the project.

"It's going to be good. The people here need this."

And even greater hope is industrial jobs. During an event in Palmito this month, Durango Gov. Ismael González Deras said he's hoping the new highway will encourage Asian manufacturers to open factories in his state because of the easier connection to the Pacific Ocean.

His government has purchased 4,300 acres near the highway for a new industrial park. Sinaloa Gov. Jesús Aguilar predicted a boom in traffic at Mazatlán's seaport.

Experts cautioned against too much optimism.

Traffickers are deeply entrenched in the Sierra Madre, and the region is vast. It could take years before new development puts a dent in the drug trade, said Gerardo López Cervantes, director of the economics department at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa.

"It's not going to change overnight," López Cervantes said.

Says Velíz, "If we don't give these mountain people any options than to be criminals, then that's what they'll be."

 

Riviera Nayarit Sayulita's Classic Longboard Surf Contest

 

 

From sayulita

Click the above image to view slideshow of surfing event

 

Mexico Launches Anti-Human-Trafficking Campaign
IBNS
go to original
April 17, 2010

Blue Hearts against human trafficking

Mexico became the first country to launch a national version of the United Nations-led "Blue Heart" campaign against human trafficking, which is regarded as one of the most lucrative forms of illegal activity for criminal groups.

"I admire Mexico's leadership in fighting this modern slavery demonstrated through its strong commitment to the 'Blue Heart' campaign," said Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which spearheaded the global campaign.

"Since almost everything we consume has been stained by the blood, sweat and tears of trafficking victims, we have a shared responsibility to act," Costa added, saying that taking action against human trafficking is not just the responsibility of governments.

As part of Mexico's launch, more than a dozen emblematic buildings were lit up in blue across the capital, Mexico City, in a symbolic act to raise awareness about the Blue Heart campaign.

More than 2.4 million people - up to 80 per cent women and girls - are currently being exploited as victims of human trafficking, either for sexual or labour exploitation, the UN has said. Other forms of human trafficking include domestic servitude, the removal of organs and the exploitation of children.

"I was blindfolded and forced into a car," a Guatemalan child told the UN Information Service in Vienna (UNIS).

The girl - just six years old at the time - was forcibly removed from her home by a child trafficking ring and taken to a brothel in Cancun. She is now taking refuge in a shelter for human trafficking survivors in Mexico City.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called last week for strengthened global cooperation and more innovation in the battle against organized crime.

He also urged governments to ratify and implement the 10-year-old UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three additional Protocols, which aim to suppress trafficking in persons, the smuggling of migrants, and the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms and ammunition.

In June, Spain is expected be the next country to join the Blue Heart global awareness campaign.

---

Views from My Tropical Garden    ©Tara A. Spears

Warm climate gardening tips

In the northern latitudes, April is the time to prepare your garden beds, plant seeds, prune perennial plants, and clean/sharpen your gardening tools in order to be ready for the end of May planting season.  Not so in the tropics!  Here it is height of the growing season where watering, weeding, and harvesting  are the required gardening tasks.  It is not the time to put out seeds unless you are ready to really baby them. In the tropics, the best time to plant seeds or put out new plants is October/November, when the sun is a little farther away and less intense.  Although I moved into my newly constructed home in July, I had to wait until October to plant the palms and other larger plants in the ground: during the intervening time, I had to content myself with established plants in decorative pots. 

Continued click here

Latest State Department Warnings

April 12, 2010

The Department of State has issued this Travel Warning to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and living in Mexico of concerns about the security situation in Mexico, and that the authorized departure of dependents of U.S. government personnel from U.S. consulates in the Northern Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros has been extended until May 12. Family members of U.S. government personnel assigned to other areas of Mexico outside the Mexican border states are not affected by this departure measure.  This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning of March 14, 2010, to note the extension of authorized departure.

While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including tens of thousands who cross the land border daily for study, tourism or business and nearly one million U.S. citizens who live in Mexico), violence in the country has increased. It is imperative that U.S. citizens understand the risks in Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and who to contact if victimized. Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.

Recent violent attacks have prompted the U.S. Embassy to urge U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to parts of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua states (see details below) and advise U.S. citizens residing or traveling in those areas to exercise extreme caution. Drug cartels and associated criminal elements have retaliated violently against individuals who speak out against them or whom they otherwise view as a threat to their organizations. These attacks include the abduction and murder of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua.

Violence Along the U.S. - Mexico Border

Mexican drug cartels are engaged in violent conflict - both among themselves and with Mexican security services - for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border. To combat violence, the Government of Mexico has deployed military troops throughout the country. U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.

Some recent confrontations between Mexican authorities and drug cartel members have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area. The U.S. Mission in Mexico currently restricts its U.S. government employees’ travel within the state of Durango, the northwest quadrant of the state of Chihuahua and an area southeast of Ciudad Juarez, and all parts of the state of Coahuila south of Mexican Highways 25 and 22 and the Alamos River. This restriction was implemented in light of a recent increase in assaults, murders, and kidnappings in those three states.

The situation in northern Mexico remains fluid; the location and timing of future armed engagements cannot be predicted. Recently, the cities of Durango and Gomez Palacio in the state of Durango, and the area known as “La Laguna” in the state of Coahuila, which includes the city of Torreon, experienced sharp increases in violence. In late 2009 and early 2010, four visiting U.S. citizens were murdered in Gomez Palacio, Durango. These and several other unsolved murders in the state of Durango have caused particular concern.

A number of areas along the border continue to experience a rapid growth in crime. Robberies, homicides, petty thefts, and carjackings have all increased over the last year across Mexico, with notable spikes in Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and northern Baja California. Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities that have experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues. Criminals have followed and harassed U.S. citizens traveling in their vehicles in border areas including Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Tijuana. Travelers on the highways between Monterrey and other parts of Mexico to the United States (notably through Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros) have been targeted for robbery and violence and have also inadvertently been caught in incidents of gunfire between criminals and Mexican law enforcement. Such incidents are more likely to occur at night but may occur at any time.

The situation in the state of Chihuahua, specifically Ciudad Juarez, is of special concern. The U.S. Consulate General recommends that American citizens defer non-essential travel to the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of Ciudad Juarez and to the northwest quarter of the state of Chihuahua including the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities. From the United States, these areas are often reached through the Columbus, NM, and Fabens and Fort Hancock, TX, ports of entry. In both areas, American citizens have been victims of drug-related violence.

Mexican authorities report that more than 2,600 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez in 2009. Additionally, this city of 1.3 million people experienced more than 16,000 car thefts and 1,900 carjackings in 2009. U.S. citizens should pay close attention to their surroundings while traveling in Ciudad Juarez, avoid isolated locations during late night and early morning hours, and remain alert to news reports. Visa and other service seekers visiting the Consulate are encouraged to make arrangements to pay for those services using a non-cash method.

U.S. citizens are urged to be alert to safety and security concerns when visiting the border region. Criminals are armed with a wide array of sophisticated weapons. In some cases, assailants have worn full or partial police or military uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles. While most crime victims are Mexican citizens, the uncertain security situation poses serious risks for U.S. citizens as well. U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are urged to contact the consular section of the nearest U.S. consulate or Embassy for advice and assistance. Contact information is provided at the end of this message.

Crime and Violence Throughout Mexico

U.S. citizens traveling throughout Mexico should exercise caution in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times. Bystanders have been injured or killed in violent attacks in cities across the country, demonstrating the heightened risk of violence in public places. In recent years, dozens of U.S. citizens living in Mexico have been kidnapped and most of their cases remain unsolved. U.S. citizens who believe they are being targeted for kidnapping or other crimes should notify Mexican law enforcement officials and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City or the nearest U.S. consulate as soon as possible. Any U.S. visitor who suspects they are a target should consider returning to the United States immediately. U.S. citizens should be aware that many cases of violent crime are never resolved by Mexican law enforcement, and the U.S. government has no authority to investigate crimes committed in Mexico.

U.S. citizens should make every attempt to travel on main roads during daylight hours, particularly the toll ("cuota") roads, which generally are more secure. When warranted, the U.S. Embassy and consulates advise their employees as well as private U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas, abstain from driving on certain roads because of dangerous conditions or criminal activity, or recommend driving during daylight hours only. When this happens, the Embassy or the affected consulate will alert the local U.S. citizen Warden network and post the information on their respective websites, indicating the nature of the concern and the expected time period for which the restriction will remain in place.

U.S. citizen visitors are encouraged to stay in the well-known tourist areas. Travelers should leave their itinerary with a friend or family member not traveling with them, avoid traveling alone, and check with their cellular phone service providers prior to departure to confirm that their cell phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G international networks. Do not display expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items. Travelers to remote or isolated hunting or fishing venues should be aware of their distance from appropriate medical, law enforcement, and consular services in an emergency situation.

Víctor Mayén - The News
go to original
April 15, 2010

To register a number, cell phone users can check www.renaut.gob.mx for details.

Mexico City – National Action Party (PAN) and Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) senators said on Wednesday that the injunction granted to Telcel is a challenge to the Mexican State.

They said it was inappropriate that Telcel resorted to legal procedures so that the cell phones of its users who did not register with the National Registry of Mobile Users (Renaut) would not be suspended because this is openly violating the law.

Alejandro Zapata Perogordo, president of the Legislative Studies Committee and member of the PAN, condemned Telcel for turning to a judicial alternative to look for an extension. He said that this decision only took into consideration the economic aspect and did not consider the fact that Renaut is a tool that aims to fight kidnapping and extortion.

Tomás Torres Mercado, a member of the Communications and Transportations Commission and PRD senator, said that even though the action of Telcel was legal, the district attorney who granted the extension is “illegitimate” because this decision affects the social interest that constitutes Renaut, which is to protect cell phone user from crimes.

He also said that it was highly impertinent of Telcel to enact a lawsuit.

“It is a challenge to the Mexican state from the carrier. I believe that it was an impertinence from them, an absolute impertinence. After all, it ought to have chosen to sit down and talk things over with the Federal Telecommunications Commission (Cofetel) or with the Interior Secretariat and look for a consensus, an administrative agreement with the Cofetel and not a lawsuit,” he said.

The senators called on Telcel to collaborate with the social effort and to contribute to guaranteeing the peace and security that Mexicans need.

For his part, Héctor Osuna, head of the Cofetel, said that there were an estimated 10,000 to 50,000 cell phones registered under public figures’ names. He also said that these figures are not significant in comparison to the number unauthentic I.D. cards or college diplomas.

Osuna said that they are debating whether Movistar will be sanctioned for not suspending the services of those that did not register with Renaut on time. As long as this carrier is not granted an injunction, it is technically breaking the law.

Migrants Risk Everything in Arizona Desert Crossing
Jeb Sprague -Inter Press Service
go to original
April 18, 2010

	This is a NAFTA border. Money moves freely, people with money do too, but the poor are pushed into a dangerous cycle of crossing the desert. - Connie Romero

Nogales, Mexico - As he drops his last purification tablet into a pail of swirling, murky water, Sergio, 26, stares out toward the desert. Recently deported from Arizona, where he has a young child and where he has lived for the majority of his life, he explains, "I have to return, it's my home."

Lacking official U.S. documentation, Sergio, like other undocumented migrants is unable to get a driver's license. Using a fake ID, he was originally deported to Mexico after being pulled over in a routine traffic stop and jailed for four months.

In fluent English, he explains that immediately upon his deportation he attempted to cross the desert but was captured by U.S. border patrol agents and jailed for another eight months. He has no family ties in Mexico's frontier states, he explains, his life is in Arizona.

On Apr. 13, the harshest anti-immigrant bill in the country, SB 1070, passed through Arizona's state legislature. Criminalising people for not having proper identification, the bill requires police to check the legal status of anyone they suspect of being undocumented.

Just two days later, a huge operation with 800 agents and officers from nine federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested 50 people working in the shuttle service sector, in what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials described as including "unprecedented cooperation with Mexico's Secretariade Securidad Publica", in an investigation that has "implicated high-level members of human smuggling organisations".

On the same day, members of the anti-immigrant Tea Party organisation held a few rallies in Arizona's Maricopa County. Former Republican congressman Tom Tancredo blamed undocumented migrants for committing murder and pointed to the case of an unsolved killing last month of an Arizona rancher named Rob Krentz.

"The blood of those people is on the hands of every politician who runs a sanctuary city," said Tancredo, speaking in Tempe.

On Pacifica Radio, Isabel Garcia, co-chair of the Tucson-based Coalition for Human Rights, said that she "put the onus and blame on the federal government, in addition to the state government, for funneling and purposely creating Arizona as the laboratory for all of these anti-immigrant measures".

With urban border crossing points such as Nogales heavily fortified, migrants deported to Mexico and wanting to return to their families in Arizona make dangerous treks across the desert.

According to U.S. civil rights groups, the number of migrants who die each year attempting to enter Arizona increased from nine in 1990 to over 200 by the mid-2000s.

The Barack Obama administration has continued its predecessors' policy of using death as a deterrent, which under U.S. and International law has been deemed illegal.

In 1994, with the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, then President Bill Clinton officially militarised the border with 'Operation Gatekeeper' and 'Operation Hold The Line'. By redirecting government resources to the major U.S./Mexico urban crossing sites - Tijuana/San Diego, Nogales/Nogales, El Paso/Juarez - where water, food, and shelter are more readily accessible, successive U.S. administrations have explicitly used open desert conditions as an immigrant deterrent.

Engracia Robles, a nun with Sisters of the Eucharist, helps run a small volunteer walk-in centre for deportees.

With no money, a location to sleep is hard to find, she says, and "people often sleep in the cemetery" just a few hundred feet away.

"People come in with their feet blistered, cuts on the face and bruised. They are hungry, destitute; shoes are broken from walking in the desert for days," she said.

IPS witnessed an emotional family reunion at the centre, as two children separated from their parents for months were finally brought together again. Wiping away their children's tears, the parents embraced their children for nearly half an hour before letting go.

Nearby, at the Mariposa port-of-entry, hundreds of trucks pass fuming up the hill crossing the border.

"This is a NAFTA border," explains Connie Romero, a volunteer with Arizona-based No Mas Muertes. "Money moves freely, people with money do too, but the poor are pushed into a dangerous cycle of crossing the desert."

On the Mexico side of the border, sitting beneath a tree near a bus bench across from the local cemetery, one group of deportees spoke with IPS about the dangers of desert crossings.

Garcia Augustin, a construction worker, explained, "We have been in the U.S. for the last 18 years but we were shipped back by [Joe] Arpaio [referring to the sheriff of Maricopa Country, where Phoenix is located]. We have no family here. We have nothing here."

Another labourer, deported recently, could not understand why a country so large and with so much opportunity would not allow him to work, as he was breaking no laws. "Sheriff Arpaio does not like people with brown skin. John McCain, the senator of Arizona, hates me because I'm brown. But Obama is a black man, he should understand, but he also hates me. Why?"

Corey Jones, a local kindergarten teacher, undergoing a training seminar with Good Samaritans Project, a migrant advocacy organisation, says, "Arizona is the site of a social struggle. On one hand you have very powerful wealthy people that benefit from the labour of a super-exploitable class of workers, and on the other hand you have some of the poorest people in North America seeking to make a living any way they can."