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Headline News

U.S.-Mexico border reopens to northbound vehicle traffic

The U.S.-Mexico border reopened Tuesday to northbound vehicle traffic, but Calexico's historic downtown district remained closed as inspectors checked for structural damage to buildings in the wake of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake just south of here Easter Sunday.��Click Here for Original Article

Mexico: 25,000 Affected by Quake

The earthquake that struck Baja California on Sunday has affected an estimated 25,000 people, the state�s governor said Tuesday. The governor, Jos� Guadalupe Osuna Mill�n, said that the 7.2-magnitude quake caused the worst damage in the rural area south of the city of Mexicali��Click Here for Original Article

Mexico's Labor Min: New Employment Reverses Job Loss Trend

Mexico created over 125,000 new jobs in March bringing the net total of new employment in the first quarter to 290,000, Labor Minister Javier Lozano said Tuesday. ��Click Here for Original Article

AMB Property CorporationLeases 100,500 SF in Mexico Development Project

AMB Property Corporation a leading owner, operator and developer of global industrial real estate, today announced that it has leased approximately 100,500 square feet (9,350 square meters) in its AMB Pacifico Distribution Center 3 development project in Tijuana, to Arauco Distribucion Mexico, the Mexican subsidiary of Chilean forestry company Arauco. ��Click Here for Original Article

Eco Global Corporation to Gear Up Production for Flex House Kit

Daniel Correa, President announced today that Eco Global Corporation will issue a company owned license to a large Southern California block manufacturer to produce the patented Inca Blocks in order for Eco Global to meet projected demands. ��Click Here for Original Article

Jose Guadalupe Posada: Famed Artist Gets a New Museum

Swinging open the museum doors, the visitor was in for a shock. Inside the spacious building, gutted walls, protruding wires and a dug-up floor were seemingly all that remained of the Posada Museum in Aguascalientes, Mexico. ��Click Here for Original Article

Slayings suspect says diplomat�s husband was target, Mexico officials report

MEXICO CITY � A suspect arrested in the slaying of a U.S. Consulate official and two other people in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez says the intended target was the diplomat�s husband, an El Paso, Texas, corrections officer, Mexican authorities said late Tuesday.

The suspect, Ricardo Valles de la Rosa, is a member of the notorious Aztecs drug gang, which got its start in jailhouses in El Paso and operates on both sides of the border,..go to original article

U.S. donates crime fighting equipment to Mexico

TUCSON- In hopes of a more secure border, U.S. officials donated a barrage of border crime-fighting equipment to Mexican officials.

"The United States and Mexican government have come together to collaborate and to cooperate," says U.S. Consul General John Breidenstine. ,,�go to original article

Mexico City bicycle program pedals uphill

Reporting from Mexico City - Take a vast, teeming megalopolis where the car is king, bicycle paths are few and motorists often seem determined to mow down anyone not tucked behind a steering wheel.

Now try talking residents into pedaling to work every day to help the environment.

That's the task facing Mexico City officials, who have parked hundreds of bikes in busy neighborhoods in hopes of getting people to avoid cars and instead bicycle to the office, class or a lunch date�.go to original article

Volunteer force of Mexico border watchers disbands

The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which posted hundreds of civilian volunteers along the U.S.-Mexico border over the past five years, has disbanded, citing what it called "rising aggression" in the country and decisions by lawmakers in Washington who have "pushed amnesty down our throats."

"The mental attitude of many Americans is turning meaner � and we are concerned that this could cause problems," MCDC President Carmen Mercer told The Washington Times on Monday. "You see aggression surfacing even at the tea party marches. We just did not want to deal with the liability anymore. �go to original article

Mexico�s Peso Rises to Highest in 17 Months on U.S. Confidence

Mexico�s peso climbed to the strongest level in 17 months as a report showing consumer confidence in the U.S. rose this month boosted the export prospects of the Latin American country.

The currency gained 0.5 percent to 12.3683 per U.S. dollar, from 12.4325 yesterday. Earlier it reached 12.3550, the strongest since October 2008. The peso has gained 5.4 percent this quarter, the best performer among the 16 most-traded currencies tracked by Bloomberg. �.go to original article

How safe is travel in Mexico? Depends on your destination

It all depends on where you're going.

As a new travel warning by the U.S. State Department (http://travel.state.gov) points out, the areas of concern are not the beach resorts or historical cities most Americans visit, but rather the border towns, specifically Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros.

Too often in the past, these types of government alerts have taken a broad-brush approach, simply advising against travel to a country as a whole. What's different about this warning, issued March 14 following the shooting in Ciudad Juarez of three people with ties to the American consulate, is its level of detail, and the way it rightly targets only towns where drug-related violence has been rampant�.go to original article

Mexico sets plan to crack down on antibiotic sales

Mexican authorities say they will start cracking down on the sale of antibiotics without a prescription, something that is common in Mexico.

The Health Department says new procedures are being drawn up to ensure that current laws requiring a doctor's prescription for such medications are enforced�.go to original article

Mexico gives new life to ancient sports

Coach Salvador Mercado took a last look at his players, crouched for the face-off with their oak clubs at the ready. Then, he took out a ball soaked with fuel oil, flicked a cigarette lighter and set it ablaze.

The whistle blew and a game of pelota pur�pecha was under way. Players jumped and shouted as the flaming ball whooshed toward them, scorching the grass.

Pelota pur�pecha, a sort of field hockey for pyromaniacs, is one of about 150 pre-Hispanic games that are on the verge of extinction, the Mexican government says, and it has launched a new push to rescue these ancient pastimes. �.go to original article

US to ban wild-harvest shrimp imports from Mexico

Mexico is losing its certification to export wild-harvest shrimp to the United States because its trawls lack required protections for endangered sea turtles, the State Department said.

The department said the certification was withdrawn after the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service determined that Mexico's turtle excluder devices no longer meet U.S. standards. U.S. rules require that exporters use excluders comparable to those used by American shrimpers.

Certification for Mexican shrimpers will be withdrawn on April 20. Mexico's shrimp season will have closed by then for the summer�.go to original article

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Media CEO: Journalist safety a challenge in Mexico

Journalists and other employees of Mexico's largest newspaper chain are changing their driving routes, moving to more secure high-rise apartment buildings and keeping their names off stories. But no one has figured out a good formula for protecting them from Mexican drug violence and threats, the chain's leader said Thursday.

"We have a team of great people we need to protect," said Grupo Reforma Chief Executive Alejandro Junco de la Vega after addressing a World Affairs Council luncheon in San Antonio. "We recently started to offer bulletproof vests." �go to original article

Obama must fulfill Mexican promise

It's time to initiate a new phase in relations with Mexico, based on a more nuanced understanding of life south of the border Tuesday's announcement by US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, that future US aid to Mexico will focus less on military support and more on institution building and community renewal is a step in the right direction. But this new approach is doomed to fail if it is not grounded in a more nuanced understanding of the situation south of the border. Instead of simply reacting to crises as they emerge, President Obama should develop a new forward-looking strategy of engagement�.go to original article

Head offshore in Mexico for strikes

SAYULITA, Mexico � The fly line tightened between the fingers of my left hand and the index finger of my right. It burst through the rod's eyelets and into the blue-green water standing before me like a vast expanse. My reel hissed, the line quickly cleared from the coils on the deck of the boat, and the fish headed south toward Punta Mita.

This time though, the run was different. The bonito we had been casting to earlier in the morning were explosive, but they dived straight down under the boat. This fish was plowing out and away from the single-engine panga. I looked down at my reel and watched the line run into the backing as it melted away�.go to original article

Another Active Year for Los Amigos de la Pe�ita, With More to Come in 2010/11

The March 29, 2010 meeting of Los Amigos de la Pe�ita � the last meeting of our fiscal year - proved to be a great opportunity for the group to celebrate the successes it had achieved over the last year and to approve a budget and action plan for the year ahead.

Our Education Committee, which was just in its infancy a year ago, was particularly active this past year. They were able to complete a number of projects: leveling the schoolyard and building a bathroom at J. Cruz Bautista Primaria, building a shelter for the play area at Miguel Hildago Kinder, repairing the washrooms at Juan Escutia Primaria and building the new Patria Kinder. The completion of the Patria Kinder, which was inaugurated just last week, was greatly assisted by contributions from the Rotary Club and the Fashion Show Committee through the Jaltemba Bay Foundation. Los Amigos was also able to make a contribution to the Las Cabras Kinder project in La Colonia, which was spearheaded by the Rotary Club. Our Education Committee also operated a successful art contest for students.

But perhaps more importantly, the Committee has empowered parents by having them set the priorities in terms of funding as well as assisting them to initiate their own local fundraising activities. They held two major fundraisers last year: the first El Gran Bazar, which drew almost a thousand people, a Kermes - an afternoon of entertainment and food in the park - and they also sold coupon books for local restaurants to help support their work. A second Gran Bazar is scheduled for April 24.

A budget of 415,000 pesos has been approved for the Education Committee for next year, with the bulk of it going to three new construction and maintenance projects: replacing the dangerous entry cupola at Kinder Manautou, building a new kindergarten in Las Rosas and repairing the perimeter wall at Justo Sierra. They are also planning on supporting another art contest and an essay contest to provide an opportunity for local students to showcase their talents. The Committee has projected raising 265,000 of the budget amount through their own fundraising activities.

February 25, 2010 was a great day for both the community of La Pe�ita and Los Amigos. It was on that date that Se�or Gobernador Ney Gonz�lez S�nchez, Governor of the State of Nayarit officially opened "Unidad Deportiva Corazon de La Riviera", formerly (and still unofficially) known as the EcoPark. It has now become a focal point for the community and a centre for community events. Less than two years earlier, the 'park' was a rock strewn field with a beat-up basketball court and some rusted playground equipment, but Los Amigos - working in cooperation with the merchants who contributed supplies, the Delegaci�n, the newly founded Rotary Club and many dedicated neighbours - provided financial support, as well as manpower, to help the community get this project off the ground.

Our plastics recycling community has also been a great success. Over the past year, we took over the collection and compacting of the recyclables and established a compacting facility in La Pe�ita . We also expanded our coverage area to include Guayabitos and Los Ayala. A network of drop off points was established across the community and we provided businesses and individuals with an opportunity to purchase their own recycling baskets for their business, residence or neighbourhood. We have been able to establish good working relationships with the Guayabitos Hotel Owners Association and the Municipality and would also like to especially acknowledge Colegio Siquieros and Abarrotes Hernandez of La Pe�ita for their exceptional participation in our recycling program. Los Amigos has set aside 108,450 pesos to operate the program for next year. Our plan is to find a contractor to run the program for us, with the organization providing a subsidy to ensure it keeps going.

Last year saw the first round of scholarships being awarded under our Scholarship Fund. Six full-year scholarships were provided to high-school aged students who, in return, committed to become involved in community projects. A budget of 48,000 pesos has been set aside next year to continue to provide support to the five students who remain in the program, to support ten additional students and to provide support for participants in terms of their expenses for books.

Now that the two abandoned buildings in the middle of La Pe�ita beach have been demolished and removed, our Clean-up Committee is anxious to continue work on our "Clean La Pe�ita Beach Campaign" and Los Amigos has set aside 10,000 pesos for the campaign next winter.

Los Amigos has also set aside 100,000 pesos for the 2010/11 fiscal year for community projects. Our objective is to work with the Ejido on the development of a community center where the basketball court currently is located near the plaza. Our vision is that the centre would be used for a variety of purposes such as public meeting space, cultural activities/events for the community and adult and youth education and activities.

None of this would, of course be possible without our fundraising activities. Fiesta 2010 was our most successful yet, attracting a crowd of more than 200 people and resulting in net proceeds of almost 390,000 pesos. A new initiative was the establishment of a regular Los Amigos booth at the Tianguis every Thursday. Besides providing a venue for selling Los Amigos T-Shirts and bags, it had another important benefit: raising awareness of the organization and providing an opportunity for members of the community to drop by and find out more about what we are up to. Our major fundraiser for next year will be held on January 30, with the format still to be determined, but rest assured it will be a memorable event so mark the date on your calendar.

We would like to take this opportunity to thanks all those who help us achieve our goals this year: our volunteers, our contributors, the other organizations we worked with and the media who helped promote

Olivia Newton-John's former boyfriend living in Mexico

Fresh details of how the former boyfriend of Olivia Newton-John has spent the five years since he went 'missing' off the California coast have emerged from the Mexican beach town where he has been living under a new name.

By Philip Sherwell, Lorena Moguel in Sayulita and Ioan Grillo in Mexico City
Published: 8:30PM BST 03 Apr 2010

Olivia Newton John and boyfriend Patrick McDermott Photo: GETTY

Residents of Sayulita, a small and sleepy Pacific resort popular with American tourists, have described how a man they knew as Pat Kim worked as a ship's mate on a yacht that takes tourists on short trips to sea.

"He seemed to work hard and keep a low profile," one fisherman told The Sunday Telegraph. "I haven't seen him for a couple of months."

Shown a photograph of Patrick McDermott, who vanished aged 48 shortly after breaking up with the Australian singer and actress after a nine-year relationship, locals gave knowing and warm glances and said the "gringo" had been in and out of town for several years.

Mark Rubio, an American hotelier, said that in recent months, Mr McDermott's past had emerged in the town.

"We realised who he was but nobody was bothered," he said. "He kept to himself and hung out down the coast. He hadn't done anything wrong and this is a pretty relaxed place."

Mr McDermott was thought to have fallen overboard during a night fishing trip off the California coast in 2005, and Miss Newton-John described his disappearance as "heartbreaking".

However, after years of speculation about his fate, last week a private investigator hired by an American television network said he had now concluded "beyond a reasonable doubt" that the former film lighting technician was still alive.

Philip Klein declined to give details, saying he was writing a book, but The Sunday Telegraph has established that Mr McDermott has been working as crew on Sayula 1, a twin-hulled yacht which could last week be seen carrying visitors in and out of a marina just along the coast from Sayulita.

The boat's American captain, Darrin Rath, reacted brusquely to questions about Mr McDermott.

"I haven't seen him for a while," he said in heavily accented Spanish. "I don't want any problems because of him."

But Jesus Rodriguez, a mustachioed fisherman, said he had seen Mr McDermott many times. "He was a very tranquil man," he said. "He kept himself to himself and didn't mess with people in this community.

"Sometimes he would have a few drinks in the bar. But he would be relaxed and not cause trouble. I was very surprised when I heard he had been in some kind of trouble. But then we heard it was just because he was the boyfriend of some American film star or something."

There are worse places to drop out and disappear than Sayulita, with its alluring sands, Pacific surf and golden sunsets.

And for years, "Pat Kim" sailed in and out of here unnoticed with American holidaymakers who take day trips to fish and snorkel at sea or longer charters down the coast.

A dashing tanned figure with flowing hair, he explained that his Asian looks were due to his American-Korean roots but otherwise he shared little about his past and asked little about others.

But in fact he was the man whom the US Coast Guard concluded had probably drowned at sea during a fishing expedition off southern California.

Mr McDermott had financial troubles and was being pursued for unpaid child support for his teenage son by his former wife Yvettte Nipar, a small-time actress. That prompted speculation that he might have staged his own death and there were several reported sightings along Mexico's Pacific coast.

In Sayulita, a laid-back haunt where sandy streets are lined with bamboo huts and middle-aged Americans sit back drinking beer and enjoying the ocean breeze, Mr McDermott blended easily into the community.

His fate might well have remained a mystery had it not been for Mr Klein, a dogged Texan private investigator who specialises in disappearances and missing persons.

Originally hired by the American television news show Dateline to investigate the mysterious case, he set up a website www.findpatrickmcdermott.com as an internet trap. Ostensibly a source of information and tips, the site also allowed Mr Klein to follow the location of those who logged on.

He discovered frequent use of the sites from internet addresses dotted along the Mexico's Pacific coast and further south to the shores of South America. Coupled with sightings he received, the investigator became convinced that Mr McDermott had staged a vanishing act.

Last week, Mr Klein declared that his quarry was indeed alive. He said that he had been supplied with documents and "voice imprints" as "proof of life" by a representative of Mr McDermott who said that the missing man did not want to be "hounded" further.

There is no indication that Mr McDermott is guilty of any wrongdoing. Despite his financial woes, his monthly life insurance payments have been continued and there has been no attempt to cash in the policy, according to investigators.

Shortly before his fishing trip in summer 2005, he had turned up at the home of Miss Newton-John with flowers and announced that a nine-year relationship that began on the set of television commercial was over.

Friends said she had been "devastated" when he told her the romance was finished and then disappeared. Miss Newton-John, 61, who was born in Britain and raised in Australia, has since married John Easterling, a herbal medicine entrepreneur. She has not commented on last week's statement by Mr Klein about her former boyfriend.

Mexico's Drug-Related Violence Isn't Widespread Across the Country
Andres Oppenheimer - Miami Herald
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March 29, 2010


	Mexico is facing a dangerous rise in violence, and I would not advise you to spend your next vacation in Ciudad Ju�rez or any other place where the drug-related killings are taking place. But Mexico is a huge country.

After the murder of two U.S. consulate workers in Mexico's border city of Ciudad Juarez, many of you have written to me wondering whether it is safe to travel to Mexico. The answer is: If you are courageous enough to travel to Washington, D.C., you can safely visit most parts of Mexico.

Despite the escalation of drug-related violence in several Mexican cities, and the pictures of mutilated bodies dumped on the streets of Ciudad Juarez and other cities along the U.S. border, a dispassionate look at Mexico's murder rates shows that some parts of the country are indeed dangerous, but the country as a whole is safer than what the latest headlines suggest.

A new study by Brookings Institute Latin American expert Kevin Casas-Zamora, a former vice president of Costa Rica, helps put Mexico's violence in perspective.

According to Casas-Zamora's figures, based on United Nations 2008 data, Mexico's murder rate is nearly five times less than that of sunny Jamaica and about half that of Brazil, a country that was recently awarded the much-coveted 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

Consider his data of Latin America's most violent countries: Honduras has a murder rate of 61 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Jamaica with 60, Venezuela and El Salvador with 52 each, Guatemala with 47, Trinidad and Tobago with 40, Colombia with 39, Brazil with 22, Dominican Republic with 21, Panama with 19, Ecuador with 18, Nicaragua with 13, Paraguay with 12, Mexico and Costa Rica with about 11.5 each, Bolivia with 10.5 and Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, and Chile with less than 10.

Comparatively, while the United States homicide rate is lower than Mexico's, Washington, D.C., has a murder rate of 31 people per 100,000 inhabitants and New Orleans has 74.

"Violence in Mexico is concentrated in a few cities, mainly in Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Baja California," Casas Zamora told me in an interview. "In Ciudad Ju�rez, it's out of control. But in the country as a whole, it doesn't come even close to Washington, D.C.'s."

He conceded that Mexico's murder rates may have risen in recent months as a result of the cross fire between Mexican security forces and the drug cartels, and between the drug cartels themselves. But he added that they are still significantly below what they were 10 years ago.

Largely for demographic reasons - Mexico's birth rates are dropping and large numbers of Mexicans have been migrating to the United States in recent decades - murder rates in Mexico have been falling steadily for decades. They may have picked up only marginally over the past year, he said.

The U.S. State Department's latest travel alert to Mexico, issued following the killings of the two U.S. consular workers in Ciudad Ju�rez, says it has temporarily authorized the departure of relatives of U.S. consular workers in the Northern Mexican border cities of Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Ju�rez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros, and advises U.S. citizens "to delay unnecessary travel to parts of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua states."

As for Mexico as a whole, it says that "U.S. citizen visitors are encouraged to stay in the well-known tourist areas."

My opinion: Mexico is facing a dangerous rise in violence, and I would not advise you to spend your next vacation in Ciudad Ju�rez or any other place where the drug-related killings are taking place.

But Mexico is a huge country. To say that it's unsafe to travel to Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta or Canc�n - or that you wouldn't allow your children to spend spring break in that country, as Fox News' right-wing airhead Bill O'Reilly said last year - is as irresponsible as saying that it's unsafe to travel to some of the biggest U.S. cities.

The State Department's travel alert, while correctly pointing out that the violence is concentrated in some Mexican states, should have put Mexico's national figures in perspective. It wouldn't be a bad idea if, from now on, it compared them with other countries' murder rates, and with that of its own home city - Washington, D.C.

Andres Oppenheimer is a Miami Herald syndicated columnist and a member of The Miami Herald team that won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize. He also won the 1999 Maria Moors Cabot Award, the 2001 King of Spain prize, and the 2005 Emmy Suncoast award. He is the author of Castro's Final Hour; Bordering on Chaos, on Mexico's crisis; Cronicas de heroes y bandidos, Ojos vendados, Cuentos Chinos and most recently of Saving the Americas. Email Andres at aoppenheimer(at)herald.com Live chat with Oppenheimer every Thursday at 1 p.m. at The Miami Herald.

El Panorama

Simply the most elegant B & B on the Bay

By Dorothy and Bill Bell

El Panorama is perched high on the crest of the hill behind Compadres Restaurant and overlooks the towns of La Penita and Rincon to the Pacific Ocean on one side and the hills, Sierra Madres and valley from the other. A truly one of a kind property with view that lasts forever. Our stay at El Panorama was a gift from many friends in the community to celebrate our 20^th wedding anniversary.

Click here to view more photographs and read the entire story

Bill and Dorothy Bell got a big a surprise when Jaltemba through a surprise 20th anniversary party for them on the beach in rincon de guayabitos

Bill and Dorothy Bell got a big a surprise when Jaltemba threw a surprise 20th anniversary party for them on the beach in Rincon de Guayabitos

A special thank you

Our most humble thanks to everyone for our surprise 20^th year anniversary party. Special hugs to Jome, Lise and Yvonne R and Yvonne T for organizing the event; Mateja for providing the venue & staff, Bob and Linda for MCing the event; John and Mimi for providing the entertainment, Ginger and Byron for leading the way with heart.

And more big hugs to those who contributed to our day and to the surprise gift of a night at the El Panorama de La Penita Bed and Breakfast. What a thoughtful perfect gift. Paul and Tom were perfect hosts at what must be described as the most elegant B & B on the Bay.

We have big smiles and warm hearts. We thank the community who took the time out from their day to make ours special.

To view more photographs of the celebration and the wonderful El Panorama de La Penita Bed and Breakfast click here

Hola Dot & Bill

On behalf of the organizing committee , we hope you enjoyed your over-night stay. We wanted to recognize your anniversary, but more importantly we wanted to recognize your contribution to the community.

Often, being behind the lenses, you are forgotten. But please note, that no one forgets your dedication and commitment in keeping us abreast of what is going on in our winter community.

We love you and appreciate you. Personally, your paper keeps me abreast. Even back home I take the time to read it, and wish I could be with all of you all year long, as most of us snow birds do.

Yvonne (the french one)

Celebrating Easter (La Pascua) in Mexico
Allan Wall - PVNN
March 29, 2010

During the 2009 Semana Santa holidays, PromoVision's Ray Dion took a walk on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta from Playa Los Muertos to the Malec�n and captured the sights along the way.

The crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ are foundational to the Christian faith. That's why the major branches of Christendom (Roman Catholic, Protestant and the Eastern Churches) memorialize - in various ways - the death, burial and resurrection of Christ each spring.

The Spanish term for Easter is La Pascua. Mexico has a variety of traditional Pascua customs. Many of these customs are from Spain, with a diversity of traditions linked to particular Mexican regions and cities.

The Easter season begins on Mi�rcoles de Ceniza (Ash Wednesday) and continues through Cuaresma (Lent), the 40-day period until Semana Santa (Holy Week).

In Mexico, there are certain foods associated with Cuaresma, some of which developed as a result of Catholic dietary rules. Since red meat was prohibited on certain days, fish-based dishes became popular Lenten foods. Mexican grocery stores do a brisk business selling fish during Cuaresma.

Ironically, Catholics were forbidden to eat red meat on certain days as a sacrifice, yet the rules promoted the development of fish-based dishes just as elaborate, if not more so, than the red-meat based dishes they replaced. The Nopal cactus is a popular Mexican Lenten food. So is the dessert known as Capirotado.

Semana Santa (Holy Week) begins on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), the day of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. The Last Supper was held on Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday). Viernes Santo (Good Friday) commemorates the day of Christ's crucifixion. S�bado de Gloria (Holy Saturday) memorializes the full day Christ was in the tomb. Domingo de Resurrecci�n (Easter Sunday) celebrates the Resurrection of Christ.

On Domingo de Ramos, vendors outside churches sell woven palm leaves, and inside the priest blesses them. On Jueves Santo, Viernes Santo, S�bado de Gloria, and Domingo de Resurrecci�n, there is a special mass each day. On Sabado de Gloria, statues of Mary are covered with black dresses, because she is considered to be in mourning.

Elementary schools, middle schools and most high schools in Mexico have a two-week vacation. They don't go to school the week preceding Easter Sunday (Semana Santa) and the week following Easter Sunday (Semana de Pascua). Most university students have only the week preceding Easter free. Many Mexican families travel.

There are many regional Holy Week customs in Mexico. For example, Tarahumara Indians in the mountains of Chihuahua paint themselves white during Holy Week.

In some cities there is a Procesi�n de Silencio, a silent procession, wherein the people march down the street by candlelight, in silence. This custom is from the Spanish city of Sevilla, famous for Semana Santa observances.

Another tradition still popular in southern Mexico is the "burning of Judas", practiced on S�bado de Gloria. This custom features effigies of Judas (with firecrackers inside!) being burnt. The Judas effigy is often in the form of a contemporary person, frequently an unpopular politician. It should be interesting to see who gets burnt in effigy this S�bado de Gloria.

Another custom is the Via Crucis, Way of the Cross, a procession in which an actor portraying Christ bears a cross down a street. In some locales this is part of a Passion Play, a dramatic representation of the crucifixion of Christ.

The most famous Passion Play in Mexico is in the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa. It has been performed annually since Iztapalapa survived a cholera outbreak in 1833.

The Iztapalapa Passion Play is a true community endeavour, organized and carried out annually. The drama includes thousands of locals as actors, and reportedly draws 2 million spectators. All the pageant's actors must have been born in Iztapalapa. Whoever portrays Christ is selected on the basis of both good moral character and physical strength. The actor wears an actual crown of thorns, is flogged, and bears a 200 pound cross through the streets, before being "crucified" (tied to the cross, not nailed.)

The Iztapalapa Passion Play is truly a sight to behold. When a reporter asked a local man about it, he replied. "We pray, we cry, as if all this is real. We know it is not. But yet ... maybe we come because we are all sinners. Maybe somehow it helps us make fewer sins in our lives ... Maybe, just maybe, people are better because of it."

In closing, I wish all my BanderasNews readers a Happy Easter. In the words of the traditional Mexican greeting: �Felices Pascuas de Resurrecci�n!

Allan Wall is an American citizen who has been teaching English in Mexico since 1991, and writing articles about various aspects of Mexico and Mexican society for the past decade. Some of these articles are about Mexico's political scene, history and culture, tourism, and Mexican emigration as viewed from south of the border, which you can read on his website at AllanWall.net.

Click HERE for more articles by Allan Wall.

Cell Phone Registration Deadline is Extended
The News
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March 25, 2010

Mexico City � The deadline for millions of cell phone users to register their personal data with carriers has been extended.

Dep. Jos� Ad�n Ignacio Rub�, president of the communications committee in the Chamber of Deputies, said Wednesday that lawmakers are extending the April 10 deadline by six months to allow more than 43 million people to send their data to be added to the National Mobile Phone User Registry (Renaut).

The extension comes after federal Communications and Transportation Secretary (SCT) Juan Molinar Horcasitas� appearance before Congress on Wednesday, 17 days before the original deadline.

�Today we will sign an agreement in response to many people�s worry over the national registry,� said Rub�, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Without the extension, tens of millions of cell phone users were at risk of losing their service, he said.

The Federal Telecommunications Commission (COFETEL) reported on Monday that a total of 709,726 cell phones were registered. This brings the total to 43.2 million registered users up to that date. The Renaut was created to avoid the use of cell phones as tools to aid in crimes such as extortion and kidnappings.

The Federal Telecommunications Law was changed on Feb. 9, 2009, adding a section stipulating that all prepaid mobile users be logged into the Renaut. In it, operators must also store all information on calls, texts, and voice messages associated with each consumer for one year. The information in the database, however, will only be made available with a court order in legal proceedings.

Callers can register via a free text message, directly through their mobile operator, or through Renaut�s website, which requires that the user enter his or her name, address and Individual Population Registration Code (CURP), similar to the U.S.� social security number.

Former Oregon Resident Released from Mexican Prison
Michael Russell - The Oregonian
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April 01, 2010

Rebecca Roth, a former resident of Lake Oswego, was accused of money laundering in Mexico. She spent years in jail on the charge.

A former Lake Oswego woman arrested in Mexico more than four years ago in connection with an Internet scheme that she claimed to know nothing about was released Tuesday into her family's care, relatives say.

Rebecca Roth, 52, was resting at her sister's Guadalajara home Wednesday and could not talk with media immediately.

"We're in the eye of the storm right now," sister Barbara Roth said. "She's sitting here with a medical doctor."

It was unclear why Mexican authorities released Rebecca Roth. The U.S. consulate in Guadalajara did not return calls for comment.

Family members said Mexican officials declined to say why Roth was held for so long in a squalid cell when the evidence against her seemed weak.

"I don't think they have to tell you that," said Hilda Dimmick, Roth's mother, from her Walla Walla retirement home. She was thrilled to hear the news Tuesday evening about her daughter's release.

"I'm just weak, and I think I'm in shock," Dimmick said. "This has been four years, you know, that she's been in prison. And she said all along that she was innocent."

Dimmick said she understood that the release came with no strings and that Roth can return to the United States as soon as she is able.

Over the years, readers followed the case in The Oregonian, where former columnist Margie Boul� detailed Roth's deplorable situation and Oregon leaders' lack of action.

But friends and family didn't give up hope for Roth. Barbara Roth moved to Mexico to be closer to her sister, and Rebecca Roth's ex-husband, David Dickinson, started a blog and Web site to provide updates on the twists and turns in the case.

"Her nightmare is over!" Dickinson wrote Sunday after hearing news of her coming release.

Roth's nightmare began with what was to be a move to paradise. In 1999, Roth left her job with a Lake Oswego credit union and moved to Puerto Vallarta with her two teenage sons to seek an environmental cure for her asthma. In the resort tucked next to the Pacific Ocean's Bahia de Banderas, Roth opened a dress store and began a new life.

The trouble started after Roth was introduced to a Canadian man, Alyn Waage, who presented himself as a billionaire and Internet investment site operator. Waage offered her a part-time job paying utility bills on his Mexican luxury properties, and Roth, looking to supplement her income in the tourism off-season, accepted.

In 2001, Waage was arrested by Mexican authorities, and about the same time, $50,000 was deposited into Roth's bank account.

Waage posted bail and fled. He eventually was caught in Costa Rica and extradited to the United States, where federal prosecutors argued that he and his associates and family had swindled more than $60 million from investors.

In 2005, he was convicted of running a Ponzi scheme via the Internet and sent to a North Carolina prison.

Waage gave investigators a list of people he said helped operate his scheme. Roth was not on that list.

Still, in February 2006, Roth was arrested and taken to a maximum-security prison. Authorities grilled her about the $50,000, and she was charged with money laundering and organized crime. She offered receipts and bank records showing Waage's money was used to pay bills.

In a trial that ex-husband Dickinson described as "a railroad job at best," Roth was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Roth's relatives paid $20,000 to a lawyer who produced few results. Their letters to Oregon leaders received stock replies or no response.

They watched helplessly as the Canadian government successfully fought to transfer one of its citizens, Brenda Martin, also a former worker for Waage, back to Canada to serve her sentence in the case.

Good news emerged last week, when a three-judge appeals panel ruled that the case had to be completely retried, and Roth gave a new deposition.

On Sunday, a judge decided to let Roth go. After two days waiting to find out whether prosecutors would appeal the dismissal, Roth was freed.

Dimmick said she knows all mothers think their children are innocent but that she never doubted her daughter.

Dimmick is planning a homecoming party, including Roth's reunion with her sons, who live in Idaho and Washington.

Mexican authorities "wanted her to plead guilty and receive a shorter sentence," Dimmick said. "And she said 'No, I am not guilty, and I will not plead guilty.'"

The Beauty & Diversity of Jaltemba Bay
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M�xico Ranks First as Most Affordable Place to Do Business
Reuters
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March 31, 2010


	The global recession has not been the only factor impacting international business over the last two years. -Simon Harding

Toronto � Mexico retained its top ranking as the most affordable place to do business, while the United States dropped to eighth, according to KPMG�s report about cost-effective competition among 10 countries.

The Competitive Alternatives 2010 study, which KPMG publishes every two years, found that Mexico had an 18.2 percent business cost advantage relative to the United States, which was treated as the baseline.

Canada ranked second with costs that were 5 percent lower, while the fifth place United Kingdom, at 1.8 percent, pulled ahead of the United States as an affordable jurisdiction for business.

This was partly because of exchange rate advantages where the Canadian dollar and British pound depreciated against the U.S. dollar during the study period.

Meanwhile, Japan slipped to last place, partly because of the strength of the yen, and two of its major cities, Osaka and Tokyo, had the highest business costs among 41 international cities examined, the report said.

The United States dropped to eighth from third, while the Netherlands improved to third after a seventh place showing in 2008. Rankings for most countries, which include Australia, France, Germany, and Italy, were otherwise generally consistent.

The study measured 26 cost components such as labor, taxes, real estate and utilities, as well as non-cost factors such as infrastructure and the regulatory environment, as well as personal cost of living and quality of life. The results of the global study were announced in Toronto.

�The global recession has not been the only factor impacting international business over the last two years,� said Simon Harding, associate partner in KPMG�s Advisory Services practice.
Semana Santa Rincon de Guayabitos, Riviera Nayarit Mexico

Semana Santa Rincon de Guayabitos, riviera Nayarit Mexico

Senate Prepares Cigarette Tax Hike Bill
The News
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April 01, 2010

Mexico City � The Health Commission of the Senate yesterday finished the first draft of a bill which seeks to reform the Law on Production and Services Tax (IEPS) in order to increase the price of a package of cigarettes by 6 pesos in 2011. The benefits would be redistributed to finance medical treatments of diseases generated by tobacco use, including asthma, pulmonary emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cerebrovascular diseases, lung and trachea cancers.

The draft, which will be presented to the Senate next week, argues that increasing the price of cigarettes is a policy already adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO), which considers that �increasing the price of tobacco by increasing its tax is the most effective way to reduce tobacco use and to encourage consumers to quit smoking.�

The PAN senator and President of the Health Commission, Ernesto Saro Boardman, who is also the initiator of the bill, said that increasing the IEPS on tobacco by 20 points (from 160 to 180 percent) would aid in reducing tobacco use by 4 percent, while generating approximately 20 billion pesos per year for the implementation of health care measures.

�The proposal seeks to increase the IEPS on tobacco by 20 points... in order to generate funds to treat diseases linked to tobacco use, while ensuring that these diseases do not affect the nation�s health care budget. More people die from tobacco than from AIDS, the H1N1 virus or uterus, breast and prostate cancers,� Saro said.

According to the draft, which is currently being analyzed by the Treasury Secretariat and by the Public Budget and Economy Secretariat, tobacco represents up to 10 percent of smokers� budgets.

�(The increase of the IEPS on tobacco) not only allows for a better financing and redistribution of the public budget, but it is also an efficient tool to reduce tobacco use, particularly among young people,� Saro said.

According to the draft, 65,000 persons die from tobacco use each year in Mexico.

On average, 22,000 people die from asthma, 17,000 from pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis, nearly 14,000 from cerebrovascular diseases and 6,000 from lung and trachea cancers.

18 Gunmen Die in Attack on Two Army Bases in Mexico
Associated Press
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April 01, 2010

Soldiers stand guard near Monterrey, Mexico, a few days before gunmen attacked several army bases in the country's north. (Cruz/AP)

Seven assaults in two northern states take place almost simultaneously, apparently marking a major escalation in Mexico's drug war.

Villahermosa, Mexico - Dozens of gunmen mounted rare and apparently coordinated attacks targeting two army garrisons in northern Mexico, touching off firefights that killed 18 attackers.

The attempts to blockade soldiers inside their bases - part of seven near-simultaneous attacks across two northern states - appeared to mark a serious escalation in Mexico's drug war, in which cartel gunmen attacked in unit-size forces armed with bulletproof vehicles, dozens of hand grenades and assault rifles.

While drug gunmen frequently shoot at soldiers on patrol, they seldom target army bases, and even more rarely attack in the force displayed during the confrontations Tuesday in the border states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon - areas that have seen a surge of bloodshed in recent months.

The violence mainly involves a fight between the Gulf cartel and its former allies, the Zetas, a gang of hit men. The cartel - which has apparently formed an alliance with other cartels seeking to exterminate the Zetas - has been warning people in the region with a series of banners and e-mails that the conflict would get worse over the next two to three months.

Gunmen staged seven separate attacks on the army, including three blockades, Gen. Edgar Luis Villegas said Wednesday. He called the attacks "desperate reactions by criminal gangs to the progress being made by federal authorities" against Mexico's drug cartels.

Villegas said gunmen parked trucks and SUVs outside a military base in the border city of Reynosa trying to block troops from leaving, sparking a gun battle with soldiers. At the same time, gunmen blocked several streets leading to a garrison in the nearby border city of Matamoros.

Another gang of armed men opened fire from several vehicles on soldiers guarding a federal highway in General Bravo, in Nuevo Leon state.

Troops fought back, killing 18 gunmen, wounding two and detaining seven more suspects. One soldier suffered slight injuries.

Soldiers also seized 54 rifles, 61 hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, eight homemade explosive devices and six bulletproof vehicles used by the attackers.

Mexico's northern states are under siege from the escalating violence involving drug gangs.

The U.S. consulate in the northern city of Monterrey warned American citizens who may be traveling for Easter week about recent battles in the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Durango. The consulate said U.S. citizens traveling by road from Monterrey to Texas "should be especially vigilant."

One of the clashes between soldiers and gunmen killed two gunmen on the highway connecting Monterrey and Reynosa, which is across the border from McAllen, Texas.

Less than two hours before that shootout, Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina had assured citizens that authorities regained control over the state's highways.

"I've found the highways calm. We ask that if citizens have plans to go out and enjoy these vacations, they should do so," Medina said.

Also on Wednesday, authorities in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco announced that the nephew of one of Mexico's most-wanted drug gang leaders was captured, together with a police chief accused of protecting a notorious cartel in a key port city.

Federal police detained Roberto Rivero Arana, who identified himself as the nephew of reputed Zetas gang leader Heriberto Lazcano, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement issued late Tuesday.

He was arrested along with Daniel Perez, the acting police chief of Ciudad del Carmen, an oil hub in neighboring Campeche state. The statement alleged Perez received 200,000 pesos ($16,000) a month for protecting the Zetas.

The arrests come as the Zetas are under pressure from a bloody turf war with their former ally, the Gulf cartel. Authorities blame that fight for contributing to a surge of violence in Mexico's northeastern border states north of Tabasco and Campeche.

Perez was acting chief pending a permanent appointment, Ciudad del Carmen Mayor Aracely Escalante said Wednesday.

"He's an agent who had been with the police force long before we took over the town government," Escalante said. "We had given him our trust."

The two men were found with 10 assault rifles, a grenade, ammunition, drugs, police uniforms and worker suits with the logo of Mexico's state oil company, Pemex, the Attorney General's Office said.

Last week, Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier warned that the arrests of several suspected Zetas over the past several months could stoke turf battles in his region. He asked the federal government to send troops.

Meanwhile, the Mexican government announced that federal police will take over the anti-crime campaign currently headed by the army in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez.

The army deployment has come under criticism from those who say soldiers are not trained for police work, and complaints they conducted illegal searches and detentions. But perhaps more important is the fact that killings have continued apace, even with troops in the city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

An unspecified number of soldiers will remain in Juarez to help combat drug gang violence that killed more than 2,600 people last year, and 500 more so far this year in the city of 1.3 million.

Starting Thursday, "the Mexican army will start gradually transferring responsibility for public safety to civilian authorities, to federal authorities at the beginning and gradually to state and local" forces, the Interior Department said in a news release.

The statement said 1,000 federal officers will be added to the police deployment in the city, bringing the number of federal agents to 4,500.

More than 7,000 troops had arrived in Juarez by mid-2009.

The department said the change was part of a new strategy to focus on social programs as an answer to the continuing violence.

Elsewhere, four severed human heads were found early Wednesday in Apatzingan, a town in the western state of Michoacan. Residents found the heads, with eyes still blindfolded, lined up at the foot of a monument along with a threatening message, state prosecutors said.

In Morelia, the Michoacan state capital, police reported finding the bodies of three young men who had been shot to death. The bodies had messages stuck to their chests with knives, The contents of the messages were not released.

Police in the border city of Nogales reported finding the bullet-ridden bodies of three men, including a city transport official, on a rural road along with three burned-out vehicles.

Wednesday marked the beginning of Mexico's Easter Week vacation, and police in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero reported that gunmen had held up two motorists on the highway leading to the resort of Acapulco. The gunmen stole the victims' vehicles, but they were not injured.

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Seeking Funds to Fight Neglected Diseases
Fabiana Frayssinet - Inter Press Service
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April 02, 2010

Rio de Janeiro - Experts from around the world are trying to attract attention to deadly but little-known illnesses, such as Chagas disease, visceral leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness, that have been neglected by the pharmaceutical industry.

So-called neglected tropical diseases, which also include malaria, dengue fever and schistosomiasis, in conjunction with tuberculosis are responsible for 11.4 percent of the global burden of illness, but only 1.3 percent of the 1,556 new drugs registered between 1975 and 2004 were specifically developed for these diseases.

Pharmaceutical laboratories give these diseases "zero priority," Tania Ara�jo-Jorge, head of the state Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), told IPS.

The Brazilian Foundation hosted a Monday through Wednesday meeting of experts and health managers from all over the world in Rio de Janeiro.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) sponsored the meeting in order to channel resources and formulate strategies for studies leading to treatment for the diseases.

"Private companies do not invest in research on these diseases because they are not profitable, there is no market (for drugs)," said Ara�jo-Jorge. The governments of countries where the diseases are endemic are a potential market, but "they have no policies to guarantee purchases," and therefore do not help attract investment, she added.

According to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), originated by Doctors Without Borders/M�d�cins Sans Fronti�res, these diseases kill or disable millions of people who represent a huge unaddressed medical need.

Indeed, one of the aims of the meeting, co-organised with the Oswaldo Cruz Institute and the Pan-American Health Organisation, was to discuss how to fill this gap in public health provision.

"At present there are greater opportunities to obtain funds from companies and foundations, but the priorities have yet to be defined. Financing is being dispersed among a number of different research studies," Ara�jo-Jorge said.

The results of meetings like this one will provide the basis for drawing up a global report in 2011 to provide guidance for the concerned agencies and countries.

"The goal is to harmonise and streamline financing efforts by deciding on priorities," she said.

The meeting focused on the most neglected of the tropical diseases: Chagas disease, sleeping sickness and visceral leishmaniasis, all of which are caused by parasites and affect over 500 million people.

In an interview with IPS, Isabela Ribeiro, the coordinator of DNDi projects in Latin America, emphasised that these diseases represent an enormous social and economic burden in terms of public health.

Ribeiro talked about Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to humans by a blood-sucking insect regionally known as the "vinchuca" bug.

Chagas disease affects about eight million people worldwide, and is endemic in 21 Latin American countries. It frequently goes undiagnosed, and serious cases result in cardiopathy and digestive problems, causing disability with a high social and economic impact that is "often unrecognised," she said.

The DNDi programme lists unemployment and "loss of years of productive life" among its consequences.

Another study cited by DNDi, carried out in Brazil between 1979 and 1981, found that over a period of 15 years, more than 1.3 billion dollars were lost in wages and industrial productivity by workers with Chagas disease in this South American giant.

Sleeping sickness, caused by two sub-species of protozoa that are transmitted to humans by the tse-tse fly, affects between 50,000 and 70,000 people a year and causes 48,000 deaths a year.

It mainly affects African countries, and according to DNDi has a serious social and economic impact. Epidemics of sleeping sickness affect up to 50 percent of the population of some rural villages in Africa.

Visceral leishmaniasis is also linked to poverty. At present, the most serious form of the disease affects 500,000 people in 88 countries, the worst-hit of which are Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nepal and Sudan.

These diseases have "different levels of mortality and morbidity," but they all have "large potential social and economic impacts," Ribeiro said.

Associated as they are with the "most vulnerable populations, that are generally outside the system," they do not generate much interest in terms of research or drug development, she said.

In spite of the overall scenario, Ribeiro is optimistic. She emphasised the increasing emergence of "partnership models" between the public and private sectors to develop treatment drugs, promoted by organisations like DNDi.

In Brazil, for instance, the state laboratory Farmanguinhos, belonging to FIOCRUZ, is developing drugs to treat diseases like malaria, and promoting specific research studies on Chagas disease.

In the private sector, meanwhile, a partnership with multinational pharmaceutical laboratory Sanofi-Aventis is making an anti-malarial drug which will be available at cost price to the public health sector, Ribeiro said.

Another hopeful sign, according to Ara�jo-Jorge, is the fact that international organisations have begun to give "more say, and a greater leadership role" to countries where these diseases are endemic.

The fact that a country like Brazil was chosen to host this international meeting of experts is a sign that "the debate is being decentralised" and is occurring "outside of Geneva," where the WHO is based, she said.

Xaltemba is open every night for dinner

including Mondays

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Saturday and Sundays too

On April 16^th, Calidad de Vida Hospice and Palliative Care will present an informational program on the state of Hospice and Palliative Care in Mexico in 2010. The program will be held at the International Friendship Center from 10:00 am until 11:30 am. The program is open to the public and free of charge.

Speakers will include Lee Carter, Chairperson of the San Miguel de Allende Hospice agency, the 1^st In Home Hospice Care agency in Mexico. Lee will share the San Miguel Allende Hospice experience and provide information on the new Palliative Care law in Mexico which passed the Mexican Federal Legislature in 2009. Included in the new law are requirements for hospitals and doctors to provide patients with a terminal illness information on Palliative Care services that the patient may need when they return to their homes. Lee will also speak about the new law�s effect on End of Life Care Directives, increased access to pain control medications and access to bereavement counseling.

Joining Mr. Carter will be Dr. Roger Strong of the San Diego, California Hospice and member of the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), and Trainer with the ELNEC Latin American Palliative Care Association. Dr. Strong will speak on the International Hospice movement and projects currently taking place throughout Latin America and South America.

Lisa Ozzello, RN, Director of Calidad de Vida Hospice and Palliative Care agency here in Puerto Vallarta will talk about Calidad de Vida Hospice services and community involvement in this new agency.

CALIDAD de VIDA is a new bi-lingual, multi-cultural non-profit agency that provides high-quality in-home care to all people living in and around Banderas Bay who have a life threatening illness. Rather than providing care in a foreign location, Calidad de Vida goes directly to the patients home and provides their services in familiar and comfortable surroundings.

For more information, contact us at (329) 298-6264 or www.bahiahomecare.com

We hope to see you there
--
Lisa Ozzello RN
www.bahiahomecare.com
Bucerias, Nayarit

Mexico's Foreign Investment: Business Unfazed by Bloodshed
Ronald Buchanan - ft.com
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March 31, 2010


	Violence has waxed and waned over recent years in Mexico�s northern states, and, while recently it�s got worse, it doesn�t ever seem to have had an effect on companies� investment decisions, even in Ciudad Ju�rez. - Luke Betts

Newspaper front pages in Mexico these days are not for the faint-hearted. Mass murders and killings of innocent bystanders vie for space with ever-mounting death tolls in President Felipe Calder�n�s war on drugs gangs. Beheadings have become almost routine.

It is not just in Mexico that the bloodshed is grabbing the headlines. The violence is regularly reported in the US press, since it largely occurs just across the long and often porous southern border, and also in Europe and elsewhere.

But Mr Calder�n is keen to point out that � while Ciudad Ju�rez, across the border from Texas, may well be the world�s most violent city and a handful of others are almost equally dangerous � Mexico as a whole claims a much lower murder rate than its Latin American neighbours.

Mexico has a high murder rate: 12 for every 100,000 inhabitants, Mr Calder�n said at a recent meeting with business leaders. But, he added: �In Brazil, the rate is 25 per 100,000, more than double Mexico�s.�

Mr Calder�n might also have included a clutch of countries where the rate is even higher, with Venezuela, Colombia and most of central America among them.

Statistics aside, however, it is people�s perception that counts and that perception is keeping visitors away.

But foreign direct investment is another matter, says Luke Betts, publisher of BizNews North Mexico, a regional business journal and provider of outsourcing services to the leading Spanish-language newspaper group in the US.

�Violence has waxed and waned over recent years in Mexico�s northern states,� Mr Betts says. �And, while recently it�s got worse, it doesn�t ever seem to have had an effect on companies� investment decisions, even in Ciudad Ju�rez. Through it all, plants have opened and business continues as usual.�

The reason, Mr Betts surmises, is that the advantages of investing in border cities, including low costs and the proximity of the US market, far outweigh the dangers, though these are undoubtedly taken into consideration.

State governments have done a good job overall, he says, in making clear to foreign investors that, while there is violence, it is unlikely to have any impact on them.

�If any plans have been cancelled or postponed recently, it�s much more likely to have been caused by the economic difficulties,� he says.

Read entire article here...

Postering

Photograph by Dianna Belitski

Crisis Inspires Loyalty in Mexican Workers
Adri�n Jim�nez - The News
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April 02, 2010

The economic recession in Mexico, which has left around 2.73 million people unemployed to date, has created a strong sense of commitment among employees, according to a recent labor force survey by Kelly Services, an international human resources firm.

Of the more than 7,000 employees interviewed in the study, 48 percent said the financial downturn had made them more faithful to their job, while 11 percent said it made them less loyal and 41 percent said it made no difference.

Workers in the first group said that training opportunities, active communication with employers and an improved organizational climate had attributed to their responses. Those who said they felt less faithful noted mismanagement and a poor office climate at their places of employment.

Sergio G�mez-Luengo, vice president of Kelly Services in Latin America, said that difficult economic conditions had inspired businesses and groups of directors to build stronger ties and levels of trust among employees.

�This commitment has a high chance of turning into a true advantage, which is relying upon a more devoted and concentrated labor force while the economy recovers,� he said.

The international labor force survey, which interviewed around 134,000 employees worldwide, ranked Mexico second among countries with most committed employees during the economic recession. Puerto Rico took first place, while Danish employees ranked last.

Mexico City Bicycle Program Pedals Uphill
Ken Ellingwood - Los Angeles Times
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March 31, 2010

The Ecobici program parks bikes in key spots in the capital for the use of commuters who pay an annual fee. (Mario Guzman/European Pressphoto Agency)

Officials in Mexico's capital have parked bikes in key areas and, for a fee, made them available to commuters in hopes of making a dent in the city's aggressive car culture and improving the air.

Mexico City - Take a vast, teeming megalopolis where the car is king, bicycle paths are few and motorists often seem determined to mow down anyone not tucked behind a steering wheel.

Now try talking residents into pedaling to work every day to help the environment.

That's the task facing Mexico City officials, who have parked hundreds of bikes in busy neighborhoods in hopes of getting people to avoid cars and instead bicycle to the office, class or a lunch date.

The new project, called Ecobici, is modeled on bike-lending programs in such cities as Barcelona, Spain; Paris; and Copenhagen. Planners hope that by saturating certain Mexico City neighborhoods with the three-speed bikes, they can persuade residents to consider making cycling at least part of their daily commute.

Ecobici users pay a $24 yearly registration fee and get a membership card, which they can swipe across an electronic reader at any station to release a bicycle. Riders have free use for up to 30 minutes and are charged up to $3 an hour for longer intervals.

Yet it's hard to envision a steeper road for bike commuting than chaotic, smoggy Mexico City, where 4 million vehicles joust for position and - this may sound familiar to Angelenos - many residents view riding the bus or subway as about as likely as space travel.

"A lot of people said, 'You are crazy; bikes in Mexico City?' But we have visited a lot of cities around the world that did it with success," said Martha Delgado, environmental secretary for Mexico City's government. "We have beautiful weather here. We need to recover space. We need to improve air quality."

So far, city officials have placed 1,100 bikes at 85 stations in several busy neighborhoods near downtown. The areas were chosen as promising proving grounds because they boast a mix of residences and businesses.

The sturdy-looking red-and-white bikes, outfitted with a headlight and rack for belongings, also are sprinkled along the city's premier boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma. The bikes and equipment cost $6 million.

About 2,600 people have signed up, far from the eventual target of 24,000. But use is picking up, officials say.

On a recent day, Ivan Lemale, a 21-year-old student, pedaled one of the city-provided bikes along a tree-shaded boulevard in the La Condesa neighborhood as he headed to an appointment.

Lemale, a self-described environmentalist, said he was among the first to join when the program began in February. He said he has used the service regularly for short trips around the urban center.

Moments earlier, an aggressive taxi driver had nearly plowed into him on the busy avenue. But Lemale was looking on the bright side.

"Bicycles and cars can coexist very well. The only thing is respect," he said. "That is the solution."

The idea isn't fun, but function. Mexico City leaders see bike borrowing as a key link in a public transportation chain that includes the 4-decade-old subway and a 5-year-old express bus system, called Metrobus, which operates on 24 miles of dedicated lanes.

The sprawling capital is too big to pedal from one end to the other on a daily basis. But officials hope commuters use the bikes for the first or last leg of their journeys, making it easier to rely on public transportation rather than driving or taking a taxi.

In a city that adds 250,000 vehicles to the streets each year, the goal of Ecobici is to increase the share of trips people take by bicycle to 5%, from 1% now. Residents make about 30 million trips a day.

Some people complain that the annual fee is too high. And a lack of information has many others scratching their heads over the rows of shiny bicycles that have popped up where coveted parking spaces used to be.

The biggest barrier to turning capitalinos into bike commuters is what cyclists say is the lack of a bicycling culture here. Though plenty of brave souls get around by bike, motorists often treat cyclists - and pedestrians - as irritants. Bike paths don't always connect with one another and, in the most crowded areas, are often occupied by cars anyway.

Mexico City officials are trying to alter that thinking.

The government of Mayor Marcelo Ebrard clears traffic from Paseo de la Reforma and other thoroughfares Sunday mornings to make room for cyclists and joggers. The nearly 3-year-old recreational program is popular and has given residents a tempting taste of what a cycling life here might feel like.

In addition, authorities recently issued a new traffic code spelling out riders' right to share lanes with cars and requiring motorists to slow down when passing bicycles. They envision a day when Mexico City - huge, tumultuous and car-centered - hops on a bike to get places.

"If we want to have a future," said Delgado, the environmental secretary, "we have to open the door to bikes in Mexico City."

ken.ellingwood(at)latimes.com

The BBCC Presents 'The 800 Mile Wall'
PVNN
March 25, 2010

The 800 Mile Wall highlights the construction of the new border walls along the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the effect on migrants trying to cross into the U.S. This powerful 90-minute film is an unflinching look at a failed U.S. border strategy that many believe has caused the death of thousands of migrants and violates fundamental human rights.

The Bucer�as Bilingual Community Center, located on Calle 16 de septiembre #48 in Bucer�as, Nayarit, invites the community to attend a showing of an important documentary film on April 8th at 6:30 pm. (Jalisco time)

The 800 Mile Wall is a must see for all those who care about human life and is particularly relevant to those of us who enjoy the freedom of crossing the US/MX border annually. The movie documents the known 5,000 deaths of Mexican migrants in the USA deserts, mountains and canals and contrasts the policies of the USA and Canada's humane guest worker program as one of many solutions to ending the deaths.

Following the movie, Rene and Joan Adrian will lead a discussion on a variety of solutions, including those proposed by Humane Borders, a Tucson based organization dedicated to stopping the deaths.

For more information, call (329) 298-3527 between 10 am and 3 pm Jalisco time, Monday through Friday.

Driving Directions to the Bucer�as Bilingual Community Center:
From HWY 200, take the lateral pass toward La Cruz, go past HSBC, down the hill and turn right onto Matamoros (at the yellow speed bumps after Carnes del Mundo), two blocks in on Matamoros turn right onto 16 de septiembre and you are there! The BBCC is the third building on the right. Address: Calle 16 de septiembre #48, Bucer�as, Nayarit.

At the Mexico Border, a Harder Line on Illegal Immigrants
ara Miller Llana - Christian Science Monitor
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March 31, 2010

A US border patrol agent drives along the Mexico border near Palomas, Mexico. Repeat illegal crossings in one New Mexico judicial sector can now lead to felony charges. (Tony Avelar/Christian Science Monitor)

Risk of US prosecution, rather than a trip home for illegal immigrants, is rising as a deterrent to crossing the Mexico border. But the success of the zero-tolerance Operation Streamline is hard to gauge.

Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Ciudad Ju�rez, Mexico-A few years back, most of the defendants in Judge Robert Brack's courtroom in Las Cruces, N.M., wouldn't have had contact with American criminal justice � let alone be sitting in green jail clothes and shackled at the wrists and ankles.

But under a new zero-tolerance program that has been implemented along sections of the border, migrants crossing illegally into the United States are prosecuted � not voluntarily returned to Mexico as they often were in the past. If they return again, they face a felony charge.

"If I see you again, under similar circumstances, I will give you a year," Judge Brack admonishes the defendants on a recent day.

Is the policy deterring migrants from slipping across the border? The US border patrol says that attempts at crossing are down.

Doug Mosier, a spokesperson at border patrol in the El Paso sector, which includes Brack's jurisdiction, says apprehensions in his sector are down significantly since the program began, by about 50 percent.

Cutting judicial corners?

But critics say that too many judicial corners have been cut, while more serious cases involving drugs and people smuggling have gone unheard.

"The program is diverting resources away from prosecuting more serious crimes along the border," says Joanna Lydgate, a civil rights fellow with the Warren Institute at Berkeley School of Law, which released a critical report of Operation Streamline � the umbrella name given to various programs begun along the border � in January.

Operation Streamline began in 2005, in Del Rio, Texas, and has since spread along the border. In the El Paso sector, it was put into effect in the beginning of 2008. Mr. Mosier, who has been with border patrol for 22 years, says the fear of prosecution is a preventive tool "with teeth," he says. "It discourages people from freely coming across the border like in the old days," he says, when the border was a "revolving door."

Critics say such policies only push migrants to attempt more treacherous border crossings and that the US recession is the main reason for the drop in migration numbers.

On the Mexican side of the border, in Ciudad Ju�rez, the impact of the policy is evident at Casa del Migrante, which used to help migrants on their way to the US.

Last year, 7,000 deported migrants stopped by, they say. That's double the number from the previous year, while migrants en route are a mere trickle.

The stigma of jail time

Rocio Melendez, a human rights lawyer at Casa del Migrante, says that prosecuted migrants come home with the stigma of having spent time in jail. "They are criminalizing migrants," she says.

Also, the majority of defendants plead guilty � which gets them out of jail quickly but does not necessarily allow lawyers a chance to thoroughly see how defensible each case might be, says Assistant Federal Defender William Fry in Del Rio.

"I don't think people who created the program were mean-spirited, but, unfortunately, from a lawyer's perspective, you can't do one-size-fits-all justice," says Mr. Fry.

'Making felons out of people'

Ms. Lydgate's study shows that between 2002 and 2008, criminal prosecutions of petty immigration-related offenses increased from 12,411 cases to 53,697. During the same time period, however, drug prosecutions declined amid spiraling border violence in Mexico.

Brack sentenced 1,750 defendants in 2009, up 20 percent from 2008, and he says his courtroom is overwhelmed with cases.

"The days of coming back and forth without consequence are over," Brack says to his first defendant of the day, in an attempt to educate about the new deal. But even Brack has issues with the policy.

"I understand the need to have our borders secure," says Brack, but he says the new system doesn't do enough to target the demand side of the equation. Of the more than 7,000 people he has sentenced on immigration charges, for example, he says not one has been an employer. Yet migrants come here primarily for jobs. "We are making felons every day out of people."

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Pacific Coast Road, Driving and Travel Guide Log 2010

Driving in Mexico just got a little safer with the release of M�xico Road Logs - A comprehensive compilation of road logs of the Mexican Highway system researched and created by Bill and Dot Bell (www.ontheroadin.com). They have just released the updated version of their successful Nogales to Puerto Vallarta road Log and Travel Guide.

The Mexico Road Log and Driving Guides give details of what to expect along major travel routes when visiting different areas of Mexico. "Far more than a simple map, these road logs detail intersections, driving directions, points of interest, and provide important information on driving hazards that even current GPS systems do not track" said Dot Bell. "The Road Logs are a must for those who are driving throughout the Baja, Pacific, Gulf Coast, and the Interior of Mexico."

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The Mexico Road Logs are updated, simple to read, easy to use, and offer the perfect solution to people who want to drive and enjoy Mexico.

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