January 16, 2010
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Headline News
Cold Front Forces Mexico to Seal Roads in Northern, Western States
Xinhua
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January 16, 2010
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| The inclement weather was caused by the polar air which crossed into Mexico from neighboring United States late Thursday. |
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Eight municipalities in the northern state of Zacatecas have been sealed off, and public transport has been suspended across the territory, said Juan Antonio Caldera Martinez, director of public security and transit in Zacatecas.
In Jalisco, a western state on the Pacific coast, authorities have sealed two municipalities in the mountainous Sierra Madre area, including communities with relatively poor housing, according to officials from a weather research center of the University of Guadalajara.
The state-run National Meteorology Service (SMN) has forecast that temperatures would be as low as minus 8 degrees Celsius in the northern states of Durango and Chihuahua.
Freezing weather has killed at least 22 people across the nation since last week, including deaths caused by hypothermia and gas poisoning.
According to the SMN, the inclement weather was caused by the polar air of cold front number 22, which crossed into Mexico from neighboring United States late Thursday.
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Headline News
Saving an Aztec salamander
An effort to save the axolotl – a type of salamander – is also a bid to preserve an ancient cultureThe ancient waterways upon which the Aztec Empire was built are now a fraction of their former glory. Sucked dry by Spanish conquerors and subsequent urban planners, Mexico City’s great lake.…….Click Here for Original
Mexico City To Host 2010 Virtuoso(R) Symposium
For centuries, Mexico's famous El Camino Real has served as a welcoming trail for the world to discover the heart of the country, Mexico City. In April, that historic path will transform into a red carpet welcoming the world's top leaders of luxury travel for what will be an unprecedented gathering.…….Click Here for Original …….Click Here for Original
Heineken-Femsa deal could push Modelo into Anheuser-Busch’s arms
Heineken of Amsterdam said Monday it plans to buy the beer operations of Femsa, the maker of Dos Equis, in a $7.7 billion deal that will further consolidate the brewing industry.Many observers had believed SABMiller, the London-based owner of Miller Brewing, was the most likely suitor for Femsa.…….Click Here for Original
In seven years production at Pemex Oil may actually rise
Oil looked a bit tired to start the week, unable to build on early gains inspired by a weekend of what should have been exceptionally bullish news. Whether it was the strong economic data out of China or the increasing tensions around the globe with regards to Nigeria and Iran, or the ongoing oil price dispute between Russia and Belarus,…….Click Here for Original
Mexico real estate rebound means great deals for U.S. Veterans
The Mexico Real Estate market is still recovering so that means foreigners are finding fantastic deals on property in resort areas. …….Click Here for Original
Mexico says immigration reform unlikely in 2010
Mexico's ambassador to the United States said Friday he expects immigration reform is unlikely to pass in that country in 2010 because of unemployment and midterm elections.
In an unusually frank assessment, Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said Mexico will continue its quiet, "under the radar" lobbying for a reform that would benefit the estimated 11.8 million Mexicans living in the United States. A large percentage are undocumented………..go to original article
Rafael Marquez optimistic about Mexico’s chances
Mexico’s most famous player, defender Rafael Marquez, is optimistic about his team’s chances in the World Cup, and much may depend on the opening game against host South Africa.
The Barcelona player said on Thursday there may be extra pressure because it will be the first game………..go to original article
Mexico mugged by Starbucks? Company plans payback
Starbucks Corp.'s Mexico unit says it is willing to pay for permission to sell coffee mugs featuring pre-Hispanic images, after the Mexican government notified it about potential violations of intellectual property rights.
Starbucks Corp.'s Mexico unit says it is willing to pay for permission to sell coffee mugs featuring pre-Hispanic images, after the Mexican government notified it about potential violations of intellectual property rights. ………..go to original article
Canada to lend Mexico 5 million swine flu doses
Canada is lending Mexico 5 million doses of the swine flu vaccine.
Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in a statement Wednesday that Mexico requested the doses to help bridge that country's immediate pandemic vaccine requirements.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says Mexico placed orders with several manufacturers, but the bulk of Mexico's order will only be available at the end of the month.………..go to original article
Mexico’s Wireless Airwaves Auction to Begin in May
Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Mexico’s government will begin its auction of mobile-phone airwaves in May, aiming to spur competition with Carlos Slim’s America Movil SAB.
Regulators are relaying the information to prospective bidders this week, the Federal Telecommunications Commission said today in a statement. The length of the auction will depend on how many rounds of bidding occur. Once it ends, the agency will have 30 days to declare a winner. ………..go to original article
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Jim
Scherrer - PVNNJanuary 05, 2010
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| There are in excess of 200 cruise ships that visit PV from the US every year with an average of more than 2,000 passengers each; i.e. approximately 400,000 passengers arriving annually. |
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Mexico the Most Dangerous Country for Americans Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 3:39 PM U.S. Department of State Warns Largest Number of Non Natural Deaths Occur in Mexico. Derek Armstrong, Chief Crime Correspondent Crime Report USA: Mexico is overwhelmingly the most dangerous place for non-service Americans, topping the list of destinations with the highest "Non Natural Deaths", according to the US Department of State: Top 5 Countries for Non Natural Deaths Mexico 651 Iraq 82 Costa Rica 69 Thailand 67 Germany 63 |
Since shocking and misleading headlines such as "Mexico the Most Dangerous Country for Americans" are designed to be attention grabbing, tourists that read such nonsense might want to do their homework before considering vacation destinations in Mexico; they must understand the facts and not be frightened by ridiculous fear tactics put forth by those with ulterior motives.
At first glance, the above article seems to indicate 651 non natural deaths occurred in Mexico last year, however, when the reader digs deeper into the article he finds that the data was obtained over a three year period from 2006 through 2008, resulting in about 220 non natural US deaths per year in Mexico. Of the 220 non natural deaths per year, approximately 50 are homicides, the balance being auto accidents, drownings, suicides, etc. per the US Department of State.
Next, the reader needs to understand that approximately 20 million Americans visit Mexico each year, far more than any other country in the world per the US Dept Commerce. Therefore, we know that about 50 individuals out of every 20 million US visitors to Mexico are murdered during a violent crime every year while in Mexico.
Okay, let's take it a step further; let's determine where in Mexico these violent crimes take place. When reviewing the data presented by the US Department of State, you'll see that the majority of these violent crimes occur in the border towns such as Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana. Therefore, the next time you plan your winter vacation you might want to avoid these areas; they're probably about as dangerous as Chicago, Detroit, or Los Angeles! Instead of vacationing in beautiful downtown Juarez, you might want to consider a resort destination such as Cancun, Cozumel, Cabo San Lucas, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, or Puerto Vallarta.
As 13 year residents of Puerto Vallarta, we can attest to the safety of this magnificent resort destination south of the border where the possession of hand guns is prohibited and violent crime is virtually nonexistent. For proof of this claim, we'll first determine the number of US citizens that visit PV annually and then get the facts related to violent crime in the area.
There are in excess of 200 cruise ships that visit PV from the US every year with an average of more than 2,000 passengers each; i.e. approximately 400,000 passengers arriving annually. During the six month "high season", PV receives more than 50 international flights daily. Let's assume that 40 are from the US carrying an average of 100 passengers on each plane; that's more than 700,000 passengers arriving by air during the six winter months.
Next, let's assume that 30 planes arrive daily in PV during the six summer months of which 20 are from the US; that's another 350,000 passengers arriving by air during the "low season". Finally, we'll assume that another 50,000 people drive to PV every year. Totaling these conservative numbers, we find that at least 1.5 million tourists from the US visit Vallarta annually.
A number of websites such as travels.com put the total number of visitors at 2 million, others such as puertovallarta.net peg it at 2.2 million - and assuming at least 75% are from the US, our estimate of 1.5 million US visitors to PV per year is quite accurate.
Now, let's return to the data from the US Department of State. You will notice that during 2008, there were merely five non-natural deaths of US visitors in Puerto Vallarta and only one was a homicide. (Chances are that he was doing something or involved with something that he shouldn't have been!). That's one violent death out of 1.5 million visitors for the year or less than 0.7 per million.
According to US government provided data, the US has 6.2 violent deaths annually per 100,000 residents. This information is readily available at the US Bureau of Justice and on other websites such as cdc.gov. In other words, we have 62 homicides or violent crimes resulting in death per million residents in the US, or 93 homicides per 1.5 million; i.e., 93 times as many as in Puerto Vallarta!
You'll notice that the author of the referenced article is from Toronto, Canada; a beautiful city with a reputation for being quite safe, having a homicide rate of only 3.1 homicides per 100,000 residents per the Toronto Police Department or approximately half of that in the US.
Still, that equates to 31 per million residents or 46 murders per 1.5 million people, i.e. nearly 50 times as many as the number of Americans murdered in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! For example, in 2007, Toronto, with a population of 2,750,000 inhabitants, experienced 84 homicides or approximately 31 per million people.
You'll also notice that the author of the article publishes his propaganda on sites where feedback and comments are impossible; is it any wonder? There have been plenty of knowledgeable folks that have read preposterous articles such as the one addressed above and they too, are voicing their opinions and commenting on websites such as TheTruthAboutMexico.com. For the most part, these are people with intimate knowledge of Mexico and if it were dangerous for Americans in Mexico, they probably wouldn't be living or vacationing there on a routine basis.
(Yes, I am biased and yes, I have an axe to grind [representing real estate buyers in Puerto Vallarta]; but more importantly, I feel it imperative for someone to set the record straight and not allow misleading propaganda to be published on the Internet without being challenged.)
In summarizing, the next time someone insinuates that traveling to or vacationing in Mexico is dangerous for Americans, you can present the facts to them. Hopefully, after reviewing this analytical approach with the documented facts and figures provided by the US government, you'll feel much more comfortable and inclined to visit our beautiful Paradise south of the border, where you have nearly 100 times better odds of surviving than in the good ol' US of A!
The
founder of Puerto Vallarta Real Estate Buyers' Agents (PVREBA),
Jim Scherrer is a retired entrepreneur who has owned property in
Puerto Vallarta for more than 25 years. Utilizing his experience
and extensive knowledge of the area, Jim's series of informative
articles about travel to and retirement in Puerto Vallarta
reveal the recent changes that have occurred in Vallarta, while
dispelling the misconceptions about living conditions in Mexico.For more articles by Jim Scherrer, click HERE or visit PVREBA.com.
Mexico
Detains Brother of Slain Drug BossCyntia Barrera Diaz - Reuters
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January 03, 2010
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| This photo released by Mexico's Federal Security Secretary Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, shows Carlos Beltran Leyva at an undisclosed location after his arrest. (AP/Mexico Federal Security Secretary) |
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Carlos Beltran Leyva, 40, was detained in the northern state of Sinaloa on Wednesday but the ministry gave no details as to why the announcement was made three days later.
Beltran Leyva is one of five brothers who allegedly ran one of Mexico's most powerful drug organizations, notorious for their grisly killings and for moving big shipments of marijuana and cocaine into the United States.
A source from the ministry told Reuters that Beltran Leyva had been transported to Mexico City.
His brother Arturo was killed in a navy-led operation on Dec. 17 in central Mexico. Another member of the drug family, Alfredo, was captured and jailed in 2008.
Despite the deployment of 49,000 troops across Mexico, broad daylight shootings are common and killings by drug gangs sore to an unprecedented 7,000 last year alone.
helping them.]
Photography by Bill Bell
A Little Bit of Hollywood in Coastal Mexico:
Producer Eddie Dominguez
© Tara A. Spears
One wouldn’t expect to meet famous people tucked away in a little town in the Riviera Nayarit, far from the bling of the Hollywood, USA, film and television industry. Yet this rural beach town of La Penita is becoming an enclave of seriously talented individuals that while they leave their glamour and titles north of the border, still infuse the area with creative impact. One such talent is television producer Eddie Dominguez. He might adopt the guy next door persona in Mexico, but his intelligence, keen artistic eye, business acumen, and sharp social perceptions are evident even in casual conversation. “Eddie is just such a sincere, nice guy,” said Hala, a neighbor and La Penita business woman.”He cares about people and the community.”
Born in Los Angeles, Eddie is second generation Mexican-American. “I was somewhat late to appreciate my Mexican heritage. I grew up speaking English, accepted the typical American west coast attitude towards culture, music, living.” Eddie credits his mother and the nuns at his private school for influencing his strong belief in community service: “One of my junior high teachers marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. She personified the ‘60’s activism. We would talk about the ‘strive to be equal’ and the anti-war movements and how it affected each individual and the country.” This openness to controversial issues would serve Eddie well professionally. Even though as a child he occasionally visited relatives in Chihuahua, Mexico, Eddie wasn’t interested in learning Spanish or Mexican traditions until he was 18 years old. “When I went to college, I began to appreciate my Mexican heritage and wanted to learn about it. I also decided to learn to speak Spanish.” He graduated with a B.S. in English and Mexican History from California State University. Living in Los Angeles, which is the mecca of the entertainment industry, Eddie aspired to work in film but after accepting a ’starter’ job with a local television cable station, he was hooked on the potential of the small screen. In his 23 years in Hispanic television, Eddie’s creative vision and astute social perceptions earned his work as Director of Marketing, Program Director, Producer, and station General Manager accolades and loyal Los Angeles and national viewers.
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SECRETARIA DE COMUNICACIONES Y TRANSPORTES SUBSECRETARIA DE INFRAESTRUCTURA DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE DESARROLLO CARRETERO |
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Dorothy and Bill Bell visited Our Lady of Guadalupe and present this...we hope you enjoy it!
Congrats on the wonderful photo show of Virgen de
Guadalupe.
It's been a few years since we've gone to the all night vigil, your
photos brought back wonderful memories.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Eddie
I enjoyed every second of that. amazing shots bill. what is the music playing? Debra Niessen
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserve... murals. At its zenith in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. At this time it may have had more than 200,000 inhabitants, placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period. The civilization and cultural complex associated with the site is also referred to as Teotihuacan or Teotihuacano.
One of the world's most remarkable ancient sites Photography by Bill Bell
Driving Safely in Mexico
Driving safely in Mexico tips by Bill and Dot Bell
Fishin Mission
How one man is trying to help Mexican orphans and catch bass
Click
here to read more about the Baja Road Log
Now you can report police and government corruption in Mexico on line click here
Your personal information will be protected in accordance to the Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Public Government Information and Guidelines
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In
Mexico, Ladies Ring in the New Year in Brand-New Underwear
William Booth - Washington Post
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January 02, 2010
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| It is a popular New Year's ritual for women in Mexico to don fresh briefs to ring out the old and ring in the new - red for love and yellow for wealth. |
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Because the choice of a color signifies one's aspirations for the coming year, newspapers in Mexico send out reporters to quiz vendors about the national mood, and as 2009 - a year of soaring drug violence and deep economic tremors - shuddered to a stop, the vote was clear.
"Yellow. That's all they want. I am selling twice as much yellow as red," said Lucia Mendoza, making some last-minute sales on New Year's Eve on the sidewalk outside the central market in the capital's Coyoacan neighborhood.
Milenio News reported a go-go market for yellow. El Universal found yellow ahead by a mile. Makes sense. Mexico's $1 trillion economy shrank by more than 7 percent in 2009, the hardest-hit in Latin America, a victim of the recession in the United States, Mexico's No. 1 trading partner. Everybody here is ready for a jump-start in 2010.
The donning of red and yellow panties is a relatively new phenomenon in Mexico, which values its old holiday traditions but appears ready to try on another one. New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with a late dinner of turkey or cod at home with family and friends drinking punch and waiting for the fireworks. At the stroke of midnight, Mexicans gobble a dozen grapes, making a wish with each one.
There are plenty of superstitions. Wishing to travel more in 2010? Pack a suitcase and walk around the block. Going through a rough patch? Spill water on the walk in front of your home, and all the past year's tears will be washed away.
"This will be a tough holiday season in Mexico, as we have a crisis that is very rough," said Guadalupe Loaeza, a columnist for Reforma newspaper and author of satirical books about the foibles of the rich and infamous.
Loaeza is a traditionalist. If she wants something in the new year, she eats grapes. The underwear fad is just kitsch. "It's a vulgar custom," she said. "It's not even Mexican, or even American, and it is just an import, probably from somewhere in Latin America. This red underwear thing is the height of bad taste. If someone were to give me a pair, I would say, better to give me the money and let's buy something worthwhile."
María José Díaz, an editor of a magazine devoted to horoscopes, said: "Until recently, you only saw the red panties, but then they started selling the yellow, yellow for gold, for money. It was a commercial decision."
Díaz said that she was not a fan of the phenomenon herself but that she gets the idea. "Half the people wear them and believe that it might bring them love or money, but the other half just wears them for fun, because maybe they just like to show off their red underwear."
Researcher Gabriela Martinez contributed to this report.
New with travel guide information added!
Pacific Coast Road, Driving and Travel Guide Log 2010
We are confident that our road logs and driving guides will make your highway experiences just that much better and easier.
Regardless of whether you are driving an RV or a suburban, a bike or a pick-up, our road logs will assist your journey. Even 20 year veterans of the route have benefited from the information.We decided to present the road from a driving perspective going SOUTH. When your are looking at the Log, you read from the bottom of the page and read up. The Pacific Ocean, for example, would always be on your right, just as you would view it from your driver's seat.
The KM markings are the markings that you will see as you drive. It doesn't matter if your vehicle reads in miles or kilometers. You just read the signs on the road to get your bearings. Sometimes one highway combines with another and old kilometer signs are left up. Not to worry, just continue to read the guide.
Some of the best navigation points are the Pemex Station numbers clearly marked on all gas station signs. Topes (Mexican speed bumps) are marked in the guide just to remind you to go slow. We included Military and Agriculture check points even though we know these can change frequently. (Generally they are on one side of the state border or another between the Mexican states.)
How to download and buy the Road Log
Click on the buy now button and you will be directed to a merchants page. Once you pay for the road log you will redirected to an easy to use download page where you will be able to receive your product immediately. Now only $9.99
Pacific Coast Road, Nogales to Salina Cruz Driving and Travel Guide Log 2010
only $14.99 
For
over a decade, Wayne Franklin and his team at Tropicasa Realty have been
a trusted name in Puerto Vallarta real estate. Tropicasa Realty is the
region's representative for" The Leading Agents of the World" and with
over 100 years of combined experience in real estate, all agents of the
company are affiliated with AMPI. Wayne Franklin or any member of his
knowledgeable team can be contacted in-person at their Romantic Zone
Office - Pulpito 145-A at Olas Altas or in their San Marino Office - San
Marino Hotel at Rodolfo Gomez 111-4. While in PV they can be reached at
(322) 222-6505 or by calling 866-978-5539 (Toll-Free) from the U.S.
MEXLend,
Inc. is a Mexican mortgage brokerage based in Puerto Vallarta that
currently represents 8 different lenders offering 75 different loan
options in Dollars and Pesos for buyers looking to purchase vacation or
investment property throughout Mexico.
Wow, the colours and the costumes are great! it looks like it was a really special time.Carroll Elaine Hill